ANCESTRIES
Your character’s ancestry determines which people they call their own, whether it’s diverse and ambitious humans, insular but vivacious elves, traditionalist and family-focused dwarves, or any of the other folk who call Golarion home. A character’s ancestry and their experiences prior to their life as an adventurer—represented by a background—might be key parts of their identity, shape how they see the world, and help them find their place in it.
CORE ANCESTRIES
| Name | HP | Size | Speed | Ability Boosts | Ability Flaws | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | 10 | Medium | 20 feet | Constitution, Wisdom, Free | Charisma | |
| Elf | 6 | Medium | 30 feet | Dexterity, Intelligence, Free | Constitution | |
| Gnome | 8 | Small | 25 feet | Constitution, Charisma, Free | Strength | |
| Goblin | 6 | Small | 25 feet | Dexterity, Charisma, Free | Wisdom | |
| Halfling | 6 | Small | 25 feet | Dexterity, Wisdom, Free | Strength | |
| Human | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Two free ability boosts | - |
HALF-HUMAN ANCESTRIES
Unlike other ancestries, humans don't have significant physiological differences defined by their lineage. Instead, their heritages either reveal their potential as a people or reflect lineages from multiple ancestries.
| Name | HP | Size | Speed | Ability Boosts | Ability Flaws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-Elf | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Two free ability boosts | - |
| Half-Orc | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Two free ability boosts | - |
OTHER ANCESTRIES
| Name | HP | Size | Speed | Ability Boosts | Ability Flaws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catfolk | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Dexterity, Charisma, Free | Wisdom |
| Hobgoblin | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Constitution, Intelligence, Free | Wisdom |
| Kobold | 6 | Small | 25 feet | Dexterity, Charisma, Free | Constitution |
| Leshy | 8 | Small | 25 feet | Constitution, Wisdom, Free | Intelligence |
| Lizardfolk | 8 | Medium | 25 feet | Strength, Wisdom, Free | Intelligence |
| Orc | 10 | Medium | 25 feet | Strength, Free | - |
| Ratfolk | 6 | Small | 25 feet | Dexterity, Intelligence, Free | Strength |
| Shoony | 6 | Small | 25 feet | Dexterity, Charisma, Free | Constitution |
| Tengu | 6 | Medium | 25 feet | Dexterity, Free | - |
VERSATILE ANCESTRIES
The peoples of Golarion are many, and they have a long history of intermingling. The inevitable offspring of these mixed unions share physiological features with both their parents, manifesting as a specific heritage. The most common of these by far are the half-elf and half-orc human ancestries. Some individuals, however, are born under far stranger circumstances, such as a monstrous, undead, or extraplanar parent, a powerful curse, or an incursion of extraplanar energies. As these circumstances aren't unique to a single ancestry, these heritages—called versatile heritages—are likewise shared by many ancestries.
| Name | Versatile Ancestry |
|---|---|
| Aasimar | You descend from celestials or were touched by the celestial realms, gaining an air of awe and grace, as well as features distinctive to your celestial forebears. You gain the aasimar trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can choose from aasimar feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat. |
| Changeling | Your mother was a hag. Your heterochromatic eyes are the most obvious signifier of this parentage, but you likely also have a slighter build, paler skin, and darker hair than most members of your other parent's ancestry. You gain the changeling trait. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can select from changeling feats and feats from your other parent's ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat. |
| Dhampir | You are the scion of a vampire, half living and half undead, gifted with uncanny charm and grace, a bloodless pallor, and elongated incisors. You gain the dhampir trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You have the negative healing ability, which means you are harmed by positive damage and healed by negative effects as if you were undead. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can choose from dhampir feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat. |
| Duskwalker | Thanks to an ancient bargain, your soul has been reborn as a duskwalker, a planar scion with a connection to psychopomps and the Boneyard. You gain the duskwalker trait in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. Neither your body nor your spirit can ever become undead. You can choose from duskwalker feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat. |
| Tiefling | You descend from fiends or bear the mark of the fiendish realms, manifesting as some unusual feature that belies your heritage, such as horns or a tail. You gain the tiefling trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can choose from tiefling feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat. |