Anthropology Companion
Rare Heritages
While many consider beastfolk, Mer, and
humans to exist, there are still others who
defy such categorization. Some are
summoned from other planes, while others
live in the wilderness, away from what most
would consider ‘civilization’. This
unfamiliarity leads to misunderstanding,
prejudice, and fear. Nevertheless, these
peoples remain part of the greater story of
Tamriel, and some may even choose to join
adventuring parties. For fame? For
revenge? For survival? The choice is theirs,
and yours, to make.
The playtest material in this article is
intended to showcase the new races and
subraces that will be included in an
upcoming book. These game mechanics
are in draft form, are usable in your TES 5e
games, but are not refined by full game
design and editing.
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Dremora (Kyn)
A warlike race of Daedra, the Dremora are
loyal beings who take pride in their martial
prowess and position in the societal
hierarchy.
The Dremora, or ‘Kyn’ as they prefer to be
called, are not so much born as they are
made. They are often connected to a
particular plane of Oblivion and are capable
of wielding its power to terrify and dominate
their foes.
Demon-Knights
Dremora are athletic demon-like humanoids
who range in appearance from fully
grotesque to resembling Dunmer with
horns. Horns within Dremora culture are a
badge of honor and therefore highly prized.
These can range in appearance from short
spikes on the frontal lobe to curled ram-like
horns.
Kyn are often confused by mortals with
Xivilai and Xivkyn who share similar
physical features. Xivkyn are a hybridized
species between Xivilai and the Kyn, and
Xivilai are often larger and wear less armor.
Dremora warriors of higher rank tend to
wear heavy plate armor riddled with spikes
and terrifying imagery. Their complexion
can vary from Dunmer gray to blue, purple,
red, or black and is often tied to their
Daedric patron.
Immortal Servants
The Dremora are found across Oblivion in
the service of the Daedric Princes, most
commonly Mehrunes Dagon but also Molag
Bal. Their culture is largely centered around
warfare. Whenever the two Daedric Princes
have invaded Tamriel their ground forces
were made up of various clans. Despite this,
the Dremora see themselves as neither
good nor evil beings, merely serving power
itself for its own sake.
Good service to their Prince’s aims allows a
Dremora to move up in the ranks of their
clan, and the Prince can move a Dremora
into a different clan at whim. It is a common
goal amongst the Dremora to rise the ranks
of a clan and serve directly under their
Prince.
The Hierarchical Kyn
Dremora are defined by their place in a rigid
internal caste system, Their service to a
Prince is eternal and honor-bound, even for
more chaotic or temperamental lords. The
following describes the caste system of a
Dremora clan.
Varlet. The lowest dregs, servants to higher
castes.
Churl. Untrained and disorganized, cruel to
all.
Caitiff. Zealous shock troops, unreliable yet
eager to prove themselves.
Kynval. Distinguished, disciplined, have
proven themselves in battle.
Kynreeve. Administrators of a clan,
administer rewards and punish the lower
castes.
Kynmarcher. Lowest caste referred to as
‘Lord’, commands outposts and citadels.
Markynaz. The ‘Grand Duke’, forms a council
amongst other clan members of this caste
known as a Markyn.
Valkynaz. Part of the personal guard of a
Daedric Prince, a council known as the
Valkyn, and rarely encountered on Tamriel.
Intercessors of Oblivion
Dremora are well known for being the
go-betweens between Nirn and Oblivion not
only during Daedric invasions but when
summoned by mortal conjurers for brief
periods of time. A Dremora adventurer
would adventure to gain power and
influence in line with their Prince’s ethos.
Perhaps a Dremora mage wishes to pilfer
the great libraries of the world in order to
gain an advantage against a hated rival, or a
warrior to bring back trophies of their
dishonored foes to prove their worth.
Whatever the case may be, a Dremora will
rarely wish to remain on Nirn and may rarely
wish to follow orders from the unworthy and
weak.
Dremora Names
Dremora tend to have both first names with
only the most distinguished using the
Daedric version of their clan name as a
surname. Their names are harsh, and are
similar to Orsimer or Dunmer names.
Male Names: Gatanas, Krazzt, Velehk,
Lansh, Xar, Uldun, Drozu, Uldun, Zexxil.
Female Names: Akata, Gadrah, Zyr, Angata,
Urata, Ulz, Foshaz, Belofasa, Doshian.
Dremora Ancestral Traits
Your Dremora character has a variety of
natural abilities common with all other
Dremora.
Creature Type. You are a fiend (daedra).
Age. Dremora are immortal beings, they are
born as adults and never age, they can’t die
from natural causes and they return to
Oblivion if they are killed.
Size. Dremora are roughly the height of
humans, being between 5 and 7 feet tall,
and have strong, athletic builds. Your size is
Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Void-Born. You weren’t born under the stars,
Grounds
instead you were born in the infinite
Padomaic seas of Oblivion, giving you the Moonshadow Azura Force
following benefits and restrictions.
Myriad Sanguine Thunder
● You don’t pick a birthsign. Realms of
● You are immune to disease Revelry
● You don't need to eat, drink or sleep,
The Pits Peryite Poison
and magic can't put you to sleep.
● When you take a long rest, you must Quagmire Vaermina Psychic
spend at least six hours in an
inactive, motionless state, rather The Scuttling Namira Force
than sleeping. In this state, you Void
appear inert, but it doesn't render The Shivering Sheogorath Psychic
you unconscious, and you can see Isles
and hear as normal.
The Spiral Mephala Acid
Daedric Origin. Your soul is connected to a Skein
realm of Oblivion. Choose a realm from the
list below, The damage type associated with
each realm of Oblivion is used by other Tempered by Oblivion. You have resistance
features. to the damage type associated with your
daedric origin.
Realm of Daedric Damage
Brave. You have advantage on saving
Oblivion Prince Type
throws against being frightened.
Apocrypha Hermaeus Necrotic
Wrath of Oblivion. Once per turn, when you
Mora
hit a creature with an attack, you can deal
Ashpit Malacath Fire additional damage equal to your level, of the
damage type associated with your daedric
Attribution’s Boethiah Fire origin. Additionally, the target must make a
Share
Personality saving throw (DC 8 + your
Coldharbour Molag Bal Cold proficiency bonus + your Intelligence,
Willpower, or Personality modifier) or
Colored Meridia Radiant become frightened of you until the end of
Rooms your next turn.
Deadlands Mehrunes Fire You can use this feature a number of times
Dagon equal to your proficiency bonus, and you
Evergloam Nocturnal Necrotic regain all expended uses when you finish a
long rest.
Fields of Clavicus Acid
Dremora War Magic. Once you reach 3rd
Regret Vile
level, you can cast the bound weapon spell
Hunting Hircine Poison with this trait, without a material
component. Once you cast this spell with
this trait, you can't cast that spell with it
again until you finish a long rest. You can
also cast this spell using any magicka
points you have.
Intelligence, Willpower, or Personality is your
spellcasting attribute for these spells when
you cast them with this trait (choose when
you select this ancestry).
Dremora Cultural Traits
Dremora society is clan-based and focused
on oaths and loyalty towards their clan and
the princes they serve. You have the
following cultural traits.
Terrifying Aura. You gain proficiency in the
intimidation skill.
Subculture. Dremora groups are divided in
three categories: Clan Warriors, Clan
Spellcasters and the Outcasts outside of the
clans.
Clan Warrior
You come from a clan that highly values
martial prowess. Some examples include
the Bladebearer Clan, an independent clan
of warriors; and the Firescourge Clan that
act as foot-soldiers for Mehrunes Dagon.
Saving Face. You cannot afford to show
weakness on the battlefield in front of
others. If you miss with an attack roll or fail
a saving throw, you can gain a bonus to the
roll equal to the number of allies you can
see within 30 feet of you (maximum bonus
of +3). Once you use this trait, you can't use
it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger
when determining your carrying capacity
and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Clan Spellcaster
You come from a clan that highly values the
vast potential of magic. Some examples
include the mages of the Bloodwraith Clan,
who perform arena combat in the name of
Boethiah; and the Bloodruin Clan, who’s
mages are extremely powerful servants of
Mehrunes Dagon.
Magic Weaver. You know one cantrip from
the sorcerer spell list. Once you reach 3rd
level, you can cast the Lesser Ward spell
once as a 1st-level spell, and regain the
ability to do so after you finish a long rest.
Intelligence, Willpower or Personality is your
spellcasting attribute for these spells
(choose when you select this culture).
Daedric Scholar. You have advantage on all
Arcana rolls concerning daedric magic or
artifacts.
Dremora Outcast
A dremora who has no clan is considered
the lowest of the low among their kind. They
have either been exiled from their clan,
deemed unworthy of serving a Daedric
Prince, or never joined a clan in the first
place. Some of these outcasts have formed
their own clan, and are known as The
Vanquished.
Fiercely Independent. When on your own, a
well-placed strike is the difference between
life and death. When you make an attack roll
against a creature when none of your allies
that aren’t incapacitated are within 5 feet of
it, you can double your proficiency bonus for
the attack immediately after seeing the
number on the d20. If the attack hits, the
target has disadvantage on opportunity
attacks made against you until the start of
your next turn. Once you use this trait, you
can't use it again until you finish a short or
long rest.
Cutthroat. Without a clan, one must learn to
hold their own. You have proficiency in one
of the following skills of your choice:
Stealth, Deception, Survival and Perception.
Goblin
Living in caves, ruins and sewers, Goblins
are a primitive humanoid race that are found
throughout Tamriel in small clan-based
societies. They are known as hostile
creatures who attack travelers and farmers,
but Goblins are capable of living alongside
other races.
Varied Forms
Ranging from being shorter than a Bosmer
to being taller than an Altmer, with some
having horns and hunchbacks, and divided
in multiple subraces, Goblins are a highly
diverse race.
While all goblins share some traits, like their
elven-like ears and canine teeth, they are
divided in 3 major subraces, the common
goblins that inhabit most of Nirn have green
skin, the Rieklings that inhabit Solstheim
have light blue skin and tend to have a
shorter stature than other goblins, and the
magically gifted Riekr that inhabit Wrothgar
have skin that ranges from white to purple.
Their clothing is as varied as their physical
forms are, some wear simple clothes made
out of pelts, bones and durzog hide, others
use more complex armor, some dating back
to the First Era, either passed down from
previous generations, found on ancient ruins
or crafted themselves.
Some Goblin tribes progressed into a basic
metal age by using metal scraps from
Dwemer ruins, creating makeshift weapons
and armor made from the material.
Tribal Living
Goblins live in small tribes led by a warlord
who is the strongest goblin or a shaman
who is a religious leader and usually the
smartest member of a tribe, whose death is
known to turn a tribe docile.
Some goblins worship the Blue God,
typically represented through idols of
Malacath painted blue, while others worship
Muluk, who is related to Mauloch, an aspect
of Malacath. Like all Goblin-ken, they are
believed to be Malacath’s chosen people.
Goblins usually eat any food they find, some
raising rats for meat, others farming
mushrooms in caves, others farm kwama
and spiders, others fish, while others simply
scavenge from the more advanced races of
Tamriel. Rieklings enjoy “dizzydrinks”, or
alcoholic drinks.
Goblins tend to tame animals, specially
Durzogs who they train for war and to
harvest their hides, Rieklings tame Tusked
Bristlebacks as warmounts.
Rieklings form strange attachments to the
relics they scavenge from other races and
perform ritualistic “Godspeak” ceremonies,
usually using “redgrass”.
Riekr society expects each member to pull
their own weight, with magically gifted Riekr
having to pass an initiation ritual to be able
to rejoin their tribe. Riekr tend to have
practices that are seen as disgusting by
other races, such as eating meat, vomiting
and then trading it with fellow tribesmen to
eat each other’s vomit, bathing in filth and
eating their young.
History of Enslavement
Goblins have been the victims of slavery
many times, Altmer used them mostly for
menial tasks, such as mucking out dung
pits and cleaning floors, and were
traditionally used to supplement Altmer
armies. House Dres used Goblin slaves as
workers in their mines by using their tribe’s
totem to control them.
Goblins require to be educated and “tamed”
before they can be used as slaves, but they
are highly valued in areas where their
slavery isn’t banned.
Unexpected Adventurers
While the Goblins are known as dangerous,
nasty creatures, they are fully capable to
work alongside other races, sometimes they
can work for other races for their own
benefit or out of respect, as many value
strength and skill.
Other Goblins may decide to go out on
adventures outside of their tribes for more
personal reasons, sometimes just to acquire
riches and trinkets, other times to protect
their kind from slavers, and other times
simply for the sake of adventure.
Goblin Names
Goblins have guttural names with sharp
sounds, sometimes made of only a single
syllable, but some do have longer names,
being typically hard to pronounce for other
races. Goblins do not have surnames or
clan names, but some do use titles to
denote accomplishments..
Male Names: Cuig, Wrorx, Tat, Wrerk, Hect,
Xozmets, Briznyq, Squish, Gnog, Ciagz.
Female Names: Nix, Delk, Vils, Jurta, Biags,
Bruiminqee, Gnittanx, Nittonx, Friogmog,
Treluss, Slap.
Goblin Ancestral Traits
Your Goblin character has certain
characteristics as a result of its goblin-ken
heritage. You have the following ancestral
traits.
Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. You are
also considered a goblin-ken for any
prerequisite or effect that requires you to be
a goblin-ken.
Age. Goblins reach adulthood at age 12 and
live up to 60 years, but because of their war
based society they rarely live longer than 20
years.
Size. Goblins can range in height from three
feet to over eight feet. However, most of
them stand between three to five feet tall.
You are Medium or Small. You choose the
size when you select this ancestry, the size
you choose determines some of your
features.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within
60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in
darkness as if it were dim light. You can't
discern color in darkness, only shades of
gray.
Fury of Muluk (Small only). When you
damage a creature with an attack or a spell
and the creature's size is larger than yours,
you can cause the attack or spell to deal
extra damage to the creature. The extra
damage equals to your level plus your
proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait,
you can't use it again until you finish a short
or long rest.
Goblin Nimbleness (Small only). You can
move through the space of any creature that
is of a size larger than yours.
Wrath of the Blue God (Medium only). When
you damage a creature with an attack or a
spell and the creature's hit points are below
half, you can cause the attack or spell to
deal extra damage to the creature. The extra
damage equals to your level plus your
proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait,
you can't use it again until you finish a short
or long rest.
Opportunistic (Medium only). When you
score a critical hit against a creature, you
can move half your movement speed away
from that creature without provoking
opportunity attacks. You must end your turn
further away from the creature than where
you started.
Subancestries. There’s 3 main subraces of
Goblins inhabiting Nirn: Common Goblin,
Rieklings and Riekr
Common Goblin
The green-skinned Goblins live across the
continent and are the most numerous
species of goblin-ken.
Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can
move up to your movement speed toward a
hostile creature you can see or hear. You
must end this move closer to the enemy
than you started.
Rieklings
The blue-skinned Rieklings live mostly in
Solstheim, they tend to have squatter bodies
than their brethren and ride Bristlebacks as
warmounts.
Cold Born. Living in the harsh environment
of Solstheim has given you resistance to
cold damage.
Riekr
The white-skinned Riekr are naturally
magically gifted, they live in Wrothgar in
societies seen as particularly disgusting by
other races.
Riekr Magic. You know the ray of frost
cantrip. You can also cast the fog cloud
spell with this trait. Once you cast this spell
with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it
again until you finish a long rest. You can
also cast this spell using any magicka
points you have.
Intelligence, Willpower, or Personality is your
spellcasting attribute for these spells when
you cast them with this trait (choose when
you select this ancestry).
Goblin Cultural Traits
Goblins value resourcefulness and might .
You have the following cultural traits.
Durzog Tamer. You have proficiency in the
Animal Handling skill.
Unclean Living. You have advantage in
saving throws against disease.
Cunning Scavenger. As part of a short rest,
you can harvest bone and hide from a slain
beast, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature
of size small or larger to create one of the
following items: a club, a dagger, leather
armor, traveler’s clothes, a two-person tent,
a backpack, or a totem, amulet or wand. To
use this trait, you need a blade, such as a
dagger, or appropriate artisan's tools, such
as leatherworker's tools.
Resourceful. You are proficient with
improvised weapons.
Shaman Totem. You can use trinkets as if
they were spellcasting focus for any class.
Minotaur
Large and powerful, the Minotaurs,
sometimes called man-bulls or bull-men, are
a species of beastfolk that hails from
Cyrodiil. Once they were a symbol of the
Alessian Empire, but now they are seen as
mere savage monsters, living in ancient
ruins and attacking travelers on sight.
The Bull-Men
Minotaurs have the body of a man and the
head of a bull, their bodies are tall and
broad, and are covered in thick gray, brown
or red fur and hide, they have large curved
horns that are capable of piercing through
the strongest armor.
While some Minotaurs choose to go
completely naked, or only wearing a simple
loincloth, they are capable of wearing and
making intricate armor and weapons. Some
choose to wear nose-rings similar to the
ones put on bulls.
Ancestral Guardians
Minotaurs tend to congregate around
ancient ruins of the Alessian Empire,
guarding these areas instinctively, and
attacking travelers who intrude in their
territory.
While mostly male, female Minotaurs do
exist, Minotaurs live in clans led by the
strongest and largest male, who has
breeding rights with all females of
reproductive age. Younger males
sometimes fight the dominant male to the
death to become the leaders of the clan.
Heirs to the Empire
While no surviving records prove their origin,
scholars believe that Minotaurs come from
the union of the Slave Queen Alessia and the
Demigod Morihaus-Breath-of-kyne, which gave
birth to Belharza the Man-Bull, the first
minotaur and second ruler of the Empire.
Minotaurs began appearing around the time
of Empress Alessia’s reign, during this time,
they had intelligence and culture similar to
other races, and were extremely loyal to the
Empire.
Despite their loyalty, Minotaurs were always
distrusted because of their strength and
appearance, and with the rise of the Alessian
Order, they were driven into the forests and
treated as simple beasts like trolls or goblins.
Their culture was destroyed and they lost their
intellect with the passage of time.
Now they are hunted down as trophies and
rounded up to fight in the imperial arena,
roaming the wilderness of Cyrodiil like beasts,
with their noble lineage long forgotten.
However, while they are known as monsters,
Minotaurs are fully capable of working
alongside other races, with their raw strength,
magical resistance and powerful horns
making them capable allies.
Minotaur Names
Minotaurs have tough, guttural names,
some being Imperial in origin, they don’t
have surnames or clan names, instead
having a title that denotes physical
characteristics or feats.
Male Names: Raasen, Nernth, Hantarion,
Kahlnart, Dimius, Kistrurd, Narrus, Kranrak,
Galrus, Rakdiar, Cresek.
Female Names: Mouna, Nuodera, Raastrin,
Weolin, Hadrie, Tefora, Rasassia, Keszu,
Eleuthia.
Titles: Stormfury, Stonehoof, Redeye,
Ebonyhorn, Bloodhorn, Ironhide, The
Bloodied, The Fearless, The Wrathful.
Minotaur Ancestral Traits
Your Minotaur character has certain
characteristics in common with other
Minotaurs. You have the following ancestral
traits
Creature Type. You are a monstrosity.
Age. Minotaurs live as long as humans,
however, because of their living conditions
they rarely live longer than 40 years.
Size. Minotaurs average over 7 feet in
height, and they have strong, stocky builds.
Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Horns. Your horns are natural melee
weapons, which you can use to make
unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you
deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your
Strength modifier, instead of the
bludgeoning damage normal for an
unarmed strike.
Charge. If you move at least 20 feet straight
toward a target and then hit it with a melee
weapon attack on the same turn, you can
immediately follow that attack with a bonus
action, making one attack against the target
with your horns.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger
when determining your carrying capacity
and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Heir of Alessia. As an action, you can
unleash a bellowing cry that reverberates
with such a force that it casts your foes
aside. All creatures of your choice within 15
feet of you must make a Strength saving
throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d6
thunder damage, is pushed 10 feet away
from you and is knocked prone. On a
successful save, it takes half as much
damage and is not pushed or knocked
prone. The difficulty class of this save is
equal to 8 + your Endurance modifier + your
proficiency bonus. On a successful save, it
takes half as much damage.
This damage increases by 1d6 when you
reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and
17th level (4d6). Once you use this feature
you can’t use it again until you finish a long
rest.
Minotaur Cultural Traits
Minotaur culture values raw strength and
reverence for the past. You have the
following cultural traits.
Minotaur Weapon Training. You are
proficient in Blunt and Axe Weapons
Imposing Presence. You have proficiency in
one of the following skills of your choice:
Intimidation or Persuasion.
Ancestral Recall. You can perfectly recall
any path you have traveled. Additionally, you
have advantage on any Willpower or
Intelligence check related to finding ancient
Imperial ruins or knowledge about the
Alessian Empire.
Brave. You have advantage on saving
throws against being frightened.