
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Ancestries | Versatile Heritages

Versatile Heritages

Source Player Core pg. 74 2.0
The peoples of Golarion are many, and they have a long history of intermingling or dabbling with forces capable of altering the very fabric of a mortal body or soul. The children born to such parents might have traits from each of their parents or physiological manifestations of the forces their ancestors were influenced by, manifesting as a specific heritage.

Click here for the full rules on Versatile Heritages.

Common Versatile Heritages

PFS StandardAiuvarin

Elves' children with people of other ancestries, and the children of their children, are called “aiuvarin”, an elven word that refers to a poem about leaves that fall too quickly to the ground.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardDhampir

The mortal offspring of undead vampires are caught between life and undeath, mortality and immortality, mundane existence and powerful magic. Dhampirs enjoy long life spans and otherworldly charm, but their ghostly pallor and the nature of their parentage make their lives in humanoid societies difficult.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardDromaar

As the orcs of Belkzen have become a critical vanguard in the war against the Whispering Tyrant, sometimes fighting alongside allies of other ancestries, children with a mix of orc heritage and that of another ancestry (typically human) have grown in number.

Click here for more details.

Uncommon Versatile Heritages

PFS StandardAphorite

Once perfectly identical beings who bridged the gap between Axis's perfect order and mortals' unrestricted existence, aphorites are now lit more by the spark of free will than the beacon of cosmic law.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardArdande

The strength of a baobab trunk and flexibility of a yew branch, flowers and fruit sprinkled across a forest canopy like jewels in a crown, soft moss blankets, and the daytime constellations created by pinpricks of light through leaves—this is what ardandes are made of.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardChangeling

Changelings are the children of malevolent hags, born with occult magic and the potential to hear a psychic Call.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardDragonblood

While there are many ways a mortal can be imbued with draconic powers, dragonbloods have an inherent natural affinity. Children born of draconic lineage or blessed by a dragon deity find themselves skirting the line of mortal and dragon, often taking on draconic appearances and boasting strong personalities.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardDuskwalker

A duskwalker isn't born; they are instead created, each manifesting as a mortal child in a location with close ties to death. They embody the somber powers of the psychopomps, immortal guardians and shepherds of the dead, and they maintain a fascination with and deep understanding of death throughout their lives. More singular than other versatile heritages, duskwalkers don't have different lineages.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardGanzi

Children of chaos, ganzis are born of the roiling effervescence of the untamable Maelstrom, the primal sea of all creation. Their blood crackles with the promise of change and the raw power of creation unshackled.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardIfrit

Ifrits descend from creatures such as efreet, salamanders, and magma dragons. Their spark of ancestral flame gives them a reputation for being passionate, if not capricious.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardNephilim

Nephilim are influenced by the divine magic of the Outer Sphere, often with fiendish or celestial features.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardOread

The Plane of Earth's influence runs through an oread's family, most often from a shaitan or crystal dragon ancestor. Oreads tend to be stoic, steadfast, and dependable, but they contain depths not seen on the surface.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardSuli

Sulis are geniekin who embody a mixture of elements, most commonly air, earth, fire, and water. They are typically the descendants of jann, genies of all four elements that wander the Material Plane instead of making a home on the Elemental Planes.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardSylph

Sylphs are an intense and lively people, flighty and tempestuous. These planar scions have kinship to beings of elemental air such as djinni, invisible stalkers, and cloud dragons.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardTalos

Taloses, geniekin gifted with magic from the Plane of Metal, resonate with the unlimited potential of raw ore, the treasured shine of polished gold, or the forgiving ring of a hammer reforging a broken blade.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardUndine

These dynamic, fluid mortals trace their ancestry to creatures from the Plane of Water, such as marids, water mephits, and brine dragons.

Click here for more details.

Rare Versatile Heritages

PFS StandardBeastkin

Beastkin have extraordinary abilities derived from the animal world, allowing them to partially or fully transform into animals, granting them deadly fangs, refined senses, and other such traits. A beastkin treads the line between nature and society, living with a foot in each.

Click here for more details.

PFS StandardReflection

Stories of malevolent duplicates are commonly told around campfires to frighten companions. In these tales, the duplicate forms after a botched ritual or exposure to a mysterious artifact, and is bent on replacing the creature they've replicated. Most believe such stories to be only that, but such reflection duplicates are real. While some wish to replace their progenitors, others merely want to forge a new life for themselves where no one knows of their origins.

Click here for more details.