HeroQuest 1 – Template: Homeland

Last revision: 2 Apr 2004

This is the standard format of a HeroQuest homeland, including the homeland keyword.

HOMELAND

Sample greeting of someone from that homeland to a stranger.

The homeland entry begins with one or more paragraphs introducing the people and their way of life.

Homeland Keyword

The actual keyword for the homeland, in the following format:

Occupations Available:The common occupations available to heroes from that homeland. Other occupations may be available, but they are unusual, and require narrator permission.
Native Abilities:Typical things that a person from this homeland can do. Note that this entry may have additional abilities available only to certain people, such as men or women. Most homeland keywords include at least the following abilities:
      [Homeland] Customs, [Local Area] Geography, Speak [Language].
Native Flaws(not always present):Some homelands produce people inept at particular abilities, so some abilities will be lower than normal or recorded as flaws on the character sheet.
Typical Personality:Typical traits of a member of that homeland. A hero may take any, all, or none of these as abilities.
Typical Relationships:Regular communities or people that a hero is expected to maintain a connection with. A hero may have any, all, or none of these as abilities. Players are encouraged to give their heroes variations, so that a hero might have Distant from Family instead of Love Family as part of his keyword, if it is appropriate to his background.
Magic:The main kinds of magic practiced in the homeland, and the religions that provide it. (See “Common Religions” and “Specialized Religion” below.)
Common Names:A sampling of male and female names for heroes to choose from, or just to get a feel for the culture.

Origin

Briefly sums up the homeland’s history.

Common Religions

One or more sample common religions, with typical magic available. These are common ways this homeland understands and accesses common magic. Players are not limited to this list, and can generally choose whatever common magic abilities they wish.

Specialized Religion

Each homeland usually has a dominant religion, and a hero from that homeland is a member of that religion unless the player specifically states that he is not. Each specialized religion has a Religion Keyword, whose abilities are added to those of the hero’s Homeland Keyword. The religion keyword uses the following format:

Abilities:Typical things that a member of this religion learns or does.
Virtues:Desired personality traits of the religion. A hero may take any, all, or none of these as abilities.
Relationships:Mundane relationships that a member of the religion normally has. A hero may have any, all, or none of these as abilities, although failure to take the basic relationships that express membership in the religion itself is obviously counter-productive, and may affect the magic available to the hero.
Magic:The specific magical abilities available to basic members (communal worshippers, spiritists, or lay members) of the religion. Generally, a hero will get all of these as part of the keyword.
Other Side:The Otherworld home of the religion. Worshippers usually travel there during holy day ceremonies.

Sample Religious Organizations

A listing of common theist cults, animist practices, or saintly orders and wizardry schools that are part of the dominant religion. Generally, one cult, practice, order, or school is included for each occupation listed in the homeland keyword. Heroes are not generally required to be a member of this occupation to join that religious organization, nor are they limited to this list.

Reasons to Have Left Home

Gives reasons why the hero may have left home to join the maelstrom of the Hero Wars.

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