SETTING
The setting is low fantasy and low magic. Most people in this setting will go their entire lives without encountering magic or monsters. Therefore, there are restrictions on race, class, and background.
I am not familiar with all the supplemental books out there. Feel free to approach me for approval with anything from any 5e book, 5e compatible book, or anything really, bearing in mind that if it's magical, it's probably not setting-appropriate.
RACE RESTRICTIONS
The setting is humancentric, meaning the majority of people in the setting are human. The other available races are dwarves, elves, and halflings. These three races are referred to collectively as demi-humans by human scholars, and they are uncommon if not rare in the human-dominant regions. Ignore all racial features, traits, subraces, racial variants, etc. except the following:
1. Everyone speaks common. Demi-humans also speak the language from their culture (i.e., Dwarves speak Dwarvish).
2. Everyone has a movement speed of 30 ft. No need to write this down.
3. Dwarves have advantage on saves vs poison, have resistance vs poison damage, and get a +1 to their max HP each level. Dwarves also have advantage on Intelligence checks with regards to stonework and masonry.
4. Elves have advantage on saves vs charm and sleep, and have proficiency in the Perception Skill. *Note that elves need to sleep like everyone else. Due to their magical nature, only elves have access to the Fighter (Eldritch Knight), Rogue (Arcane Tricker), and Sorcerer (Wild Magic) classes.
5. Halflings have advantage on saves vs frightened, they have proficiency in the Stealth skill, and various logical benefits and penalties due to their small size such as when a Huge or larger creatures make melee attacks against them, the attacker has disadvantage.
6. Most importantly, no one can see in the dark!
CLASS RESTRICTIONS
Not all Classes or subclasses with a magic theme or that suggest magical or supernatural abilities are appropriate to the setting. Some classes and subclasses are available only to elves. If you play a divine spellcaster (cleric, druid), you are playing a religious character; Your powers come from your faith in a deity whom you serve. While other characters may be mercenaries, a divine spellcaster typically has a holy cause.
⦁ Artificers: No artificers. Crafting is antithetical to adventuring, so few adventurers would be able to craft anything of value, and the artificer's flavor tends to be a bit high-tech for the setting.
⦁ Barbarian: You can be a berserker.
⦁ Bards: The bard class is not available because magical music is too fantastic for this setting. If you want to be a musical character, you can. We can assume your character can play a musical instrument, sing, dance, and recite poetry.
⦁ Cleric: You can be a Life (domain) Cleric. PC Clerics are always lawful good, though NPC clerics may by chaotic evil.
⦁ Druids: You can be a Nature (domain) Cleric and call yourself a Druid. The Druid class as presented in the 3e or 5e books and all druid subclasses are too fantastic for this setting. Druids are not restricted from using metal equipment, but they are restricted from creating spell scrolls because theirs is an oral tradition and they consider their knowledge too sacred to be written. PC Druids may be Neutral or Neutral Good.
⦁ Fighter: You can be a Champion or a Battle Master. *Only elves may be Eldritch Knights due to their magical nature.
⦁ Monk: No monks because ki is another form of the supernatural. If you want to be a brawler type or a pugilist, pick any other class with skill proficiency in Athletics and you may wear metal gauntlets or knuckle dusters, for starting damage of d4.
⦁ Paladin: No paladins. Paladins are legendary. Like God commanding Joshua to lead the Israelites to take back the promised land legendary. If you really want to be a paladin, you can play a lawful good religious fighter and I'll let you trade a Fighter class feature for Lay on Hands and another one for Turn Undead.
⦁ Ranger: Rangers do not have any spellcasting in my setting. To compensate, you can be both a hunter and beast master subclasses at the same time, but your choice in beasts is limited to animals that are typical domesticated, such as dogs. Alternatively, you can be a fighter and swap some class skills and features with Ranger, and flavor yourself as a ranger.
⦁ Rogue: You can be the Thief. *Only elves may be an Arcane Trickster due to their magic nature.
⦁ Sorcerer: No Sorcerers. Ordinary people in this setting have no chance of having a magic blood-line. *Only elves may be a Wild Magic Sorcerer due to their magical nature.
⦁ Warlocks: No warlocks. Patrons are too fantastic for this setting.
⦁ Wizard: You cannot be of the Necromancy school because Necormancy is gross, and is regarded as, at best offensive and at worst a crime against god and nature to every good or neutral aligned religion. When wizards level up, they do not get their new spells for free! They must spend the time and money to get new spells as described in the PHB on page 114 in the green section "Your Spell book."
BACKGROUNDS
You can use the backgrounds as inspiration for your character only. Ignore the starting proficiencies, equipment, features, etc. Each player may have a free choice of two proficiencies with either skills or tools that they feel suits their character based on their character's history. You can be any background from the PHB except the Noble or Noble Variant: Knight because you're all peasants - especially you!
If you really want to be a noble, create a story so that you are a former noble, or some noble's bastard offspring who has been not been legitimized, or you're some sort of black-sheep of the family with no chance of being anyone's heir.
ABILITY SCORES
Ignore the standard ability score generation methods in the PHB, as well as racial adjustments. Do not track ability scores. Instead, only track the bonuses and penalties. All characters can make a net +7 character (net +7 means all your bonuses and penalties add up to +7) by choosing from the list below or rolling a d4. You may assign any number to any ability. Note, if you have a penalty in intelligence, your character is illiterate and cannot be a wizard.
1. +3, +3, +1, +1, 0, -1
2. +3, +2, +2, +1, 0, -1
3. +4, +2, +2, 0, 0, -1
4. +3, +3, +2, +2, -1, -2
STARTING WEALTH BY CLASS
Ignore the starting equipment from your class, although Wizards begin with one spell book which they received from their master or mistress prior to their adventure. Use the Starting Wealth by Class table on page 143 of the PHB to generate your starting gold (alternatively, 3d6 + Wisdom bonus or penalty in gold), then purchase your starting equipment before session one.
Note that in this setting, the primary currency of peasants is Silver Pieces (SP). Once we begin play, wealth will have to be earned.
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