Hearthian

“T
he journey here from the south pole
has been, um… I’m going to go with
“harrowing,” because of the, um, all
of the meteors. But hey, at least I
made it here unconcussed and not
on fire! Okay, let’s see… I poked
around a little, and there’s some sort
of old Nomai path that starts across from my campsite, inside
the ruined building with trees growing out of it. Doesn’t look
like anything horrible — just stairs leading down. I can
handle stairs!”
— Excerpt from the accounts of Outer Wilds Ventures
astronaut and archaeologist Riebeck
Young Venturers
The Hearthians are a people that have arisen late in the
world, but if any people would make the most of their time it
is them. Brave and enterprising, they are driven by an earnest
enthusiasm for the world around them and the simple joys of
good company. With their good-natured communities hurled
forward by the leftover relics of ancient travellers, they now
strike out from their cosy home of Timber Hearth and in to
the great beyond no matter what it shall bring them.
The Water Left Behind
Though Hearthians are now bipedal and land-borne, it was
not all that long ago that their ancestors lived in the
subterranean rivers of Timber Hearth. They show much
variation in physical stature, with the tallest and strongest
being several times the height of the smallest, but even the
largest of them are still generally comparable to a human.
They are most easily recognised by their four eyes and
expressive ears that act much as eyebrows do in some other
peoples, though their ramshackle but rugged constructions
and devices are as much a signature as anything about their
biology.
Hearthian Names
Hearthians are almost invariably named after a type of rock
or geological feature - a way to keep themselves "grounded"
and connected to their home, in a sense. Hearthians also
have no biological sex and do not typically consider any
names to come with associations of gender identity.
Names: Arkose, Chert, Esker, Feldspar, Gabbro, Galena,
Gneiss, Gossan, Hornfels, Marl, Mica, Moraine, Porphy,
Riebeck, Rutile, Slate, Spinel, Tektite, Tephra, Tuff
 Hearthian Traits
Your Hearthian character has a number of natural and
cultural gifts to aid them in their journey.
Ability Score Increase Your Charisma score increases by
2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age Hearthians reach adulthood a little quicker than,
typically considered to be around 12 years old. From then,
they can expect to live to 50 or so on average.
Alignment It is a rare Hearthian that is not kind-natured at
heart, and so they tend towards Good alignments.
Size Hearthians vary greatly in size and it is not unusual
for them to be anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall. Your size is
Medium if you are at least 4 feet tall, otherwise it is Small.
Speed Your base walking speed is 30 ft.
Hardy Ancestry Hearthians also show remarkable
resistance to various toxins that would fell other races.
Choose one damage type from the following list: Necrotic,
Poison, Radiant. You have resistance to that damage type.
Campfires and Marshmallows Gathering around bonfires
is one of the most central aspects of Hearthian culture. You
know the Create Bonfire cantrip. When you create your
character, you select your spellcasting ability for this spell
from the following list: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Plucky When you roll a d20 and the result is 9 or less, you
may choose to treat it as a 10 instead. You must declare that
you are doing this before the DM informs you of the result of
the roll. You can do so a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest. In addition, when you have the
Frightened condition, you may still move towards the source
of your fear. All other effects of the condition take place as
usual.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and
Hearthian.

1 HEARTHIAN
Nomai

“M
any in my clan have believed
the Eye called to us for a
particular purpose. When I
was a child, I used to believe
the Eye was malevolent, to
have lured my clan to this
star system only to then
vanish from them so completely. But I don’t fear the Eye,
anymore. In fact, it became my fondest hope to see the Eye
itself, someday, but I fear this may be beyond my reach. You
may think I’m strange, but I have a hypothesis that I may not
be entirely alive. Perhaps my journey has reached its end.”
— Solanum, the Last Quantum Pilgrim

Wandering Academics
Nomai are, above all else, learners. Scholarly wanderers who
travel in search of the secrets of the world and all that is
beyond it, they love nothing more than to understand and to
share in that understanding with others. Typically travelling
in close-knit clans that convene to exchange knowledge every
so often, their presence can be a massive boon to local
scholars or an inadvertent nuisance - or even danger - to
anyone in the way of their research and experiments. Though
rather reckless in their pursuits, they almost invariably have
good intent at heart.
The Third Eye
Physically, Nomai are similar in proportion to humans but
with digitigrade legs, a more hunched stance, and a ring of
coarse hair and horns framing their face. Their most striking
feature is their eyes - caprine and triplet, the third set in the
forehead above the other two. The third eye holds great
importance to the Nomai, as not only does it distinguish them Nomai Traits
from most others, it also has the keenest vision and is even
thought to be instrumental in using the innate telekinetic Your Nomai character has a number of natural and cultural
powers every Nomai possesses. gifts to aid them in their journey.
Ability Score Increase Your Intelligence score increases
Nomai Names by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age The lifespan of a Nomai is similar to that of a human.
Nomai typically take only one name for themselves, and They reach the age of maturity at 16 years, pending a
beyond that refer to themselves as being of someone's clan - pilgrimage, and live on average 80 years.
for example, Solanum of Escall's Clan. Personal names are Alignment Nomai are explorers and inventors by nature,
popularly taken from plants, possibly out of reverence for the but take pains to be ethical in their experiments even when
natural world at large. the experiment itself is wildly destructive. As such, they tend
towards Chaotic and Good alignments.
Male names: Annona, Avens, Cassava, Coleus, Conoy, Size A Nomai is usually between 5 and 6 feet tall, although
Cycad, Daz, Escall, Idaea, Kousa, Laevi, Mitis, Phlox, Plume, their digitigrade legs enable them to stand taller for a short
Root, Spire, Thatch, Yarrow period if they wish. As such, your size if Medium.
Female Names: Bells, Bur, Clary, Filix, Foli, Ilex, Keek, Speed Your base walking speed is 30 ft.
Lami, Mallow, Melorae, Oeno, Poke, Privet, Pye, Ramie,
Rhus, Solanum

NOMAI
3
 The Third Eye Your third eye grants both keen sight and a
limited degree of telekinesis. So long as you can see with it,
you have proficiency in Perception and you may cast the
cantrip Mage Hand. When casting Mage Hand with this
ability, no detectable spectral hand is produced.
Scholars of the Universe Nomai are relentlessly driven to
expand their knowledge of the world, and their clans place a
heavy emphasis on education accordingly. You gain
proficiency with one Artisan's Tools of your choice. You also
gain proficiency in two of the following skills: Arcana, History,
Investigation, Medicine, Nature. If you already have
proficiency in a skill from this list, you may gain expertise in
that skill instead of one of your two proficiencies. You may
only gain expertise in one skill this way.
Mastery of Space Nomai have an innate understanding of
the workings of space and how to bend it to their will. To be
considered adults, young Nomai must complete a pilgrimage
by the use of this very warping of space. You can cast the 2nd-
level spell Misty Step with this trait. You can do so a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and
Nomai. Nomai is rarely spoken as a language, preferably
being written in a series of branching spirals that each follow
a separate thread of a conversation.

4 NOMAI
Ghostbird
“W
hat they could not unlearn was
hidden away in darkness —
obfuscated, then lost. They did not
want to see their story end. My kind
weren’t always like this. We weren’t
always so afraid. I did what I could
to set things right, yet I am still of
my kind, and you know now what they did. I cannot promise
our fear won’t stain your mind.”
— the Prisoner
Ancient Fanatics
The Ghostbirds are a people almost lost to time. Even their
name, "Ghostbirds", is not their own, for their own has been
forgotten. Ghostbirds is simply what they have been called by
others. To the Ghostbirds themselves, memory is a precious
thing, and it is only by their precious archives and storytelling
traditions that they have persisted. Insular and focussed, little
can hope to stop a Ghostbird community that truly sets it
mind to something, but elsewise they favour the quiet peace
found in their lantern-lit villages.
Wise Giants
A Ghostbird is tall and powerful in comparison to most other
people even despite their crouched stance, and their broad
antlers only enhance the impression of size. Long-limbed and
patient, they move gracefully and carry an ethereal air to
others. With their nocturnal habits and their shining eyes in
strigine faces high above the gaze of most other races, the
name "Ghostbird" came about very naturally to those that
met them.
Ghostbird Names
True Ghostbird names are rarely if ever known by other
races, if they can be meaningfully translated at all. They are
often giving the monikers of figures from ancient myth when
they must be referred to in other tongues.
Ghostbird Traits
Your Ghostbird character has a number of natural and
cultural gifts to aid them in their journey.
Ability Score Increase Your Strength, Dexterity, and
Intelligence scores all increase by 1.
Age Ghostbirds take 25 to 30 years to reach adulthood and
can live for many centuries.
Alignment Ghostbirds are often reclusive and devoted to
tradition, and so usually tend towards Lawful alignments.
Size A Ghostbird is usually between 7 and 9 feet tall, not
including their antlers. Though strong, they are not
particularly bulky for their height. Your size is Medium.
GHOSTBIRD
5
 Speed Your base walking speed is 35 ft.
Darkvision You have eyes well adapted to the long nights
and shadowed places of your ancestral home. 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.
Powerful Build You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can
push, drag, or lift.
Patient Focus By taking the time to carefully consider
your actions and study your possible approaches, you can
direct you efforts far more effectively than most. You gain
proficiency in one skill of your choice. Additionally, you may
spend one minute analysing a situation to temporarily
improve your ability to navigate it. Select one skill in which
you are proficient; for one minute after the study period is
complete, make rolls using this skill at advantage. You can do
so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and
you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and
the Ghost Tongue. The Ghost Tongue is a melancholy
language that of chirps and whistles that carries well across
long distances.

Images have been sourced from:

Mia Bai on ArtStation https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9e4oOa
GHOSTBIRDKings on ArtStation https://www.artstation.com/artwork/VdYDYb
Sebastian
6
Ian Jacobson on ArtStation https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3ozm5A
/u/Lord-Avelino on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/outerwilds/comments/fb1479/my_portrait_of_a_more_realistic_nomai/
I f O Wild