The Six Stats & Cultures of Oriya

Oriya is a land with a diverse set of cultures. These groups of people are spread over the whole map, but can generally be found in certain areas. Since I want characters in my game to not be from the city of Hostargo, it's important to have the other cultures of the world represented in character creation.

To do this, I will eventually have a page or two about each culture, but in order to make the process of character creation simple and smooth, I want the character's "upbringing", or culture, to influence one of their core stats. I have six cultures and six stats, so this matches up nicely.

City Slickers have to be quick on their feet, both figuratively and literally. Even the members of "high society" have a certain amount of street smarts, and even the less fortunate citizens have to play politics in their daily lives. Characters who choose the City Slicker upbringing are granted +1 Wit.

Mountaineers live in a rough environment. The low temperatures, rocky terrain, and scarce resources force these people to be adaptive and resilient. Characters who choose the Mountaineer upbringing are granted +1 Grit.

Islanders from the Eastern Isles respect family, tradition, and intelligence as their main virtues. These seafaring people are proud inventors and craftsmen, always leading the world in technological and magical advancements. Characters who choose the Islander upbringing are granted +1 Spirit.

Nomads are always on the move. As they travel, they experience more than the average denizen of Oriya, gathering knowledge from all edges of the map. While strong and social in their own way, Nomads are best known for their wide perspective and deep understanding of the workings of the world. Characters who choose the Nomad upbringing are granted +1 Comprehension.

Outlanders live on the edges of what most could consider "normal" society. They live in wild lands, often remote enough that even the occasional visiting nomad is a rare and exciting event. They pride themselves in their physical prowess, hunting great beasts and conquering their naturally dangerous environment. Characters who choose the Outlander upbringing are granted +1 Constitution.

Cliff Dwellers are a social people, always trading stories as often as they are goods. Their ports act as a transaction point between many other cultures of the world, so they rarely have issues maintaining productive relationships with their neighbors. Characters who choose the Cliff Dweller upbringing are granted +1 Charisma.

These stats are lined up in a 3x3 grid and added together to form a character's potentials, with each of the six stats directly affecting three potentials. This grid plus the explanations above drive a nice balance of options, between background story and mechanical bonus, for players as they start to create their characters.