Human, Mark of Handling

In the reckonings of most worlds, humans are the youngest of the common races, late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that's why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds.

The Mark of Handling gives its bearer a primal connection to beasts and the natural world, granting the power to calm and coax. This extends beyond purely natural animals; the mark allows its bearer to guide a hippogriff as easily as a horse.

Five different dragonmarks appear among humans, reflecting their dominant status among the races of Khorvaire:

• The Mark of Making is found in House Cannith, which has used it to become one of the most powerful houses, creating an abundance of both magical and technological wonders.

• The Mark of Passage aids the humans of House Orien in operating the lightning rail and trade caravans running across the continent.

• The Mark of Sentinel makes the bodyguards, mercenaries, and Sentinel Marshals of House Deneith widely respected across Khorvaire.

• The Mark of Handling appears in House Vada lis, which uses it to breed fine mounts and other creatures.

Humans also number among House Tharashk and manifest the Mark of Finding with their half-ore kin.

Your Wisdom score is increased by 2. In addition, one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Humans tend toward no particular alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d10 Height = 4 feet + 8 inches + your size modifier in inches Weight in pounds = 110 + (2d4 × your size modifier)

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Whenever you make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) or a Intelligence (Nature) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.

You can cast the Animal Friendship spell and the Speak with Animals with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell again until you finish a Long Rest. Wisdom is your Spellcasting Ability for these spells.

Starting at 3rd level, you can target a Beast or a Monstrosity when you cast Animal Friendship or Speak with Animals, provided that the creature's intelligence is 3 or lower.

If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Handling Spells table are added to the spell list of your Spellcasting class.

Mark of Handling Spells:

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.