Inspired by interesting setting details for Meg's River Kingdom and Matthias's Vrivmiya, here is a proof of concept for a perfectly normal way of slicing the classic RPG pie, with gender-as-race and (Conan-style) race-as-class.
Race
In the culture group of Senes, they recognize three genders: the feminine Chena, the masculine Phersun (or boundary-crossing Trintos), and the child Phalakros (and the abberant Canavar).
Chena
Marked out by their ability to bear children, diligence and insight, sexual aggressiveness, and long life. Cannot initiate violence, and cannot harm another chena under any circumstance. Her alignment is owed to a group--- political or social. It is proper for her to understand foreign languages, but not to speak them. She can marry a phersun, Trintos, or Canavar, and own land, but not have sex outside of marriage or lead in politics.
Phersun
Marked out by their ability to sire children, long hair, indolence and endurance, airy-fairy airs, and short life. Can initiate violence, deadly or non-, but can never harm a Canavar, for that is to turn violence on itself. He owes his alignment to an ideal, abstract and unchanginger. He can read a foreign language without shame, but not speak one. He marries a Chena or Canavar, has extramarital sex, and leads polities, but cannot own land.
Trintos
Marked out by their ability to sire children, insular sexuality and language, divine mandate, and long life. Can initiate violence, but only to kill-- never to enforce or teach. Cannot kill a Phalakros. Like the Phersum he is aligned to an ideal. He can read and listen to foreign languages without shame. He can't marry or lead but he can own land and have sex, and isn't that what life is all about?
Phalakros
Includes all children, but notably many other people. The stereotypical Phalakros is eight, but the second-most stereotypical Phalakros is eighty. Marked out by hairlessness, whimsy, and a constant drive to learn. Can initiate non-lethal force, but never harm a Phersun. Their alignment is to a group, and they cannot properly understand languages from outside that group. They do not marry, have sex, own land, or lead.
Canavar
Marked out by strange proportions, jagged, artificial punctures, bilateral fecundity, and agelessness. Can initiate non-lethal force, but never harm the divine Trintos. Aligned with appetites, literal and figurative. It can listen to foreign speech, but not read it. It may marry and lead to gain a connection to society, but not have sex out of wedlock and certainly not own land.
Class
Promachian
Wears a single woolen chiton, undyed or in cool colors, a wide-brimmed hat, and metal fingernails. Cosmetics are disdained, and jewelry or other adornments are supposed to be understated.
A: Citizenry- cannot use cosmetics, potions, or gaudy adornments. When charging a foe with deadly intent, you and any ally doing the same deal double damage. When wrestling a foe with subduing intent, take half damage from them. +2 reaction with spirits, gods, and non-carnivorous monsters.
B: Uprightness- you are an excellent judge of character; traditionally, you prefer the company of stuck-up pricks.
C: Prominence- you are an excellent rhetor, and your speeches cannot be ignored. When taking up the cudgel for a settlement to do something, you always find local friends willing to help you. You get to pay taxes when in your homeland, which for some reason thrills you.
D: Philosopher- those who work for you or owe fealty to you cannot be bribed and those you lead personally will not flee as long as you perform your gender without fail. Philosophers of any gender can initiate deadly violence; speak, read, and listen to any language; have an alignment of ideals; and lead.
Lykan
Wears tight studded leather, sometimes with a fiery scarf or more intricate cloak, one of a number of status-indicating circlets, tightly-bound hair, and comfortable sandals. Never covers their shins.
A: Hardness- +4 HP, and you can wear armor and throw boomerangs regardless of your walk of life.
B: Specialization- your society is properly ordered, and you get a specialization based on gender. See below.
C: Spare- no penalty for resting in miserable conditions or eating meager rations. You can perform feats of strength without tools as well as a normal person with tools.
D: Duogarchy- It's considered socially acceptable for you to challenge someone to a fight for their leadership positions, and they'll lose face if they say no unless you're not performing your gender accepting would go against their gender.
Specialization
Phalakros: you have to be a slave ; (
Chena: +1 MD and two of the following spells: Light, ESP, Hold Portal. Can spend HP as MD.
Phersun: +1 attack
Trintos: +1 MD and two of the following spells: Disguise Self, Thunderbolt, Reflect Spell. Can spend HP as MD.
Canavar: track scents as a bloodhound, and become expert in the crafting of poisons.
Theban
Wears a single-colored and very emotive mask, a two-piece chiton with flowy sleeves, boots, artificially darkened hair, and scandalous pants (if Chena or Trintos). Hats are taboo for Thebans, and they paint their helmets black in war because they're embarrassed of them.
A: Libation Bearer- ghosts love and fear you and will never impede you. Gods are fond of you, at least initially. +1 MD and one of the following spells: Comprehend Languages, Invisibility, Notes of Noy
B: Obligation- +1 MD and if you promise to do something, you'll never renege, even if it destroys you. People assume this is true of all Thebans, but it's only true of the ones at B template and up. When unarmored, you cannot be fully killed if you were at full health ten seconds ago. HP damage leaves you with 1 HP remaining, and failed saves vs death give you a crazy nosebleed, unconsciousness, and horror dreams.
C: God Stone- +1 MD when covered in blood, and two of the following spells: detect lies, augury, heal wounds.
D: Emptiness- +1 MD when wearing your mask. The most prominent Thebans are not better off for it. You can listen to languages, marry, and have sex regardless of gender. Who cares? You can casually do any of the following once ever, as long as no one thinks you're trying to show off: return a dead body to life, receive a true prophecy, summon a horrific monster, bring on a plague, make a guy explode.
Draconian
Wears performatively ragged clothing with a castellated neckline, short hair, and gaudy ornamentation whenever possible. Those who go barefoot show off their wealth.
A: Pronunciation- when speaking in a loud and clear voice, you inspire fear in Phalakrosi and Canavaroi. +1 MD and two of the following spells: detect magic, magic missile, magic mouth.
B: Beard- when wearing a stylized false beard called a Ravdos, get +1 MD. Learn one of the following spells: charm person, light, or sleep.
C: Condemnation- everyone is a criminal, some just haven't committed any crimes yet. Get +1 MD and two of the following spells: summon daemon, neutralize poison, poisonize neutral, phantasmal force
D: Law- when you pronounce a restriction on a space you own or have just been in for at least an hour, you remotely spy when someone breaks that restriction and can cast remote spells on them.Get +1 MD and the following spells: fireball, magic jar, teleport.
Nilean
Wears loose skins, a wide hooded coat, a dense cloud of fuzzy hair, and intricately-tied sandals. Weapons are worn openly or not at all.
A: Price- entering adulthood from Phalakrosy, you must give up an organ associated with your gender; a breast for Chenae, the right pointer finger for Phersunoi, an eye for Trintosi, or part of the genitals for Canavaroi. You can swim like a fish, climb like a monkey, and carry like a mule (+5 inventory), and kick like another mule (1d6 damage)
B: Boldness- you can initiate lethal or subduing violence; attack; and have sex regardless of gender. When your attack kills someone, go ahead and attack someone else right away.
C: Points- Chenae and Trintosi of Nileon are renowned for the use of the bow, while Phalakrosi, Phersunoi, and Canavaroi instead use darts when called on to fight. When using this weapon, +1 attack and you can attempt improbable ranged maneuvers like pinning, disarming, exc.
D: 1/year, you may meld with a creature you're riding, becoming as the centaur if you're riding a horse. If it's a human this is called either a rençper or a kamparntína, depending on configuration. This lasts until you decide to end it.
Klymenean
Wears a Plutonian chiton (draped in a way that resembles a poncho, two-and-a-half pieces, often docked to go tits out or expose midriff) pierced with pins and gold ornaments, a cunning nightcap-shaped cap, pronounced cosmetics, and automatic tattoos (in the sense of automatic writing).
A: Coldness- you act with perfect matter-of-fact calmness which is better than stealth. When skulking around, listening at doorways, or similarly acting roguishly, there is a 3-in-6 chance someone who happens upon you will just assume you're supposed to be doing that, or perhaps that you're puckishly passing the time waiting for them to notice you. The first wound you inflict on someone deals double damage.
B: Balancing Scales- you are an expert in appraising value and workmanship. When someone deals damage to you, you can suddenly appear right behind them.
C: Snakes- +2 reaction rolls with snakes, tortoises, and other neptunian creatures. +1 MD and learn the spell Summon Snakes.
D: Privilege- like all who are wealthy in spirit, you are allowed certain leniencies. You can appear as anyone who has ever died, counterfeit coins and art objects fade away at your touch, and you do not need to pay property taxes above-ground.
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