Analysing the Heritages From Grim Hollow (D&D 2024)

Play as one of the creatures of the Grim Hollow setting with their unique and flexible heritage system.

At a glance

How does the heritage system work?

It works much like a standard race or species. You choose a heritage at character creation rather than a standard race or species from the Player’s Handbook. But the system is much more flexible.

Each heritage has set traits like a typical species, but if you want, these can be customised, swapping in any other heritage trait you want from the list at the end of the section. If you want, you could choose a completely unique set of heritage traits if you feel that fits better for your character and their experiences (or because you want to combine some great optimisation options).

You can even take the same trait twice (or sometimes more) to enhance its power. This will consume one of your available traits, but may help you specialise further.

Each heritage allows you to take 8 traits from a list of 107 different traits split into combat, exploration and roleplaying traits.

How are heritages different from races and species?

Based on the above, there are a few differences to be aware of:

• Heritages tend to have more traits
• Traits can be changed and altered depending on which traits you want for your character, regardless of the species
• You can take traits multiple times to gain an enhanced trait
• There’s a list of 107 different traits to choose from. Some may seem similar to classic racial traits, others are completely unique to the Grim Hollow setting

What heritages are available?

There are 17 heritages you can choose from, divided into common, rare and eldritch heritages. Humans are the most common species in the land of Etharis (where Grim Hollow is set). Some species are quite rare while eldritch heritages represent people that have been magically or unnaturally changed. They are:

Common heritages

• Dragonborn
• Dwarves
• Elves
• Gnomes
• Halflings
• Humans

Rare Heritages

• Dreamers
• Grudgels
• Laneshi
• Ogresh

Eldritch Heritages

• Accursed
• Arisen
• Dhampir
• Disembodied
• Downcast
• Wechselkind
• Wulven

Which heritage should you choose?

Choosing your heritage can be tricky, especially with so many to pick from. Below I’ve summarised each one and given some advice on what they’re good at and which classes work well for each one.

Dragonborn

Scaled creatures with the blood of dragons running through their veins. Dragonborn share some traits alike with their dragon cousins (despite their humanoid form). This includes things like elemental resilience and a breath weapon.

Traditional traits

• Breath weapon
• Damage resistance
• Menacing roar
• Darkvision
• Natural movement
• Powerful build
• Firm influence
• Moved by faith

Capabilities

Possess an option for dealing with crowds through their breath weapon. This will usually work better as a cone (enemies don’t usually line up for you) but having a line option is good too. A damage resistance gives a bit of extra resilience and a couple of skill proficiencies are nice, though they’re divided between intelligence and charisma. Unfortunately, classes tend not to specialise in both.

Menacing roar is a decent option for some small scale crowd control, especially against crowds. Just be aware that the breath weapon isn’t as good as for standard Dragonborn. The damage is a little smaller and it replaces your whole action, not just a single attack. You also don’t get the temporary flight of a standard dragonborn (but do get bonus goodies like menacing roar).

Recommended classes

Dragonborn work best in close quarters. This means using them for classes like fighters, barbarians, monster hunters and paladins. Hit and run specialists like rogues and monks can work here too. It’s worth being aware that both breath weapon and menacing roar rely on a high constitution to work well, but this shouldn’t be a problem for these classes.

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Dwarves

Stout, bearded folk that possess great resilience and an affinity with rock and earth. Dwarves often make great miners and crafters.

Traditional traits

• Damage resistance (poison)
• Toughness
• Weapon aptitude
• Darkvision
• Poison resilience
• Steady
• Artisanal focus
• Crafter’s eye

Capabilities

The Dwarf’s most useful traits all revolve around resilience. They have more HP, resistance to poison damage, advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition and even resilience against being knocked prone.

Most other traits are quite situational or not that useful (other than the regularly occurring darkvision). Weapon aptitude is rarely useful as most classes have proficiency in any weapons that are actually useful for them.

Recommended classes

Any class can benefit from more resilience, but melee classes will benefit most as they’ll have damage and conditions thrown their way more often. This makes Dwarves well-suited for classes like barbarians, fighters, monster hunters and paladins.

it may also be worth considering a Dwarf for less resilient melee characters like monks, valor bards and blade warlocks.

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Elves

The Elves of Etharis are native to the forests of the land, dominating these areas and cultivating them into civilisations. They have a natural inclination towards magic as well as being inherently nimble. Their long lives and many talents also make them arrogant, especially towards other species.

Traditional traits

• Awakened mind
• Focused mind
• Weapon aptitude
• Darkvision
• Meditative rest
• Shroud of the wild
• Inborn perception
• Magical savvy (any cantrip)

Capabilities

Plenty of condition resiliences, but charmed is the most commonly occurring one. A free cantrip works nicely if you have a high spellcasting ability. It could be a great way to get eldritch blast on a bard, paladin or sorcerer, especially as magic initiate won’t let you do this anymore. Perception proficiency is one of the best skill proficiencies around and hiding when lightly obscured is useful for stealth characters.

Recommended classes

Anyone that can benefit from getting a cantrip or getting a cantrip from another class (as long as it matches their spellcasting ability). Paladins will benefit a lot from getting a ranged option (eldritch blast is best for them) or something like thunderclap for close range AoE damage. Rangers could grab word of radiance for a similar reason. Bards and sorcerers can pick up eldritch blast.

Rogues also make a good choice, primarily for easier hiding (including in combat). Monks, bards and rangers can benefit in this way too and even if your spellcasting ability isn’t great, you can take a cantrip that doesn’t rely on a good spellcasting ability, like minor illusion. It’s worth noting that true strike also works really well on a rogue.

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Gnomes

Often considered to be cousins of Dwarves, Gnomes are clever and curious. They often put these talents into motion tinkering and experimenting. There is a diligence to Gnomes that makes them useful workers, though they can also have quite a mischievous streak.

Traditional traits

• Magical fortification
• Quick slip
• Artifice expertise
• Darkvision
• Fade away
• Magical savvy
• Masterful aptitude
• Nature’s voice

Capabilities

Magical fortification makes you great against saving throws from certain ability scores. Choose common saving throw ability scores like wisdom, dexterity or constitution. Gnomes are great at hiding in combat, but this will only work for characters that might want to hide in combat. Ranged characters tend to be best for this. It not only keeps you safer, but also gives you advantage on your next attack roll.

Magical savvy is useful in the same ways it is for Elves. Grab eldritch blast, word of radiance or some other useful cantrip you can’t normally use. An expertise is pretty good and considering your aptitude for hiding, stealth might be a good choice. And amongst all of this, you’ve even got the ability to speak to beasts and plants.

Recommended classes

Rogues are already good at hiding, making some wasted traits here. But Gnomes will make them better at this. Hiding with a bonus action is great for ranged characters so rangers and spellcasters will often be good here. You could even combine eldritch blast and hiding for more effective ranged combat. Rogues will likely prefer true strike though, which will combine with their sneak attack.

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Halflings

The Halflings of Etharis have survived the Human expansion of the land by integrating themselves into their civilisation, rather than resisting it. They are naturally peaceful folk, inclined towards farming, trading and even scholarly pursuits. However, when backed into a corner, these diminutive folk are surprisingly courageous.

Traditional traits

• Brave
• Creature cover
• Lucky
• Helping hand
• Pass through
• Power nap
• Artisanal focus
• Embrace the past

Capabilities

Easier hiding is great for rogues, but not really anyone else. Lucky is great for everyone though, allowing for more reliable d20 tests and helping hand is also universally useful, especially for those with few uses of their bonus action. Brave adds a bit of resilience to the heritage too.

Recommended classes

Rogues are the obvious choice for easier hiding in combat. Classes with few uses for their bonus action work well for helping hand. This includes the likes of fighters, barbarians, wizards and monster hunters.

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Humans

Hopefully you know what Humans are (you are one after all… I hope). But Humans in Etharis are highly adaptable folk that, while emerging later than the ancient races like Elves and Dwarves, have managed to conquer and tame large portions of Etharis. This seems to be due to their adventurous and industrious nature which has seen them expand quickly.

Traditional traits

• Awesome critical
• First strike
• Weapon aptitude
• Helping hand
• Intrinsic orientation
• Artisanal focus
• Keen survivor
• Skill prowess

Capabilities

Even more damage on criticals, and more damage when striking before an enemy in combat both make Humans harder hitters than most. This can be done multiple times in the same combat if you have multiple attacks. Helping hand gives something useful for your bonus action to make others more reliable and Humans are generally just better at skills than others.

Recommended classes

First strike means that Humans are best on high dexterity characters (or at least those with a high initiative). This favours classes like monks, rogues, barbarians, rangers and a bunch of other classes. This can be made even better with extra attack or dual wielding, allowing for multiple chances for the extra damage in that first round. This can really favour monks and fighters in particular.

It’s worth noting that monster hunters tend to be more likely to land a critical hit than most classes, as are champion fighters, making these good options for a Human.

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Dreamers

Part of an ancient civilization that predates even Elves and Dwarves upon Etharis are the ancestors of Dreamers. Discovered by Dwarves when they dug deep and found their ancient chambers, a few members of this civilisation hibernated to survive the cataclysm that was to come. Existing in the realm of dreams for many ages, they have now been transformed by their extended time in this state. Memories eschew and psyche altered, Dreamers also possess unique powers of the mind.

Traditional traits

• Quick initiative
• Stalwart reserves
• Darkvision
• Helping hand
• Power nap
• Dreamwalking
• Improviser
• Inborn perception

Capabilities

Enhanced melee attacks that grant both damage and temporary hit points. You’re also able to go earlier in combat with improved initiative. Helping hand gives bonus action support for allies while you have the ability to become proficient at a skill in a moment’s notice and Dreamers are great at knowledge skills.

Recommended classes

Dreamers do well as skill specialists. Their aptitude for knowledge based skills makes them a great pick for intelligence-based classes. This means that artificers and arcane tricksters are probably your best choices here, but monster hunters, wizards and eldritch knights are all good options.

Combine this with enhanced melee attacks and you’ll likely want to lean into something more like a monster hunter or artificer and less like a wizard for the most optimal choice. This is especially true for classes with little to do with their bonus actions.

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Grudgels

Grudgels are the culture that emerged from ancient Orcs. Their ancestors possessed a culture of war and bloodshed that ravaged across Etharis. However, many obeyed a call to sail west and abandon Etharis and the remaining Orcs changed over time. They began calling themselves Grudgels and developed a peaceful culture of farmers and traders. Grudgels continue to have a powerful and imposing orcish build, but also possess the social and intellectual graces of a far more civilised species.

Traditional traits

• Battlefield control
• Centered
• Darkvision
• Powerful build
• Tireless
• Atrisanal focus
• Impromptu artisan
• Magical savvy (any cantrip)

Capabilities

Opportunity attacks when enemies enter your reach is much easier to use than when they leave your reach. You can also give yourself advantage on attack rolls using a bonus action and can craft emergency items. Add in there a free cantrip (great for picking up true strike, eldritch blast or a close range AoE like thunderclap).

Recommended classes

Grudgels favour melee classes by giving easy opportunity attacks. This is wasted on monster hunters, but great on fighters, barbarians, paladins and rangers. Grabbing advantage on attacks favours those with high impact attacks.

With magical savvy, you’ll want to use a class with a decent spellcasting ability. Paladins and rangers make a natural choice here. You can also look at eldritch knights and arcane tricksters here.

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Laneshi

The Laneshi are sea-dwelling creatures that view the world in absolutes. They operate a caste system where warriors have duties in warfare, diplomacy and farming while mystics provide crafting, construction, record-keeping and religious services.

Laneshi are also comfortable with the use of necromancy, even sacrificing the 2nd born twin to grant the firstborn twin a second soul to gift them additional powers.

Traditional traits

• Awakened mind
• Psychic spirit
• Amphibious
• Darkvision
• Swimmer
• Animal friend
• Magical savvy (any necromancer cantrip)
• Nature’s voice

Capabilities

Great against psychic attacks, swimming and dealing with animals. Laneshi also get a necromancy cantrip which leaves you with chill touch, poison spray, spare the dying and toll the dead. Toll the dead is probably your best option here, but poison spray is high damage, even if poison is commonly resisted.

Recommended classes

There’s not really a best class here other than the fact you might want a decent spellcasting ability for your cantrip. Everything else is a bit situational. Swimming only comes up sometimes, psychic attacks aren’t really common and animal interactions aren’t always useful (though a high charisma character may do a little better here). At least dealing with animals can often be engineered. Still, these are mostly, broadly useful traits that also happen to be quite situational.

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Ogresh

Ogresh are large creatures possessing a powerful frame, yet a peaceful and compassionate attitude. They are solitary individuals that explore the land and settle far from their own kind, instead, inter-mingling with other groups and sharing in their wisdom and talents.

Traditional traits

• Enemy in motion
• Focused mind
• Environmental awareness
• Natural movement
• Powerful build
• Calculating listener
• Commanding insight
• Persuasive knack

Capabilities

Ogresh are good in social situations, with persuasion and insight proficiency, the ability to charm and gain extra information. Advantage on some attacks and saving throws is handy too, especially as movement is used quite often.

Recommended classes

Charismatic classes will do best with an Ogresh. This includes the likes of bards, paladins, warlocks and sorcerers. Enemy in motion can work for any of these classes making them your best options.

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Accursed

The Accursed are not necessarily a single heritage of their own. Each accursed possesses unique traits and appearances that are unlike any other accursed. In fact, they are originally of another heritage altogether, but have been changed somehow at some point. This can be due to a curse (like from a magical object or through a deal with a hag), but it could also be due to some other cause that may not even be a curse. Despite this, the people’s of Etharis refer to all such individuals as accursed.

Traditional traits

Choose any traits that fit your nature.

Capabilities

As you can pick your own traits, the accursed can be capable at whatever you want them to be.

Recommended classes

Likewise, this means they can be a good fit for any class, so long as you choose traits that will favour that class.

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Arisen

Arisen may look like zombies or some other form of fleshy undead, but this is not the case. They are in fact constructs, formed from flesh and machine, more akin to Frankenstein’s monster than anything else. It is unclear whether Arisen possess a soul, and they aren’t the resurrected persons of the body they now use, but they do have individual personalities. Each Arisen also possesses mechanical portions of themselves, whether that be organs, limbs or something else entirely. Each Arisen’s mechanical parts are unique to them, allowing their bodies to now function.

Traditional traits

• Magical fortification
• Tenacious
• Toughness
• Artificial form
• Inured to the elements
• Embrace the past
• Magical insight
• Unnatural healer

Capabilities

Arisen are both resilient and knowledgeable with history and arcana proficiency and extra HP, better saving throws on one ability score (wisdom, dexterity and constitution are some of the most common saving throws from spells) and advantage on death saving throws.

Recommended classes

There’s a leaning here towards intelligence based classes (because of the knowledge skills) and martials (because of the resilience you gain, though resilience can be good for anyone). For these reasons, Arisen probably favour artificers (especially armorers and battle smiths), monster hunters and eldritch knights most. Wizards and arcane tricksters also make decent options too.

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Dhampir

Dhampirs are mortals afflicted in part, with vampirism, while remaining mortal. They gain some of the traits vampires possess, but without becoming immortal undead and without some of the more serious drawbacks of vampirism (like sunlight sensitivity or the need to feed on blood, though they do still yearn for it’s ichor).

Sadly, this makes dhampirs, as rare as they are, neither a part of one world or the other, usually shunned by both. The one considers them monsters while the others considers them weak. However, either society can find use for the talents of a dhampir if they can look past these prejudices.

Traditional traits

• Draining attack
• Natural attack (fangs)
• Well protected
• Climber
• Darkvision
• Eager deceiver
• Magical savant (charm person)
• Magical savvy (friends)

Capabilities

Dhampirs have an interesting array of natural attacks and defences. Their natural armor is better than studded leather which works well for a dexterity build. Draining attacks will ensure you’re constantly beefing yourself up with temporary hit points when making unarmed strikes. This is a huge amount of resilience, but does require regular unarmed strikes being made.

You’ve also got a few social capabilities like the friends and charm person spells and deception proficiency. Plus you can climb fast

Recommended classes

Dhampirs are really built for melee characters and especially those that are high in dexterity (though you could just ignore their well protected trait for a strength build).

Because of this, it means they’re best suited for things like fighters, monks, barbarians and rangers. A Dex build for a paladin is possible too, and smites now work on unarmed strikes so this can work. I’d avoid using a class that won’t be making many melee attacks or rogues who can’t sneak attack on an unarmed strike.

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Disembodied

The Disembodied are the result of a tragic, magical experiment in the magocratic city of Ulmyr’s Gate. It is here that wizards pushed the boundaries of magical ability and tore a rift between planes. The denizens of the city were taken into this rift, but have since returned as disembodied. They are now semi-incorporeal individuals that have been completely transformed from their previous appearance.

Traditional traits

• Magical fortification
• Master of distraction
• Out of phase
• Ethereal fade
• Inured to the elements
• Magical insight
• Magical savant (feather fall)
• Magical savvy (dancing lights)

Capabilities

Some extra protection from some spells is a good resilience feature. Master of distraction is an awkward one I think. You basically expend an action for advantage on next turn’s attacks or maybe bonus action and reaction attacks you make. I think that this is a poor swap in general. However, out of phase is outstanding. You can basically impose disadvantage on all attacks rolls against you for most combats making you extremely resilient.

Feather fall is important for someone in the party to have and arcana proficiency and dancing lights are both fairly useful.

Recommended classes

This is really a heritage for resilience which is decent for anyone, but really good for melee classes, especially those that will draw a lot of attacks, which means mainly tank builds. I’d say they’re best for classes like paladins, fighters and barbarians.

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Downcast

Once angelic beings, downcast were thrust down to the mortal realms, losing their celestial status and many of the powers that bequeathed their elevated status. Now they live mortal lives. Some seek to continue their service of the seraphs while others have become embittered by their downfall and serve daemons. Others still seek to separate themselves entirely from their celestial heritage and instead make a life for themselves in mortality.

Traditional traits

• Divine sangromancy
• Touch of life
• Inured to the elements
• Meditative rest
• Tireless
• Magical savant (cleric spells only)
• Magical savvy (thaumaturgy)
• Moved by faith

Capabilities

Improved healing is great, though you’ll get the best use out of it if you’re a healer yourself. There’s a bit of resilience with necrotic resistance and a free cleric cantrip is decent.

Recommended classes

Downcast work best for healing classes. Primarily, this means clerics and druids, but to a lesser extent, bards, paladins, rangers and the alchemist artificer can all be options here.

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Wechselkind

The Fey are callous and curious and many are intrigued by the innocence of a mortal child. On occasion, they will steal that child away to the Fey realms, replacing them with a near identical copy made from clay, wood or ceramic. This copy has a life of its own and is known as a Weschelkind.

Upon discovery, most Weschelkind are cast out or destroyed, but some families do take pity on the constructs that in reality, had no part in the abduction of their child.

Traditional traits

• Creature cover
• Magical fortification
• Artificial form
• Helping hand
• Pass through
• Magical savant (disguise self)
• Magical savvy (minor illusion)
• Intuitive acrobat

Capabilities

Wechselkind are a lot about stealth. Minor illusion and disguise self are both stealth spells, creature cover lets them hide behind allies while acrobatics proficiency will help them with a lot of physical obstacles that might get in their way while sneaking.

Magical fortification is a strong resilience buff (advantage on saving throws on one ability score). Helping hand gives them some team play at the expense of a bonus action.

Recommended classes

Wechselkind are best suited to rogues. The stealth capabilities plus the ability to hide with their bonus action, and now do so behind an ally works really well for a rogue. Classes like monks, bards and rangers are all good options here too while some artificers, warlocks and fighters can do well with stealth if you build into it.

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Wulven

Wulven are the natural born children of those cursed by lycanthropy. While they possess traces of their lycanthropic nature, they are not cursed with the same kind of bloodlust or controlled by the appearance of a full moon. In fact, Wulven are much like most humanoids with a natural, primal inclination; though prejudices towards their kind do exist anyway.

Despite the name, Wulven are not all descended from werewolves either, they can be descended from any kind of lycanthrope, including werebears, wererats or any other beast.

Traditional traits

• Hunter’s instinct
• Natural attack (claws)
• Pack hunter
• Burst of speed
• Climber
• Athlete’s spirit
• Inborn perception
• Nature’s voice

Capabilities

Extra damage or accuracy on a few attacks, improved unarmed strikes and improved accuracy for allies sometimes makes wulven quite damage focused.

They’ve got utility too with a climb speed, occasional increased bouts of speed (which could speed up your climbing further), athletics and perception proficiency and the ability to communicate with plants and animals.

Recommended classes

Martials and classes that need to move a lot work well for a wulven. Unarmed attacker’s are a good option too. If you want to get really fast, monks and rogues can use burst of speed and combine this with bonus action dash (and/or dash as an action) for insane levels of speed, especially with the monk’s naturally swift movement!

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Should you allow heritages at your table?

Heritages are naturally more powerful than their normal species equivalents. This is because they tend to possess more traits than species.

However, when it comes to traditional traits, this generally doesn’t mean than heritages are hugely more powerful than their species equivalents (and I’d even say I prefer the vanilla D&D Dragonborn from the Player’s Handbook than the Grim Hollow version when it comes to power). Because of this, I’d tend to say that campaigns will be best when they use one format or the other, rather than campaigns where some characters use heritages and others use species. But with traditional traits, I don’t think this is overly problematic.

However, there are 2 things to be aware of:

A couple of traits are quite powerful. For instance, draining attacks is a free supply of temporary hit points each turn which feels too potent. I’d probably adjust this so it can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.

Out of phase is another very powerful trait that causes disadvantage on all attacks rolls against you for a minute and can be used multiple times per long rest. This is very potent and the impact should be reduced. I’d limit the time this works to being until the start of your next turn.

The other issue kicks in when you start using adjustable traits. When traits are balanced across a spread of substantial and ribbon traits, the impact isn’t as pronounced, but every heritage gets 8 traits allowing you to combine some really nasty combinations.

In theory, I like the system, but the problem comes in when you have some players heavily optimising and others building for flavour and it can produce a large disparity in capabilities, especially with some traits being substantially more potent than others. I think a better system might use a points system where different traits are worth different points (maybe 1, 2 or 3). This way, more powerful traits are balanced with less powerful ones and no character can have more than 2 of the most powerful traits.

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However, I do think that heritages offer a more flexible and interesting trait system for building a character, and I do love the idea of combining different traits and features into a very unique build. I also think the flavour of some of these heritages is exactly the kind of thing I want to see in dark fantasy settings for D&D. So largely, I do like the system, I just think it would benefit from a bit of balance and I’d beware of mixing systems for different players.

What do you think of Grim Hollow’s heritage system? Let me know in the comments below.

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