The Evolution of Identity

In most fantasy roleplaying games, choosing your race is one of the very first decisions you make. Before your character has survived a battle, uncovered a mystery, or spoken their first line of dialogue, that part of their identity is already decided. You pick Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, or Human at character creation, and from that moment forward, it rarely changes.

Shroudwake approaches this differently because the world of Shroudwake is built on evolution and change.

The Shroudwake changed all life. Mutations spread across the world, reshaping creatures, landscapes, and civilizations over generations. In this setting, fantasy races are not simply static peoples separated by ancestry alone; they are also reflections of mutation, adaptation, survival, and transformation. Becoming Elven, Dwarven, or Goblin is not just something you are born as. Sometimes, it is something you have become.

At Level 5, characters unlock the ability to enter Racial Evolutions.

This point in progression is intentional. It is early enough that racial evolution can meaningfully shape the identity of your character, but late enough that it feels earned. By the time a character paths into a racial evolution, they have already survived experiences, made choices, and begun carving out who they are within the world. When a character evolves into an Elf or a Goblin in Shroudwake, it feels less like selecting an option from a menu and more like a transformation that emerged naturally through play.

Most importantly, players are never locked into that decision.

Characters may choose to enter Racial Evolutions at Levels 5, 10, or 15. Likewise, they may choose to leave racial paths at Levels 10 or 15 and continue developing their Awakening Mutation instead. How far a character evolves racially is entirely up to the player. Some characters may only lightly brush against racial evolution, taking on very subtle expressions of racial traits. Others may embrace it completely. Some may never evolve racially at all.

Mechanically, Racial Evolutions come with their own passives, enhancements, and mutation powers. While they certainly include combat-oriented abilities, the majority of racial powers focus on utility. Racial evolutions are designed to shape how characters move through the world, solve problems, interact socially, survive hostile environments, manipulate perception, craft, travel, and approach encounters creatively.

A Goblin evolution may revolve around chaos and manipulation. An Elf may emphasize perception, grace, and heightened awareness. A Dwarf may focus on endurance, craftsmanship, and unshakable resilience. Meanwhile, a Dryad may become deeply intertwined with the natural world. These evolutions influence how a character exists within the setting.

Because racial evolution is woven into Shroudwake’s broader evolution system, two characters who evolve into the same race can still feel entirely different from one another. A Shade who evolves into an Elf at Level 5 will likely look and play very differently from a Warborn who enters that same racial path at Level 15. Even two characters following identical racial evolutions may diverge within that evolution's path options.

When you play Shroudwake, we hope that you feel that race is not simply where you came from, rather who you are becoming.