With the new character creation tools available to players in the Tales of the Valiant roleplaying game, characters have more customizability than ever before. Combining different lineages, heritages, and backgrounds allows players to mix and match character archetypes in interesting ways to develop their very own hero. Heritage, which defines a character’s connection to a society and/or culture, provides great lore-building opportunities on both an individual level and a world level.

Thanks to the almost plug-in-play aspects of character creation in ToV, it is easy to craft a heritage that more directly fits with the character you are imagining, especially if you want to emulate a character from an existing movie, game, or story. Other narrative mediums have rich worlds to draw inspiration from and really dive into the question “Where is my character from?”

A game like League of Legends is founded in the world of Runeterra, a fantastical world with champions hailing from various walks of life explored in videos, short stories, and champion biographies. They paint a rich picture of Runeterra, its vast regions, and the people who live there. Netflix’s Arcane has proven how evocative and enthralling the world of Runeterra is with just a handful of its many regions.

To create a ToV character that comes from regions within Runeterra (or a region of a similar type), try one of the following heritage options, each inspired by a Runeterran region explored or introduced in Arcane. This is not official Riot Games material, but it is great for your game!

Noxian Heritage

The empire of Noxus is an aggressive and militaristic force in Runeterra. It’s hard to remember a time when Noxus was not in conflict with another nation, led by its demonically empowered Grand General. The invasion of the spiritual lands of Ionia and regular skirmishes at the borders of Demacia, one of their oldest enemies, are only their more recent campaigns.

In the shadow of the Immortal Bastion, the citadel within their capital city, the legions of Noxus march ever onward. They are commanded by a council of three leaders, called the Trifarix, each embodying an ideal of strength: Might, Guile, and Vision.

Noxus is home to many species of people from the lands they have assimilated, regardless of past allegiances and oaths. Despite its ruthless culture, Noxus rewards the loyal, cunning, and powerful who seek glory in their name.

Military Training. You have proficiency in Medium Armor and a martial weapon of your choice.

Trifarian Ideals. Select one of the following ideals during character creation.

Might. Once per short rest, you may add your STR modifier to a CHA check that you make.
Guile. You have proficiency in Deception and Persuasion.
Vision. Once per short rest, you have advantage on an Insight or Perception check.

When you gain a class level, you may change your ideal to another one.

Languages. You know Common and one additional language of your choice. Typical creatures of this heritage choose Abyssal or Dwarvish.

Piltovan Heritage

The city of Piltover attributes its success to the advent of hextech, a scientific pursuit that commands magic. Whereas mages in Runeterra study magic in a more esoteric sense, students of hextech study engineering and magic as a mechanical process in formal settings such as the esteemed University of Piltover.

This innovation and engineering focus has allowed Piltover to become a trading hub for the world. Various skyports house hextech skyships that bring immeasurable wealth to the city. And they provide strategic value to those who trade from other nations.

The wealthy noble houses of Piltover command a majority of the city’s resources and can influence the technology and research to their ends. However, those of a lower station can do well for themselves as students, professors, inventors, and artisans.

Arcane Learning. You have proficiency in Arcana. Moreover, you can automatically tell if an object within 10 feet of you that you can see is magical, although you do not learn specific information without a check.

Hextech Affinity. You know the prestidigitation cantrip. You also have proficiency with tinker’s tools and can use tinker’s tools as a spellcasting focus.

Languages. You know Common and two additional languages of your choice. Typical creatures of this heritage choose Elvish and Machine Speech.

Zaunite Heritage

Zaun and Piltover were once one and the same. After a tragic hextech accident, the city now known as Zaun collapsed deep below the still-standing Piltover. Now, Piltover’s refuse and pollution find their way to the citizens of Zaun, who make their living repurposing what they scavenge into a technology they call chemtech.

The proximity to chemicals and various hazardous materials, while not great for the health of Zaun’s people, offer opportunists the means to take what they want and build themselves up. These “chem barons” run shady business enterprises, often to the detriment of the common folk.

The difficulty of living here breeds tricky and resourceful people, who take the little they can get and turn it into something worthwhile.

Chemtech Affinity. You have acid resistance.

Slapdash Assembly. You have proficiency with one set of artisan’s tools of your choice. You can spend a minute of work and 15 gp worth of raw materials to create the set of artisan’s tools you selected for this feature. These tools last for 1 hour. Afterward, they break apart into junk and the materials cannot be used again.

Street Tricks. You have proficiency in the Sleight of Hand, Stealth, or Deception skill (choose which during character creation).

Languages. You know Common and one additional language of your choice. Typical creatures of this heritage choose Undercommon.