From publisher blurb:
The Lament of the Apocalypse Dragons and the Fight for the Ember’d Crown
The once vibrant and expansive cultures of Taragainya ended with the coming of the Great Dragons. For decades now, the small folk concentrated on little more than survival. Communities fragmented into ever-smaller groups to hide from the agents of the Dragons. Many Elves, Humans and Dwarves retreated into magical fortresses in the hopes the Dragons and their minions would not follow.
The shadows of the Great Dragons grew long and ancient. The world suffocated and withered.
But! There are now signs this horror is coming to an end. All but one of the Great Dragons slumber. As the holdfasts open, the Free Folk begin to explore their changed world and reclaim ancient legacies.
Now is the time to craft new stories of hope.
Now is the time for heroes.
In this campaign setting book for the fifth edition of the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game, you will find:
All new character creation options — including new sub-classes. backgrounds, mechanics, and feats.
More races! Reimagined Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Halflings, Dragon-men, and Orks as well as all new races like the hybrid Stou, and the stalwart half-giants known as the Gargants.
A setting built to feel like a living and breathing world. Extensive lore and adventure seeds to jumpstart your stories.
What makes Under the Scale a different kind of fantasy setting:
An unapologetic focus on making the races and character classes powerful and distinct from one another - even at lower levels. A 1st level elf feels and plays different from a 1st level human.
The setting is built to provide players with missions, goals, and a sense of purpose right from the outset.
A focus on classes and mechanics that tell their own part of the Under the Scale story. As well as design decisons to make rolls a bit more dynamic.