I'm getting ready to run my players through Heroes of Undarin, and the rules for creating characters for this chapter are confusing me.
1) What is the 100 gp the characters start with for? That seems way too high for only purchasing mundane items. But the "Allocating Magic Items" section says "These are your options. Period."
2) Is there a reason for characters to avoid doubling up on ancestry or class? Or is that just a general "we want variety" line?
3) If there is a good reason, do the half-human heritages count as human for this purpose?
1) What is the 100 gp the characters start with for? That seems way too high for only purchasing mundane items. But the "Allocating Magic Items" section says "These are your options. Period."
Check out the Playtest Goals sidebar on page 61. The limited equipment for this chapter is to keep parties equally geared up. They want to avoid groups throwing off the results by overinvesting in healing supplies or wasting their item selection on gear that won't be useful for the chapter.
2) Is there a reason for characters to avoid doubling up on ancestry or class? Or is that just a general "we want variety" line?
The goal, I think, is to try and get people testing a bit of everything, to avoid only the most popular classes getting tested thoroughly. The "main" party has this same suggestion.
3) If there is a good reason, do the half-human heritages count as human for this purpose?
That's sort of up to you. I considered it different enough that I allowed it (my table's Undarin party is half-elf, human, half-orc, elf), but others may disagree. I don't think it makes a big difference either way, though, so I recommend doing what works for your group.