Hey, fa/tg/uys and ca/tg/irls, I'm curious as to how you handle the inclusion of non-human races, if at all.
Do you use standard races for your setting/system?
Or do you make up your own equivalents to the smart and regal elves, the dumb but hearty dwarves or the brutish and evil orc?
I'm curious to your individual approach. Greentext stories would also be cool.
The continent of my setting that I primarily run has
>Humans
Bog standard feudalism.
>Snid (crustacean folk)
Who are lemmingly brave and numerous
>Ogres
Who are fey, and live in deep, untouched wilderness.
>Lizardfolk
Who are similar to native american tribes, from Inuit to Aztec.
>Finfolk
Several races of merfolk, who live wholly under the sea. Their only contact with the dry lands are through port cities and Snid.
>Elves
Long lived and magically inclined, but very few and in decline.
Others exist, but are either not numerous enough to include or live somewhere else.
>>48218315
I don't wanna say lurk more, but this thread basically hap[ens on the daily. I have no idea what you hope to gain by asking such a grossly obtuse question.
My setting is literally just the planet Auriga from the Endless universe. I sort of just shamelessly rip ideas from other settings for most of my stuff; if someone has objections I just start to rip from more obscure source material.
>>48218783
Dis niggas got it
Also, if you want something different but don't feel like making up your own thing sometimes I like to just look through fantasy game expansions (usually D&D) for something to tickle my fancy. I think Wikipedia actually has a page for List of D&D Character Races or something.
>>48218315
My world is currently only humans but i had considered putting another race in. After playing dark souls 2 (which is kinda crap in many way to be honest) I loved there lore about the rats and how they own everything untouched by the sun. I was considering putting this into my game with rat men, what do you guys thinK?
The world is populated by a race of bio-mechanical beings who acted as the caretakers for the billions of frozen human embryos while on a colony ship headed towards a habitable solar system.
One of the ships was damaged and forced to crash land on the nearest habitable planet and the bio-mechanical beings (havn't come up with a name for them yet) have since then formed a civilization of their own a thousand years after the fact. They are capable of procreation and giving birth via advanced nanomachines that created inside of them and they have the ability to link to similar bio-mechanical creatures from the ship that evolved into various life forms now that they were no longer controlled by the ship's main computer
>>48219026
Funny you mention that, I was actually thinking about adding a sapient, quadrupedal species to my setting when I met the leader of the Forest hunters coven last week. Maybe a tribe of boar warriors, or just copy pasting the cats, dunno.
I like the idea, but it does come with a set of isssues, how would the species hold when compared to bipedal races such as humans or dwarves? Not having thumbs would probably be an issue, and natural weapons can only get you so far as culture, or hell, as an adventurer
>>48219119
"The Many"
From a poem of the separation of "The Many" from "The One" (Main computer).
Let's see. Beastfolk - A catchall term for animal races that share certain humanoid features. This can range from factually correct in the case of most Wizard-created creatures/species, to outright offensive to creatures like Kenku, which are a race in their own right and resent being pigeon-holed in with the others.
Dragonborn/Kobolds - Both are spawn of Draconic races. Kobolds are weaker variations, but discovered methods to forcibly 'evolve' their ranks to become Dragonborn, but as a result the Dragonborn that were spawned splintered off from the Kobolds as the process not only makes them much closer to their respective Draconic breed, but wipes them clean mentally. In combination this usually means that Dragonborn soon leave the Kobolds behind, seeking individuality, or they seek to subjugate them.
Elvenfolk - Quiet, long-lived and introspective, pretty stock standard. Their alien nature makes them near impossible to deal with once they pass the first few hundred years of their lives. Elves encountered in the world are almost universally younger examples looking to branch out, discover the world around them and build on existing knowledge. After the first five hundred or so years pass, they lose touch with the shorter-lived races at first, then proceed to regress into an insular society and refuse to deal with even other long-lived races without good cause.
Dwarves - Born of the earth. Expert traders, merchants and mercenaries. While people can relate to them on an individual level, their cultural quirks ostracize them and result in very, very little interaction. An example being that Dwarves have a complex legal system which conveniently describes only a Dwarf as a person, which has a variety of consequences, such as stealing from anyone not a Dwarf not actually constituting theft. All things belong to Dwarves, it's simply a matter of an individual staking their claim. Even if it's to your home in the middle of winter.
>>48221926
Orcs - Isolated in tight-knit communities that are designed to survive the harsh wilderness they live in, while also doubling as a holdfast against raids from their fellows. They have a surprisingly complex society that has made philosophical advances far beyond most other races, however these musings are ultimately grounded in a society that revolves around ritual murder, slavery and warfare. Their customs tend to keep other races at bay, due to the stereotype of a raging berserker Orc that devours those that he kills. This is factually correct only one tenth of the time. The other nine times, they're not berserkers.
Magewrought - One of many magical creations, but the only one that's achieved the pseudo-status of being it's own race while also being non-living. Essentially, they're Warforged. In practice however, they're self-replicating creatures possessed of something approximating a soul. Each original created has certain deficiencies of character that are passed down in some form to their 'offspring'. As a Magewrought continues through their lives, they go out of their way to learn the necessary skills to create more of their kind, as well as amassing the resources to make it happen. Once they are capable, they begin to create their own 'offspring', in a process that ultimately destroys them. Some Magewrought only create one child, others will manage to split their essence several times over and create a small family of them. On the one hand, this means that Magewrought are willing to die for their fellows, if it means their survival. On the other hand, the ultimate tragedy is the death of a Magewrought in such a way that prevents their essence being used to create more of their kind.
>>48222004
Goblins - Another example of an artificially made creature, this one has the dubious distinction of being one of the few that achieved the status of becoming a fully fledged race. Goblins thrive, in fact. Due to dissenting opinions among the Cabal responsible for their inception, several sub-species were created and continue to compete to this day. The most prevalent and arguably successful breed are a potent cocktail of cunning intellect, vicious temperament, shocking agility, surprising strength and black humor. Standing at a comparable height to Dwarves, but having enough musculature to evenly match a human in one-on-one combat makes them a deadly opponent, especially considering their speed and stature.
Their society is focused around feats of personal achievement - most Goblins emerging into the world at large are charitably described as being akin to 'a walking pile of razor blades with a smile'; however they do form long-lasting friendships that are difficult indeed to break. Other species that exist vary in their attributes, but largely match the most successful breed. Some are much weaker, but have gained a more sophisticated intellect. Others are much stupider and prone to rash acts, but have the brawn to match up.
>>48219361
I would say that the only way you could make them realistically competitive is to give them some kind of inherent mystical abilities that make up for their lack maniplatory appendages.
You don't need tools when your teeth/tusks are infused with destructive magic and your hide is as tough as steel. You don't need a horse when you know the the Paths of Shadow that let you scurry through the darkness, shortening your journey, or if you know the Tireless Way, taught by the old boars who have learned how to run for hours on end without needing rest.
bwiumph
>>48218783
I do the same for two reasons:
1) Whenever I come up with something I think is unique, my players either never investigate/notice it, or they don't care. So, lifting an idea from something else is less wasted time and creativity on my part.
2) I like to save my more creative ideas forthose books I keep saying I'm going to write.
>>48219026
Well given the nature of the sun in Dark Souls, does the darkness-loving belief of rats make them evil?
Rats in nature are pretty neutral generalists and it is contact with humans that brings out the worst in them as vectors of disease and a as an invasive species.
>>48222099
Pretty cool. It does make sense to give them mystical abilities, if one were to make the race "closer to nature" or something like that
>>48226411
I think it's less that they worship Dark, that rather they guard respite and rest, much like Alvina's crew, or like Nito
>>48219026
The rats were one of the only good parts, and even then they were just a bargain bin version of the Forest Hunters from DS1
While I don't like elves, dwarves and hobbits I tend to be a little lazy and just use the usually nonplayble fantasy races instead of the normal ones.
Examples; play as a hobgoblin, troll, lizardman.
I really feel like, since my new setting is supposed to be all Gonzo, I should change everything and have more interesting races, but it's really tough to throw away the races I've come to collect.
