Bug World is as it says it is. A fantasy world of small arthropod species. Moth mages, Butterfly wizards, Stag Beetle warriors, Spider rangers and much more!
Last thread we talked a lot about scorpions, as well as had good discussion on further fleshing out some of the other races cultures, such as Moth Noh theater
Help build Bug World!
Link to the current googledoc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pAduIU7TDaKHvvaUfzRbgYj44TX_hApLeNeVu2d5bbM/edit?usp=sharing
>>46082103
Centaur master race reporting in
I'm gonna start with the most updated version of the world map
>>46082177
and here's the legend
>grey-unexplored
>brown mountain- Mount Khepri, sacred site of the Beetles
>yellow-dessert, inhabited by scorpions(closer to the center) and scarab beetles(the outskirts)
>green island-bee island. The triangle is a dormant volcano, due to the bees attraction to heat
>light brown-land claimed by the wasp horde, northern half is tundra-esque.
>Mountain range and big lake-Butterflies and moths inhabit these lands
>Tan coast-CRAB. PEOPLE
>Big arrow-biggest crab town, largest port on the western continent.
>Green island-Mantis island
>Green blob on eastern continent-Jungle. Spiders and whatnot
>The eastern continent also has an inland sea now. Inland seas are neat
>Purple stars-scattered fly cities
Could i share this with myself so i can have an easier way to access this instead of waiting for another one of these threads to show up?
>>46082159
The royal blood master race is composed of bipedals.
>>46082263
I starred the doc personally, but that should work too
>>46082291
>>46082159
guys please
We need more feral bugs for wildlife I think.
>Pillbugs are hardy, slow, and peaceful beasts. They're easely caught and domesticated, with their meat used for food and their carapace as armor. However, in the deeper wilds, their exists a subspecies that is rather aggressive dubbed 'dire-pills'. If they see an intruder upon their territory, they curl into balls and roll towards their victims with intent to crush them.
>>46082382
Eh, I dont like the idea of feral bugs, maybe instead vertebraes are the livestock
>>46082382
I like. Give the dires some extra spikes like normal and you have a rolling spiked ball that hates your guts
>Gnats are considered a common pest in practically every city, the fast breeding flying creatures ranging in size from beetle palm-sized to nearly the size of the sentient Flies. They feast on practically anything they can find but prefer rotting food. Some Flies and Moths have begun breeding them and entering them into fashion shows as "Fancy Gnats", often breeding extreme traits into them. This includes gnats with eyes almost as large as their bodies and unable to fly, gnats with overly large wings with gossamer patterns, gnats with stubby legs or extremely long and fragile legs. Some of the more practical individuals have begun breeding them as hunting companions, their keen sense of smell able to detect prey from long distances. There have even been some justice-minded individuals that use the gnats keen sense of smell to track down murdered or accidental victims needing rescue or avenging.
>>46082520
Feral bugs do exists currently as just big versions of "regular bugs", as long as the race is not sentient
>>46082382
We need more non-sapient species in general. We take them for granted, but having an idea of the local fauna can add a lot of depth to an area.
I'd prefer no non-sapient varieties of sapient species myself, though. It could get really weird, not in a good way.
>>46082619
We already have the big monsters of the world as birds and reptiles. What else could we add to the local fauna? Just pop in some generic "fantasy monsters"? Or try to stick to the theme?
>>46082619
I can't remember who originally said this but read a quote in a world-building thread that said, "Where are the monkey equivalent to the dominate species?"
I had proposed that the Arthro Bees tend to hives of the feral bees and they use their control over them to exert economic influence because they can make sure crops flourish or die off.
>>46082619
Nah, it sounds fine to me
>>46082644
Not every animal in our world are tigers, bears, and wolves. There's the harmless creatures too, and that's kind of what I'm looking for. Where's the deer, the eagle, the beaver?
>>46082177
Its looking pretty good. I might personally suggest having a mess around with the Inkarnate map maker. makes some neat results, its like a free online tool.
>>46082697
>>46082558
These gnats are supposed to be similar to Dogs or Pigeons
>>46082697
That's an excellent question. I will sleep on that, and think more tomorrow, I'm out
>>46082721
Thanks man, I'll be sure to look into that
Im back, considering writing more folk tales.
Y/N?
>>46082770
Yes more folk tales, the last one was great
>>46082833
What about, I dont have inspiration for this one.
>>46082926
Something about the Moths Ants or Leeches preferably
>>46082981
Alright then, on it.
>>46082697
Spiders raising small frogs as pets, the excitable amphibians bred for their protective nature and energetic disposition. They are commonly given as companions to young spiderlings, the frogs being highly protective of their charges will either begin croaking loudly to attract the attention of the parent or launch themselves at an assailant to buy their charge time to flee if the Spiderlings are under threat.
>>46083063
Scorpions bully the frogs.
>>46083070
It's in their nature to
>Apprentice, you must now close your eyes. Listen within. Listen to your instincts. Do not ignore them, aknowledge them. Their push can be gentle like a breeze, but it is indefatigable. You might feel yourself like a boat in a tideless sea now sure of where you are, but your instincts are pushing you ever so softly, farther away from the shore. Feel them like you never felt them before. Do you hunger? Do you tire? Do you crave? Do you fear? You've never been in control, in your life, but you can be. Here begins your first lesson...
>Recolections of Mantis Rites and Methods, vol. 1.
>>46082382
Fuck that Pillbugs are Hobbits
I noticed that you have crabs but not lobsters. Any reason for this?
>>46083163
See I thought ants or pseudoscorpions were hobbits.
an
>>46083063
>>46083160
Nice fluff. I'll take a shit at fluffing up some Moth Lunarian beliefs.
>Where there is Light, there is Dark, and there will always be Light in the Dark
>Night and Day are reflections of one another
>We are the People of the Moon. The Moon shall always light your Path.
>Dust is but a fragment of Creation. Bend the Dust, and you can bend Creation.
>Life has many journeys, but you must be the one to set them in motion.
>Death is but a final Journey, one that takes you to the Light of the Moon
>Core tenets of Lunarian, taken from the journals of Crulace the Seeker
>>46083358
Lol you know nuthin jon sno
>>46083358
They are. Pillbugs are the wild animals. We have an overabundance of sentient species. Too many you could say
>>46083160
><The Master sits down once more, the claws on his hands bloody. He lifts one up to his mouth and gives it a lick, and resumes a relaxed stance, as if meditating. Eventually he speaks up again.>
>"I'm sorry you had to witness that."
><I am shaken, but I manage to relax.> It's fine, Master, death is not unknown to me.
>"Master? I am Hairarai to you, and everyone. 'Master' is for my students.
>Yes, Hairarai. If you don't mind, could you explain to me why... this happened? <I motion to the remains of his student on the floor>
>"I can imagine your confusion. I've explained to you the nature we all share, the violence within us, the threat inside. I would have loved to explain this next lesson in peace. Once we have managed to see the beast face to face, we then let it consume us. It is the critical stage of our Learning. The goal is not to control it. It is to know it. To know one's self, the bestial parts and the virtuous ones. Most often, proper guidance leads one back from the beast's lair. But sometimes..."
><He looks down at the results of his failure wistfully. The battle had been over in a moment, his strike had beheaded the feral student as he leaped in a mad leap, jaw open fully and going for the neck.> "But you mustn't fear. This is within us all. Within you. You can trust yourself, can you not?"
>Recolections of Mantis Rites and Methods, vol1. "Interviews".
>>46083379
I wanted to pay more attention to the mantis' philosophy and most specifically to how it is transmited.
I think I should give the author a name and a species, though. Suggestions?
>>46083821
Crulace was a Moth, and one of the core members who founded Lunarism.
As for your stuff, perhaps a name of Neren'hik, and species would be Mantis
>>46083904
>As for your stuff, perhaps a name of Neren'hik, and species would be Mantis
Not a bad idea but I was thinking it should be an outsider. A scholar with an anthropoligist (arthropologist?) bent. I'd prefer not a pseudoscorpion if only for the sake of diversity.
>>46083966
Brevil the Ant seems to be popular for finding stories. PR is actually doing a small comic of him and someone wrote an excerpt of him describing a giant Salamander last thread
>>46083966
How about Volara the Ant? Since Ants seem to be historians and clerks. Or maybe a Roach?
Also gonna go to bed. No wars please.
>>46084239
Volara the Ant is great, thank you. Good night!
Feel free to consider none of this canon, or take from it what you will. I'm doing this for fun.
>Haupert continued up the steps, his plate quietly clinking as he rounded the never ending spiral. The Rhino already filled up the spiral stair way, but his plate made the stairway suffocating.
>"We there yet, lad?"Grimvaul, the locust, asked gripping his Zweihander tightly, his mandibles twitching nervously
>"No." Haupert said, always a man of many words.
>The rest of party climbing the steps in nervous silence. They had done jobs like this before...but this time was different. The thing was acting differently, if the druids of the nearby wood where to be taken seriously it was mad, taken hold by some demon.
>Haupert saw light and quickened his pace, but taking care not to make undue noise. The party cleared out of the cramped stair and fanned out on the spire top. The watchtower had fallen to disrepair, and old Herculean outpost no doubt, moss and vines crumbling the pillars sections of cobbled floor. Something much larger collapsed the missing section of roof and erected the nest of exoskeletons and bones intertwined with whole trees and sections of roofing from the nearby village.
>Dragr, a ranger from the neighboring barony, whistled. The hooded roach turned to Haupert, the unspoken leader of the sellswords, "Where's the hoard? And the princesses?" he said, a halfhearted attempt at humour.
>Haupert ignored him, and hefted his hammer and gestured towards some rocks, then to some pillars still standing, holding up a shadowed wall. "Hide, we will surprise it on my command."
>Grimvaul hefted his Zweihander over his shoulder, "An' what signal is this?". Haupert weighed his hammer, "When I hit it in the face. Take the flanks." Dragr nodded and knocked and loaded his crossbow and skittered into the shadow, and Grimvaul, took off his floppy hat and cozied up to a fallen pillar near the nest.
CONT
>>46084649
>CONT
Well? I've been waiting.
How would you guys feel if I flavor a campaign/adventure hook to find the body of Brieta the Wise, obviously it would be a spider-centric campaign
>>46084649
>Liesegan, the bastard of the local Magus, flapped his amber wings and smoothed back his antenne. "I'm not exactly suited for subtlety, Haupert." said the Monarch. Haupert just pointed his hammer at the entry way from which they came, "Go in there, draw it's attention." The mage sighed, but folded his wings and did as he was bade. Haupert took his position across the Landsknecht, and huddled up against a pile of rubble. It would no doubt smell their intrusion before it saw them, but perhaps the confusion would be enough to allow them the element of surprise.
>The creature announced itself with the thunderous beating of wings, its coming blowing a savage wind in the ruined chamber. A heavy crunch of shell and wood signaling its arrival in the nest. Haupert could hear the thing sniffing the air, identifying the stangers in its home. The beast let out a piercing cry and beat its wings, thunderous footfalls sending bits of nest across the chamber. The Dragon had come.
>Haupert rose from his hiding spot and raised his shield and hammer, and rushed to meet the beast. The dragon spread its feathered wings and charged, its black talons sparking against the floor and its amber beak spread wide to crack his armour. He met its beak with the head of his hammer and the resounding crack marked the ambush. Dragr sent a bolt from the shadows, sinking into the dragon's shoulder. It let out another cry and struck out at Haupert with a savage wing blow. He took the brunt on his shield but the blow still sent him across the room, sending him through an ancient pillar.
>Grimvaul bounded from his position, his blade pointed at the monster's heart, "DIE, YE DRAGON!", and slashed the feathered daemon across its flank, which landed him inside the creature's talons, smashing him into the floor. The Locust snarled and drove his great blade into the dragon's gut. The Dragon leapt back, buffeting the warriors back, emitting a ferocious challenge, it's eyes as red as the Devil.
>>46086887
>>46084649
Is this something worth continuing tomorrow? Even if it runs against cannon?
>>46086908
sure, go for it.
>>46086908
Yes absolutely, it's fantastic.
>>46084649
>>46086887
That's fucking fantastic friend. Do continue
>>46086887
Good stuff.
As some Anon's have pointed out, we've got plenty of sapients and monsters but are kind of lacking in wildlife. Ecosystems aren't built out of K type giants alone!
Now pill bugs or, as we Aussies know them, slaters already have a slot as apocalypse cultists living in the woods. But I also really like the idea of using them as livestock. Wikipedia provided me with an interesting tidbit:
> Woodlice in the genus Armadillidium and in the family Armadillidae can roll up into an almost perfect sphere as a defensive mechanism, hence some of the common names such as pill bug or roly-poly. Most woodlice, however, cannot do this.
So I'm thinking at the species represented in our giant isopod worshipping nutters would be from that majority that can't curl up, and the livestock/giants could be from those that do. You can even tie in some prejudice there from the other bugs for this.
And now story time.
> Ajax stretched his upper arms trying to work out some of the stiffness in his old joints. Glancing up at the sky he noted the beginning of sunset and grabbed his hand cart with a sigh. Pulling the load of slightly pungent plant cuttings out into the fields to spread them out on the grass. That done he gave the sheer field fencing a final glance before heading back to the pens. Opening the wide double doors, he enters. With a piercing whistle he wakes the flock and ushers them outside, slapping the slowest on it's curved plates. Startled, it curls up into a ball. Shaking his head Ajax plants all four hands on the louse and rolls it outside to join it's fellows. The last task of the day done he sits on the back porch to watch the sun finish going down.
I have a question about suptg, can we archive 404d archived threads?
>>46083379
That actually sounds like an awesome belief system
Spiders love sammiches
Byzantine ant empire with civil wars sparked by uppity matriarchs when?
>>46091088
I think that would fit well as a history piece of lore. Feel free to write something on it.
>>46091088
I like to think that queens of the different ant subraces will form alliances with their respective broods maintaining certain castes that fit them best. Leaf cutters being the fungus farmers, fire and soldier ants being the military, etc
At least in the "modern" setting
Roman Scorpion Empire?
>>46091174
I'd prefer Mesopotamium Scorpions honestly though we can have multiple scorpion cultures
>>46091174
weren't they agreed as being Persian with a hint of the Chinese imperial court about them?
>>46091350
They are, yes. We decided on that some time back
>>46091350
>>46091361
No, not really.
>>46090978
Time for a bit more writefaggotry
>Crulace the Seeker was a Luna Moth during the Times of War (When civilized Arthros were still forming nations and Empire's, and there were brutal race wars between various species). He was a spiritual moth, and often contemplated the mysteries of life.
>He would often leave his home, in an ancient Oak tree, to go on pilgrimages. He would follow the winds, taking to the breezes and letting then guide his path.
>On one of these pilgrimages, he was carried far by the winds. He looked upon the land, seeing the shadows of the trees and mountains contrast with the light of day.
>Cont
>>46091380
Don't lie now, buddy
>>46091629
Yeah, only a few people agreed with that, unless you want to settle it via vote.
>>46091688
As we've seen, voting only leads to shitposting. There can be multiple cultures but we should decide which culture is present on the map in that desert
>>46091733
Probably one based entirely on fighting and war.
>>46091744
Have you looked at the googledoc yet?
>>46091489
>Crulace watched as the Sun set and the Moon rose. He saw the creatures of the nightime forest come alive, just as villages came to life as the sun rose and the Moon set.
>The breeze started to slow, and Crulace landed in a forest he had never seen before. He stopped to eat, and rested for a while. When he woke, he was in a circle of moonlight.
>Crulace flapped his wings a bit, stretching them in preparation for the journey home. The dust like scales of his wings scattered in the moonlight, and he was mesmerized by the swirling patterns. The Luna Moth flapped his wings more, creating swirls of dust and beautiful patterns.
>When the dust would start to settle, he would try moving it again, creating swirls and patterns.
>Cont
>>46091733
I'm planning on placing a jungle/dense forest on the western continent in the lower half, somewhere close to the land bridge, for our jungle scorps
>>46091887
>Cont
Please do, getting verah interahsting
>>46091889
Sounds good.
For our desert scorpions there was talk last thread of noble houses and I was thinking that said houses could each be dominated by a different variety of scorpion. It would give a way to visually identify scorpions probably allegiances at a glance.
> Check those claws, see the long thin pincers? Probably one of those House Calladis assholes.
>>46091991
The rulers would probably be the Emperor Scorpions, due to muh royal blood
>>46092022
Not quite. Though they would definitely be one of the houses and maybe (definitely) the first emperor was one, we decided that when the scorpion emperor dies the clans undergo something between ritual competition and civil war with the winning candidate becoming the new emperor.
>>46092094
Clans. Ugh. Houses.
The beetles have clans. Argh I'm really tired.
>>46092094
The emperor is usually an Emperor Scorpion due to their royal blood, giving them heightened stats and support from the public.
>>46090441
It is actually possible.
Did it once and it saved. And I was kinda surprised when this happened.
>>46092216
Thank god, I wanted to save an evo thread from December.
>>46091887
>>46091991
>Crulace spent much of the night with the swirls of dust. He was fascinated with it. He had discovered that certain patterns would produce strange effects. One pattern created a spark of flame, another created a beam of moonlight. Crulace noted all of this in his journal, along with the realization that the dust in the world must be some part of Creation to make this happen.
>As he learned, Crulace found that the Moon strengthened his magic. As there was a long-standing worship of the Moon by Moths, as the egg from which the Goddess hatched and used to create the world. For the Moon to empower him, Crulace deduced that the Moon was the source of the dust and its magic.
>Crulace traveled far and wide among the Moth folk, teaching his newfound knowledge to his people. He gathered some followers, known as the Seven Moonbeams.
>These eight Moths revitalized worship of the Moon and brought it's magic to their people.
>>46092165
But not always.
There have been Bark scorpion rulers, a few of the rare Bluearmor Scorpions.
There has only been one centaur emperor, their ascension nearly causing a bloody civil war. Emperor Kuz'khon managed to lead the Scorpion Empire for a relatively short reign but one with intensive war campaigns that managed to break through the Beetles and Wasps fortifications throughout the deserts and expand their territory. That is, until he was slain by the King of Corpses personally. The Assassin God had been contracted by jealous and furious emperor breed scorpion houses, ashamed that a "vile half-feral beast" had brought more glory to the Empire than their houses had in generations. The Emperors own massive claw adorns the chain that hung around the King of Corpses head alongside the trophies of other mythical victims like Khepri and Brieta themselves
>>46094066
In the few short years that Emperor Kuz'khon lead the scorpion empires armies he adapted the then current tactics to include his centaur brethren. Considered little more than barbarians by their new comrades at first they quickly grew to gain glory and recognition from the other imperial soldiers.
While the nobility despised Emperor Kuz'khon the common soldiers and officers grew to respect merciless cunning and tactics and for the ferocity that the centaur scorpions expressed on the battlefield. Even in the present age his tactics are examined and exalted. Centaur scorpions wishing to leave their nomadic tribal lives can find easy acceptance into the Imperial Legions yet still face unfounded discrimination in public from the bipedal scorpions.
>>46094066
The King of Corpses possesses a little bit of every first unifier of a species, with the exception of Pandinus.
>>46094455
Who were they again?
>>46094493
The First Scorpion Emperor.
>>46082177
I've decided to make the eastern continent mainly inhabited by ants and termites, while the upperhalf of the west continent, that isn't desert or wasp territory, is claimed by the beetles. This gives a reason for the scarabs being near the desert, but still near the rest of the beetles
>>46095808
Any objections to this?
>>46095808
>>46095837
I would just copy the WHFB world or Golarion and move stuff about slightly. That way having Bug+Culture is easier
>>46096289
I've placed species in areas that best suit their culture currently, I don't want to steal anything if possible.
Those maps are good to look at for geography though, so thank you!
>>46083205
Not this guy, but I think it would be cool if we included lobsters as a kind of underwater equivalent to scorpions.
>>46098370
>>46083205
I believe that lobsters were left out because crabs are seen living on land more often than lobsters are, with horseshoe crabs, coconut crabs, and other such crabs. Not certain though
>>46098370
What would the cultural differences between Carribean and Maine lobsters (and whatever the hell kind of lobster that is) be?
>>46098370
Scorpion Mermaids
>>46098561
Maybe the coastal lobsters/crabs would be friendly traders and craftsmen, while those that set out to sea would be more akin to the pacific islanders, sailing the world, searching for new lands.
Also pirates
>>46098752
>Blackfeeler was one of the most notorious lobster privateers of his time, striking terror into coastal communities on nearly every continent.
>He was finally defeated by a courageous band of pistol shrimp who hunted him to his atoll port and burned it to the ground
>his massive wealth was then distributed among the shrimp villages nearby, jumpstarting the economy and giving rise to one of the richest trading empires of today
Sorry if I've contradicted any established facts, I have yet to read the doc.
>>46098920
Nope, we have next to nothing on shrimp, lobsters, and crabs, other than that they exist.
I like it though! Everyone loves pirates
>>46098995
Thanks! We need more underwater stuff in general, it seems.
>>46099104
Feel free to expand then, I'm at a loss honestly for how to go about handling that. We do know that they all can, and do, come onto land, as they all have coastal cities.
If you check out the map at the beginning of the thread, the big blue arrow is the largest and most prosperous coastal town. I said crab town, but only because I forgot about shrimp and didn't think of lobsters, so it's just a neutral "coastal capital" now
>>46098561
>>46098649
>>46098752
>Lobsters, also known as Mer especially amongst arachnids, in warmer climes have more in common in with the beetle Kingdoms and the scorpion nomads, save their demeanour is generally more upbeat and mercantile than their deeper cousins.
>Mer within the open sea do not live up the legends that their land born brethren have attributed to them. Narrow thoraxes and hourglass abdomens are replaced with horrible carapaced bulk, sweet mandibled faces supplanted with alien combed maws. The cold weather Lobsters have much more in common than with the Centaur raiders of the desolate sands and mountains than exotic half piscine maidens. These brutish and desolate creatures ravage any ships in their territory, and their nomadic nature makes avoiding them nigh impossible. Even more concerning is their growth, which doesn't cease until their death, some elder Mer reaching tens of meters in length.
>>46099247
>most crustaceans worship their cyclopean god-ancestor, that ancient marine creature, the Anomalocaridid
>>46099247
Is there anything about octopi and/or squids? I know this is bugworld, but I wouldn't normally see leeches as bugs either. That might just be me, though.
>>46099406
I dunno about that. Leeches are in because some anon had already developed leechfolk for something, and they're "creepy crawlies". Octopi and squids are too big for bugworld I think. Maybe as monsters, like the Kraken and whatnot
>>46099333
Check the doc if you haven't. That sounds like a cool idea, but that think looks kinda like what we have for our "progenitor species", the Trilobites and Ammonites
>>46099323
This is some really great fluff man, keep it up. I like Mer, we could use that as a general catchall for all of the aquatic species maybe
>>46082103
Why has no one suggested this yet?
FIREFLIES!
>>46099323What are centaurs? I don't see them in the doc.
>sometimes, a reef Mer will mate with a Mer from the depths, whether by way of rape or through some misguided attempt at diplomacy
>the resultant offspring generally possess all the brute strength of a deep Mer with the intelligence of the reef folk
>depending on their upbringing, they may become a stalwart defender of the coral towns or a savage warlord-pirate, raiding and pillaging with impunity. Blackfeeler was one such halfbreed.
>>46099603shhh, don't say that word. trust me, shitposting will happen. it gets ugly
>>46099640
Sorry, I was trying to invoke half orcs.
>>46099543
I believe that fireflies would be members of the fly family, practicing more lighthearted and beneficial chemistry than other sects
>>46099653no, I meant centaurs
>>46099653
>>46099507
Also, maybe it's just their interpretation of the trilobites.
>>46099653
I like the mutant idea, I'm imagining this towering hulk of a lobster standing guard to the king/ruler personally
>>46099715what about centaurs?
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160314091121.htm
So it turns out that most spiders are actually omnivorous. I had known about a vegetarian spider that ate seeds but now it seems like most spiders will partake of plant matter
Contributing.
Give me some more ideas, I am loving this concept and would absolutely enjoy world building.
>>46100289
What about a Roach Black Market dealer or a mantis monk?
>>46100289
A hornet and a bee looking at each other with increasing HATE while the cute moth cleric is trying to defuse the situation.
The ginormous beetle paladin is face-palming at this situation, while the spider rogue is making gold towers out of gold coins and the mantis shrimp martial artist is simply sucking cactus juice the scorpion bartender sold him.
>>46100289
Perhaps a shrimp merchant selling some worthless souvenir baubles?
>>46082177
I'd say to add more fly villages
>>46100397
Seconding Roach Black Market, this is going to become a thing.
guys guys
how about a very well hidden society of tardigrades?
[spoilers] also was something said about centipedes and scolopendras? [/spoiler]
>>46099836last thread turned into a MASSIVE shitfest for a while due to an argument over whether to make scorpions bipedal or centaur-esque. The dispute has been settled, you can read what happened in the doc. But i'm wary to bring centaurs up again
>>46100540
>centipedes and scolopendras
they're in the doc as sentient, but I feel they're a little questionable. Millipedes on the other hand are domesticated.
>>46100411
I'll keep this in mind. Maybe the ones on the map currently are the massive sprawling fly cities?
>>46100560
That's why I created Emperor Kuz'khon
>>46094348
>>46094066
>>46100592
I still say that centipedes should be monsters. I do like the idea of intelligent ones but they should be small ones like House Centipedes and the giant ones being monsters
>>46099543
Fireflies are a species of Beetle, aren't they?
>>46100730
This is what I want. Tame millipede trains and massive crazy centipede monsters
>>46100761
I like this. Can we get a drawfriend to draw a giant centipede being fought by a Mantis monk or a Wasp Warrior?
>>46100745
are they? They seem like they'd fit in with the flies more, but if they're beetles we can make them watchmen or scouts for the army
>>46099603
>>46099323
>Shrimp are by and large kindly and mercantile, always happy to make a trade and have a pleasant chat.
>This is not so for the Deva Shrimp, also known as the Peacock Mantis (although more gentile Mantises will abhor the comparison).
>Few sentient creatures of [WORLD NAME] are as alien and implacable as these Mer, or as deadly. As the Dragons, those avian horrors, are feared and legendary upon the land and air, the Deva rivals such creatures as the Kraken and Leviathan, for even those creatures are but animals, mythic and powerful though they may be.
>What drives the enigmatic shrimp to acts of horrific violence none can say, their martial orders amongst the most deadly in the world. Some say that they see Invisible horrors in those eyes, and it has driven them to madness. Coastal death cults maintain that it was enlightenment, not madness, that these dread monks have been driven to.
>>46100652
Did he get turned into an aphid and have to go on an adventure with a scorpion peasant voiced by John Goodman in order to get his groove back?
>>46101002
FUCK
>>46100996
We already have peacock mantis shrimp as monks, no?
>>46101265
They're merchant martial artist and literal artists I believe. They don't handle criticism of their art very well
>>46100802
>>46100745
Also glow worms!
>>46100289
>Thomas: "Y'know what I need, Ho'or?"
>Ho'or grunts
>Thomas: "A good sip of real honey. Do you?"
>Ho'or: "...Money."
>Thomas snorts: "I know we're dead broke. Come on, I have a plan that will blow your mind. It involves three butterfly hookers and an upturned millipede train. You in?"
>Ho'or: "...Very well."
>Thomas gets up : "Excellent. Come on, the next train arrives in 10 minutes!"
>Ho'or rises slowly.
>>46101265
>>46101324
Was not tracking that, but also Highly disappointed.
>>46101337
I could see glow worms being domesticated as pets, like gnats
Hey all, I decided to touch up the western continent and add more color.
Key:
>grey-unexplored
>light green-plains
>brown mountain- Mount Khepri, sacred site of the Beetles
>yellow-dessert, inhabited by scorpions(closer to the center) and scarab beetles(the outskirts)
>green island-bee island. The triangle is a dormant volcano, due to the bees attraction to heat
>light brown-land claimed by the wasp horde, northern half is tundra-esque.
>Mountain range and big lake-Butterflies and moths inhabit these lands
>Tan coast-CRAB. PEOPLE
>Big arrow-biggest crab town, largest port on the western continent.
>Green island-Mantis island
>Green blob on eastern continent-Jungle. Spiders and whatnot
>The eastern continent also has an inland sea now. Inland seas are neat
>Purple stars-scattered fly cities
>Striped area-contested land between the wasp horde and the desert scorpions
>Dark green blob-A large, dense forest inhabited by scorpions, moths, butterflies, and spiders
Still at a loss for the east. Also Hornets. Where will they go?
>>46102206
Oh yeah!
>Big black square-Capitol of the beetle peoples, their largest city, the king lives here
>>46102234
>>46102206
where might this >>46084649 >>46086887 take place? I was hoping for some Holy Roman Empire place where Gotrek and Felix shenanigans could take place.
>>46101608
Except for the fact that they are female Fireflies.
>>46102362
Honestly it could take place pretty much anywhere. As of now I'm only place the big important things, like the Isles of the Mantis and Bee folk, Mt. Khepri, and major cites, as well as creating geography. Based on what you want I'm gonna say probably to the east, if only because there is nothing there yet, so we can expand and put stuff around.
The story was great by the way, didn't say earlier
>>46102486
well damn
Ok, writing up moths now
What finalized ideas and hooks were associated with moths?
>>46103174
See these PR:
>>46083379
>>46091489
>>46091887
>>46092708
>>46102550
Not done, but RL is preventing me from seeing it through.
Also, what's the ruling on Mammals? Because yes it's very well and good to have Millipede farms and Weta Horrorsteeds, but having oxen pull carriages, lighter bugs ride horses, rats fill adventures basements, a cricket farming cattle, ants fending off/farming moles is very visually interesting and accentuates that yes this is a fantasy, but it's less "Lol No Humans!" And more "Insects are the dominant species, much as we are on earth."
Just curious.
>>46103773
Currently we have no mammals at all, but you do bring up some very interesting points that were not discussed in the earlier threads. They could fit in, but I don't know. We have birds and reptiles as giant monsters, so having normal mammals is a little strange
>>46104126
We do have Star-Nose Behemoths(moles) that love to attack Ant and Termite colonies. There are also the settings "Tarrasque" which is a Giant Anteater. There are also the Night Demons which are literally bats. I did a little snippet about how desert moths have tamed vegetarian bats to harvest nectar and flower pollen from the Saguaro Colossi flowers that bloom at night under a full moon.
There was an anon in an earlier thread that talked about rats/capybaras/rodents-of-unusual-size being herded animals like cattle.
>>46101324
Arent they murderous artists with insatiable bloodlust
>>46104306
Rodents as cattle is a really good idea, keeps the world feeling "buggy". It would just feel weird if their were giant birds in the same world as regular horses
>>46104126
I think it's rather comfy just having normal critters here and there. This is a normal world in insects one the sentience race.
Having a grasshopper in ragged trousers managing some sheep with some sort of collie or animal spider is super comfy.
And regular horses just make Weta mounts stand out more as this elite soldier thing, like in real medieval combat.
>Lol look at this foot man foot slogging like a foot
>Oh shit, that dude has a horse.
>Get the spears, that guy had armour and a horse!
>Get the canon! That huge fucker has a weta!
>FUCKING RUN THEIR BOTH ARMOURED!
>>46104385
I had the idea for Scorpions to have tortoise herds they keep for the shells and meat. The scutes of their shell shed naturally like a lizard or snake does with their skin and those could be turned into armor if used the same process as Chitinmold armor
>>46104516
Centaur or Emperor?
>>46103773
Smh Arbites, always makin' shit complicated
>>46104559
Both. Centaur would migrate with them in their nomad tribes, possibly building platforms on their shells for spotting long distance objects. Emperor would have farms and ranches likely tended to by servile crickets, grasshoppers, ants or roaches.
The Universal Animal is a generic domesticated insect, but is capable of breeding with any arthropod, leading to a crossbreed that can be used as a mount
>>46104873
What does it look like?
>>46104873
Fuck no, get the fuck out /d/
>>46104873
no fetish stuff pls
>>46104873
Maybe take out the breeding part and replace it with something like putting the blood of an arthropod on a Generic Animal's egg will cause the offspring to be a weird hybrid mount.
Lay Low the Beast
Sothi fluttered down from the upper spires of the branch city, past the trade district down into the rot-slums at the base of the stump that composed the majority of the bustling border town. He tightly clutched a bundle of scrolls under his arms, careful not to drop a single one in the vertical labyrinth, Sweetroot Point. He darted on his pale white wings past parties of opulent and fragrant butterflies and their trailing cults of followers, and between eager fly merchants, each peddling their own masterwork wares of varying uselessness from somewhere across the Big Green.
As he made his way through the deepest, foulest, most rotten section of the vertical town, he could not help but feel repulsed by the squalor of the people that lived down here. But this is where his wingless compatriots were comfortable, so Sothi made that sacrifice to his comfort. But not for much longer. After this job, he'd be done, he could retire and become fat and rich and famous. His family had encouraged him to join the Lunar Temples like his father and brother before him, but Sothi was cut from a different cloth. The cloth of the warrior, red and ruddy and dragged through the mud kicking and screaming.
He entered the tavern that his partners had virtually appropriated these past few months with their constant and bombastic presence. The mud-caked walls of the inn revealed that it had once been an uptown joint, back when this was the highest point the town had reached. In the past decades though, the town grew higher and higher into the log and had left this place behind. Sothi couldn't help but feel pained at the now dishevelled termite craftsmanship. Once, this place could have been considered art.
CONT
Carrying a bundle of scrolls under his arm, he pushed his way through the crowded dive pub until he reached the table his fellows were seated, or rather, the four tables they had pushed together. He slammed the scrolls down and brushed aside their half eaten meals and stale drinks.
"What is this?" the colossal stag beetle, Andronicus bellowed, as his yard of vintage bee mead was toppled, barely catching it with one of his arms.
"Sothi you sonovahornet," barked another, a grasshopper saga-writer named Skorpa, who had been accompanying him since the early days. Skorpa had said he felt the touch of destiny upon the moth-warrior, but Sothi suspected he had actually felt his generosity of coin and found himself quickly addicted.
The rest of the bugs at the table made their own various remarks of outrage before they hushed down in the presence of their leader. There sat a quartet of ambitious ant brothers discontent with their nest, two flies, one an alchemist and the other an arbalest, and finally, a wasp beast hunter from the northern wastes.
"What is the meaning of this, Sothi?" the fly alchemist set down his bioluminescent concoction as he spoke.
"We've finally got it boys. I've got us the job."
"Is it better than the last one? I'm no better off from the Spider Job than I was before. In fact, I think that one actually COST me coin," Andronicus rumbled.
"It's more than just a job, my sweet friend," Sothi blasted pheromones of excitement into the air as he spoke. "It's THE job. This is it. The Big Job. The Last Job. The job that'll get you rich and fat and famous, boys. This is the job we'll be remembered for."
CONT
>>46106032
"Get on with it," one of the Ant Brothers barked. The other three chortled amongst themselves.
"A Great Thornback was spotted in the area, and the magister of the bazaar here has put a price on its head," Sothi unfurled the first scroll. "Not only that, the Moon has willed the stars align, to make this the job of jobs. The quest of quests," he spread the second scroll on the table. Apprehension filled the air. It was nearly thick enough to taste. He smelled fear, and excitement. But mostly fear. "This is a commission from the master-at-arms at Fort Blackhorn. He's looking for Thornback quills to make javelins for the beetle garrison."
"Sothi," Skorpa chirped. "You magnificent bastard."
"I'm not done, sweet friend," he set down the third scroll. "This is a contract from the Alchemist's guild here in our beloved Sweetroot Point. It's obligating us to provide them several gallons of red-blood for their experiments. And finally, this is a trade deal," he set down the fourth scroll. "From a caravaner from six towns over. It's an open request for exotic meats that he will buy wholesale and redistribute amongst various meat vendors."
"What's on the fifth scroll, moth?" the fly asked.
"How we're gonna do it."
CONT
>>46106084
The ground was damp and the air was damper, this far out in the bush. The barbaric wasp tracker that Sothi had hired lead the hunting party through the underbrush towards the lair of the Great Thornback. She had tracked this beast several weeks ago, but no one had lent an ear to her cause. There was no respect for her kind here, not this close the borders of Bee Country. But Sothi, ever a pragmatist, had listened where others had turned away, and this would change everything.
The plan would work, she thought to herself. The plan had to work. It was too good not to. And they'd all die, too. She held her warspear firmly. The moth-warrior followed her closely, armed with his axe and shield, though it would do him no good in this fight. The beast was simply too large. A block or a parry is meaningless to a creature twenty times your size, no matter how skillful a warrior one was. His second set of arms held a short bow, but she knew that this too, would do little to the beast. She wondered even if it could penetrate it's thick hide.
The flies had armed themselves more wisely. The first, the alchemist, carried jars of fire, a sorcerous and truly formidable weapon. She found herself afraid of the fly, eccentric and mad, and fear was not a thing she had felt in a long time. The second fly had a pair of heavy crossbows, that would have been easily considered artillery had this fly not been so colossal. He was nearly larger than the beetle swordsman leading the ants down in the dirt below. Those crossbows, she was certain could break its skin. She did not know where the grasshopper had gone.
They waited outside the lair of the monster, at the very bottom of the night. The moth uttered a prayer to his God, and motioned for everyone to get in position. The ants and the beetle moved up with him to the mouth of the cave, and the two flies hovered over them. The moth strode in alone into the gaping dark, bow drawn.
>>46100397
>>46100515
I'm working on the market, this is the progress so far. I liked the idea of putting it on the inside of the tree.
I'm also taking some artistic license with the size differences between the different bug species, fill me in on some things to fix on my next piece.
>>46106141
He loosed his arrow towards the sleeping giant, a great black mass the size of the tavern back in Sweetroot Point. It did not stir. He fired a second arrow. It did not stir. He shouted at it furiously in the moth-tongues. Still, it lay silent. Retreating, he motioned for the party to join him in the cavern, barely in sight.
"What is he doing?" one of the ant brothers whispered.
"Trust the boy," Andronicus rumbled. "He knows what he's doing." The beetle began his march forwards into the dark, a blade in each hand. Tentatively, the ants followed, weapons and shields raised nervously.
Sothi motioned for the flies to get in position near its head. The arbalest prepared his crossbows, aiming straight at it's closed eye.
And then it breathed.
The beast's snore sucked the arbalest's tiny wings towards its face, pulling the fly towards its giant, wet nostrils. He screamed as his wing was crippled on impact and he sputtered down towards the ground. The horrible beast rose from its wake, blinking its eyes rapidly. Panicking, the alchemist threw fire pots at the Thornback, the light from their fluids illuminating the lair. It was awoken entirely now, and raised itself onto its thick, muscular legs. It opened it long snout and hissed, a thousand razor teeth glinting in the light of the small fires raging in the undergrowth of the cave. The arbalest screamed in horror as the Thornback blitzed forward, crushing him underfoot.
"Fall back! FALL BACK!" Andronicus roared, motioning for the ants to retreated before turning tail himself and sprinting for the exit. Sothi loosed arrow after arrow at the creature to no avail, the tiny projectile getting lost in its spiny and jagged hide.
>>46106178
The alchemist threw another fire pot at the creature, hitting it square in the snout. The heat singed its fur and flesh and irritated its eyes. It furled its brow and drew back its teeth, revealing once again its enormous fangs. It swatted at the fly with its paw, but the alchemist deftly evaded it, his unpredictable movements sheltering him from its attacks.
Sothi turned back to the fight inside the cave after retreating back into the night. There the fly still battled the beast. It looked as if he may even lay it low single handedly. The fly lifted his arm to throw yet another pot before he erupted violently into flame, an aerial beacon of fire. He screamed and darted about like a tiny sun before tumbling to the damp earth.
"By the moon."
The Thornback was not amused, and it screeched a horrible roar before loping towards the fighters in long, unnatural strides.
"Keep retreating, get back!" Andronicus shouted. When he turned to face the ant shield wall, they were gone. They had long since fled into the woods. "Bastards!"
"Stick to the plan!" Sothi shouted down to the warrior as the horrible beast came ever closer.
Andronicus braced himself for impact and took a fighting stance as the creature slammed into him, trying to pin him to the earth with its slavering muzzle. He dropped a pair of his swords and used his thick arms to hold its mouth from his body, and his other arms frantically slashed its face, just barely out of reach of its enormous blackened eyes.
CONT
>>46106147
Looking good. Most of the sentient races are of similar size though.
Ants: 2-4ft
Crickets: 3-5ft
Bees: 4-5ft
Moths: 4-6ft
Beetles: 5-7ft
Wasps: 4-5ft
Leeches: 5-7ft long
Roaches:4-6ft
Grasshoppers: 5-8ft
Jumping Spider: 3-4ft (long)
Weaver Spider: 6-7ft tall
These are just general guesses
I'm gonna try and clear up an inevitable issue looming.
"But PR, why is X considered a noble a race and Y as a farmyard creature. They're both bugs but one is dumb, why is that?"
The races and species of BugWorld are divided into 3 categories Feral, Civilized and Monster (see the doc for further explanation)
The following are two potential answers:
1:
There are 'feral' equivalents to some races. They are considered wild creatures and treated as such. For instance a stag beetle paladin would have no issue with striking down a crazed feral-bug running wild in an orphanage. These feral bugs are as monkeys are to humans. Distantly related but distinctly different
Where you have sheep and cows you might have Wooly and Peach aphids respectively as aphids have no civilized equivalent.This might be quite hard to do considering the vastness of bug species out there
ALTERNATIVELY
2:
The trilobite race were masters of biomancy and often created races on a whim or simply to fulfill a singular function. One of which might be a burdon-race that acted as a universal mount and now are commonplace worldwide. These mounts vary vastly in morphology ranging from Weta and beetle looking ones to Dragonflies and massive fleas.
Other commonly recognized farm creatures like Aphids might also have been trilobite creations.This would provide the handwave of 'trilobites made them' if need be. It could also be an earth shattering revelation that most races were ancestrally created by the trilobites on a whim or to perform some role but no one has discovered this or would believe those that might
Its a tricky question but with reasoning a solution might be met.
>>46106217
"Do it now damn you!" Andronicus howled, struggling with the creature.
"Now!" Sothi shouted upwards. An enormous net of spider silk weighted down by stones came down from above, prepared overhead by Skorpa. The silk net, massive and thick landed on the Thornback's head and tangled it. It panicked for just a moment, but a moment was all she needed.
The wasp readied her pole arm and flew to the restrained creature with lightning speed, driving the blade of it into the Thornback's greedy eye. It stopped its thrashing immediately. The beast was dead. Sothi landed on its back to prod it to be sure. The wasp withdrew her blade and hovered, inspecting the wound. Andronicus lay in the mud, bloodied and pinned.
Skorpa started laughing nervously above. Andronicus joined in with a confident bellow. The wasp let herself chuckle at the stunt they had just pulled. But Sothi, Sothi wore only a smirk of self satisfaction, high on the anticipation of his rewards.
The END
>>46104126
I personally wouldn't like it. Almost everything is "to scale", that is, the arthropodos interact with physics as if they were human sized (except maybe when it comes to flight), and everything else is larger or smaller relative to them, this has been the case with every other creature. I think it's worth it like this, it's not just a world ruled by insects, it is the enviroment insects interact with, but a lot larger. Other insects, the trees, the animals, everything placed in our scale. I don't think this should change.
My prime concern is the consistency, everything so far has been with this scale in mind, horses being as large as a scorpion while the Anteater shakes the earth with every step, is almost jarring. It's also important to understand there should be a limit to this scale-up. I think currently the Anteater is the largest creature in Bug World, a larger creature could be even more disastrous, but most large animals in our life are almost harmless to bugs. We could do bigger, probably, but it should be dangerous to the insects so as to not cheapen the current "large monsters" by making even larger creatures almost a footnote, and not large enough relative to the insects that it becomes ridiculous.
There's also a different concern. In Bug World, the insects are the protagonists of everything that is their size. They're not just the people, they're the animals, the pets, and they should be the mounts too. It helps keep a consistent aesthetic, but it helps explore different dinamics than our own as well. We all know how horses work, what they eat, and how they're used, mundanely and for battle as well. It is worth it to set Wetas as the prime mount for the setting, even if only to see how differently the setting would interact with them.
For these (long-winded) reasons I think horses have no place in the Bug World.
>>46106254
I'd like 1. We humans don't see all mammals as our equals, even if rational thought is almost everything that sets us apart. I don't think arthropods should have a problem with striking down a feral race, much like we don't have a problem with striking down a wolf or shooting down a bird.
>>46106429
I agree. It's all about the micro scale of things and everything being all bugs all the time. They aren't just people sized bugs. The entire WORLD is scaled up.
>>46106239
I think having all the different races being similar size somewhat diminishes the flavour of it. I was of the mind that stuff like ants and bees and moths might be the same size, but things like Beetles are comparable to 12 foot tall living siege engines, and scorpions are even larger, more like the equivalent of an ogre society which would make their conquest that much scarier.
>>46106429
This is a good point and holds much of my belief for the setting.
I would like to keep everything consistent within a world of primarily insects, ideally not just an elaborate series of thri-keen subspecies riding horses around
>>46106616
While there are differences in size variation (Beetles, some types of spider and scorpions being much larger than others) I feel that to have too much of a size difference would create a dissonance that might make it real hard to justify why sentient larger species haven't just conquered the smaller ones early on.
I think the general range of sizes should be from 1ft to 10ft just for simplicity sake. That provides a range large enough to contain the smallest Pseudoscorpion to the largest Scarab and provide room for smaller pet creatures and huge feral bugs.
>>46101265
Regular preying mantis are the monk/scholars.
Mantis shrimp can be as >>46100996
has them.
How do folks feel about Weevils being one of the most commonly raised livestock?
>>46099851
Does this mean we will have peaceful vegetarian spiders living alongside the mantis monks in their lives of peace?
>>46107677
Well ther a quite a few Spiders who wish to continue Brieta's quest for peace, but aren't charismatic enough to unite the species, a large group of monastic spiders lives with the Mantis monks as monks themselves.
can be vetoed if people don't like this
>>46107822
I don't care as long as spiders are Centauroid.
>>46107954
It doesn't matter
>>46107987
Draw a bipedal spider. Do it now.
Then tell me how it looks
If plants are also scaled up, does this mean that Kudzu is a potentially city destroying plant?
>>46108655
One of the only forces able to halt its progress are the ravenous locust hordes, one of the only instances where they willingly join together to initiate their swarming ability
>>46108655
Kudzu is actually sentient. And fucking hates you.
>>46109171
...which is why they carry zwiehanders. Apparently.
Also shouldn't the tarrasque of this setting be a pangolin?
>>46109270
Pangolins are smaller, still can be monsters though, maybe have like four Giganto monster style mammals in the world. When one of them awakens it is basically a cataclysm, Matriarch help us all if they awaken at once
>>46109270
>Kudzu is actually sentient. And fucking hates you.
Awakened by Evil Druids that were its first victims
Bee Pyromancers are also one of the other forces that can hold it back. Perhaps venomancers if they're motivated enough. Fly Alchemists making fortunes on herbicides
>>46109321
The Giant Anteater
The Armored Pangolin
The Komodo Dragon
The Badger
>>46105738
Something like that.
>>46109349
Maybe Roadrunner instead?
>>46109331
The Venomancers only get motivated if they themselves get threatened by it, also I think the main Cult Leader should be a male Sydney Funnel Web spider, mostly because it is almost tarantula size, and is one of the most venomous spiders
>>46108655
Kudzu is an antag
>>46109424
I meant Roadrunner instead of Badger
>>46109349
The Devourer
The Bulwark
The Titan
The Ravager
>>46109424
I was the one to mention Roadrunners previously so that has my vote
Venomancers would probably include all kinds of races as long as they have venom of their own. Spiders, Scorpions, Ants, Wasps, Centipedes, etc.
Maybe a desert dwelling cabal has managed to subdue/tame a Gila Dragon and plan to use it and its brood once its eggs hatch and mature to attack a major desert trade outpost.
(pic related is a potential avatar of the Mad God of Venom)
>>46109504
Hhmm, maybe an a council then, a Wandering Spider, a failed Deathstalker scorpion emporer, a Harvester Ant queen, and Yellow Jacket
>>46109719
Not sure about the Ant Queen but I could see ants that have survived the death of their queen being easily manipulated into joining the Venomancer cults or the council member is a rogue ant that slew her queen
I feel like the King of Assassins would have a Deathstalker Rival.
I have so many little story ideas for this I need to work on this weekend/week
>Vampiric Mothman moths
>Reformist and exiled Wasp Swarm mercenary army
>Day in the life in a Termite City
>Alchemist Fly dealing with Roach Black Market for rare and illegal ingredients
>>46110117
These are old Mothman sketches I did a ways back when I was trying to do a book setting very similar to Bug World here (even ahd the smae name). These moths were based on that russian vampiric moth Calyptra and they'd use the glowing patches on their chests to stun or hypnotize their victims allowing for easy feeding. Their silhouette in the darkness was supposed to look like the classic Mothman image
>>46110137
they were big
How do folks feel about Earwigs of various sizes and breeds filling the ecological and social niches that dogs and wolves fill?
>Very good hunters
>Decent self-defense
>Very protective of their young and possibly the young of other races
>Have awesome wings
>>46111179
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KE3LQyegNA
>>46106803
I agree wholeheartedly. Very good points there PR.
>>46107954
Yes.
>>46109270
Interesting idea.
>>46111179
I believe this was discussed last thread. Earwigs would be great pets. Some other potential pets that have been mentioned:
>mites and fleas as toy dog equivalent
>Small frogs as guard dogs
>Gnats as trained hawk equivalent
I know Leeches are intelligent, but where do other, various worms fall? I love the idea of a character with a worm coiled around them like a pet snake.
>>46111477
Slugs too.
>>46111588
Slugs are antags
>>46111619
Is that a recent development? The google doc makes them out to be house cats, down to superstitions about black ones crossing your path.
>>46111662
There should be intelligent ones that have no magical prowess, requiring the combining of non intelligent slugs to use magic.
>>46109349
>A massive bat eclipsing the moon to take whole night caravans away
>A Roadrunner monsterbird cruelly smashing even the largest bugs to piecesI'm not sure about these for the Big Four given their relative size. Maybe as more common but equally dangerous creatures. Maybe a Magpie or Raven might fill the spot?
>A Titanic Giant Anteater slowly and ponderously leveling entire cities on a singular warpath of destruction
And.....
I'm hesitant about komodo dragons, given just how insanely huge they would be and that their main diet consists of meat rather than bugs. (I know Pandius supposedly killed one but this might be up for change)
Is there a slightly smaller insect-eating lizard equivalent creature that could fill the 'titanic beast' role?
(maybe a Parson's chameleon or something?)
I'd like to maintain the sort of Four Horsemen feel of these apocalyptic creatures and have each one a different aspect of destruction I guess. Importantly there has only been accounts of them in myth and most do not believe they exist or have the focus of cautionary tales.
"Surely nothing as awful as these could ever exist! We live with enough as it is!"
There are of course a whole bunch of other, more common but awfully dangerous 'Behemoth'' including pangolin, shrew, shrike, hedgehog etc. These are just as dangerous and might be the equivalent to dragons as end-game enemies.
Ideally the other four aren't things that a party or even an army would be able to deal with unless the entire bug world made a coordinated response.Oh god its evangelion all over again
>>46112003
The Land, The Sky, The Sea and The Underground
>>46112055
Yeah!
But i'd like there to be a cogent agreement on what these mythological creatures might be.
Anteater, Bat, Otter and Mole?
I dunno i'd like there to be an insect eating reptile of some kind in there
>>46112289
>Bat
Eagle
>Otter
Shark/Octopus
>>46112289
>The Unknown
A titanic Chameleon that destroys entire countries without anyone seeing, easily the most feared of the four.
Also I think that there use to be a Komodo Dragon but the First Scorpion Emperor punched him to death
>>46112289
>Otter
Otters don't eat bugs.
I'll suggest Carps. Fuckers eat dwarves for breakfast.
>>46112380
I like a Carp, either that or a salamander
>>46112380
Otters eat crab and insects by the bucketload but sure, Carp fit better. I was struggling to find a suitable fish as it is.
>>46112356
Maybe just another overblown scorpion embellishment methinks
>>46112425
Catfish perhaps? Or Salamanders.
Or maybe each bug kingdom/culture has their own 4 Beasts of Disaster, depending on the area. So one place's Water Beast could be Carp, while others could have Catfish, while another could have Otter.
>>46112425
I like it, sucessfully killing a beast of disaster with the cost of his life
>>46112425
It could be one of those bulls eye fish that literally shoot bugs off of branches with water.
>>46112425
Octopus/Shark?
The current writing on behemoth creatures.
"Behemoth - Where monsterbugs may destroy a farmstead before being driven off or killed, Behemoths are so large as to be major disasters if ever they were to stumble upon an area of civilisation. Behemoths occur in all environments and across all terrain but thankfully Behemoths are solitary creatures, usually passive unless disturbed.
There has been only a handful of Behemoth attacks on civilised bug society but every single one has left a cruel scar in their wake. From Ira the Spine King’s (a hedgehog) assault on the Red Hive to Bathis the Black (an Archerfish) devouring most of the royal fleet of Saltholm, Behemoth are truly terrifying creatures that no bug should hope to encounter.
Some religious text speak of apocalyptic Behemoths that shall supposedly herald the end of the world. While details are mixed according to religions and location, the concurrent myth indicates that these creatures will emerge from the Land, Sky and Sea to bring havoc to the world.
>>46112003
It is known that all scorpions exaggerate the tales of Pandius, so he probably didnt really kill a komodo dragon, if they even exist. It was probably just a big lizard that eats bugs, like a salamander
>>46112947
He was a big guy, and I like him actually killing a significantly more powerful beast of disaster.4U
>>46112984
I mean it could have been thia giant fucking salamander. They're basically dragons, so this dude just single handedly killed some ancient beast. I'm for the removal of Komodos, if only because they eat meat first and foremost
>>46112984
Like a Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great, large amounts of his actual exploits are unknown. Sure, he might have killed a titanic devil beast in single combat but it might be far more likely that he stung an old salamander that took a bite out of him and it died later.
>>46112828
I dig it. It's really putting the size of the world into scale, assuming we're using my map. I'm now picturing the two continents as MUCH bigger than I originally did, which I think is a good thing
>>46113027
I'm actually imagining him as a Genghis Khan, fucking enough scorpion-woman to create the Emperor Scorpion subrace.
>>46113023
>>46113027
I like him killing a titanic devil beast in single combat.
>>46113056
That would be neat, but the way these beasts are being made out makes that seem nigh impossible. I could see all of our historic figures teaming up to tale down a pangolin, or an anteater, but not just one. In stories, of course! But not actually. I see Pandius as a Paul Bunion of sorts. He was great, But stories grow him out of proportion
>>46113329
Historic Figures were far more legendary than any common adventurer or arthropod though, the equivalent of a one-man army.
>>46113392
I get what you're saying, because these heros were larger than life. It just still feels weird to me to have him kill a komodo. That's like killing a tarasque or a krayt dragon alone
>>46113544
Salamander feels too small a feat though, I feel like it needs to be something far bigger.
>In these Recolections I've explained in depth the nature of Mantis philosophy, how it is taught, and what it entails, but I fear at this point, a prospective reader might find the mantis to be a psychopathic menace.. Some clarifications are in order.
>The mantis is most of all peaceful. Violence is a rare sight, although it exists. A follower of the Learning strives for preparation, not reaction, because therein lies their instinct. Not every mantis follows the Learning, of course, but the philosophy has mellowed out their society. This is reflected in their way of life. The mantis lives not in cities but in towns, relatively small ones. I've not counted heads, but I don't think I've visited one that exceeded 100 in population. This is a stark constrast with the sprawling undergrounds of my native Ant cities, or the industrialized chaos of the Fly cities. They seem to follow a normal population growth, but once the place starts to feel crowded, many of them simply leave. Usually a mantis does not leave alone. I'm told many simply feel out of place, but followers of the Learning believe crowds beget instinctual behavior.
>In following the leaving mantises, I have discovered many towns that were not previously catalogued. The migrators would not settle down there, instead they'd create a settlement of their own farther away. The creation of this new settlement would not be announced, roads would not be constructed, the mantis has created a world of their own where they live at peace, disconnected from the outside world. Once the basic needs are met, the next order is usually the creation of the local temple. Even when the migrators are not believers of the Learning, soon enough a Master from a nearby town would come, believing it to be their duty to guide them.
>I have lived among them for years. They have taught me valuable things. I only beg of you that you value them as well.
>Recolections of Mantis Rites and Methods, vol1. "Afterword"
>>46113666
There's no concrete 'this is exactly what happened' because history, particularly ancient history that is akin to myth isn't an accurate account.
Pandinus is probably most akin to Gilgamesh. A great emperor that certainly existed but whose exploits have been embellished into mythology
>>46113785
I agree. Certainly these great bug heroes have done some amazing things, but folktales get embellished with each retelling.
>>46113785
The emperor fanboys just want their favorite to be the very best like no one ever was
>>46113027
A few threads back I created a Behemoth Salamander that lived in the heart of the swamps. Locals called it King Ba'Gaw
>>46111477
>tfw you are the one that originally suggested the Tiny Frogs, Fancy Gnat breeding, and the Earwig dogs
Some fashion conscious bugs will actually willingly let colorful and specially bred mites or ticks to feed on them, using them as living decorations and a proclamation that "Oh look, I'm so rich and healthy I can afford to willingly subject myself to these parasites. How quaint, you have a slug. Out of my way peasant" kinda deal
>>46114535
There exists an old urban legend about an old, rich fly lady who just HAD to be on top of the latest trends. She would parade around town covered in her ticks, all of them colored various eye-catching colors. Until one day everyone stopped hearing from her. Weeks went by before anyone found her body, face down in her home, the ticks gorged beyond normal size on her blood. Let this serve as a warning to all those who "keep up with the times."
One tick is enough, it doesn't matter how cute they are
>>46114927
Well I'm gonna throw up, nicely done
>>46114927
>>46114969
My name was off for some reason, glad you like it though!
The funny thing about all this Bipedal Emperor scorpion fanwankery is that Emperor Scorpions (the real ones) have super weak venom.
In fact, you can tell how potent a scorpions venom is by how large their pincers are. Emperor scoripions and other big ones have big meaty claws to tear apart their food, hardly needing their sting. Smaller scorps with frailer narrower claws have a much more potent venom to compensate for their lack of strength.
>>46114927
I have lyme disease, eat a dick.
>>46115525
There wasn't anything about venom for Emperor Scorpions.
>>46115544
Get a possom. Possoms kill and eat like 98% of all ticks that crawl onto them. They're like natures best tick exterminator and ecologists think that possums actually are preventing widespread break outs of lyme disease
>>46115576
I was just pointing it out. The Emp Scorps would rely on their brute strength, possibly putting an axe or maul onto their tail since their venom is practically non-existent
Any more about lobsters? When do we usually update the doc, between threads?
>>46115878
PR updates the doc as we go along off and on. I'm going to make a suggestion in it for a Mer catagory so we can get the watery folk
Okay so: what do we still need to flesh out? We should make a list
>>46117020
Religions
Ecosystems
Magic schools
Weapons
Player Classes
Just some things off the top of my head
>>46117052
I like low fantasy bug world, with all the majorly fantastical elements coming from the he bugs themselves.
Basically WHFB but with more bug.
>>46117052
Someone posted some interesting practices of the religions which was good but I can't find it
Also posting spider WIP
>>46117255
Dang PR this is pretty much how I had been imagining them. Good job
Also, we have Bees as Pyromancers and a Venomancer deathcult and Cicada Necromancers. Should we have more magic schools that are slowly being overlooked in favor of Fly-crafted Guns and blastpowder?
>>46117052
Geckos could fill the roll of felines both wild and domestic
Big Leopard Geckos hunting in the jungles
Small geckos curling up on the laps of old bugs
>>46117330
I like that idea. Alchemy and blackpowder becoming the dominant forces over the age old magic schools.
Because I am lazy and useless
>>46084649
>>46086887
>"I suppose that's my queue..." Liesegan muttered to himself as he spun around the corner, his worn robes flapping in dramatic fashion. He locked eyes with the dragon, and his resolve was instantly shaken. The thing already had Grimvaul under its crushing talons, and as Haupert did battle with it valiantly the Rhino was still battered and buffeted about unable to land a killing blow. Dragr, the roach northman, bounded from pillar to pillar, firing bolts at the beast. To Liesegan's dismay the often sunk into thick layers of feather and useless flesh, the only truly remarkable hits where the one to the creature's ankle and wing, preventing escape.
>Haupert roared and brought his hammer down upon the dragon's head, which seemed to stun it. He used the pause in melee to charge at the creature's pinning claw, tackling the leg. The dragon faltered and released Grimvaul, his blade tearing out of its gut with a sickening sound. They sparred not a moment and went to disabling it's legs, Haupert cracking bone and and Grimvaul hacking at hardy flesh.
>The dragon cried another deafening screech and hopped up, thrashing it's sword like talons. As if to testify to their potency, Grimvaul's lower left arm was severed cleanly from his thorax. He yelped and clutched his side with his remaining lower arm, pale blood dripping from the amputation.
>Sparks flew from the Rhino as a talon racked across his armour and shell, but Haupert bellowed as a claw caught his eye and it popped in a shower of black ichor.
>The dragon, then spun, it's fanned tail sending the warriors into the wall. It then turned it's bloodshot eyes to Liesegan and with a throaty chortle advanced in a steady limp to the butterfly.
>Dragr dropped any pretense of stealth and shouted, "FUCKIN' DO SOMETHING, MAGE!" before sending a throwing knife into the dragon's cheeck. It turned to the exposed Cockroach and made its advance towards him instead.
>>46117689
So pretty much only the few magics mentioned in >>46117330 would be present still in the real world? Other than religious magic, like from the moths and butterflies? Or more along the lines of "magic exists, but very few choose to use it due to alchemy and gunpowder"?
>>46117833
looking great Arbites!
>>46113666
Depends on the species really
>>46119438
>Or more along the lines of "magic exists, but very few choose to use it due to alchemy and gunpowder"?
This. There could still be academies run by Pseodoscorpion wizards for non-combat magics but the Battle-Mage academies enrollment would be plummeting.
Much easier to go to a shady back-alley roach vendor and pick up a gun and some blackpowder than spend years studying at an academy
>>46119472
Yeah that was the Salamander I based Ba'Gaw on. Ba'Gaw would be bigger than the one in the pic
>>46119502
That's a good idea, giving the option to be a magic user, but they'll be a rare sight.
Unless you're a bee, as all bees are taught basic pyromancy at the least, to better protect and server the God-Queen
Any love for the Snapping River Dragon?
>>46120032
>A monster of great strength, it's shell is unmatched as an armor component and building material
>Because of this, long ago the termite king put out a high reward for as much shell as could be found, such that he may build a great structure with it
>Adventurers far and wide nearly hunted the beast to extinction to bring the shell before the king
>What was lost in beast was made up for in "The Great Shelled Castle", a retreat of sorts for the termite royal family, truly a sight to behold
>>46120032
The craw people, so often overlooked and easily forgotten by the other Great Nations, are blighted by the presence of the River Dragons lurking in their ancestral bayous and rivers. Their submerged cities find themselves often beset by the tyrannical monsters, and yearly call a great Wyrm Hunt, mustering the armies of the nineteen River Cites and all heroes that answer the call, and they embark into the wild waters and muck of the swamps to bring back the heads of as many of these great drakes as they can before season's end.
Were they to not do this, they would surely reproduce and become a problem much larger than could be handled. The yearly Wyrm Hunt costs much in lives and money, both of which, however, come easily to the craw people, who breed quickly and levy high tariffs and taxes for safe travel and trade through their treacherous homeland.
>>46120461
>crawdad swamp people
I love you anon, that's perfect. They could be related to the Crabs in terms of stats
