New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Results 1 to 18 of 18
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2013

    Default Primate races in D&D?

    Hi folks, i'm new here, but since i've been lurking for quite a while i had a question that i was hoping you might be able to help me with.

    I'm looking for intelligent primate races (gorillas ideally, other options are nice) from all the editions of D&D. They would most likely be used as a PC and a NPC culture. All the settings and editions are fine, and if possible a short description or at least sources to find more about them would be brilliant.

    For bonus points, where would they fit into Eberron?
    What doesn't kill you makes you... stranger.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ravens_cry's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2008

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Well, there is at least one an obvious choice. It's even in Core!
    Quote Originally Posted by Calanon View Post
    Raven_Cry's comments often have the effects of a +5 Tome of Understanding

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Lizardfolk

    Join Date
    May 2010

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    The Hadozee from Stormwrack are PC race gorillas with a touch of flying squirrel

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2013

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ravens_cry View Post
    Well, there is at least one an obvious choice. It's even in Core!
    I was wondering how long it would take for that . Are humans and demihumans primates in D&D, anyway?
    What doesn't kill you makes you... stranger.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ravens_cry's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2008

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Asmodai View Post
    I was wondering how long it would take for that . Are humans and demihumans primates in D&D, anyway?
    Humans still have the primate features Real Life™ humans do in pretty much any D&D game I could think of. Whether humans were created whole cloth or evolved from apes depends on the setting.
    Quote Originally Posted by Calanon View Post
    Raven_Cry's comments often have the effects of a +5 Tome of Understanding

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Dwarf in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2013

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Vanara from Oriental Adventures. With the Dragon Magazine updates they are a decent race. If you consider them too weak then just leave the update out and you got a race with 2 boni and 1 malus.

    Otherwise yeah Hadozee pretty much. They are even similar to Gorillas and have no la so would be perfect. If you don't like the flying flavour just remove it and add another small bonus.

    edit.: Probably give the Hadozee the climbing abilities of a Vanara instead of the Gliding? But also depends on how much you want to emphasize the race upon climbing since Gorillas don't climb that much.
    Last edited by Siltharon; 2013-02-06 at 10:58 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    onemorelurker's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Savage Species has rules for anthropomorphizing any animal so it can be used as a PC race. Baboons are the only primate example they give, as far as I remember, but there's no reason you couldn't do it to whatever other apes are kicking around in various supplements.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Imp

    Join Date
    Feb 2013

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Siltharon View Post
    Vanara from Oriental Adventures. With the Dragon Magazine updates they are a decent race. If you consider them too weak then just leave the update out and you got a race with 2 boni and 1 malus.

    Otherwise yeah Hadozee pretty much. They are even similar to Gorillas and have no la so would be perfect. If you don't like the flying flavour just remove it and add another small bonus.

    edit.: Probably give the Hadozee the climbing abilities of a Vanara instead of the Gliding? But also depends on how much you want to emphasize the race upon climbing since Gorillas don't climb that much.
    speaking of Vanaras, i find that the pathfinder vanaras are way cooler, use them if you can.
    Quote Originally Posted by TuggyNE View Post
    That's a RAW abuse. Fortunately, like many RAW abuses, it has its counter built in by way of more stupid RAW: tripping does not, in fact, cause you to fall.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Telonius's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Wandering in Harrekh
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Frostburn has stats on Neanderthals; not sure if that counts as "primate" enough.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Banned
     
    Darius Kane's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2012

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    I second the human.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Grod_The_Giant's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Shloogorgh View Post
    The Hadozee from Stormwrack are PC race gorillas with a touch of flying squirrel
    I always thought of them more as orangutans. But yeah, seconded-- Hadozee are great.
    Hill Giant Games
    I make indie gaming books for you!
    Spoiler
    Show

    STaRS: A non-narrativeist, generic rules-light system.
    Grod's Guide to Greatness, 2e: A big book of player options for 5e.
    Grod's Grimoire of the Grotesque: An even bigger book of variant and expanded rules for 5e.
    Giants and Graveyards: My collected 3.5 class fixes and more.

    Quote Originally Posted by Grod_The_Giant View Post
    Grod's Law: You cannot and should not balance bad mechanics by making them annoying to use

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    You might also look at the Green Apes from Dangerous Denizens: The Monsters of Tellene. They're larger than gorillas, with a family-based society and the ability to speak a limited version of Sylvan.

    They're actually a better-designed primate than most: tough, intelligent, fiercely protective of their families...and they have quite an interesting breath weapon, too. Definitely worth a look.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Greenish's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Finland

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Asmodai View Post
    For bonus points, where would they fit into Eberron?
    Anything can lurk in Xen'drik, though Sarlona might also be interesting (being the birthplace of human race). Syrkarn (south-west Sarlona) could certainly house many primates.
    Quotes:
    Spoiler
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by Claudius Maximus View Post
    Also fixed the money issue by sacrificing a goat.
    Quote Originally Posted by subject42 View Post
    This board needs a "you're technically right but I still want to crawl into the fetal position and cry" emoticon.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yukitsu View Post
    I define [optimization] as "the process by which one attains a build meeting all mechanical and characterization goals set out by the creator prior to its creation."
    Praise for avatar may be directed to Derjuin.

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Zombie

    Join Date
    Aug 2011

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    In Eberron you can find humans pretty everywhere, but almost only adventurers on the most exotic places (Argonessen, Xen'drik, etc)

  15. - Top - End - #15
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2013

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Seriously, enough with the humans :P

    Thanks for the other suggestions. Is there anything from Spelljammer or Planescape?
    What doesn't kill you makes you... stranger.

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Troll in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Michigan
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    What about Half-elves and half-orcs?

    My memory is fuzzy, but I want to say the one gorilla-like Spelljammer race had a bunch of racial hit dice when it was updated in Dragon.

    EDIT: After some digging, it appears that the Grommam weren't updated officially anywhere, and the few fan conversions are to 3.0 instead of 3.5.
    Last edited by Thrice Dead Cat; 2013-02-06 at 08:04 PM.
    Spoiler
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by Wings of Peace View Post
    "See these cookies? Note how while good they taste sort of bland. Now try these, they're the same cookies but with chocolate chips added. Notice how with the second batch we expended slightly more ingredients but dramatically enhanced the flavor? That's metamagic."
    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Roc View Post
    Seriously, can we kill this misconception now? A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He shops for precisely what he means to.


    Winner of Junkyard Wars 31.

  17. - Top - End - #17
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Venger's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Quote Originally Posted by Telonius View Post
    Frostburn has stats on Neanderthals; not sure if that counts as "primate" enough.
    yep they are indeed in the primate order, like we homo sapiens are.
    I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.

    Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!

    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
    Iron Chef Medals!
    Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition

  18. - Top - End - #18
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ravens_cry's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2008

    Default Re: Primate races in D&D?

    Orcs after 2nd edition certainly temd to look very primatish.
    Quote Originally Posted by Calanon View Post
    Raven_Cry's comments often have the effects of a +5 Tome of Understanding

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •