Gatazka - The world in my head

[Lyndworm]

After originally posting this in the Evolution of Fantasy Races thread, I was encouraged to put it up in its own thread. Unfortunately, I have added very little since then. I will, however, be periodically posting back and/or editing my posts to add any additional information, such as locations, cultures, and links to mechanical information posted in the Homebrew section.

Gatazka - The mechanical guide



In the campaign world I'm building/using (WIP) a bit of thought went into where the races live, why they are the way they are, and how they're related. This is mostly unknown to the people of the world as they have little to no concept of evolution, but they do understand that they're at least a little bit related to one another (if only because they look similar and can breed sometimes, sort of like how they know horses and donkeys are related).



Humanoid Races:

Spoiler

Show

Dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, humans, and orcs are all related to one another. They all come from the same progenitor species, a semi-aquatic hominid closely related to chimpanzees. After that, there were proto-dwarf/orcs, proto-elf/gnomes, and proto-halfling/humans; these were caused by the different migrations of different family groups.

The dwarf/orcs trekked through an immense desert and desolate mountains, and eventually split into being desert nomads (orcs) and stocky mountain folk (dwarves). In my campaign orcs usually hunch over somewhat, appearing around the same height as a human unless they bother to stand up straight. Dwarves stand straight but only hit about 4'9. Both tend to be much hairier than humans (although Gold dwarves are less hairy then Mountain dwarves), and both are burly creatures with a Con boost.

More about orcs:

Spoiler

Show

Almost all Orcs live a nomadic life in the same desert where their ancestors settled. Dozens of tribes wander endlessly in the same patterns as they have for hundreds of thousands of years. Their religion states that the one true god, Grugaash, made the desert just for the orcs, and it is holy ground. That is why only the orcs are suited to live there, and that is why they do not build any permanent structures; their religion forbids altering the land in any real way. Many battles have been fought over humans or dwarves trying to build too close to the desert's edge.

Orcs are generally seen as savages by most other races, for many reasons. Their tendency to respond to exploration with aggression, their habit of eating (and smelling like) rotten food, and their long teeth and hairy, over-muscled bodies do not go over well with the more "civilized" races. From an objective standpoint, the orcs are actually admirable survivors. Their eating of rotten food is due to their inability to store food (because of their religion's tenants about permanent structures), and their natural resistances to poison and disease making it harmless.

Once a year all of the tribes meet in the center of the desert, at a massive oasis called Ponatago. There, they trade not only goods but also people. This is how tribes keep their skill sets and genetic stock fresh, providing the best chance for their tribe to make it back next year.

Not all orcs live this life, of course. There are some who claim that the old ways are dying, and that a new path must be forged. Outside of the desert, sometimes within larger communities, there are orcs who settle down and try to find peace away from the wrath of Grugaash. For the most part, they are ignored by traditional orcs. Some view them as traitors, however, and will even go so far as to leave the desert to raid their settlements.

More about gold dwarves:

Spoiler

Show

The gold dwaves live in vast cities underground that alternate between ostentatiously spacious and mind-numbingly claustrophobic. Their society is split into five castes, as implied by the People. Surprisingly, most dwarves see the castes as equally important and very little discrimination occurs in most cities.

The Merchants form the backbone of gold dwarf society and are second only to the Laborers in number. Most of the trading in the world involves the gold dwarves, which is how they got their name. The Laborers make up the main work force, such as miners, farmers, and servants to other castes. The Military makes up the martial force of the gold dwarves and, despite the imagery of the Knight, includes most of the magic utilized by them. The Artisans make up most of the skilled labor, such as smiths, architects, and pretty much anything requiring education or skill. The final and smallest caste are the Nobles. They oversee the other castes and make sure everything runs smoothly. It's also their job to run the legal system and to act as ambassadors to the outside world. Clergy can come from any caste, and sort of forms its own caste outside of the traditional structure.

It has been said that a dwarf never forgets, and this is because of their Temple of Pillars. The Temple is an immense stone chamber hidden deep within the earth, and its location is the dwarves most carefully guarded secret. It is a great hall, several dozens of feet high, filled with carefully carved pillars depicting important scenes from all throughout dwarven history, and with billions of carved runes explaining them. No one really knows how deep it goes, only that there are more pillars than could ever be filled.

More about mountain dwarves:

Spoiler

Show

Hundreds of years ago the mountain dwarves had established an empire the likes of which no man had ever seen before. It reached from one coast to the other, and every member of every race on the continent was a part of its glory. Not all of them willingly. The mountain dwarves had enslaved most of the wild elves, gnomes, halflings, and humans. Their free brethren, however, were constantly fighting back and making trouble for the mountain dwarves. The gold dwarves weren't making it easy, either; they refused to officially ally with either cause and sold things both material and immaterial to both sides.

Eventually, the mountain dwarf empire was toppled, leaving the landscape littered with abandoned fortresses and outposts left behind. When the mountain dwarves were beaten back into their seemingly impregnable strongholds much of what they left behind was quickly scavenged by the other races and the mountain dwarves were left with little to call their own. Faced with life in the mountaintops where the other races couldn't get to them, many dwarves fled even their strongholds, choosing to live as their ancestors had, as nomads among the snowy peaks.

Now the mountain dwarves live an ascetic life, with very little in the way of material wealth and a great deal of faith in the Father. They believe that material wealth is a great temptation that should be resisted at all costs, as it has led to so very much suffering at the hands of their ancestors.

The elf/gnomes marched through forests and swamps, and were the first humanoids to colonize any islands. They eventually split into the marshy-island-chain elves (which would become Eladra (High/Gray Elves) (I like the 4E Mystic/Nature divide, OK?), Balva (Wild/Wood Elves), and Drow (Dark Elves)). The gnomes settled into a peaceful life in a forested region where they shrunk somewhat and became adept at Illusion magic to keep predators away. Both are adept at magic, and are in fact naturally infused with it.

More about gnomes:

Spoiler

Show

Once a fairly innocent race, before the dwarven invasion gnomes had seen no major acts of warfare. Preferring to avoid fights whenever possible using illusions and diplomacy, gnomes were woefully unprepared when the dwarven forces hit them. Nearly the entire race was enslaved or killed, and the survivors were forced to abandon their homes and farmland as it was now occupied by the dwarven military.

Sold to the gold dwarves, the gnomes served in chains for a century before the Great War finally ended and freed them. Not having any home whatsoever, they fell back on the skills they'd learned as slaves and became traveling merchants. Operating in a loose partnership with their former masters, virtually the entire gnome race moves as one. Dozens of immense caravans move the race from one settlement to another, never staying for too long. always loading and unloading as much as they can.

More about high elves:

Spoiler

Show

The eladra split from the balva long, long ago. The dwarven empire was young in those days, and they had yet to begin their conquest. The balva fought against themselves, trying to decide how to handle the increasing threat of the dwarves. Eventually the eladra formed and broke away from the balva. They moved to a chain of islands and immediately set to constructing immense walls of stone, iron, and magic. Content to live in their new home, the eladra became even more reclusive and xenophobic than the balva.

When the balva were attacked, the eladra hierarchy refused to send people to the mainland to support them. Some of their lower ranking members broke off again to go aid their brothers and sisters across the water, forming the drow.

More about wild elves:

Spoiler

Show

The balva are the original elves. Despite, or perhaps because of, the schism, they've changed very little in all that time. Reclusive and mysterious, most other races never get a chance to see how the elves really work. They live deep in the swamps and forests, as far away from prying eyes as they can manage. Much of their civilization managed to hide from the dwarves, and it's believed by many that there are clans so deep in the swamp that they've never seen another race.

When their allies the gnomes were decimated by the dwarven conquest, the balva sprung into action. Using stealth and trickery, they managed to halt the dwarve's advancement in many areas. Eventually they rallied the free people of other races to fight back against the dwarves, and within a single lifetime the empire was toppled.

More about dark elves:

Spoiler

Show

The drow split from the eladra about 250 years ago (elves aren't as long-lived in Gatazka). When the other races were under attack by the mountain dwarves, the high elves refused to take part, preferring to stay safe in their secluded castles. The drow are what's left of the faction of high elves that left their fortresses to fight against the dwarves. Their society has become a strange version of what it once was, with an emphasis on the stoic, mysterious nature the elves try to project. In hunting the dwarves the drow became very like them, splitting into castes (the Clergy, made up of nearly all females, and the Military, made up of nearly all males) and, in many cases, living underground. Eventually the war ended and the drow turned their hatred elsewhere. They are a warlike people, attacking over the smallest slight, real or imagined. Some clans wage an eternal war on the high elves for not supporting them during the Great War, some wage war on the humans for invading their land, and some wage war on each other for reasons not easily explained.

The halfling/humans walked pretty much everywhere else, and took opposite routes in life. Halflings remained nomadic and were the first mammals (remember that) to domesticate animals, taming both antelope and dogs. They reside in both flat plains and rolling grasslands, and are near symbiotic with their wardogs. Humans spread quickly and settled pretty much everywhere they could. They bred with pretty much every other race to the point that they're the only one left still capable of doing so. There's no such thing as a "pure human," within the past 25 generations every human lineage has had another race dip in a toe or two.

More about halflings:

Spoiler

Show

Halflings ride massive dogs and farm fat antelope. They're essentially small humans in body-build, but they're more heavily muscled and longer-limbed. The halflings have naturally sharper teeth (although not Bite attack sharp) and eat more meat than humans do. They have longer and thinner heads, with vaguely feline features. Most clans have large amounts of body-piercings which identify personal accomplishments and original clan. They, like the orcs, are seen as savages by many people because of their "primitive" technology levels and bizarre customs (such as ritual anthropophagy and body modification).

More about humans:

Spoiler

Show

Having spread so far, so swiftly, humans had little time to develop much in the way of culture. Instead, they tend to latch onto the nearby cultures wherever they settle and live the way the other peoples do. So there are humans who live like gnomes, humans who live like dwarves, humans who live like halflings, and even humans who live like elves and orcs. Humans have no language or real culture of their own.

In many places, societies include large minorities of humans. This is especially common among the largest of the dwarven cities, which might be as much as 25% human. Many tribes of humans exist that emulate halfling culture, as well. These tribes sometimes have excellent relations with their halfling neighbors, and even individual tribes of mixed race are not entirely unheard of. Most rare are those humans that try to mimic orc society, since the Eastern desert is a very harsh and unforgiving place, and the orcs don't tend to do well with company.

Goblinoid Races:

Spoiler

Show

Evolving at the same time from different stock were the goblinoids. They come from the same progenitors as baboons, drills, and mangabeys, and only the hobgoblin has lost its tail (bugbears even have bright facial markings). All goblinoids look more like monkeys than apes; they have drawn out faces that aren't quite muzzles and very dexterous feet in addition to at least a light covering of fur.

Goblins are very small creatures, smaller than both gnomes and halflings. They adapted to an arboreal lifestyle, letting their larger cousins run amok on the ground. They are covered in very short, very light fur and have a tail about as long as their torso.

Hobgoblins are about the same size as humans, but are somewhat more heavily muscled. They adapted to a life on the ground, letting their smaller cousins have the run of the trees. They, too, are covered in very short fur, but it's quite a bit thicker than that of the goblins. They have completely lost their tails.

Bugbears are large, vicious creatures somewhere between a mandrill and a bear. They hunt only on the ground, and their level of intelligence is frequently questioned as they use no complex tools and wear no clothing. They have fur of a medium length and a long, thin tail.

All goblinoids evolved (and are still primarily found) on a continent to the North of the humanoids.

Reptilian Races:

Spoiler

Show

There are four reptilian races: the blackscale, the brownscale, the greenscale, and the grayscale. They evolved surprisingly near to the humanoids, but different food sources and adaptations made them noncompetitive. Their closest relatives are the crocodiles, but their lineage is very far removed.

The blackscale are very large and much like a bipedal crocodile in appearance, though their tail is shorter and more rigid. The blackscales are a deep gray-brown to black in color, and have adapted to live in drier climates then their cousins.

The brownscale are very small; smaller even than goblins. The appear very much like their greenscale cousins, only much smaller. They live mostly aquatic lives, venturing out only to sun themselves and when their resources are strained. Their coloring is a rich brown, though specific tribes and individuals can be almost any shade of brown.

The greenscale are slightly larger than humans, but otherwise resemble the blackscale very much. They have longer, thinner tails and are adapted to live semi-aquatic lives. The greenscale, as their name would suggest, are green in coloration; the exact shade and pattern varies considerably from tribe to tribe.

The grayscale are a little larger than halflings, and are only very distantly related to the blackscale and greenscale. Their overall physique is very similar, but the grayscale lack the bony scutes found in the larger species. Their base coloring is a milky shade of gray-white, but they can instinctively change colors. They're almost equally at home in the trees, on the ground, or in the water.

Dragons:

Spoiler

Show

Kobolds and dragons are the same species. They are eusocial (like bees), have haplodiploid genetics (also like bees), and are deeply dependant on a very specific form of parasite (specifically, a Ribeiroia flatworm).

Male dragons (and kobolds, of course) are flightless, while females (including female kobolds) are not. All dragons/kobolds are host to countless flatworms within their own bodies, but these creatures cause no real harm. In the case of female dragons/kobolds they're even beneficial, as the combination of genes from their father and the flatworm's tampering with their cellular development in the egg results in the growth of wings.

To break it down, breeding female dragon/kobolds (Dragons) and their non-breeding daughters (Royals) have wings and flight. Breeding males (Miners) and non-breeding males (Citizens) do not.

To control whether a given individual becomes a Dragon/Miner or a Regal/Citizen, the mother Dragon places the eggs in an area of 95+ or 85- degrees. Warmer eggs will develop into Dragons or Miners and can breed, while cooler eggs will develop into Regals or Citizens and cannot breed.

These creatures evolved as the only sapient creature for millions of years on a smaller continent to the West of the humanoids. Dragons look pretty much how D&D usually shows them, while kobolds look more like featherless velociraptors than small lizard-men.

Warforged:

Spoiler

Show

Long, long ago dwarves ruled the land. There were two factions; the gold dwarves, who made up the bankers and the merchants, and the mountain dwarves, who made up the politicians and the military. They had enslaved portions of all of the other races, human and halfling alike. It was a fantastic age for dwarves, and a very dark age indeed for everyone else.

All things must come to an end, and so too did the dwarves rein over Gatazka. As one, the enslaved races and their free counterparts rose against their dwarven oppressors and shook free from their shackles. Every known race was involved, with the exception of the ever-cautious high elves who stayed safe in their mighty fortresses. What they did not know was that they did not fight alone.

Created during the Last Great War, the warforged were meant to reinforce dwarven troops. The majority of them, however, were intelligent enough to eventually rebel against their creators. With the warforged decimating the mountain dwarf population, the allied races found it surprisingly easy to topple the dwarven regime.

Their are four types of warforged, each with their own specialty in war; they are the chargers, scouts, soldiers, and spies.

The chargers are massive brutes and were the last to turn on their creators. Their purpose is to be the shock troops of the dwarven military, and even one can be a serious threat to an ill-prepared enemy troop.

The scouts are modeled after halflings; they're both small and fast with a talent to stay out of sight. As their name implies, they were meant to be scouts in combat and were used to strike hard and fast in guerrilla warfare. Theirs was the second faction to rebel against the dwarves.

The soldiers are modeled after dwarves, but are much taller; usually taller than a human. They made up the bulk of the warforged forces. They were the third group to turn against their creators.

The spies are the most recent addition to the warforged lineage, and are little more than the bare bones necessary to keep the creature alive. Magically enhanced crystals were implanted into their wood and steel frames, giving the ability to project an illusion allowing them to appear as any of the common races. They acted as the dwarves assassins and spies, blending into the enemy's forces. Living amongst the oppressed, they were the first to rebel against the dwarves.

After the war ended, the warforged seized control of the great Forges that produced their kind. Different factions seized different Forges for different reasons, but all were under warforged control. Some produced more warforged every day, others only to replace losses. Those days are in the past, now, as the last of the operational Forges broke down many years ago and the technology to repair them was lost in the Great War.

Giants:

Spoiler

Show

I've not got much up about Giants and their kin yet, but I'm leaning towards them being very alien. They definitely come from an unexplored continent to the East of the main game world.

They're old enough to have had the first civilizations, even before the reptilians and dragons. They also take slaves, namely Goliaths. The only Goliaths known to the main continent are escaped slaves under some sort of curse that made them forget almost everything about the giants.

A Small Write-Up on Religion:

Spoiler

Show

Religion in Gatazka is a bit grittier than in most other settings. The gods are distant, maybe even nonexistent. They seem not to care who worships them, or who spreads their name. Few claim to speak to their god directly, even fewer are believed. No one is truly certain where divine magic comes from, but the worship of gods certainly seems to aid in its use. Here's a short look at the gods of Gatazka, sorted by race:

Dwarves:

Spoiler

Show

Dwarves have two main religions, one monotheistic and one pantheistic. The mountain dwarves almost always worship 'the Father,' a god of all things who teaches of redemption and enlightenment. The gold dwarves tend to worship 'the People,' a set of gods reflecting the way gold dwarves live, each representing a certain aspect of their society.

The People are:
- Sovalye the Knight, representing the military
- Tuccar the Merchant, representing the traders
- Madenci the Miner, representing the laborers
- Asil the Noble, representing the royalty
- Nalbant the Smith, representing the artisans

Elves:

Spoiler

Show

Elves have one main religion and it revolves around ancestor-worship. All three factions of elves have some variation on the belief that, when you die, you are judged. Those worthy of such a responsibility join the Assembly in the afterlife. The Assembly provides guidance and protection for the living and are ruled by the Queen, a creator deity.

Gnomes:

Spoiler

Show

Just a placeholder, for now.

Halflings:

Spoiler

Show

Halflings have one main religion with many, many variations. Generally, their religion focuses on three animal spirits: Jinka the Antelope, who gives life; Vetakukka the Hound, who guards life; and Rabandu the Vulture, who escorts life to Tarvata, the Afterplace. Halflings fear the Afterplace, and many practice anthropophagy in order to absorb souls back into their clan so that they can be reborn.

Humans:

Spoiler

Show

Just a placeholder, for now.

Orcs:

Spoiler

Show

Orcs worship one main god, although they believe that all things have their own spirit and all of nature should be treated with holy reverence. Their main god is called Grugaash, the god of the desert, the wind, the sun, and the sand.

Reptilians:

Spoiler

Show

All four of the reptilian races worship some variation of the same six-god pantheon. The most common names follow, with a short description.

- Panga, He Who Lurks in the River, creator of the lizardfolk
- Mata, He Who Crafts the Weapons, god of technology
- Buntot, He Who Leads the Soldiers, god of protection
- Sungay, She Who Heals Hunters, goddess of health and healing
- Hita, She Who Runs in the Sand, goddess of sports and athletics
- Kamay, She Who Hatches Our Eggs, goddess of fertility and the nest
- Kaliskis, He Who Deceives Us, god who opposes the other gods

Rough Map of Gatazka:

Spoiler

Show

All credit for the above image goes to John Timmerman of Fantasymapmaker.com.

There are five continents, only three of which are shown because only three of them have been mapped by the Gatazkan races. The three pictured are (clockwise from the top) Baile (home of the goblinoids), Dunya (home of the humanoids), and Kertenkele (home of the lizardfolk, who call it Tahanan), and the island chain near the center is Kottai (home of the high elves). Not pictured are the almost entirely unexplored Yasak (home of the giants) and the partially explored Ejderha (home of the kobolds, who call it Treskri).

Q&A from the other thread:

Spoiler

Show

So will you have some sort of wyverns/linnorms w/e related to "dragonoids" as apes are to humanoids?

Yes, that is my plan. I haven't honestly thought about it much, but the vast majority of Dragon-type creatures will be found on the draconic continent along with the True Dragons/Kobolds.

Question about winged kobolds. Are these wings somewhat vestigial(like, grant limited glide only), fully developed, or both?

They begin vestigial, or near-so, for the winged kobolds. As they age and grow the wings become more useful. I'm using the same progression as the Raptorans from Races of the Wild for the time being, but I might speed it up if it proves to be an issue. Dragons are able to fly within hours of hatching.

If both, is it somehow realted to caste/class like say non-breeding females have vestigial/underdeveloped wings but breeders have more developed ones? Also, I assume they're pretty close to the races of dragon web enhancement kobolds mechanically and have re-fluffed dragonwrought feats?

I believe the last answer answered your first question, here. As for the second, they're all based on the web enhancement, yes. I'm on the fence whether or not to include some refluffed Dragonwrought feats (though actual Dragonwrought is definitely not allowed), as I'm not sure how they would interact with the Caste system.

Now about the "true dragons," are they less powerful and more primitve in your world(as in, more natural)? How many different kinds are there, and are the differences between them about as big as the core dragons? Is "colour" somehow related to sex, like say maybe in one race the females are copper and the males are blue?

Those are some very good questions... Allow me to answer them with bullet points:

• I do plan for the dragons to be somewhat less powerful and more primitive/natural, yes. They aren't really all that special in my campaign, as opposed to the godlike status they have in a lot of others.
• I'm not sure how many different kinds that there are right now. Probably eight or ten, depending on how (my players and) I want to take it.
• The differences will probably be a little less than standard. Ideally, each dragon would be just as powerful as the next, but each is also specialized to some degree.
• Color is not related to sex, but to lineage. I do really like the idea of Metallic females and Chromatic males, but it doesn't work so well here. In this game (unless I think of something better/cooler) all True Dragons are female, and Kobolds are the males and infertile females. If all male Copper dragons were Blue, there would be no Blue dragons.

I like how your goblinoids are oldworld monkey style. A lightly furred and coloured face bugbear kicking around with a gang of tree-swinging goblins would be a great encounter.

Thank you. That was pretty much my exact thought process: "What would be cool to see?"

I like your reptilian races, but I don't like the names. Sure they're fine for monsters, but it'd be nice to see some proper names for them even if they're just poorly transliterated from the current english names.

Those are their "common" names, given by the dwarf explorers who first encountered them. They actually refer to themselves as the Luksata (Blackscale), Morenata (Brownscale), Hilawta (Greenscale), and Kulayta (Greyscale).

Your giants are pretty cool. Ogres and hill giants might be the primitive giant forebears that've regressed somewhat. Goliaths might also share a common ancestor with giants. Perhaps the 'modern' giants such as frost and storm resulted from magical tampering which eventually destroyed their early civilisations but gave rise to new ones, maybe even opened a path to the planes. Keeping them alien with the "first ones" type mytique makes them interesting, feels pretty aztec/scandinavian/greek.

My thoughts on the matter were very similar. Since the giants are so very, very old, a lot of their weirder features are the results of deliberate and/or accidental mutations from all of their magical tampering.

If you have any comments or questions, please don't hold back. Anything I read gives me that much more knowledge and insight to put towards this project. Thanks for reading this far!

[Mayhem]

Awesome, you finally got around to posting this. I thought I was going to have to start harrassing you with questions in PMs .

So continuing my dragon inquisition, perhaps male kobolds should have highly developed claws for digging and also have a bite attack while female kobolds do not? Not because females wouldn't have claws or sharp teeth, but more so because males would have the natural insticts to just lash out with their teeth and claws while females wouldn't. Gives some semblance of balance. Also, maybe male kobolds have only a -2 str while females have -4 to represent how all their muscles are bound up in their wings?
I'm intrigued by the differences between miners and citizens. Are miners going to be some sort of linnorm type guy like the brown dragon?

As for giants, you said they have a lot of mutations and so on. You can fluff attach and minotaurs into the race too, though they could keep their HD type.

I like your take on orcs, I'd like to see it fleshed out some more.

[Lyndworm]

First, it's probably worth noting here that I've always imagined (my) kobolds to look more like featherless velociraptors than lizard-men. I'll edit that into the main post in a minute.

Awesome, you finally got around to posting this. I thought I was going to have to start harrassing you with questions in PMs .

Ha! I'd like to think I'm that interesting, but I just can't see it.

So continuing my dragon inquisition, perhaps male kobolds should have highly developed claws for digging and also have a bite attack while female kobolds do not? Not because females wouldn't have claws or sharp teeth, but more so because males would have the natural insticts to just lash out with their teeth and claws while females wouldn't. Gives some semblance of balance.

Actually, my thinking is similar. The regal kobolds (sterile females) have wings but no claws, no bite attack, and no Slight Build (the wings are too big). They have slightly different stats, as well, but most of this should probably wait until I've made up a mechanical thread in the Homebrew section.

Also, maybe male kobolds have only a -2 str while females have -4 to represent how all their muscles are bound up in their wings?

Both infertile males and females have a -4 Strength, but the Miners don't have a penalty at all. They are more sturdy than their siblings, built for the strenuous jobs of the Nest (like digging and warfare).

I'm intrigued by the differences between miners and citizens. Are miners going to be some sort of linnorm type guy like the brown dragon?

I remember the brown dragon being sort of long and skinny, almost weaselish. Is that right? Either way, not really. They're very much like the Citizens, but beefier; almost like all those wing muscles were absorbed by the biceps. They are a little longer in the torso, and they have a longer tail and more powerful jaws. If you didn't know better, though, you might think that they were just on opposite ends of the same bell curve.

As for giants, you said they have a lot of mutations and so on. You can fluff attach and minotaurs into the race too, though they could keep their HD type.

I was already planning on the athach, but the minotaur is a good idea. I'm thinking that the minotaurs will form their own society, largely underground. They rebelled against the "main" giants long, long ago and went into hiding/were banished when they lost. Their art and architecture has an obsession with geometric patterns and concentric squares. The "Labyrinth" is what they call the only city they still have; it's hidden in the center of an actual labyrinth of deadly epicness.

I like your take on orcs, I'd like to see it fleshed out some more.

Thanks; I'm rather fond of them myself. Just for you:

Almost all Orcs live a nomadic life in the same desert where their ancestors settled. Dozens of tribes wander endlessly in the same patterns as they have for hundreds of thousands of years. Their religion states that the one true god, Grugaash, made the desert just for the orcs, and it is holy ground. That is why only the orcs are suited to live there, and that is why they do not build any permanent structures; their religion forbids altering the land in any real way. Many battles have been fought over humans or dwarves trying to build too close to the desert's edge.

Orcs are generally seen as savages by most other races, for many reasons. Their tendency to respond to exploration with aggression, their habit of eating (and smelling like) rotten food, and their long teeth and hairy, over-muscled bodies do not go over well with the more "civilized" races. From an objective standpoint, the orcs are actually admirable survivors. Their eating of rotten food is due to their inability to store food (because of their religion's tenants about permanent structures), and their great Fortitude saves making it harmless (racial bonus against disease and poison).

Once a year all of the tribes meet in the center of the desert, at a massive oasis called Ponatago. Their, they trade not only goods but also people. This is how tribes keep their skill sets and genetic stock fresh, providing the best chance for their tribe to make it back next year.

[Mayhem]

Ha! I'd like to think I'm that interesting, but I just can't see it.

You're right, you aren't.

Now, the brown dragons were skinny? Huh, well now I've lost my train of thought. Oh, that's right now I remember what I was gonna say. Perhaps when the miners get to the wyrm life stage or something they begin to transform becoming more.. well wyrm-like I suppose, but as a burrower. Maybe breeding releases a chemical that builds up in the system which once in high enough concentration catalyses the transformation. They might then go rogue and live as a hermit, and it might not be surprising if the breeder females kill them before they reach this stage.
And I'm assuming the miners also wouldn't have slight build?

That orc fluff is great.

Your minotaur ideas give them back their dignity that's been taken from recently( Warcraft I'm looking at you).

What about dvergar and svirneblin?

Is this going to be 3.5 or pathfinder?

[Lyndworm]

Now, the brown dragons were skinny? Huh, well now I've lost my train of thought. Oh, that's right now I remember what I was gonna say. Perhaps when the miners get to the wyrm life stage or something they begin to transform becoming more.. well wyrm-like I suppose, but as a burrower. Maybe breeding releases a chemical that builds up in the system which once in high enough concentration catalyses the transformation. They might then go rogue and live as a hermit, and it might not be surprising if the breeder females kill them before they reach this stage.

That's certainly not a bad idea. Now I have a desire to implement a PrC to progress a kobold from Miner to Patriarch. Pretty much, it would turn an old Miner whose Dragon was in ill health or who had moved away from the Nest into a larger, more powerful beast.

And I'm assuming the miners also wouldn't have slight build?

For the moment, I'm thinking they do. This is mostly for balance reasons, honestly. I could be persuaded to go elsewhere.

That orc fluff is great.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

Your minotaur ideas give them back their dignity that's been taken from recently( Warcraft I'm looking at you).

I'm not terribly familiar with Warcraft. I always thought that the whole mystical shaman angle was cool, but misplaced.

What about dvergar and svirneblin?

They would likely be social classes of their main race, or even non-existent. There's still quite a lot to be done. The only reason I gave so many elves is because I kind of felt like I had to, and one of my players really likes the flavor of the Drow we have set up. (It's not quite like the original, but it's not too terribly far off.) I've never really been a huge fan of the dozens of different subraces for each race.

I'm probably going to turn many of the different subraces into regional feats (one of which every character gets for free). I'll probably even do the elves this way, though I have them statted up as three separate races right now.

Is this going to be 3.5 or pathfinder?

Mostly 3.5, but a lot of it will be applicable in Pathfinder or even 4E. Because (my players and) I use a number of houserules, my actual mechanics will resemble all of the above with (hopefully) a little flair of my own. I'm working on gathering my notes now so that I can get the Homebrew thread up and linked over here. It's not particularly impressive, but I'm not particularly coherent at 2:21AM, either. It could take a while.

[VeliciaL]

I'm really digging this. You wouldn't mind overly much if I lifted this for my own campaign would you? This would allow me to maintain a grittier, less magical feel (which appeals to at least one of my players) while still keeping most of the fantastic races (which appeals more to the other two).

[Lyndworm]

I'm really digging this. You wouldn't mind overly much if I lifted this for my own campaign would you? This would allow me to maintain a grittier, less magical feel (which appeals to at least one of my players) while still keeping most of the fantastic races (which appeals more to the other two).

No, of course not. Take as much as you want, as long you're not selling my ideas or anything. Honestly, I'm greatly pleased that you like anything up there enough to use it.

Turnabout being fair play and all that, do you have any questions or suggestions? Anything you ask about could be something of which I've not thought. It's sparked huge sections before, so you never know.

[Mayhem]

I agree with making subraces little more than fluff where possible. Regional feats are good, maybe you could also make a trait only selectable by that subrace too?

Kobolds: I figured if the miners lacked the strength penalty that the citizens have, then it would only be fair to take away the miner's slight build. I guess I'll learn what you meant once you get to posting the crunch.

I'm intrigued by this new ruleset. This isn't the place for me to ask about it though, disappointingly.

[VeliciaL]

I'll be pondering it. I might go in a different direction with my dragons though... although I like how they were originally the same species and split up. Could help explain why dragons have the (rather arbitrary) chromatic "evil" dragons and metallic "good" dragon split too...

Maybe this could be worked into the whole lore for Bahamut and Tiamat? Dunno what you're doing with deities, I just went with the standard 4e D&D stuff and added my own twists.

Oh, and I was thinking just the other day how cool it would be if Kobolds were essentially intelligent velociraptors. Glad to see I'm not alone in that. :P

[Lyndworm]

I agree with making subraces little more than fluff where possible. Regional feats are good, maybe you could also make a trait only selectable by that subrace too?

That's certainly an idea to ponder, but it seems like a lot of work. If anything comes to mind, I'll try to work it in.

Kobolds: I figured if the miners lacked the strength penalty that the citizens have, then it would only be fair to take away the miner's slight build. I guess I'll learn what you meant once you get to posting the crunch.

It makes sense, I'm just not sure that they shouldn't have it.

I'm intrigued by this new ruleset. This isn't the place for me to ask about it though, disappointingly.

No, it's not. This is.

I'll be pondering it. I might go in a different direction with my dragons though... although I like how they were originally the same species and split up. Could help explain why dragons have the (rather arbitrary) chromatic "evil" dragons and metallic "good" dragon split too...

That's similar to my own reasoning.

Maybe this could be worked into the whole lore for Bahamut and Tiamat? Dunno what you're doing with deities, I just went with the standard 4e D&D stuff and added my own twists.

I'm pretty sure that I'll be making up my own deities, for the most part. I have some ideas that I've been working on, but nothing concrete yet.

Oh, and I was thinking just the other day how cool it would be if Kobolds were essentially intelligent velociraptors. Glad to see I'm not alone in that. :P

Well, their size and build are comparable. They're not quite as dangerous, physically, as they lack the "killer claw" for which their kind is famous, and their bite is weaker.

[VeliciaL]

Well, their size and build are comparable. They're not quite as dangerous, physically, as they lack the "killer claw" for which their kind is famous, and their bite is weaker.

That was roughly my thinking as well. Lacking some of the more predatory animalistic traits, but gaining intelligence enough for language and culture. If for no other reason than to avoid having to go through all the kobolds and give them a bite or claw attack :P

[Mayhem]

If you're allowing power attack as a standard special attack, then how about this from the SRD? It's the exact opposite to defensive fighting.

[Lyndworm]

Good catch. I'll throw that up in a minute. For future reference, however, mechanical suggestions should go in the other thread.

[Mayhem]

Oops, confused the threads

So, any sample dragon groups you've cooked up already? I imagine each dragon subspecies would act very differently to one another.

[Lyndworm]

Not really, no... I know that I want at least some of the groups from/inspired by the MM, so there will be forest/jungle/swamp dwellers, mountain dwellers, desert dwellers, underground specialists (who spend their whole lives underground, as opposed to the more "burrowing animal" mentality of the others), and probably a lake/river/ocean/seaside cliff dweller.

I'll likely turn draconic heritage into regional feats for kobolds, so that they get certain abilities relating to lineage, like Hide bonuses in certain terrains or a swim speed.

[Savannah]

You know, one of the things I've always hated in D&D is the "human, but" feel about most the races (dwarves are human but shorter and sturdier, for example). I like the how you've used the way they evolved to really distinguish the races. ....don't really have anything else to add

[Lyndworm]

I would prefer suggestions or questions, but I am fueled by compliments. I consume them with the fervor of a dying sun. (Thank you.)

[Omeganaut]

I am enjoying your theme of evolution. I feel like Giants should be magically changed beings, and maybe they influenced the growth of other intelligent life-forms on the planet. I also want to hear more about the lizardfolk, especially how they evolved and grew because they seem almost unrelated to one another. Also, are you going to include Fae, intelligent aquatic humanoids, or illithids in your setting?

[Lyndworm]

The giants are, indeed, magically changed beings. That's why there are so very many different types (I'll have Hill"normal", Stone, Storm, Fire, Ice, and maybe Ocean, as well as athachs, trolls, ogres, goliaths, and maybe anthrocephs (minotaurs, ibixians, equicephs, etc.). Abuse of magic has devastated/exalted different aspects of the giants. They've tinkered with themselves an awful lot, but I'm uncertain about having had them tinker with others, since they're supposed to be far-off and mostly unknown. Maybe with other little-known races, like aquatic sapients.

I will definitely be including the Fae, which will mostly be creatures from two of the four "material" planes. The Summer court come from the Positive plane, where positive energy, fire, and electricity are very strong and ever-present. The Winter court come from the Negative plane, where negative energy, cold, and acid are very strong and ever-present. The fourth material plane could best be likened to Zeta Kai's Plane of Flesh, although the mechanics are a little different.

Aquatic intelligence will absolutely exist, but likely will be more alien than the familiar kuo-toa, locathah, merfolk, or sahuagin . I may include those names and use their lore and stats for inspiration, but I have a hard time believing in fish-men from the briny deep evolving without a lot of help. I might tie their development into the giants, though, which could make some sense.

As for illithids... I'm honestly not sure. If there's a request for them, I'll try and cram them in. I don't want them to feel crammed in, though, if that makes any sense. One of the reasons this updates so slowly is because I'm letting the setting evolve more or less naturally, as my players and I casually discuss it and as ideas randomly pop into our heads. I'm afraid that if I try to force anything into the setting, it's going to feel wrong... I'd rather be slow than have that.

[Lyndworm]

I've made a short write-up on Gatazkan religions. Any opinions or ideas would be a huge help, there.

[Omeganaut]

So far the worship seems rather good, although it would be interesting if you had more intraspecies religious conflict.

[Pokonic]

I would like to see how the 4 reptilian evolved from the same stock, because it seems that blackscales have as much in commen with greyscales as a goblin has to a orc, among other things.
also, are brownscales the muckdwellers from SK?

Anyway, realy liking this.

[Lyndworm]

I would like to see how the 4 reptilian evolved from the same stock, because it seems that blackscales have as much in commen with greyscales as a goblin has to a orc, among other things.

There are three distinct evolutionary lines there, with the blackscale being one, the green and brown being another, and the gray being the third. Very early on in their evolutionary history the creatures that would become the grayscale split off from the main line, moving to an island and becoming more adapted to life there. They became smaller while their cousins grew larger, and they took to a life in the trees as well as in the water. Meanwhile, the main family line was spreading across their modern range and becoming differently adapted to their homes as well. The blackscale grew even larger and darker in color to absorb as much sunlight as possible, while the greenscale maintained relatively 'standard' in size and coloration. The brownscale are a strange evolutionary tale in that their size is caused by a mutation that should probably have led to their demise. Somehow they managed to survive and even thrive by living alongside the greenscale in some areas.

also, are brownscales the muckdwellers from SK?

Yep. Good call.

Anyway, realy liking this.

Thank you very much.

[super dark33]

Blackscales... Big lizardfolk that live in desert?

I LIEK.

If you need help with cultere stuff then im right here.

[Lyndworm]

Blackscales... Big lizardfolk that live in desert?

I LIEK.

Thank you for your support.

If you need help with cultere stuff then im right here.

I have a rough work up in my head for a few of the cultures, but I don't have much to really show you at this point. Most races are pretty generic at this point, with the exception that drow worship all poisonous animals, gray elves have the most advanced technology and live in castles, mountain dwarves are monk-like nomads, halflings are cannibalistic savages, gnomes are gypsy-like caravan-focused traders, and orcs are desert-dwelling nomads. Humans spread like parasites and can be found in all societies and walks of life.

You know, now that I think of it, there are a lot of nomads. Most halflings, some humans, and nearly all gnomes, mountain dwarves, and orcs are nomadic. All elves, most humans, some halflings, and most gold dwarves are stationary. I don't have much figured out for the goblinoids or the reptilians yet.

The culture I've thought most about is probably the gold dwarves. They live in vast cities underground that alternate between ostentatiously spacious and mind-numbingly claustrophobic. Their society is split into five castes, as implied by the People. Surprisingly, most dwarves see the castes as equally important and very little discrimination occurs in most cities. The Merchants form the backbone of gold dwarf society and are second only to the Laborers in number. Most of the trading in the world involves the gold dwarves, which is how they got their name. The Laborers make up the main work force, such as miners, farmers, and servants to other castes. The Military makes up the martial force of the gold dwarves and, despite the imagery of the Knight, includes most of the magic utilized by them. The Artisans make up most of the skilled labor, such as smiths, architects, and pretty much anything requiring education or skill. The final and smallest caste are the Nobles. They oversee the other castes and make sure everything runs smoothly. It's also their job to run the legal system and to act as ambassadors to the outside world. Clergy can come from any caste, and sort of forms its own caste outside of the traditional structure. It has been said that a dwarf never forgets, and this is because of their Temple of Pillars. The Temple is an immense stone chamber hidden deep within the earth, and its location is the dwarves most carefully guarded secret. It is a great hall, several dozens of feet high, filled with carefully carved pillars depicting important scenes from all throughout dwarven history, and with billions of carved runes explaining them. No one really knows how deep it goes, only that there are more pillars than could ever be filled.

I've also thought a lot about the drow, who split from the gray elves about 250 years ago (elves aren't as long-lived in Gatazka). When the other races were under attack by the mountain dwarves, the gray elves refused to take part, preferring to stay safe in their secluded castles. The drow are what's left of the faction of gray elves that left their fortresses to fight against the dwarves. Their society has become a strange version of what it once was, with an emphasis on the stoic, mysterious nature the elves try to project. In hunting the dwarves the drow became very like them, splitting into castes (the Clergy, made up of nearly all females, made u and the Military, made up of nearly all males) and, in many cases, living underground. Eventually the war ended and the drow turned their hatred elsewhere. They are a warlike people, attacking over the smallest slight, real or imagined. Some clans wage an eternal war on the gray elves for not supporting them during the Great War, some wage war on the humans for invading their land, and some wage war on each other for reasons not easily explained.

I just wrote a lot more than I meant to. Please feel free to comment on what I've written, or suggest ideas yourself. I'd love to read anything you (or anyone else) has to say on the matter.

[super dark33]

On gold dwarves:Thats good.
On Dark elves: Thats much better then all the outer Delves i heard about.
(yeah, i call gray elves Grelves, half orcs Horcs, Gold dwarves Gwarves And so on..)

Blackscales Cultere.

Spoiler

Show

As they are very large and strong, war revolvs around thier life.
They belive in a great god who chosen selected individuals from the ancient Lizard species and turned them to the blackscales, to fight his enemies, in return for their size and strength.

But they also fight amongst themselves.
with 9 large tribes, and many outer smaller tribes, they fight pieces of rivers and somtimes even small lakes.

They live in camps/cities. near rivers in the desert and rest there when they are not fighting.

they were the first to preserve meat.

As pretty much of a primitive socitey, thye have holidays that are around major parts of the year, such as The migration of the desert bulls across their rivers, when they hunt them for food for the entire year,and the floods, where they fortify their homes and walls aginst the floods that are coming.

they are in war with orcs, and raid their camps and convoys as a way of life.

they are not nomadic like the outer desert races.

they work with iron, and try to develop weapons that will grant them victories in battles.

Their leaders are selected by a contest once the former leader died.
the contest includes sports, leadership, profinecy in combat, abillity to manage things and Democratic voteing.

Thier sports are cheriot racings, fake battles and Lizardish mount hunting.

are there any large desert lizrads that can be used as mounts, like dinesours?

Orc Cultere

Spoiler

Show

As said above, they are Nomadic tribes.

they avoide encounters with Blackscales as they hate orcs.

theire nomadic nature drives from theire mythology, where the first orc was cursed to never have a piece of ground for himself.
diffrent tribes have diffrent opinions about it.
some say that they need to Take outers land to make it theirs, and move only if they need to.
some say that they must never settle, and only by reaching enlightment and being kind to the desert wildlife, they will reach theire home.

They dont have time to play structerd sports, but they do think of short games that makes walking fun.

[Lyndworm]

I like the idea of of the Blackscale having large, structured sporting events. I'm not sure why, but I really, really like it. As far as dinosaurs go, I figured they'd show up in one place or another, and alongside the other archosaurs makes as much sense as anything else. The only thing I don't like is the idea of them warring with the orcs, since I imagined that they came from two different deserts, maybe even different continents (though I implied otherwise earlier, so I can hardly blame you for that).

Your idea of orcs meshes fairly well with my own, although I'm not so sure about the origin story for their nomadic lifestyle. Technically, it developed out of necessity. Until recently, the orcs were without the technology required to build structures that could last in their desert, what with all of the raging sandstorms buffeting them and changing the topography. From their perspective, however, they are forbidden to build anything that lasts more than a few days inside the desert, as Grugaash wills the desert to reclaim it. I've spoken a bit on this before, I think, but it doesn't hurt to go over it again; the orcs find it blasphemous to shape the desert. It was created for them by Grugaash, god of the sun and the sand, and that is why they are so uniquely suited to live there. This is why they so often are seen as violent savages; they attack settlers with a fury born of religious conviction, they eat spoiled foods, they have poor technology levels and no agriculture, and they look just plain weird. Not all orcs live this life, of course. There are some who claim that the old ways are dying, and that a new path must be forged. Outside of the desert, sometimes within larger communities, there are orcs who settle down and try to find peace away from the wrath of Grugaash. For the most part, they are ignored by traditional orcs. Some view them as traitors, however, and will even go so far as to leave the desert to raid their settlements.

[super dark33]

So you dont like them fighting orcs? maybe some tribes would fight them, but not because of cultere and religion.

Maybe blackscales live in Savahnas? or Nile like rivers? or both?

More on gods will be posted.

[Lyndworm]

So you dont like them fighting orcs? maybe some tribes would fight them, but not because of cultere and religion.

I don't like it as a widespread problem, but in certain areas it would be OK. Thank you for your help.

Maybe blackscales live in Savahnas? or Nile like rivers? or both?

That could work.

More on gods will be posted.

I'd like to see what you've imagined.

[super dark33]

The blackscale Pantheon

Spoiler

Show

Consists of 6 gods.

The black jaw: he who lurks in the rivers, the patron god of the blackscale, living in a river, the one who chosen them from the first lizards to protect his lands.

Brown-eye: he who makes the weapons and armor, and arms the troops for
battle, created the Bladeaxe that was used by red tail in his battle aginst the whitescale who stopped the flow of the river.

Red tail: he who fights the enemies, leads the soliders to battle, and brings them home safely. fought the whitescale.

Green-horns: she who cares for the warriors and hunters, the matron of healing. took care of red tail after his battle with whitescale.

Blue-leg: she who runs in the sand. goddess of sports and athletics.
the one who invented the blackscale sports.

Yellow-hand: she who hatches our eggs. matron of mothers and fertility.
makes the food of the gods.

Whitescale: he who decieves us. fought red tail. tries to kill the blackscale.
he is the lie, the chaos and the enemy.

Bladeaxe: 1d10 X3 19-20. Exotic. Must have 13 str to use, 14 in one hand.