Post by WitchRolina on Nov 3, 2018 20:59:06 GMT
Races - Peoples Across the World
This world has several greater races within it, each with its own subsets. What places a race in a set of greater races is the viability of offspring – those whom can have children when paired are considered the same race, while those who cannot are considered different races. For those with viable offspring, it is always either one or the other, with a 50/50 chance of being either of the parent’s races (with exception of the Fae Races). There are no Half-Races of any kind.
Talkind Races
Believed to be descended of spirits, the Talkind races tend to share traits of soft skin and sensitivity to the elements. Children of this race are far more likely than other races to have their element be influenced by their environment rather than inheriting from their parents. They transform into "Archons", becoming beings of pure energy for the duration.
The races of Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Orc fall into this category. For the most part, they match Tolkein-esque depictions of the race, minus the not-aging part for Elves. For Orcs, they are far more akin to their Elder Scrolls incarnation in appearance than to the Tolkien depictions, though they share similar flesh colors as the other three races (as opposed to being green for some reason).
Drake Races
Believed to be descended of dragons, the Drake races share a similar split-eared structure, colored reptilian scales and skin in a paler shade of their scales. People of this race are able to live in a wider range of temperature zones than other races, and it is not uncommon to see polar or desert dwellings with a Drake population majority. Their transformations are called “Dragon Forms”, where they take on the shape and abilities of the type of dragon their race is descended from.
The races of Dragonkin, Wyvernkin, Wyrmkin, and Serpentkin fall into this category. They are based on the residents of Prox from Golden Sun.
Beastman Races
Believed to be descended of beasts, Beastman races tend to take on traits of various mammals, such as ears, some fur, and a tail. People of this race are better able to adapt to rugged and wild terrain, and as such they are often the majority race in many small rural and woodland villages. Their transformations are referred to as “Were-Forms”, where they transform into feral, monstrous, bipedal version of the beast they take their traits from.
The races of Felinas (based on cats), Caninas (based on dogs, wolves, foxes), Ursinas (based on bears), and Gliras (based on rodents and lagomorphs) fall into this category. They are based on the people of Garoh and Morgall from Golden Sun, but are limited to going no further than a 2.5 on the Furry Scale (human facial features instead of animal ones, minimal fur apart from the ears and tail and little to no skin coloration outside human tones). The reason for this is to make the transformation to were-forms more pronounced and dramatic.
Faefolk Races
Believed to be descended from fairy creatures, Faefolk races tend to take on aspects of the seasons in their traits, and have silvery eyes without iris or pupil. The Faefolk Races are unique in that the race they are born as depends not on their parents, but instead the time of year they’re born in – their race matches the season. Their transformations are called “Manifestations”, where their skin begins to glow, their eyes radiate light, and the seasonal traits of the Fae become far more pronounced and exaggerated.
The races of Vernal Court, Summer Court, Autumn Court, and Winter Court fall under this category. This race is a mix of inspirations – the Faerie from the Dresden Files, the Eladrin Race from D&D, and even a little bit of Deerling and Sawsbuck from Pokemon.
Fellkin Races
Believed to be descended from demons, Fellkin races tend to have colored skin and horns – some even have a tail or multiple tails. Fellkin races tend to be more resilient to the elemental effects of the environment – children are rarely born of an element separate of their parents, and they can live safely in areas where ambient psynergy is so thick it is visible as an energetic mist. Their transformations are referred to as “Invocations”, where they tap into their ancestral bloodline to access greater power. This causes their demonic traits to become far more pronounced, the shape of their pupil to change from rounded to cat-like, and irises to turn a glowing color matching their element, and sclera to turn black.
The races of Septentrionus, Meridionus, Orientus, and Occidentus fall under this category. Demonic beings treated as races of their own is common enough in media that it seemed to fit. The four types are named for the four directions – North, South, East, and West respectively. As such, Septentriona are based on depictions of demonic or legendary creatures from northern civilizations such as Scandanavia and Russia, Meridiona from southern Civilizations, such as the ones found in Africa or the Southern Americas, Orienta based on eastern civilizations, such as India, China, and Japan, and Occidenta basically reflecting demons from Abrahamic Religions popular in the west (obvious exceptions made when a person of a creature in question better fits into a different race, such as Drakes or Beastmen).
Note on Transformations:
All Transformations (and similar abilities) require the channeling of djinn to be done safely. When done without, the user risks losing their mind in the transformation, and becoming unable to transform back. In the case of Talkind Races, their bodies risk breaking down and falling apart, leaving behind only a aetherial presence. Essentially, many Spirits, Dragons, Werebeasts, High Fairies, and Demons roaming the world are considered to be those who transformed without djinn and the descendants they may have had in that state. They are essentially no longer sapient, and have become monsters. Should they be restored by some means, they are still unlikely to survive for very long due to the strain placed on their bodies (see: Agatio and Karst in the Mars Lighthouse).
It requires at least two djinn to be able to commence the transformation for any meaningful amount of time. Djinn become exhausted at a rate of about 1 every 3-4 seconds, with a full set of 9 djinn lasting between 30-35 seconds total, which translates to roughly 4-5 “rounds” of combat if you were playing the games. This is shorter than in Dark Dawn sure, but unlike Dark Dawn doesn’t require a full turn to transform. Transformations and the "Overdrive Classes" they grant will be explained in greater detail in their own entry.
This world has several greater races within it, each with its own subsets. What places a race in a set of greater races is the viability of offspring – those whom can have children when paired are considered the same race, while those who cannot are considered different races. For those with viable offspring, it is always either one or the other, with a 50/50 chance of being either of the parent’s races (with exception of the Fae Races). There are no Half-Races of any kind.
Talkind Races
Believed to be descended of spirits, the Talkind races tend to share traits of soft skin and sensitivity to the elements. Children of this race are far more likely than other races to have their element be influenced by their environment rather than inheriting from their parents. They transform into "Archons", becoming beings of pure energy for the duration.
The races of Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Orc fall into this category. For the most part, they match Tolkein-esque depictions of the race, minus the not-aging part for Elves. For Orcs, they are far more akin to their Elder Scrolls incarnation in appearance than to the Tolkien depictions, though they share similar flesh colors as the other three races (as opposed to being green for some reason).
Drake Races
Believed to be descended of dragons, the Drake races share a similar split-eared structure, colored reptilian scales and skin in a paler shade of their scales. People of this race are able to live in a wider range of temperature zones than other races, and it is not uncommon to see polar or desert dwellings with a Drake population majority. Their transformations are called “Dragon Forms”, where they take on the shape and abilities of the type of dragon their race is descended from.
The races of Dragonkin, Wyvernkin, Wyrmkin, and Serpentkin fall into this category. They are based on the residents of Prox from Golden Sun.
Beastman Races
Believed to be descended of beasts, Beastman races tend to take on traits of various mammals, such as ears, some fur, and a tail. People of this race are better able to adapt to rugged and wild terrain, and as such they are often the majority race in many small rural and woodland villages. Their transformations are referred to as “Were-Forms”, where they transform into feral, monstrous, bipedal version of the beast they take their traits from.
The races of Felinas (based on cats), Caninas (based on dogs, wolves, foxes), Ursinas (based on bears), and Gliras (based on rodents and lagomorphs) fall into this category. They are based on the people of Garoh and Morgall from Golden Sun, but are limited to going no further than a 2.5 on the Furry Scale (human facial features instead of animal ones, minimal fur apart from the ears and tail and little to no skin coloration outside human tones). The reason for this is to make the transformation to were-forms more pronounced and dramatic.
Faefolk Races
Believed to be descended from fairy creatures, Faefolk races tend to take on aspects of the seasons in their traits, and have silvery eyes without iris or pupil. The Faefolk Races are unique in that the race they are born as depends not on their parents, but instead the time of year they’re born in – their race matches the season. Their transformations are called “Manifestations”, where their skin begins to glow, their eyes radiate light, and the seasonal traits of the Fae become far more pronounced and exaggerated.
The races of Vernal Court, Summer Court, Autumn Court, and Winter Court fall under this category. This race is a mix of inspirations – the Faerie from the Dresden Files, the Eladrin Race from D&D, and even a little bit of Deerling and Sawsbuck from Pokemon.
Fellkin Races
Believed to be descended from demons, Fellkin races tend to have colored skin and horns – some even have a tail or multiple tails. Fellkin races tend to be more resilient to the elemental effects of the environment – children are rarely born of an element separate of their parents, and they can live safely in areas where ambient psynergy is so thick it is visible as an energetic mist. Their transformations are referred to as “Invocations”, where they tap into their ancestral bloodline to access greater power. This causes their demonic traits to become far more pronounced, the shape of their pupil to change from rounded to cat-like, and irises to turn a glowing color matching their element, and sclera to turn black.
The races of Septentrionus, Meridionus, Orientus, and Occidentus fall under this category. Demonic beings treated as races of their own is common enough in media that it seemed to fit. The four types are named for the four directions – North, South, East, and West respectively. As such, Septentriona are based on depictions of demonic or legendary creatures from northern civilizations such as Scandanavia and Russia, Meridiona from southern Civilizations, such as the ones found in Africa or the Southern Americas, Orienta based on eastern civilizations, such as India, China, and Japan, and Occidenta basically reflecting demons from Abrahamic Religions popular in the west (obvious exceptions made when a person of a creature in question better fits into a different race, such as Drakes or Beastmen).
Note on Transformations:
All Transformations (and similar abilities) require the channeling of djinn to be done safely. When done without, the user risks losing their mind in the transformation, and becoming unable to transform back. In the case of Talkind Races, their bodies risk breaking down and falling apart, leaving behind only a aetherial presence. Essentially, many Spirits, Dragons, Werebeasts, High Fairies, and Demons roaming the world are considered to be those who transformed without djinn and the descendants they may have had in that state. They are essentially no longer sapient, and have become monsters. Should they be restored by some means, they are still unlikely to survive for very long due to the strain placed on their bodies (see: Agatio and Karst in the Mars Lighthouse).
It requires at least two djinn to be able to commence the transformation for any meaningful amount of time. Djinn become exhausted at a rate of about 1 every 3-4 seconds, with a full set of 9 djinn lasting between 30-35 seconds total, which translates to roughly 4-5 “rounds” of combat if you were playing the games. This is shorter than in Dark Dawn sure, but unlike Dark Dawn doesn’t require a full turn to transform. Transformations and the "Overdrive Classes" they grant will be explained in greater detail in their own entry.
It is common of fantasy to have multiple races in their world, and we'll be no different. In Golden Sun, Humans, Drakes, and Beastmen are established races, though the series doesn't really take advantage of them. So we have three questions we need to answer, and answer quickly at that, given that our artists and writers will be needing to know what they'll be working with. The questions are:
- How many races are in our world?
- What are those races?
- How do they populate our world?
I think having 5-6 races with implied sub-races is the way to go. While my above post includes things like transformations, I do not think that would be wise to incorporate in our first game. It would be better to start simple, than try and pile on mechanics.
As for the races in particular, races based on the 3 GS races is a given to me. Add two more - one based on the Fae, and one based on devilish races would be a good idea IMO, as both are quite common in fantasy.
As for population... I'm not a fan of each race being separate nations. Call it overexposure really - I'm just so tired of seeing the usual race vs race stuff. Elves vs Dwarves gets annoying after a while, you know? So I think having an integrated population is the way to go. Have the conflicts be political, not racial. So, so sick of racial in fantasy...