Makes Clowns a Race in your next Campaign

Original art @Ariel VH I think

There are a small set of character archetypes or "conditions" like vampirism or lycanthropy that can be attached to characters which keeps them human, but subtly different. Enough that they would still have "human" on their character sheet, but may have different abilities or a life that is significantly different from the other people in the same world. Much of these characters pathos comes from this separation they have with normal people; either a curse or blessing; and much time and energy is spent to examine them from their more human side or how they were before their change.

But you ever notice how nobody does this for clowns?

Superheros have alter-egos and their secret, civilian identities. Werewolves have their human form and the beast which they must keep in check. But clowns are just clowns. You notice how rarely we see clowns in media not in costume? We rarely examine their lives outside of when they are a clown. Even serious, scary clowns are only scary and serious because they are clowns. The only exceptions to this is the infamous Pagliacci and I guess Joker from Joker but not the Batman Joker who is a clown even in his off-time, where as Batman becomes Bruce Wayne. Just say it out loud to see what I mean; you can say Bob is a Human Fighter and he also got turned into a vampire. This is a sensible character concept. But if you say "Bob is a human fighter and he dressed like a clown" it wouldn't sound right. "Bob is a clown fighter" sounds better. Ergo, Clowns are a race.

Art @Poco

They Come From Clowntown
Clowns come from the big circus. Maybe it's a special flying city (or better, a city on stilts) where it's always in the carnival season. Maybe it's from the magical traveling circus where orphaned children end up, never to be seen again as they join the performers as new clowns. Maybe they're fully formed from the dreams and nightmares of the people of other races, which is why clowns sometimes have pointed ears or short and fat like a dwarf. Maybe they are just made normally with some very behind-closed-doors clown sex. Regardless, clowns live separate from the other races in the world. Their existence is magical in nature, as they don't really eat food the way other races do, instead eating emotions and attention. They don't worship the normal Gods; they worship the Fake God. It's not a false God, it's very real, it's just simply not a very serious one.

Clowns are roughly divided into two categories or subraces. Light and Dark.

Light Clowns are all about laughter, jokes, and traditional gags and pranks. They're very kindhearted and are often the butt of the joke. They fill a very supportive role both in comedy and in a party dynamic.

Dark Clowns are a bit edgy. They like darker humor, schadenfreude, and getting the last laugh. They are much more independent of the clowning types are more likely to take the lead from others instead of helping.

In traditional clowning, you could think of a Light clown as being the Auguste and the Dark Clown as more of the Whiteface clown; but the types are somewhat independent from alignment or role in comedy. Just think of the Light Clown as being the traditional clown and the Dark Clown as more of a jester or "badass" clown. Dropsy is a Light Clown, Shaco is a Dark Clown. Ronald McDonald is a Light Clown, Jester from Gauntlet or Darkest Dungeon and all horror clowns are basically all Dark Clowns. The girl clown from trying to get it ate? 100% Dark Clown.

While the Light Clown & Dark Clown dichotomy is very important in their society, it isn't necessarily an inborn trait. Clowns can switch between being light or dark, with some even getting stuck in the middle as a Mime. Mimes are like neutral alignment clowns but they also literally can't talk until they "find their voice" again. Most people assume it's a new joke when the clown in the party starts doing charades and dropping the colors from their outfit but no they're actually having an existential crisis until they figure out if they're gonna go Light side or Dark side again.

Clowns mostly stay in the circus or dream realm. This is where their food is most abundant, and where they can get up to their antics with less resistance from the other races. But sometimes, clowns are ejected from the big top and forced to go out into the world. Usually this is because they're not funny (if you never found clowns funny, it's because the funny ones don't get banished), but sometimes it's because they seek ancient knowledge; like the punchline to a forgotten ancestral joke or the recipe to the sherbet cream pie; which leaves a perfect rainbow of colors on people splatted in the face by it instead of the plain white that clownkind has settled for in the many centuries since this knowledge was lost.

See the difference?

Playing as Clowns
Ability Scores- Increase either Dexterity or Charisma by +2
Size & Speed- Medium & As Human
Alignment- Can be Good or Evil, but almost always Chaotic.
Languages- Common, Gobbledygook (Used by clowns and lawyers exclusively)
Skill Proficiencies- Perform & Acrobatics
Abilities- All Clowns have a nigh-infinite number of tricks they can perform. These can effortlessly entertain children and the simple minded, and can also be used to trick people, but essentially work as the spell Prestidigitation. If it's for anything important, then they can do it three times per day.

Then, depending on the type of Clown, they get a second ability.

Light Clowns get the ability to Slapstick. Whenever they fail a skill check or take a tumble, they can reduce the amount of damage taken to one point of damage maximum. This can only be used for out of combat scenarios or relatively low-risk engagements, like getting hit over the head with a bottle in a bar fight. Alternatively, a Light Clown can willingly take an enemy's attack, automatically allowing the attack to succeed without a To-Hit roll, but reduces the damage taken as though every attack die rolled was a one. This is always accompanied by a Gag; like getting hit on the head with a hammer and the clown falls down with a clang, but reveals a small anvil hidden under their hat.

Dark Clowns get the ability of Prank. Whenever someone fails an attack roll or skill check nearby them, the Dark Clown can reveal it was a prank and they caused it; granting them advantage on their next attack against that target. For example, a goblin desperately tries to steal your lantern from your hip to put it out before their ambush but fails. The Dark Clown reveals a very long hankerchief chain tying it around their waist, then coils the cloth around both hands and starts choking the goblin out with the colorful garrote wire. If this rule is too unusable, then instead Dark Clowns can just use Perform rolls in place of Attack or Stealth rolls for sneak attacks.

Clowns naturally take up roles like Bards, Rogues, and Artificers. Few Gods tolerate Clown followers and worshippers, and the Fake God has very little interest in worship, and so few are Clerics or Paladins. Despite their love of physical comedy, they make absolutely terrible Monks.

Warhammer 40k needs a "Furry" Faction + The Fensi

Yeah I said it.

Let's get real for a second. I think it's pretty obvious that this blog is kinda "furry". I consider myself a furry as well. Despite this, I have a sort of inherent dislike of things "trying too hard", the furry-fatigue saps my interest in a setting or piece of media. Things "too furry" ruin it for me; like a fantasy setting with humans, elves, and then ten different beastfolk race. I'm alright with humans only, I prefer a good mix, but I'm not alright with anthros only for fantasy unless it's for a very specific purpose. Stuff like Zootopia is fun for its visual gags and clever contrasting of species, but it's not really meant for high level worldbuilding. Beastars also gets a pass since its about its predator/prey dynamics and behavior with modern (Japanese) life. But stuff like Ironclaw I don't really gel with; I get the feeling like it's the most boring basic and low effort fantasy just with a furry coat of paint on top. (The artstyle doesn't help), but that's not really fair. It is 100% furry though; I just know it when I see it.

How do we define "furry"? The classic answer is anything involving anthropomorphic animals, ie; animals that walk upright and have humanoid features and usually talk or do behaviors outside of their normal natural behaviors, would be furry. But this isn't a sufficient definition; there are a lot of works of media featuring furries that are rarely considered furry. Redwall, for example, features exclusively anthropomorphic characters, but is rarely considered "furry" in itself; it is moreso one of the gateways into the furry fandom given its status as a children's book series.

There is a second shadow definition; roughly "would some fat guy jack off to this?". The more true you can see it, the more "furry" a furry thing is. But it's not really fair to write off anything because it's someones fetish, the Space Wolves Space Marines are 100% bait for a wolfaboo 40k enjoyer; but they're also still really fucking cool. So what it comes down to is a balance between the projected "self indulgent creator" something has, and the thematic value that can be extracted from its constituent parts.

But how "furry" is something and how can we create something of the right balance? It's not as easy as it first appears. There are tons of anthropomorphic animal people in fantasy and sci-fi fiction, but that doesn't automatically make them furry. In the same way you see a cool lizardman from Warhammer fantasy and can still say it's a little furry but it's much less furry then say a werewolf. "Werewolves are cool monsters though!" I know, but they're a "furry" monster. But a werewolf is still much less furry then a dog anthro, which is in turn less furry then a sparkledog. Part of this comes down to species, the presentation, and its role in the media work, story, or whatever else.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some traits I've narrowed down to signal if a anthropomorphic species, faction, or character is furry.

• Mammals are more furry then other animal species. Canids get extra points.
• More rare species are more furry. Such as a maned wolf being more furry then a standard wolf.
• Unique coloration or markings; especially born with it. Heterochromia free space.
• Hybrids or extra animal body-parts are significantly more furry then a regular baseline creature of its real world counterpart species. Ugly or monstrous mutations are less furry; ie Warhammer Beastmen are less furry then a winged fox-wolf hybrid for example.
• Good aligned or at least positively viewed in its work. If they be subject to unfair treatment, then the audience is supposed to view it as them overcoming oppression/surviving being persecuted unfairly. They never deserve it. Overlapping trait with general Mary Sue profile.
• Usually magical; and closely related to nature and/or moral power systems. You're much more likely to see a "furry" character practicing chi manipulation or elemental magic then being imbued with cybernetics or using dark necromancy spells, for example.
• Cute, or at least drawn in a favorable way. Age range tends towards the young adult/author self-insert age, but almost never old/gray/haggard/scarred/etc. Disabilities, trauma, or other flaws are usually invisible or relegated to the aesthetic facial scar category.
• If violent; high level of proficiency, though rarely aggressive or domineering. "Hidden Badass" trope. Speed & Skill is usually preferred over brute strength, but this is dependent on species.
• Stereotypical traits of the animal species its based on, but rarely the more unsavory elements. ie; Bears are big, honest, love honey, and may hibernate but don't practice random infanticide for example.
• Sexual or romantic profile exactly as author's home culture; usually modern 2000s leniency towards homosexuality & casual sex; with mutual consent being most important factor as opposed to natural mating behaviors of its species or a more traditionalist culture. High degree of fetish content is specific to sexual content/porn, not that common in "normal" furry creation.
• Genders are almost always treated equally. Sexual dimorphism, if any, is regulated to appearance and is based solely on the host species.

So working backwards from this list, how do we create something "furry"? Well firstly, it must be adapted to its genre or host-work. Which leads me to part two.

Warhammer 40k & Faction Design
So 40k is a grimdark setting. Most of the races are engaged in genocidal wars with the other factions, meaning cooperation is very limited. While it's not "species = faction" given things like the Eldar vs Dark Eldar and the many, many human factions, but it's pretty close. The sole notable exception are the Tau, who are one of the few multi-species factions and are kind of meant to be the "tragic doomed good guy" faction in some ways. Even with this, some 40k fans think they're a bit toothless and don't fit with the general vibe of the setting; so our furry faction will have to be at least as bad as them, if not worse.

Disclaimer: I have never played or know anything about 40k besides what I read on wikis. So this entire exercise is just was wank as your own personal headcanon. If anything, maybe moreso, since there are probably other species or groups in 40k that deserve to be a faction way more then anything I could create; and that's valid. For this blogpost, I did at least do a little research, since the 40k game design element of this is what I'm least well equipped to handle in the "just making shit up" category.

Besides the grimdark element, each faction in 40k tends to have different unique traits. While there are many human factions that share similar aesthetics and technological basis, each Xeno species has a few traits across all of them that might work as a basis.

Species	Human / Imperium	Eldari / Dark Eldar
Physical	Humans	Elf (Better humans)
Tech	Ancient, Bulky, Industrial	Magictechish
Aesthetics	Iconography, Gothic, “Used Future”	Organic but not biotech
Gameplan	Varies (Diverse)	Fast & Mobile
Magic/Psionics	Chaos-susceptible, dangerous psykers	High emotions need restraint
Ideology	Fascist Empire w/ Theocratic tone	Independent & Conservative

Species	Ork	Tyranids
Physical	Green, Big, Brutish, Fungal	Insectoid; just Xenomorphs
Tech	Scavenged	True biotech & natural traits
Aesthetics	Scrap, Chaotic, Tribal	Limbs, splines, carapace
Gameplan	GO IN	Swarm (big monsters sometimes)
Magic/Psionics	Gestalt belief-field	Hive-Mind
Ideology	Tribal, “Might makes Right”	Survival/Animal

Species	Tau	Necrons
Physical	Various (Multi-Species)	Machine, Skeletal
Tech	Automatons, Cutting-Edge	Alienware Sarcophagi
Aesthetics	Mecha-inspired, sleek, utopian	Egyptian, Terminator
Gameplan	Ranged shooters	Tank Everything
Magic/Psionics	None	Rewrite reality, Matrix-code
Ideology	Real Politik, Communistic	Domination

Ideally, any new factions would want to have something that's different about them to all the other factions in each of these categories, while keeping in mind the medium they're being designed for. For example, you wouldn't want to make an army more hoard-y then the Tyranids; trying to fit any more pieces on a board then that would just be annoying. Likewise a faction of giant flying space psychic space whales might also be cool; but would be awkward in the context of a tabletop wargame.

Quick side note: Only now reading this do I realize how little of the "each species has one biome" thing 40k actually does. It's refreshing, because it's probably my biggest pet peeve in sci-fi. But at the same time, it'd be rather unique to do something like it, given the all-encompassing nature of 40k's races; that sort of flavor is mostly reserved for individual factions or space marine chapters and the like. 

Of course, the real answer of "what should the new faction of 40k be" is the myraid of unexplored factions and species already existent in the setting people have been wanting to see for a long time. They might be more deserving, and I'm sure your headcanon is more legitimate then mine. But this is just for fun; so what's a unique "furry" faction we could add distinct to the rest? (And if the Tau pissed off the neckbeards back in the day, oh boy).

The Fensi
Originating from their desert-dominated homeworld of Hassalude, the Fensi are a race of anthropomorphic canids similar in appearance to Fennec Foxes from earth. Their huge ears meant to help locate prey and cool off in the harsh desert conditions where they evolved are their primary distinguishing feature. After being born, Fensi kits quickly grow to a large size with long and disproportionately slender limbs, and die of old age in just a few short Terran years. However, due to a unique element of their culture, the Fensi can live much longer then their natural lifespan during which they slowly shrink in size. This confounds members of the other races, especially the Orks, but to the Fensi, the smallest among them are the oldest and richest, because of their access to Lux.

Lux is a unique substance cultivated by the Fensi. It's a type of specially processed water infused with psionic energy; farmed in special condenser farms and gardens by underclass workers. It can only be gathered on living planets, but seems to keep a store of all the psionic energy of beings who live within its water-cycle. Beyond being perfectly shelf-stable, drinkable, and resisting evaporation from the harsh desert wind, making it a trading currency to their early cultures; Lux is also known to infuse the drinker with an accumulation of psionic energy. While its original effects may have only been related to the health-benefits of good hydration, Lux has been so valued and singularly important in their capitalistic culture that it has become a vessel for value, power, and importance itself; the very drive to acquire Lux has made it more potent.

The Fensi culture is that of competition, hierarchy, and opportunity. While they have laws that protect individuals and private enterprise; their entire culture is about the accumulation of wealth (Lux) by the wealthiest that is often taken from the poorest. Because of their biology, young Fensi are the main laborers, using their big bodies to tend to the gardens and dig for insects to eat, eventually dying of old age in just a few short years if their lips never had a taste of Lux. Trade unions and mercenary armies make up the middle classes, to who which belong Fensi that are shorter and more stout in stature; similar in size to a regular Imperium human. Finally, the aristocrats of their race are the smallest of all, looking more like an upright talking fox instead of a powerful and dangerous Xeno. But this appearance can be deceiving, as these Fensi are the most powerful in their culture; with innate psionic protection and strength making them formidable foes.

Beyond their capitalistic traits, Fensi love art and luxury of all kinds. They prefer colorful clothing and dress, and even reflect this in their machines and military uniforms. Rare artifacts from other civilizations are traded freely and openly in Fensi bazaars and markets; with no regard for possible contamination by Chaos or restricted technology. While Slaanesh primarily gorges herself on the souls of the Elder; the much decadent Fensi upperclass may one day draw her eye.

Fensi tools, weapons, and even spaceships are all powered by Lux. This single-minded approach to resources has made their industry second only to the Imperium in grand scale. Unlike the Imperium however, the Fensi are very capitalistic. Their primary motivation to explore the galaxy and expand is profit and acquiring more Lux, first and foremost. Instead of exterminating another species on sight, they'd much prefer to barter and trade with them, but always to the benefit of whatever Fensi struck up the deal. Their power structure is colonial and imperialistic; establishing colonies on many worlds to suck up their "living water" using private mercenary armies and underhanded tactics to try and make a profit. They are willing to cooperate with many species in the galaxy, but only for the pursuit of wealth.

Fensi Factions
Whipsands Trading Co.
This corporation prides itself on being the largest and most expansive entity in Fensi space; creating monopolized worlds and many exploitive colonies on many foreign worlds. It is defended by its own private army; though it much prefers to expand through trade contract and hostile takeover over direct force whenever possible. It's most powerful members are the board of directors, who are the original founders of the company still alive since the very first of their race left their planet to explore the galaxy and gain profit from it.

Fensi Scouts- Light infantry sometimes found on foot or on the back of a younger long-limbed Fensi. These scouts are simultaneously skirmishers and skilled wilderness surveyors and prospectors, looking for watery oases in desert worlds or being bundled up to explore ice worlds.

Scout Gyrocopter- Fensi Scouts positioned in a flying machine, used for surveying the battlefield and taking weak, low damage potshots at enemies within a very long range. (I don't know 40k flying unit rules so I assume this would just be annoying and not OP)

Fensi Infantry- The standard Fensi infantry are middle-aged Fensi; shortened and stocky closer to human proportions. They wear elaborate costumes and fight in long line formations with their one-shot Lux Muskets. While not very mobile and not strong in melee, their mass shooting can be very deadly and they are well disciplined to be paid to keep order for the company.

Fensi Cavaliers- More heavily armored middle-aged Fensi with multiple carbines for a draw-and-fire approach. They ride on the back of large, younger Fensi.

Fensi Artillery- Powerful cannons using a variety of ammunition types. I imagine this as literally just a Napoleonic wars era type artillery cannon.

Cannonback- Artillery pieces put on the back of young Fensi, who carry them around to either fire a single inaccurate medium range explosive shot or can run into enemies to perform a kamikaze attack.

Fensi Grenadiers- Young Fensi wearing military dress and colorful uniforms, armed with shovels, axes, grenades, and Brewster style body-armor. Meant to break through enemy fortifications and act as a slightly heavier infantry. When each one is killed they drop live grenades as a small trick, taking out their own as well as enemies in melee range.

Bladetank- Large tanks powered by flywheels and Lux-devices; the entire outside is adorned with spinning blades and spikes. Primarily used as a method of breaking up worker revolts; it is a devastating vehicle made for melee combat and rushing into enemy infantry.

LuxWell- Large hovering shrine containing a large amount of Lux with many watering cans and urns besides, marked with company insignia. Designed as a sort of support unit that buffs nearby units (especially Elder Fensi). Kinda meant to be like a Tyranid Brain unit, but vulnerable if attacked directly.

Fensi Elder- Tiny Vulpera sized fox sitting on a self-propelled throne. (I like to imagine them in powdered wigs and frilly outfits, but anything regal and expensive will do). They are expensive in points and are usually named characters. They don't attack physically instead using psionic powers or telepathic suggestion to destroy opponents. Similar to the theme of slow but strong units reliant on positioning; the Fensi Elders would have turning rules but be extremely strong in close combat, having a death cone of attack in front of them you don't want to get funneled into. 

Worker Union
Because of the Fensi's capitalistic culture, the majority of their population exist within an exploited underclass. With short lifespans and tech-enforced monopolies on all trade and property; a growing resistance is brewing in the Fensi's lower and middle classes. While much poorer then the Whipsands corporation, the newly created Worker Union attempts to make up for it in numbers and cooperation. In the grim darkness of the future; there is only class warfare.

Fensi Burrowers- Fensi prefer to live underground in burrows; some little more then a hole in the ground and others elaborate subterranean palaces. The first step to all are burrowers; shovel-wielding very-young Fensi given limited armor and no training or expectation of survival. These Fensi can be used to create emergency cover or tunnels on a battlefield, or thrown into the enemy as an expendable shock troop.

Farmer Militia- Small land-owning farmers who can only create a meager amount of Lux, constantly pushed to sell their properties or in competition to larger corporations. Armed with simple flintlock Lux guns and machetes used for cutting vegetation now act as cheap but flexible infantry.

Arsonists- Those who burn factories and plantations of the wealthy classes; repurposed as a regular unit. Luxfire hits a zone on the table and stays for a long time, but can be instantly snuffed by the controlling player as a sort of unique area-control tool.

Abolistionist- Cool Elder Fensi riding a motorcycle (maybe a monowheel or old timey-bike with one big and one small wheel), who is a much more mobile but less powerful version of the Fensi Elder. They'd move around the battlefield getting to do AoE blasts around them in a small range each turn, prioritizing hit and run tactics or maybe they could "reverse polarity" and suck enemies towards them making them really good when matched with artillery, which are of course way more expensive for this faction or you need to pull enemies into Luxfire, or something like that.

Species	Fensi
Physical	Anthromorphic Animal-People (Foxes)
Tech	Retrofuturistic, Hand-Crafted, Hydraulic
Aesthetics	Desert Traders, Military Dress, Steampunk, Fantasy-Bazaar
Gameplan	Area Denial & Defensive Depth
Magic/Psionics	Wealth is Power
Ideology	Capital Exploitation & Colonialism

Design Goals
Basically I was trying to make something a little different but still fit in the world of 40k. I don't think it fits very well into 40k in my opinion; too much like a historical fantasy and not sci-fi enough and without the brutal grimdarkness. Notice how most 40k races have at least some kind of conversion or massive survival tactic like Necrons being unkillable machines or Orks having a fungal lifecycle. The Fensi are perfect as one of those xenos the Imperium wiped out centuries ago at least, don't really know if it has the "juice" of a full fledged faction. They'd probably just be a Tau side-species if anything.

Design wise? I don't know enough about 40k factions to say what kind of gameplay is unique. But I think a faction focused on slow and restricted units (like flintlocks who have to reload for a turn, or area-denial artillery and so on) that are strong but very clunky to use are interesting in the context of modern firearms, psionic spells, hovertanks, and other 40k-ish staples. This could totally already exist in the game though and I just wouldn't know any better. Overall, I don't think it's very good, but was fun to come up with.

[Vagueposting] Wugs are my new favorite

So recently I did something I normally don't do; and that is look at indie RPGs coming out. Lands of Eem was one such game. Personally, I don't really vibe with the overly nice, colorful, or "cute" type of games like this based on art style and approach, but I think the design of some of the creatures and races are cute. Nothing too remarkable; UNTIL I got to the Wug.

I fucking love Wugs. Just the name is perfect for what it is. But there is another reason. Archetypal fantasy races tend to fall into categories. Elder Scrolls Elves and Tolkien Elves are very different from each other but still feel "elvish" due to a similar overlap of commonalities and cultural traits. Same goes for Dwarves, Gnomes, and a few others. But what about "that" creature?

I don't think it's at all the creator's intention; but to me the "Wug" is kinda the perfect, archetypal name for this "kind" of fantasy creature. The intelligent, usually good natured race of kinda dumb, big, kinda animal person that isn't a furry but isn't an enkidu-type hairy beast man creature. It's that final last category you really see on the "Big Five" table of races; the "gentle giant" types who oust the human as the tallest and strongest race, but tend to not be as capable of agility or spellcasting type of things. Sometimes Half-Orcs fill this role too, but it kinda has its own specific baggage.

It's hard to describe, hence why this is a Vaguepost. I'm also going to be excusing myself at crediting the artists, because there are just so many pieces of commissioned artwork and AI shit I have to sift through to find what I'm talking about; sorry.

This archetypal role is often named something else, but the names never fit perfectly. Sometimes they're Bugbears but I hate that name, both for the weirdness of being goblins but big(?) but not being green??? And they aren't part bear or bug at all??? I know fantasy games have tons of folklore names turned into species which don't make sense but for some reason I just do not like this for "bugbears" at all.
Sometimes people call them troll/ogres but that's usually a monster. And if you make them dumb and lovable it takes away a lot of the mystic wilderness that a big scary troll (that's smart and can talk but just lives under a bridge and eats people instead of working a job and paying taxes).
Sometimes they are firbolgs, but firbolgs have their weird different mythological connotation and doesn't really roll off the tongue as well.  Plus you got that one weirdo who is like "firbolgs aren't cow people they're scottish giants!!!" as if a single fucking person EVER had the specific intention to use a "firbolg" in place of a generic giant encounter in their game ever in the history of D&D other then because it had more hit points.
Sometimes they're Goliaths but Goliaths are weird D&D invention and usually more humanoid.

We need a name for them. The issue with making up new weird fantasy names is they have no cultural background. That's why it's easier to make your own elves and orcs and goblins, but if you make yours too weird they cease to be that fantasy archetype and fall into the scrimblo-bimblo worldbuilding discourse. It's not that you're not allowed to do that but nobody else will want to interact with it on face value because they have zero cultural overlap with your vision. But this "kind" of creature I feel is just right for the cultural overlap zone; just iconic enough with enough examples and relevance it could be codified into a "thing", like when kobolds went from little men sprites to yappy doggish things into little dragon-minions and before they became a sex thing; they went from this vague soup of "have your own interpretation" into "everyone draws them like this now". Critical Roll tried with its Firbolgs but I don't think it was super successful.

Now I want to make it clear I'm not delusional enough that my own ideas for Wugs, nor do I think "Eem", have the cultural staying power or memetic potential to overhaul this entire fantasy archetype the same way kobolds did. But I feel like there is something to this archetype that is still in its larval stages; All Elves are Legolas, all Dwarves are Gimli, all Wugs(?) are... Torbek?

The hairy, tusked, big-man who is not an orc and is connected to nature but is not a troll or giant or god forbid a satyr; perfect to fill the spot of "human but stronger" without being an off-shoot orc or stepping on the toes of dragonborn with their dragon and elemental aspects or orcs and their "dark mirror to humanity" aspect or gnolls and their savage beastfolk aspect which is also not a furry but has elf ears and shows up all the time in fanart as some weird thing? 

What is this stupid fucking kind of creature called!??!? It's a WUG! It's PERFECT!

Everybody's Halflings

Just think about it logically

The name "Halfling" raises some confusion. For most, the simple fact that Haflings are about half as tall as a human is enough, but is there some other meaning? In truth, Halflings are not their own race, nor are they a phenomena unique to humans. Halflings are basically, half people. It's fantasy dwarfism; having nothing to do with actual real life little people, of course. But in this case; they are "half" a person.

Scholars disagree what this means exactly. They have a soul, a physical body, and a mind- mostly capable of beings of any given race; but they aren't "all there". They tend to see things a bit simpler- more like children. They're a bundle of simple stereotypes and drives- based on the race that spawned them. The reason Halflings are so laid back, love to live in rolling green farms, smoke weed and drink ale all day while the rest of the world passes them by is because they are only halfway to humans- the great longing to find the secrets of the universe, the search for passion and meaning- absent. Only the bare minimum of cultures. Wholesome, fulfilling, but simple.

But why do only humans seem to have these "Halflings" associated with them? Well, that's not actually true. Every race does.

Elves have halflings, they are called Gnomes.

Orcs have Goblins.

Dragonborn halflings are Kobolds. You may ask where dragons fit into this, and that's simple, dragonborn are actually Halflings of them. So Kobolds are half of a half, which is why are objectively not people and it's okay to break into their warrens and kill them for their shiny stuff.

Dwarves don't have halflings because dwarves are already halflings. Think about it; they basically act as stereotypes already, only caring about beer, mining, and forging with silly accents? Dwarves are the Halflings of the ancient great progenitor race of Giants, who once forged weapons for the Gods; now made silly and gold obsessed with cave-driven evolutionary adaptation. Also explains why they don't have darkvision; Giants live on the surface.

Sometimes the process works in reverse, at least in terms of size. The Halflings of Hyenas are actually Gnolls, which sounds weird until you consider how stupid and one-note Gnolls tend to be compared to the advanced social systems of hyena packs. Just look at the success rate of hyenas; they clearly have more going on upstairs then a fucking gnoll.

Drow have halflings too, and those are those weird little dark imp looking darkling creepy crawly gollum looking things you see sometimes in media but doesn't really have a specific overarching name but are totally common enough to be a fantasy race.

Ents have dryads. (Or those could be Halflings of trees?)

And those little magical pixie/fairy type creatures you can catch in jars and are generally helpful and nice? Those are the Halflings of the True Fae. The "halfing" aspect of them shaved off all of the extremely dangerous subtly and depth to what the Fae are like. They just give gifts and helpful little spells instead of actually ruining your whole family line while "helping" you with a problem.

What about Ogres? They tend to be pretty humanoid, just bigger. Are they doublelings? No, they're halflings too. Just of something way bigger and way, way worse.

In Defense of Race as Culture + 8 Universal Origins for People

Art @Su Jian

Often browsing internet forums or writing advice blogs, you will often hear the adage of "writing a fictional fantasy or sci-fi race with only one culture is bad writing", and this is true! Classics include Klingons, fantasy Dwarves, always-evil Orcs, and other such examples. The idea of an entire polity of intelligent beings, at least as smart or socialized as humans, yet not having even close to the same amount of diversity of cultures and ethnicities (or "races"; we're using the term race = species here as a colloquialism), does seem to raise some alarm bells and a lack of care for the detail and belivability of a fictional world.

The cause of this phenomena is talked about a lot, so I won't spend much time writing on it. Basically, everyone who writes these types of stories is a human, and humans are pretty much the only intelligent "race" of beings on our planet. As such, we see differences amongst ourselves much better then we do other living creatures. For example, most people couldn't tell the difference looking at an adult male or female tiger unless you put them right next to each other. The stripes, fur, hips, skull construction, everything is too similar unless you're some kind of zookeeper or something. Humans are designed to see differences in other humans, so we naturally gloss over the differences in a fictional nonhuman race. (One could argue this is actually genius level writing; portraying all members of a fantasy race as stereotypes is just the unreliable human narrator or the viewer own lens ignorant of the deep culture differences between deciduous forest elves and conifer-elves, but we're not gonna go there.)

Secondly, the overhead of writers and authors to create (and audiences to consume) is too much for a full human-level of detail and breakdown for different fantasy races with their own cultures and history. There is only so much room in a game or book or show or whatever else to dedicate to such extraneous fluff. As such, they are simplified. This creates a sense of "fakeness" and one-dimensionality to these fantasy races, making them walking stereotypes. Surely, the elves would have their own many factions and cultures. They can't all be tree dwelling, bow using, magical immortals with a penchant for sneering at younger races, right? Is having an entire race of ultra-capitalists in a sprawling sci-fi setting creating a less believable world, no matter how well developed they actually are? 

I think with the bottom-to-top worldbuilding design of creating and explaining every little detail of a world, yes, I think having fantasy races as monocultures is a bit lazy and could veer into bad writing. But in my opinion? Monolithic and one-dimensional races are not bad at all. This is because they are not representative of an actual fantasy race of people but, instead, are essentially the fantastical, exaggerated fantasy versions of real-life heritage and diversity.

Art @Timbukdrew (these are my favorite troglodytes ever btw)

Humans are Not a Race
Perhaps because of playing so many non-human characters, imagining settings with them, or generally consuming media with a smattering of different fantasy races I personally don't find myself with some special connection to fellow humans as portrayed in fantasy worlds. Instead, I just think of intelligent beings in fantasy as just being some vague kind of people. It also helps if we don't use the label of "human" for one or more fantasy races. One good example would be the Elder Scrolls or Lord of the Rings; while they may be "Men", the differences between them are still significant. After all, Hobbits are a race of men too, despite them being wayyyy different from the other "humans" in Tolkien's works, both physically and culturally (mentally?).

In the real world, different human genetic traits evolved due to evolutionary and selective (cultural) pressures. While this topic is obviously contentious, it is in inarguable fact of biology. It cannot be denied without a creationist argument. Even so, I still very strongly feel that the genetic difference between two of the most distant human groups still capable of interbreeding is still probably less then the differences then a Nord and a Breton, or a High Elf and a Dark Elf. They're still the same race, but the differences between them are exaggerated, made fantastical, more apparent to highlight the differences and potential gameplay impacts (which is the only thing anybody actually cares about) that your choice of character race will have on your playthrough.

Of course, "genetic distance" and DNA and shit doesn't exist in fantasy anyway. It's a misnomer. They exist but only as vague concepts that direct how the author and audience expect things to work unless something "else" is going on in the fantasy world. In the real world, somebody can't be half animal, because the genetics don't work like that. But in a fantasy world? Someone can be half horse or half bull or whatever, and potentially pass that trait on. Somebody can also just be touched by supernatural spirits, or be part of a cursed bloodline, or whatever else the author makes up. While logically or "realistically" orcs and elves and humans can't be part of the same species, they can still occupy that space thematically.

Imagine you are traveling along a road in medieval times. After a long enough walk, two villages could have totally different dialects, totally different industries and ways of living, different food and dress, different cultures and customs, and they may even look just a little bit different physically too. These differences are minor, scaling with distance traveled. In a fantasy world? It's the same, except exaggerated. Made fantastical and unreal by the creator and the reader, so much so that the next village over is not run by humans, but little badgers living in little holes under the ground. They aren't literally the same species under a complex set of genetic rules and cultural histories creating these differences; but instead a way to make that pop and become something that inspires awe and intrigue. This is why I don't mind when a fantasy race is boring or one-dimensional. They're only one-dimensional when compared to the real world, but in the fantasy world? They make up part of the tapestry.

Also to improve this rambling post a bit; a random table you can roll on to worldbuild where all your different fantasy races are actually all from the same place and we should like not fight in race wars in stuff because we're all really the same and stuff.

Universal Origins - Roll 1d8
[1] The Gods each made their own race out of the same special clay. Each is molded to look different and do different things, but in the end, they're all from the womb of the earth. Mortals can do this too, but only a fraction of their power; this is where golems come from.

[2] All of the races were uplifted are from different animals, which came first, and were magically transformed into Man-Shape. Orcs are pigs, elves from foxes, dwarves from goats, humans from flightless birds and so on. What about animal people? They were the first drafts, which is why those races are more bestial and less developed; cast aside as failed experiments.

[3] Do the Goblin Punch thing where all the races are uplifted genetic castes made for specific purposes by a precursor race. But don't make the precursors "true" Elves or some super powerful aliens; make it gnomes. Every time there is a secret plot or evil conspiracy, it's always the fucking gnomes.

[4] The first being in the world had many offspring that it split off from itself to admire creation. These beings are all just pieces of the whole. The eyes of the Elves, the arms and hands of the Dwarves, the horns of the Oni; all pieces of the true being. When the players finally arrange all the pieces together and zap it with lightning to bring it to life, it actually looks really horrific and it's basically a Lovecraftian monster that is their progenitor; not some creature of great beauty and grace.

[5] The world was actually a trial for souls, one representing each race, to overcome adversity and purify themselves to ascend into heaven to sit besides the Throne of God. Each one of these heroes was given a form that representing their emotional state and greatest faults they had to overcome. The Elf was a soul in love with nature and peace, needing to learn how to be practical. The Orc had a fiery temper and had to learn patience, and so on. The problem? The trial is over, they're all gone. It was made for individuals, and their offspring and families were just left behind later. Those ancient ancestral heroes are all chilling in heaven and don't really care about you anymore. You're just the leftovers.

[6] Each race is really from another demiplane that was once perfect for them. Endless rolling green hills for the halflings, toxic swamps with much prey for the lizardfolk, and so on. Eventually, the demiplanes fused together with cosmic planar gravity; the world is its accretion disc. Racism and stuff happens because you kinda weren't meant to ever exist together, so it's hard to adapt. Don't get mad when demons and freaky outsiders try to open portals to your dimension; they're just trying to join in with everyone else.

[7] When God made the world in all its complexity and design he took all the souls of all the people who would ever be born and asked them what they wanted to be and when all of them said they wanted to be kings and beautiful creatures and all powerful he got mad and just mixed them up in a pot and just spilled them out so that's why you're short and stubby and eat your damn mushroom soup.

[8] We all actually "evolved" over a "billions of years" from a single extremely simple creature called a "single celled organism". Scholars laugh at this nonsense; point to the statues of their Gods which look exactly like them. It just makes more sense.

Fluff from a picture- Fox Merchant

At first glance, people may not trust a fox person as a merchant. That's not surprising, as nobody trusts fox people in the first place. But there's a big difference between stealing and encouraging people to spend their money in unwise ways; and foxes thrive exactly where that line is drawn. Let's talk about this one.

Art @SylviaJo (mildly NSFW)

The stall is a modified shipping crate modified for easy carrying. Lightweight woods were used for its construction, and naturally the whole thing is collapsible and portable. The awning is designed to keep the sun out of the seller's eyes, but also acts as a way to "stand out" from the rest of the crowd. The stripes of the awning also have special significance- to most casual observers and patrons, they would assume it is merely decorative, but it's actually code. White indicates a "clean" stall, without stolen goods, and "blue" indicates a fox whose goods are not of interest to other foxes. In other words, they're selling boring junk and overpriced novelties to tourists.

Typically, customers are expected to either approach the fox merchant from the front to ask about goods, or approach from behind. Selecting their items from the crate and dropping the appropriate coins in the bags strung up between the poles. To any human, this idea seems absurd- too easy for a cutpurse. This goes into their selling style- this fox may simply walk in front of anyone who they sense needs something- allowing them to make a quick purchase without breaking their stride. The fox merchant is good enough to keep up a conversation while patrons simply take and pay for what they wish from behind the seller- the fox can sense the shifting of weights and items in the box, they know what you've taken. This almost sixth sense of being able to anticipate a sale opportunity is what gives fox merchants- the perfectly legal ones- their competitive edge.

How much trust do these foxes put in their clients to serve them from behind? Of course- the fox is not a human. Their ears and sense of touch is more then fine enough to tell if someone is cheating. Each bag is soaked in a specific perfume overnight, meaning a sudden heavy coin dropping in will release a specific odor- no way to fake the noise. And this technique isn't just for the loose change. The fox's tail is also dipped in another scent- this one is for defense. Anyone who tries to steal or cheat the merchant, or a cutpurse who thinks they're fast enough to outfox a fox will get a quick brush from the tail. The thief will falsely assume they can get away before the fox can turn around, when in reality they've already coated their legs with a an easy to follow scent. Fox merchants are infamous for allowing thieves to run off and finishing their day at work, before casually leading the guards to the thief's hideout after sundown.

The pouches and bottles are there for the fox. Honest. Personal affects meant to be separate from what they're selling- they travel light. This fox merchant will have a bottle of water (they can't drink wine anyway) and a bottle of a common potion. Most commonly they carry a potion of charm or suggestibility to spike the drinks of anyone foolish enough they can get a fox more sauced up then themselves.

The clothes and apron are garb from local merchant's guilds. The fox, as a beastperson, has less need for clothes then humans and has less modesty in public, so borrowing a few official pieces of trader garb can make the fox look more official. Trader aprons are, of course, purely ceremonial. This profession is so far removed from actual physical labor that a butcher's smock or blacksmith apron is merely a symbol to be adopted.

The rings are highly rated status symbols. Fox people value rubies the highest of all precious stones, including diamonds- though diamonds are still more rare and expensive, the red ruby is the most romantic and infatuating stone. As with any merchant, rings act as both a symbol of ones wealth AND a potential store of future wealth- if you're really down on your luck, you can sell one to recoup your losses on a failed trading trip. Any fox would be remiss to do something like that to their ruby rings- unless they have a plan to get it back.

The necklace, still a symbol of wealth, is more personal. Foxes are not immune to their own reputations as tricksters and thieves, and they primarily project this quality of themselves into their hands and tails. Anything worn close to the body is more sacred. For this fox, four circles represent four children in a wonderful marriage to their loving partner. Maybe that's the reason this fox is on the straight and narrow.

Cool Dragon Design + Random Dragon Thought

Art @Antiono Stappaerts

So I saw this random dragon design by an artist (does youtube drawing tutorials) and I thought this design was really cool. I like the skinny dragon concept that still looks distinctly "dragon". Also the implied size of this dragon is right in the sweet spot- it looks to me like a really big airborne crocodile moreso then a massive behemoth, which is a more agreeable power level for dragons. I also really like the wings, fixes the "issue" of dragons with having wings too small; and you can imagine how they'd fold up at the sides without having to rely on a 4 limbed dragon design.

But while randomly thinking about this cool dragon I had a second thought; things that fly like to use thermals to fly right, and dragons have hot-breath. Has seriously nobody talked about this before? I can't think of any examples off the top of my head- though I'm sure somebody has somewhere.

The reason why dragons have such long, skinny necks may not be immediately obvious to a casual observer, but dragonologists know. The closest thing to a dragon in terms of ecological niche is something like a large predatory reptile- crocodiles, komodo dragons, etc. These creatures do not have long, snake like necks. The reason dragons have them is because one, they are more intelligent and being able to look around to speak or groom another dragon is valuable, and two, because it lets them blast heat underneath their wings in flight. Dragons who need a boost can just look backwards and puff- and I imagine dragons can do that cool growl thing that just shoots out hot, oven-like air instead of actual fire if they want.

Dragons having fire breath is a evolutionary advantage for many, many reasons. As a flying predator, burning forests down not only lets you see prey animals more clearly, but it also creates massive thermal updrafts used for your dragon antics. Maybe its a mating display thing too; big fire = big dragon lungs = big dragon sex.

This is also the reason dragons sleep for a long time. They're not resting for fun or because they're especially lazy, they're resting to let forests grow back. Dragons slumber for ~a hundred years or so, enough time for a forest to regrow and wildlife to come to its lair. In a fantasy world; dragons are the natural embodiment of fire; and are the balancing force that keeps the old trees and magical woodland spirits and such from getting too gigantic and overgrown. They come out, burn down forests and gobble up everything that comes out, go to sleep for a hundred years and do it again.

Why don't monsters use all the cool weapons in the dungeon?

You know the drill. You have a dungeon filled with dangerous monsters and undead guardians, and the dungeon has rare and magical weapons inside. Why aren't the monsters inside using them? Why are they using generic rusty spears and stuff instead of the +2 Magic Sword in the ancient vault? Here's some reasons.

Art @slaughterkeys.tumblr

8 Reasons
[1] Monsters rely on their innate strength, view actually good weapons as "pansy ass human shit"
[2] The weapons in the dungeon are like collector's items. Don't want them to get dirty.
[3] Too dumb and/or superstitious. Trust what they've made, anything else could be cursed.
[4] Religious reasons. Everything in this dungeon is tribute to their dark gods, can't use them.
[5] Monsters are either created/enchanted to serve the dungeon's master. They are following orders.
[6] Some monsters (like skeletons) are reliant on magical fields to stay together. Powerful magical items, beneficial or not, will essentially overload them and make them fall apart.
[7] They're actually in the dungeon to find those weapons. If you take too long to loot the place, they may eventually unearth them and start attacking human settlements.
[8] Magical weapons are reserved for their ruling class and those in positions of honor. Regular units don't use them; but their captains might!

Seeking the GFS (Generic Fantasy Setting) + 20 Core Elements

I've never liked the idea of calling something a “generic” fantasy setting for two reasons. One, the term generic has a bit of a negative connotation that, in my opinion, isn't really warranted. I like generic stuff. Sometimes vanilla is the best flavor. But the second, and most pressing reason, is because “Generic” doesn't actually mean anything.

When people are calling something generic, they're usually saying whatever thing or system or setting they are most familiar and comfortable with that has become the basis for their fantasy universe. The term “generic fantasy setting” is a bit of a misnomer because people have very different definitions of what generic actually is.

Art @Andreas Rocha

 

Off the top of my head, I'm going to list the most “generic” fantasy settings I can think of, or the “generic” settings that people use as the baseline for fantasy worlds.

• Lord of the Rings or Tolkien's expanded work / Middle Earth
• The Elder Scrolls / Tamriel
• World of Warcraft / Azeroth
• The Witcher Universe / The Witcher Universe
• Dungeons & Dragons / Forgotten Realms + Others
• Dungeon Meshi Manga / Dungeon Meshi Universe

Now these are just the ones I've seen or played. I've heard Dragon Age and Dragon's Dogma are supposed to also be fairly generic as well, but I haven't played or seen enough of those to make a judgement if they should be added to the list. Warhammer is also fairly generic at the surface (human empire, elves, dwarves, orcs, order vs chaos, etc.) but has a lot of specific unique elements and factions which don't fit that well for our purposes.

As you can probably tell; the above list is not supposed to be some kind of list of carbon copy fantasy worlds. ALL of these worlds are very different from each other. Even if they have similarities on the surface, they're each different and unique. This is exactly what I've been trying to say; Elves from Warcraft and Elves from Tolkien have almost nothing in common, but they are both “generic” because they both have vaguely similar aesthetic presentations and hold similar tropes. They both feel like elves despite almost everything about them being different.

However, it is clear that there is some undercurrent of “generic” connection between these and more fantasy worlds. I think the term “Generic Fantasy Setting”has value. I think it's both a useful term and a fun archetype of “world” to create or run in. So let's quantify it with a table.

 

You could also use this table below as a quick-and-dirty fantasy setting creation tool. Take everything below as "true" for the setting. Then just roll d20 to pick a category, then a smaller die with a number of faces equal to the bold and italic text in the category. Whatever you roll; change, remove, or shift up that element. Roll any number of times to spice up your new "generic" fantasy setting.

 

Art @Sweetmoon

20 Core Elements that make up a GFS

[1] The world is based on the cosmic struggle or balance between Good and Evil OR Law and Chaos OR is physically constructed by the Four Elements.

[2] The main biome or landmass of the setting, or the place with the main campaign or most detail, is a Western European Temperate Biome. The setting has a technological level and history that is roughly analogous to the High Medieval / Early Renaissance.

[3] The setting tends to be ruled by a Pantheon of Gods. The Gods are thought to exist but only rarely intervene in mortal affairs.

[4] There are several different intelligent fantasy races. These races are;

• Humans who mostly live on the plains, and tend to be the most populous race.
• Elves who mostly live in the forests.
• Dwarves who mostly live in the mountains and/or hills.
• Orcs who mostly live in the wastelands. They tend to be antagonistic to the other races.
• Any other races are much more rare and are often from exotic locales.

[5] The primary power structure of the setting is a feudal monarchy which is ruled by a King OR Emperor. This system is one where land, wealth, and social status if passed from parent to child. The most powerful individuals in society are Nobles. The primary inheriting sex is Male.

 

[6] The land is protected by trained soldiers who protect it from monsters, invasions, and other threats. The most elite of these trained soldiers are Knights or heavily armed cavalry. These Knights are expected to Follow a Moral Code and there is a level of Prestige associated with them.

[7] The majority of the people survive by Farming. The most common types of food cultivated is Bread cultivated from wheat ground into flour, etc. Livestock include Cows, Sheep, Goats, Chickens and Pigs.

[8] The primary vehicle used by people in this setting for transport and warfare are Horses over land and Ships over sea. While the primary setting is already mapped and established with civilizations, there are Unexplored Lands on the borders of the map.

[9] The most common threats people encounter when traveling on the roads Bandits and Wolves. Most rookie adventurers start off fighting weak monsters like Giant Rats or Goblins. More rare monsters can be very dangerous. The most infamous, though not necessarily most powerful or common of these monsters is the Dragon. The strongest monsters in the setting tend to have a weird habit of Kidnapping Princesses and locking them up far away.

[10] There are ancient Dungeons which house dangers like monsters, traps, and magic. The primary reason people explore these dungeons is to acquire Treasure. These dungeons are usually ruins left behind by a More Magically Advanced but fallen Precursor Civilization. Additionally, dungeons are also the most likely places to hold Ancient Evils that are waiting to be awakened.

[11] Among treasures and other wonders found in Dungeons, you might also find magic items. The most powerful and sought after are Magic Swords, which is the most noble weapon. The other most powerful magic item are lamps which house Genies that grant Three Wishes.

[12] Magic is a powerful force in this universe. Magic is Rare and usually kept as Secret Knowledge. Those who cultivate magic can use it in the forms of Potions, Spells, and Enchanted Items.

[13] The type of people who use magic are scholarly, wise Wizards. They are usually Very Powerful but Withdrawn from the world. They tend to sequester themselves in Towers.

[14] Typically, the most common end goals for a Wizard or mark of a great Wizard is to become Immortal or to create the philosophers stone and turn Lead into Gold.

[15] The most advanced weapon in the setting is a Catapult OR Repeating Crossbow. Blackpowder weapons are in their Infancy OR Are inexplicably absent.

[16] The primary currency used by people in the setting are Circular Coins made of Gold, Silver, and Bronze for different denominations. The wealthiest people in the setting besides the ruling classes will usually be Merchants and Guildmasters.

[17] Outside of civilization, there is untamed wilderness. This is where Fairies live, who are known to be Magical Tricksters who love Pranks. They are not usually hostile nor are they benevolent. Nature itself may also be a force in the world; too much industrialization from (usually humans or orcs) may incur the Wrath of Nature in the form of natural disasters and animal attacks. Finally; there are Treants, tree people who talk and may be able to walk or uproot themselves if needed who defend the forests and seek to retain a balance with nature.

[18] After people die, their souls are ferried to an Afterlife determined by their Deity OR Taken to Heaven or Hell based on how good or evil they are. Those whose spirits are get lost in the process or have unfinished business may end up as Ghosts, which is where Ghosts come from.

[19] There are people who come back from the dead as Undead Monsters like zombies or skeletons. They were raised from the dead by a Necromancer OR by being Buried somewhere Cursed. They can be destroyed physically and are Repelled by Holy Things.

 

[20] The most common religion in the setting is expressed by a powerful Church with ordained priests. The priests can sometimes perform Healing Miracles and can destroy the Undead with their holy magic. While the world can be dark and scary, the faithful teach messages of Hope. Other faiths practice in secret and form into Dark Cults.

Where does a Dragon's Firebreath come out of exactly?

Art @Saeed Ramez

Roll a d6 to find out.

[1] Out of their throat, basically belch or vomit it out.

[2] Out of their nose, snort it out. May light things on fire when they sneeze or get mad.

[3] Out of fire glands or valves in their mouth; similar to a spitting cobra. Pic related.

[4] Gas is released from their body, spark pouch in throat/mouth ignites it safely at distance.

[5] Forms on the outside of their mouth from fluid that ignites with the air. Fire is partially liquid and kind of “sprays”, may be almost like a fantasy version of napalm. Very nasty.

[6] Out of their butthole lol.

Splinter Group Generator

Roll on this generator to create a splinter group of a religious sect, warband, kingdom, evil cult, mage university, or any other organization or group you can think of. You'll have to do a little work, but this allows you to generate a splinter group off of something you've already made.

Reason for the Split? - 1d6

[1] Leader of the original group was an asshole.

[2] Original group became soft/lost their way. (in the eyes of the splinter group, obviously.)

[3] Time and happenstance. Splinter group became isolated, over years became its own thing.

[4] Manipulated by a strong personality within the first group; broke apart to benefit the individual.

[5] Division of ideology- split due to irrevocable differences.

[6] Outside influence tried to split the group to benefit them. Add +1 to Outsider Politics roll.

Ideological Differences? - 1d4

[1] More extreme or legalistic.

[2] Identical to original group- the motivation or the means has been altered.

[3] Slight alterations to core tenets and/or major changes to secondary beliefs/tenents.

[4] Less extreme or legalistic.

Outsider Politics – 1d4

[1] More hostile/intolerant.

[2] More secretive or isolationist.

[3] Less secretive; more open or transparent.

[4] Less hostile; friendlier to outsiders.

[5] Secretly controlled by the original group OR an outsider force trying to undermine the original group.

Feelings towards the original group and/or action against Original Group? - 1d3

[1] Total hatred, up to and including outright war or espionage.

[2] They prefer to pretend they don't exist/irrelevant to our goals.

[3] Pity and disappointment. Willing to rejoin with the original group with conditions.

Splinter Group Motif- 1d4

[1] Corrupted/altered symbol of the original group. Inverted cross, red changed to blue, etc.

[2] Personal symbol of the leader or their family/clan/crest/corporate logo.

[3] Animal or plant that counters the original group's sign. If not applicable, make this symbol a plant/animal that represents their newfound plucky nature.

[4] Symbol that branches off another symbol- represents their origin of branching off a bigger group. If this group is more ideologically extreme then the original group, then they'll claim to be the bigger symbol- they're the actual original group after all.