Nifft
2015-09-01, 10:30 PM
D&D is a very diverse kitchen-sink style of game.
Every damn thing finds its way into D&D, and sometimes you don't need a great excuse to have fun stabbing something new, but sometimes you (as a DM or player) feel an itch to ask how the world got the way that it is, and want to a plausible excuse for the vast variety of vicious villains.
This thread is about good excuses.
1. Environment Shapes Nature
Sounds redundant, right? That's because it's so obvious that a creature's environment and a creature's nature should be intertwined. Elves were the first to discover this, for obvious reasons, but the most reported case was the unfortunate tragedy of the Sewer Dragons.
What's going on? Dragons are a single species. Elves are a single species. The environment in which a nature-attunded creature is born and raised changes the creature's nature. Dragons who hatch and grow up in a forest are green, and don't burn down the forest. Dragons which hatch in a volcano are red, and burn many things. Elves likewise have many "subspecies" which are merely the effects of their native (or adopted) environment.
It may be possible for dragons and elves to change their attunement by spending enough time in a different environment.
Under this setting, Tieflings might just be humans who were born in the Lower Planes, or who were born in a magically cursed environment.
2. You Wear Your Soul
D&D 5e did a cool thing with Gnolls. Instead of just being another generic humanoid monster race, they are now demonically uplifted hyenas.
In a previous setting, I'd gone in basically the opposite direction with that specific creature, and made Gnolls a transformation template which could be applied to human cultists (of the demon Yeenoghu, of course). The template was broken down into a four-level "prestige" class, which emulated humanoid HD and gave stat boosts.
3.5e's Dragonborn of Bahamut were another transformational race, which became dragon-like. Arcana Evolved had the Mojh, a "race" of humans who also turned themselves into dragon-like people. Arcana Evolved also had the Spryte, a diet cola transformational class for their Small race to become Tiny and grow wings (i.e. become a Pixie).
Under this setting, most of the "races" are templates (or paragon classes) which an individual chooses to become. A Tiefling would be a human who made a deal with a Fiend, or who was subject to a family curse, rather than a genetic condition. Dragons might appear metallic when content and full of peace, but turn chromatic when wrathful and full of hate.
Not sure this can be expanded to a 101 list, but hopefully there are some other good ideas out there.
Give me your ideas!
Every damn thing finds its way into D&D, and sometimes you don't need a great excuse to have fun stabbing something new, but sometimes you (as a DM or player) feel an itch to ask how the world got the way that it is, and want to a plausible excuse for the vast variety of vicious villains.
This thread is about good excuses.
1. Environment Shapes Nature
Sounds redundant, right? That's because it's so obvious that a creature's environment and a creature's nature should be intertwined. Elves were the first to discover this, for obvious reasons, but the most reported case was the unfortunate tragedy of the Sewer Dragons.
What's going on? Dragons are a single species. Elves are a single species. The environment in which a nature-attunded creature is born and raised changes the creature's nature. Dragons who hatch and grow up in a forest are green, and don't burn down the forest. Dragons which hatch in a volcano are red, and burn many things. Elves likewise have many "subspecies" which are merely the effects of their native (or adopted) environment.
It may be possible for dragons and elves to change their attunement by spending enough time in a different environment.
Under this setting, Tieflings might just be humans who were born in the Lower Planes, or who were born in a magically cursed environment.
2. You Wear Your Soul
D&D 5e did a cool thing with Gnolls. Instead of just being another generic humanoid monster race, they are now demonically uplifted hyenas.
In a previous setting, I'd gone in basically the opposite direction with that specific creature, and made Gnolls a transformation template which could be applied to human cultists (of the demon Yeenoghu, of course). The template was broken down into a four-level "prestige" class, which emulated humanoid HD and gave stat boosts.
3.5e's Dragonborn of Bahamut were another transformational race, which became dragon-like. Arcana Evolved had the Mojh, a "race" of humans who also turned themselves into dragon-like people. Arcana Evolved also had the Spryte, a diet cola transformational class for their Small race to become Tiny and grow wings (i.e. become a Pixie).
Under this setting, most of the "races" are templates (or paragon classes) which an individual chooses to become. A Tiefling would be a human who made a deal with a Fiend, or who was subject to a family curse, rather than a genetic condition. Dragons might appear metallic when content and full of peace, but turn chromatic when wrathful and full of hate.
Not sure this can be expanded to a 101 list, but hopefully there are some other good ideas out there.
Give me your ideas!