imp_fireball
2008-11-16, 09:53 PM
This thread is meant to explore, from fantasy literature (and perhaps some examples of reality, since fiction often dirives from reality), the psychology of different sentient races.
Why? Because personally I'm interested, since being sentient doesn't necessarily mean they all have to reason in the same way. Different races are genetically far reaching and vast. Beyond base beliefs, there's also racial view that influences psychological nature. To ingrain the point further, one might say that gnolls and humans are apart from one another, both physically and mentally. Why? Because, the template for a gnoll states that it has -2 int in comparison to a human (average int). Not all gnolls are stupid (of course, 16 int is about the maximum a gnoll can achieve, which is pretty darn smart by human standards). Most humans are relatively mundane in their reasoning, though we know from real life that some are capable of phenomenal bouts of thought (18 int being near genius), though not necessarily thought collection and organization (which could probably effect the int score for simplification purposes).
Additionally, there are those races with less of a naturally discovered sense of direction or awareness. These are usually of the templates with -2 wis or more.
These faults pass across certain races, but how do some sentient races end up being less intelligent then humans no matter how well bred (by the mathematical odds, in which mathematically a well bred human would be more intelligent then another creature within the exact same breeding program)? This is where racial nature comes in, and perhaps the way different races look at things right from when they are babies (or if they develop by not knowing how to even think as babies, then perhaps later on in life).
The purpose of the thread is to make RP a more enjoyable experience. And also for speculation purposes, since that's fun too.
NOTE: Mod can move this thread, to another forum if it doesn't really fit in homebrew.
First, I'll take a look at human beings:
Human Thought
http://www.comicartlinks.com/images_kalman/MISC_04_c.jpg
The two clear sides of human thought: curiosity as well as a naturally judgemental view of the world tends to conflict with one another. As such, man can be guided on nearly any path, a fact aided perhaps by their own conscious inferiority.
- It is healthy for man to ignore, lest they lose their reasoning. If man can't ignore (whether it be that which bothers them, or that which is boring, illogical, unenjoyable, etc.) then man is weak. Say, you can't ignore your own boredom, or you find yourself returning to watch a clown, or you just can't tune out your mother nagging you (even though what she is saying isn't really relevant to your actual life and that she is stricken with delusion... okay, say she actually was), chances are you will be left a bit of a nervous wreck.
- Mankind must actually believe before they can learn, and this applies to everything learned less they take on stress and become depressive.
Say, you don't believe in math and that math is stupid and you'll never use it later on in life (you hate it ALOT), yet you are shut away in a metal room and told to continue studying until you can ace a written test without an answer sheet but instead a textbook. You could be locked in forever, but to avoid it, chances are that you might be rewiring your brain for several hours in order to believe that you like it so that you can finally be released from the hell hole that is the metal room.
- Man who is in charge or in complete control will naturally be inclined to impart their beliefs on others who they feel they have control over.
Now this applies more to if you had the legal responsibility to watch over someone. Say you were a father/mother. Say you were told that it was you who had to be the upbringing for someone. Unless you had will of iron that stayed strong for two dozen years, then chances are you might feel like leaving the smallest mark on your child or work of art, whichever. It's not arrogance. And then the child would say (or would avoid saying, whichever) that he got his morals from you. Or that your work of art exhibited your style, because you worked so darn hard on it. Usually the ultimate deeds that man achieves leaves them wanton to leave their mark on said deeds. If they are menial tasks, then a man might simply do said task and be done with it, without any indication that they were the ones who did it (unless said person is arrogant and perhaps wishes to shift reputation to themselves in the eyes of their boss).
- A day in the life of man has man judging objects he/she comes across... whether or not they like or hate, they eventually learn to ignore
- As such religion and the life of human warriors has been known to revolve around suppression of 'urges', though some of it is more expressive or artistically pursuant (hindu meditation to better oneself for anything rather then a specific doctrine ie.) though this relies on the expressive interest of man (how much of an artist, he/she is)
- Man quickly learns, as they mature, that they cannot hate or like and make dissappear or enlargen (unless said person had a WIS of 3... this belief isn't necessarily a result of WIS, as much as WIS effects when you will mature; rather more HOW you will mature). In most cases, man's own conscious inferiority enforces this belief though it can also augment depression.
Man is naturally inclined to thus leave their mark in order to distinguish themselves, while conscious of their own inferiority to other races and nature itself. Depressive man seeks to self-destroy (sometimes involuntarily), while satisfied man learns to leave his/her mark, or perhaps simply contribute (it doesn't matter how significant said mark is, though in social circumstances man might boast on the significance of his/her mark to the rest of the world, whether objectively or as simply a statement of fact to refute others)
---------------------
That's pretty much how all humans are, don't you agree? Feel free to suggest changes.
Also, I wanna create grounds from this for how other races might look at things.
So let's go to it!
Why? Because personally I'm interested, since being sentient doesn't necessarily mean they all have to reason in the same way. Different races are genetically far reaching and vast. Beyond base beliefs, there's also racial view that influences psychological nature. To ingrain the point further, one might say that gnolls and humans are apart from one another, both physically and mentally. Why? Because, the template for a gnoll states that it has -2 int in comparison to a human (average int). Not all gnolls are stupid (of course, 16 int is about the maximum a gnoll can achieve, which is pretty darn smart by human standards). Most humans are relatively mundane in their reasoning, though we know from real life that some are capable of phenomenal bouts of thought (18 int being near genius), though not necessarily thought collection and organization (which could probably effect the int score for simplification purposes).
Additionally, there are those races with less of a naturally discovered sense of direction or awareness. These are usually of the templates with -2 wis or more.
These faults pass across certain races, but how do some sentient races end up being less intelligent then humans no matter how well bred (by the mathematical odds, in which mathematically a well bred human would be more intelligent then another creature within the exact same breeding program)? This is where racial nature comes in, and perhaps the way different races look at things right from when they are babies (or if they develop by not knowing how to even think as babies, then perhaps later on in life).
The purpose of the thread is to make RP a more enjoyable experience. And also for speculation purposes, since that's fun too.
NOTE: Mod can move this thread, to another forum if it doesn't really fit in homebrew.
First, I'll take a look at human beings:
Human Thought
http://www.comicartlinks.com/images_kalman/MISC_04_c.jpg
The two clear sides of human thought: curiosity as well as a naturally judgemental view of the world tends to conflict with one another. As such, man can be guided on nearly any path, a fact aided perhaps by their own conscious inferiority.
- It is healthy for man to ignore, lest they lose their reasoning. If man can't ignore (whether it be that which bothers them, or that which is boring, illogical, unenjoyable, etc.) then man is weak. Say, you can't ignore your own boredom, or you find yourself returning to watch a clown, or you just can't tune out your mother nagging you (even though what she is saying isn't really relevant to your actual life and that she is stricken with delusion... okay, say she actually was), chances are you will be left a bit of a nervous wreck.
- Mankind must actually believe before they can learn, and this applies to everything learned less they take on stress and become depressive.
Say, you don't believe in math and that math is stupid and you'll never use it later on in life (you hate it ALOT), yet you are shut away in a metal room and told to continue studying until you can ace a written test without an answer sheet but instead a textbook. You could be locked in forever, but to avoid it, chances are that you might be rewiring your brain for several hours in order to believe that you like it so that you can finally be released from the hell hole that is the metal room.
- Man who is in charge or in complete control will naturally be inclined to impart their beliefs on others who they feel they have control over.
Now this applies more to if you had the legal responsibility to watch over someone. Say you were a father/mother. Say you were told that it was you who had to be the upbringing for someone. Unless you had will of iron that stayed strong for two dozen years, then chances are you might feel like leaving the smallest mark on your child or work of art, whichever. It's not arrogance. And then the child would say (or would avoid saying, whichever) that he got his morals from you. Or that your work of art exhibited your style, because you worked so darn hard on it. Usually the ultimate deeds that man achieves leaves them wanton to leave their mark on said deeds. If they are menial tasks, then a man might simply do said task and be done with it, without any indication that they were the ones who did it (unless said person is arrogant and perhaps wishes to shift reputation to themselves in the eyes of their boss).
- A day in the life of man has man judging objects he/she comes across... whether or not they like or hate, they eventually learn to ignore
- As such religion and the life of human warriors has been known to revolve around suppression of 'urges', though some of it is more expressive or artistically pursuant (hindu meditation to better oneself for anything rather then a specific doctrine ie.) though this relies on the expressive interest of man (how much of an artist, he/she is)
- Man quickly learns, as they mature, that they cannot hate or like and make dissappear or enlargen (unless said person had a WIS of 3... this belief isn't necessarily a result of WIS, as much as WIS effects when you will mature; rather more HOW you will mature). In most cases, man's own conscious inferiority enforces this belief though it can also augment depression.
Man is naturally inclined to thus leave their mark in order to distinguish themselves, while conscious of their own inferiority to other races and nature itself. Depressive man seeks to self-destroy (sometimes involuntarily), while satisfied man learns to leave his/her mark, or perhaps simply contribute (it doesn't matter how significant said mark is, though in social circumstances man might boast on the significance of his/her mark to the rest of the world, whether objectively or as simply a statement of fact to refute others)
---------------------
That's pretty much how all humans are, don't you agree? Feel free to suggest changes.
Also, I wanna create grounds from this for how other races might look at things.
So let's go to it!