I have trouble incorporating certain fantasy elements into my world

[brian 333]

Keep in mind that PCs are rarely biologists, and in a magical world where something can exist by the whim of a deity, things do not have to follow the logic of our world and PCs will rarely know how and why such things fit in.

Give such explanations to yourself and let the players, through their PCs, figure it out. It's really fun when they come to a perfectly logical conclusion that is wrong, but actually better than the one you imagined.

[Cyclops08]

Dragons do not rule because of the ingenuity (and numbers) of men. ages ago they did rule but their slaves races killed many of them, followed by a ruinous war with giants . Today the majority of dragons lair in the extreme north with only a few down south due to their greed for treasure.

Elves do not rule either. Long life spans come with a low birth rate. For that reason elves are hesitant to engage in the endless human cycle of wars. Elves are very good at war, they just cannot replenish their numbers easily. 300 years of nothing better to do makes archers like Legolas. Might be fun to introduce the older elves to PC as legendary creatures of awe. A few legendary features makes for an 'interesting encounter.'

[Cyclops08]

all the races of the rainbow.

a Forgoten Reams style world shattering catastrophe happened a few hundred tears ago. Vast portals opened all across the world and alien populations passed through. Wars and plagues ravaged the land as everyone fought for territory. Peace has now reigned for a hundred years. Everyone has taken a deep breath and rebuilt civilization. Ruins and magic are everywhere. the fantasy landscape is even more diverse than before. kingdoms of humans, elves, gnomes, etc, are mixed with monstrous kingdoms, some of which may not longer be monstrous in spirit.

for example: if goblins are a playable race. there is a civilized kingdom of goblins in the midst of humanoid kingdoms. The goblins are fairly new to civilization but it has benefited them greatly. They like being craftsmen and traders. In meetings of local kings (a yearly event) the goblin king and his entourage are invited as well. The may look a little rough around the edges, but they have learned a lot in a hundred years.

likewise a kingdom of Intelligent monsters has also arisen. (See the Eberon sourcebook) They are not so nice but have been forced to civilize somewhat to keep allegiances with evil human nations, keeping the supply of slaves coming in. Intelligent monsters are not limited to this nation, but breeding populations have found their way here and learned to cooperate with others.
~~Running into ambassadors from this nation might be very interesting encounters. Players need to go to evil nations as well. The monsters have not announced it yet but they do plan on taking over the world and making humanoid races into cattle.



after such a devastating war, the population is greatly diminished and vast areas of frontier are open.

[Cyclops08]

A Goblin Princess at the Convention of Kings. (see above text)