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|  زد حصيلتك بالكائنات الأسطورية .. قبل بدء كتابة روايتك أو قصتك الفانتازية (In EN)  17/11/2011, 11:39 am |  ,,
السلام عليكم .. لقد فتحت هذا الموضوع إثر تجوالي في أحدى مواضيع المنتديات الإنجليزية الثرية بمعجبين الروايات الأسطورية
و أحببت أن أنقله لكم ... أترككم معه و أتمنى أن يعجبكم و يفيدكم هذا الموضوع الثري بمعلومات المخلوقات الخيالية :
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So, I'd like to fill in some extra stuff for the main races of D&D, essentially starting to make a kind of cultural guide to PoLand, for those of us who are deep into detail-oriented semi-simulationist rpg settings. I generally like to avoid mechanical stuff when producing material like this, but I think it'd be okay to hand out the occasional +2/-2 for very specific skill applications, if people wanted to use them.
People should feel free to add in more stuff, reinterpret stuff, give alternate versions, etc.
Dwarves
Dwarves have a somewhat hidebound and very traditional society. If a Dwarf wants to do something, it's very important not merely that he succeed, but that he do it in the proper way. There are forms, customs, and laws for every major life event and undertaking - and if a Dwarf were to wish to do something unprecedented, it would be vital to consult his community's Librarian (a position I imagine to be something like a cross between a rabbi, a librarian, and a ninja - remember, librarians know kung fu in D&D) to devise the proper way to do it in keeping with the spirit of tradition. It's not so much that a Dwarf is restricted in what he does, so much as that he's restricted in how he does it. You may hire other Dwarves for hazardous work that may get them killed, but if you don't inform them of the risk up-front, arrange a fund for death payments to their families (or the temple of their choice), and offer generous compensation due to the dangerous work, then you're going to be in the shit. Similarly, Dwarves wouldn't balk at a gay marriage (they already tend to see marriage as being more like a corporate merger between two dwarves whose feelings for each other are nobody else's business), but they'd be scandalized if the proper formalities were not all observed.
They are intensely protective of their privacy, and Dwarves do not pry.
They are way ahead of the curve when it comes to business law and complex financial transactions. They already have approximations of joint-stock corporations (although a modern stock market moves much too fast for them, so such business is carried out more slowly), banking, partnerships, prototype paper money (bank notes, letters of credit), and thoroughly developed agency and fiduciary law. They also know all about how to use loans, interest rates, and various forms of security to best effect.
Economically, Dwarven communities pursue policies that encourage a very high demand for labor - especially skilled labor. Apprenticeship programs and schools are well-established, and any Dwarf of normal talents who is willing to work hard can expect a comfortable middle-class standard of living - maybe even better if he's willing to take a risk and gain experience by working the deeper mines, where it's dangerous.
This tends to mean that it's hard for a Dwarf to get rich by the work of other Dwarves. To the extent that any business is labor-intensive, it probably won't be ridiculously profitable. This is why Dwarves are always after a really big strike of valuable metal or gems - those who own or operate mining concerns need a really lucky strike to make it big. And even then, their workers will by tradition be given at least some share in the profits.
Dwarves could receive +2 to rolls that deal with complex financial matters or the more boring types of law mentioned above. They might be at -2 to endurance, foraging, or similar rolls that involve long-range travel through unfamiliar types of terrain. A dwarf likes a full pack and a well-maintained highway if he has to go somewhere outside of his home enclave. He hates slogging through swamps, fording rivers, sailing, etc., and having to gain his next meal whenever an opportunity arises.
Humans
Humans are explorers and, essentially, cowboys. See Deadwood for a good example of a frontier human community (less the firearms.) They spread out quickly, adapt well to different environments, improvise, survive, thrive, and multiply. While there are of course traditionalists everywhere, a human community of any size always includes people who will adopt new ways of doing things quickly.
Humans excel at building new communities quickly. Dwarves might take a year to plan a mining camp, Eladrin will dither endlessly, Elves will throw together structures that nature retakes within a week during long nomadic trips. Humans can put together a boomtown and have an apparently functional community within weeks. This is due both to their great energy in taking advantage of what the local geography has to offer, as well as their sophisticated social instincts which let them develop informal organization and structure without really thinking about it.
They can also develop and take control of areas of geography with incredible rapidity. Humans have put into place rough versions of specialized labor and assembly-line techniques in a lot of areas, in ways that the other species wouldn't do and don't really grasp. A dwarven craftsman who makes a sword will do the whole thing from start to finish. A human craftsman will farm out various parts of the job to other artisans, and the five of them will make ten swords in the same amount of time. They won't be as pretty, but they cut just as well.
Humans might get a +2 to the end result of any job where they have a lot of people (not necessarily other humans!) working with/under them. They also gain a +2 bonus to rolls involving taming/riding mounts (probably not the rituals for special mounts) or to build/maintain/operate vehicles intended for long-range travel, again not including ritual operations. Please note, this explicitly doesn't include rolls to avoid getting lost. Humans get lost just as much as anyone, they just tend to deal with the unexpected environment better.
Halflings: I like the 4e version of halflings; the taller, bigger, stronger look makes more sense to me if the little guys are going to be more proportionately correct than their original artistic portrayal. Sometimes I dislike things for what some people might find odd reasons; the 3e lineup of the perfectly proportionate, athletic halflings standing next to the more short limbed--but taller--gnomes always bugged me.
Some posters haven't liked the swamp dwelling thing, but I'm fine with it. Marsh peoples have shown up in places as diverse as Prince Valiant's folk to GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. In both instances, being native to a swamp goes a long way to explaining how a rural and weak people can fend off attacks from mightier, and more traditionally martial, foes. It also suggests stories involving halfling smuggling, banditry and other nefarious activities, and conflicts with lizardfolk. The river traveling thing just follows from that and actually makes sense given the gypsy like society envisioned in 3e. It's true--canals are a major pain to dig--but they, and natural rivers, are simply superior to roads in moving heavy freight around in a non-mechanized world. Ancient China, Great Britain, France and some of the north eastern U.S. states wouldn't have built so many canals if they weren't so useful for transporting goods and people.
None of this eliminates the ability to place a halfling community practically anywhere that a DM or player might like--I think that it enhances their placement viability. I see halflings as adaptable as humans; frequently found in many environments. If the desire is to continue with the 3e gypsy caravan model--I see absolutely nothing wrong with that; or having them live in distinct communities as in LOTR. It's just that now they can be given some justifiable racial skills such boatmaking and sailing that can lead into all sorts of directions. They might be the dominant race in the Fenreach, and on many islands throughout the world--inhabiting lands completely unknown by the powers that were and certainly in the dark age of the default setting. Halflings are a numerous race--more so than they seem; they are already in plain sight--but they are also found in hidden places in the marshes and islands rarely seen by other races. They can fill roles from useful NPC's to dangerous cutthroats on roads, rivers, and the open sea. They are also members of a sort of 'invisible empire' as they know secrets and have networks of knowledge from the greater halfling race, thieves guilds, hidden races and secret societies.
While mostly they operate along a 'waterways are free for all' attitude--because they themselves use waterways and roads so much--I can totally believe that halfling communities might take ownership of strategic sections of a river or canal (or road for that matter). They might well impress tolls upon those who want to use it--very common behavior among nobles whose petty fiefs ran along rivers in medieval Europe. In a fallen empire setting; there will be few authorities who can stop this from happening, adventurers might have to deal with halfling communities to pass through--or local lords trying to annex or remove those halflings to get in on the action. What if the halflings are regularly dredging and otherwise maintaining the canal or road? A toll doesn't seem so unreasonable then.
Gnomes: I'm glad that these guys weren't kept locked up as 'monsters' in the MM--but I can see why they are hard to deal with. I liked their emergence and appearance in PHB2, their fey origin and that they now look like little rough-hewn elves rather than finely built dwarves. They also help satisfy the desire that some players have about playing or encountering genuine fey-folk who look little and elfin, as opposed to the taller, stately eladrin. Gnomes should do--at least until some actual sprite stats get released for those who just have to have their cute little winged people.
Having said this--the idea that gnomes should go through the arduous task of digging homes under the roots of trees and domesticating woodland creatures as their minions (and fearfully hide under those trees!) makes me a little nuts. The burrows are traditional and all--but I'd definitely structure them more along the lines of the LOTR movie hobbit village than the implication that the race has these little dirty burrows under trees that they snuggle down there curled up with their furry friends! I'd definitely like to give them some larger, and somewhat visible mound homes that can be reasonably gregariously lived in. Conditions might still be spartan, but they'll have at least room to move about--at least for them. Illusion magic might be employed to create the appearance of larger, richer, more impressive abodes.
As an alternative, I'm tempted to have gnomes inherit the elven tree houses--it makes more sense to me to have a 3.5 foot tall race living up in the trees rather than 4e elves who are now as tall as humans and not a whole lot lighter. The poor trees are going to be much more capable of supporting tree houses scaled to the size of gnomes than elves of any edition! In either case, illusion magic is going to be an important part of the defense of the community--nothing new about that. I'd probably also make sure that my gnomes would have a capricious fey attitude leading to sometimes unpredictable extremes--frankly, as far as common peasants are concerned--gnome's would be patterned after the sidhe from "The Haunted Mountain", they'd generally keep to themselves, but willing to extort, take grisly vengeance, and generally be potentially very dangerous as opposed to being simply cute little folk.
Gnomes and halflings will bump into each other occasionally; they'll often get along--but sometimes they won't. The gnomes will have a need for supplies and comforts that just aren't available out in the woods or highlands that they'll make their homes--halflings can supply them without the bigger races being the wiser. They might also have conflicts with halflings in trying to cement their respective relationships and living space--they'll be 'elves' to the halflings' role of 'humans'; sometimes as allied races--but clearly capable of disagreements. Gnomes are relatively humble fey--but they might still have a surprisingly arrogant, unctuous attitude. As fey, they'll maybe see themselves as having come from a better, higher, place--they have an incredibly long lifespan, inherent magic abilities, and a magical tradition. Despite this, they are often needy, impoverished refugees in the world, all too aware that their ancestors, or current relations have been slaves to the fomarians--it is a reality that they are all too sensitive to.
Minotaurs: I'm amazed that these guys are going to go on to become a player race; although they fit the whole 'primal' thing pretty well. If gnolls are primal creatures perverted mostly to demonic behavior; then minotaurs are similar creatures of more noble accomplishments and efforts that didn't fall nearly so far. We don't really know much official about them just yet, it will be interesting when the PHB3 comes out and some fluff gets published on them. Right now, I'll probably pattern them after the flavor text for the minotaurs from Magic: the Gathering!
We know that they are an ancient race--probably did great, if primal, sorts of stuff back in the dawn age; once were more common, but that they have scratched somewhere along the way. They are not often encountered, and when they are, it is usually the Baphomet worshiping variety--raiding, destroying, and looking for sacrificial victims. The good minotaurs seem to live in secluded communities--I'd give them an almost monkish quality--singing low songs to Melora , acting in concert with primal spirits. Many continental minotaurs might have a nomadic lifestyle--which would make sense for big bovines. At least one poster has suggested a Mongol type of life for them. On the other hand, their love of labyrinths suggest that they might stay put though, many of them might live in the shallows of the underdark as well, evidenced by the old city under the Thunderspire.
Apparently, the Crete analogy may be used, appropriately enough, I guess. I've heard that minotaurs will have once been a seagoing race--maybe the first terrestrial race in the world sailing across waters. The idea of minotaurs on triremes is cool, although I keep thinking of hooves slipping on wet decks! Minotaurs might well be big island dwellers; a PC minotaur might well come from an island--again, the PHB3 will likely be illuminating. Pirates, or naval oriented coastal kingdom might well employ minotaur soldiers; ship gets caught by grapplers, a 'beak' boarding bridge comes crashing down on an oppenent's deck--and shielded, armored minotaurs come marching aboard in close formation--easily pushing aside the light defenders most ships will have.
Like the goliaths, minotaurs are going to be big, capable, primal brutes. In keeping with their bovine appearance, I would expect that their martial traditions center around herd behavior. I imagine that they used ancient Greek-style phalanxes in the past; though currently, their smaller numbers usually only allow a basic battle line. This would really suggest minotaur defenders to me--but released art seems to indicate the primal barbarian type--well, a lone minotaur is going to have to be able to kick ass alone or perish. Continental minotaurs are going to be living and wandering in wastelands, and so will have to face down the enumerable goblinoids, orcish war bands, and above all, their joker-like opposite side of the coin, gnolls.
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