Characters Does your campaign world have any "strange" races in it?

[Knightfall]

Every campaign setting is different and DMs are famous for creating new races to populate worlds. Thus, the question asked in the thread title came to mind.

Does your campaign world have any "strange" races in it?

Now, I'm talking "really strange" not just your average dragonborn or variant elf, dwarf, or halfling. Undead races, plant races, etc. They can either be homebrewed races or a race from a unusual gaming source.

Tell us about them and why they're unique.

Cheers!

Knightfall

[MarauderX]

Since WotC releases races every 5 minutes, I've gone with a tiered approach.

Many of the races that come from WotC are 'created' races - those fashioned by the elder races. This also includes most of the standard races.

The Elder races are those that are hidden behind the scenes of the world; they are immortal and thusly hold prominent positions, work behind the scenes, or have sequestered themselves entirely from the world.
Elder races: Elves (and eladrin and drow too), Rakshasa, Litorian, Dragon, Aranea, Illithid, and more.

Of them, I suppose there aren't any super unique races that are part of the world as a whole, but some are being found by the party, others are showing up based on party events, and still more are perhaps being fashioned under their very noses...

[Treebore]

I do use "weird" races from the Wilderlands setting, such as blue skinned humans, hawk people and duck people. I use the Kenku from one of the old MM's, and I also have used Avariel (winged elves) since they appeared in Dragon magazine.

Plus I have "civilized" lizard men in my setting too. The vast majority are still the "fallen" types of lizard folk that are usually seen.

[Crothian]

There is now a race of talking squirrels, there has been for a while a race of living stone. They can appear as almost anything since they can add more stone to their bodies and shape it as they wish.

[Rechan]

I love strange races. If it ain't demi-human, I'm probably there. Now, I've wanted to implement the "acceptable" strange stuff; warforged, shifters, kenku, etch, but two leap out as definite examples.

Larvae. Larvae is not actually the race in and of itself, but an idea. I played in Eberron, and I loved Changelings; both characters I played in Eberron were changelings. I wanted a way to loop them into my campaign world, but wanted something unique (instead of just doppelgangers).

My campaign was set in a jungle, and I wanted an interesting indigenous race, so I decided Aranea would have a community or two. And then I remembered that Aranea have shapeshifting powers. A lightbulb went off in my head.

Changelings/Doppelgangers are the larval stage for Aranea. The young are primarily spies in other communities, watching and keeping tabs, before sending info back to their elders. And eventually, the ones that manage to blend in well enough to survive, become full fledged Aranea.

Klisk. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long while, but haven't worked out all the bugs (heh). The Klisk are a race of underground psionic insects based (very loosely) off a mix of the Hindu caste system, communism, and social insect colonies. But several things set them apart from Tri-Keen/Dromites:

1) Castes. Much like a bee or ant colony, there are different types, based on role, that work in a biologically different way. These "Castes" differ from normal insects in that each caste looks vastly different from one another; the worker and warrior caste look like giant beetles, the commander caste looks like wasps, etc.

Unlike normal Caste systems, the Klisk Castes are not shaped like a pyramid (one on top that broadens as it goes down), but instead is shaped like a V - one side is the Military side, the other is the Leading side. Also of note, there is no concept of social status; all castes are equal in terms of "worth", separated only by responsibilities/capabilities.

2) Metamorphasis. Unlike bees/ants, the Caste system is upwardly mobile. A Klisk will be born as a worker or a warrior (which are identical in all aspects except temperament and interest, really). After so long, the individual goes before a tribunal, and the tribunal reviews the Klisk's achievements and life. If approved, the Klisk then undergoes metamorphasis, where it moves up the next "rank" in the caste system, changing into a new type. It's reincarnation by committee, essentially.

[Fallen Seraph]

While some races in my current campaign setting may not have that weird appearances (some do but not all) plenty have unusual origins. Many/basically all dealing with manipulation of the spirit in some way.

I've got:

• Shells: Cybernetic constructs who would remain lifeless if it wasn't for human spirits possessing them after their bodies were wrested away from them. They can take on numerous different forms, from almost human to large power armour constructs to being non-humanoid all together.
• Twined Spirits: Humans who have had powerful spirits possess them warping their bodies. This can take on numerous alterations from subtle to extreme. So you may have just little horns or different skin tone, or you'll have a half-insectoid body for instance. It is completely chaotic what will happen.
• Deva (Don't have Campaign name yet): While they don't appear that different their origins make them stand out. The fact that a Deva to come into being literally has to cause someone to lose their past life is quite something. Upon the death of a Deva a random person will become a blank slate and go into a state of wanderlust till they reach a place where the Deva spirit and his can truly intertwine and become a new Deva.
• The Imbued: They are animal spirits who were given intelligence and whose spirits warped them into anthromorphic forms (Gnolls and such). Some have become the host for darker spirits (Werewolves) while others advance in knowledge and culture. There are some who become intelligent and do not change shape, retaining their animal form.
• Spirits: Currently not playable. They are as you suspect different kinds of spirits without a body. They are wildly abundant and many interact with humans on a daily basis, they have jobs, lifestyles, etc.

My campaign setting has others, but those are the biggies.

[thundershot]

I use the standard PHB races minus the Half-Elf and add the Rakasta. The extra monstrous races (like Minotaur, Gnoll, Hobgoblin, etc.) are there, but most are "monsters". The Rakasta have a deep rooted history in the world, and while I consider them one of the" "core" races, they still live on the fringe of society. I'm thinking of making the PHB2 races the "standard" citizens of a different land, with the PHB1 races are far and few between there... Not sure yet.



Chris

[Celebrim]

I have two:

The Orine: The Orine are a race fashioned by the gods from avian stock. They are accounted among the seven free peoples, being granted the gift to worship however and whoever they please. They appear to be tall comely well-formed humanoids, with two eye-lids - the inner one is black. Their hair is is made of fine thin feathers, which vary from white and black down on their bodies, to in the males, full manes of brightly colored plummage. They are a sensual race, much given to carnal pleasures, strong drink, dancing all night long, rythmic music, and bloody feasts of rare roasted flesh. There nickname is the 'crazy people', because their strong emotions frequently get the better of them. They hold grudges strongly, forgive easily, go to blows without thinking, and go to intimacy just as fast (in no small part perhaps because they are not especially fecund with respect to mammalian races, though the two find each other mutually attractive.) They have never built an enduring civilization, but do not mind. They have participated in the destruction of several civilizations, for which they do not apologize. They remain a nomadic people, building no buildings except those that they can put on wheels and haul from place to place with the help of mammoths. They go into battle singing in great choirs on the backs of bellowing domesticated aurocks which have been bred for war. They love the hunt and war equally, and can be struck motionless by the sight or sound of great beauty. (Just for the record, since the question aparantly does come up, females don't have mammary glands, though their comparitively large pectorals make them look something like somewhat flatchested women of other races.)

The Idreth: Also called 'the born old', because the are born with the memory of their whole race and are capable of speaking fluently as infants within days of being born. By the time they are toddlers, they have long grey hair. By the time they are entering adolescence, their backs begin to hunch which causes them to lope with a stooped swaying posture. By adulthood, they are full hunchbacks. They would otherwise be quite tall - taller than even the Orine. They have very large features that cram onto their thin wrinkled faces - large blue, green, or purple eyes, large drooping mouths, round saucer like ears, and noses that look like you could split wood with them. They are thin and frail, but are surprisingly strong and many fighter has gone down because they have forgotten the extent of their reach. They favor staffs, both for aiding their walking and fighting. They are accounted among the free peoples, but are not especially religious save in the reverence of a few goods of knowledge and wisdom. They are unparalleled loremasters, feared masters of the arcane, and as explorers are rivaled only by Humans. Like the Orine, they have never built a true civilization, but unlike the Orine and like Dwarves and Humans they are a truly cosmopolitan race and may be found almost anywhere. They are greatly desired by human noblity to serve as advisors and stewerts. Idreth almost always spend their youth travelling, and seeking a lifemate. They are almost invariably chaste and are intencely loyal to their spouse. Adultery is all but unknown, and many voluntarily choose death if their spouse dies. When they have offspring, they cease their worldly ways and retire to a monastic life to raise a family. These abbeys and observatories and the land immediately surrounding them are the closest things that Idreth have a to country. They are often in remote places on high, rocky and otherwise worthless land, often within the bounds of land claimed by goblins or dwarves. Despite their dour appearance, Idreth are affable, gentle and good natured - using tact, humilty, and charm to move among almost any race peacefully. They are particularly fond of, and are particularly liked in return by, fey creatures and often renew thousand year old friendships held by one of their ancestors with these eternal creatures. The Idreth almost never go to war, and generally remain stoicly neutral with regards to conflicts among the other free peoples. On rare occasions, one abbey will single out another abbey for censure, and these activities can break out into something like a war but such events generally occur far from the eyes of any other of the free peoples. It is often said that however friendly an Idreth may appear to be, noone but another Idreth can ever truly know them. There remains always beneath the surface, an inner core which is impentrable, aloof, detached, and enigmatic. For this reason, Idreth are popular targets for conspiracy theories, and occassionally are the targets of purges and persecution by other races. The Idreth however, rarely if ever fight back, save in immediate personal self-defence, prefering to fall back to their abbey fortresses to wait out the seige.

[The Green Adam]

I basically follow two extremes...

Either my campaigns have primarily Humans with a few rare characters being faerie touched or tainted, having the blood of giants or being talking animals or...

Medieval Star Wars! The most commonly encountered species remain classic - Humans, Elves (personal variations), Half-Elves (misnomer for a 'race' that has been a mix of Human and Elf for a thousand years now) Dwarves (personal variations), Gnomes (personal variations) and Halflings. Less common but still interacting with the main species are Rakasta (Cat People), Centaurs, Kenku, Lizard Men, Thri-Keen and some species of Drakes (personal variations that are small, non-humanoid, intelligent cousins to Dragons - the largest Drakes are a little bigger then a horse). Very rare and unique species include but are not limited to...

Ebuss: An anthropomorphic species of intelligent Dog people originating on a parallel Prime Material Plane. A number of them have ended up on our world for various reasons.

Homonculi: Very different from the classic D&D version, these are more like mongrel men meets weird wizard experiment. No two are exactly alike.

Awakened Golem: Similar to a Warforged but also quite different. Only one exists on my world.

Half-Breeds: Rare but not unheard of. Examples have included Half-Ogres, Half-Orcs, Half-Hobgoblins (incorrectly called Half-Goblins), Half-Fae, Dragon Childern (the offspring of a Dragon shapechanged into humanoid form and a natural humanoid), Half-Elementals and a smattering of others.

There are others but I can't recall any of them specifically right now. I should note that my primary D&D world is more akin to a Superhero game, with an order of supernaturally chosen defenders protecting the world (no 'normal' person (non-order/villain NPC) rises above 10th level and most gain xp very slowly). Because of this the order is the only place you'll see some of these freaky characters (imagine a medieval fantasy world defended by the Justice League Unlimited or Legion of Superheroes).

AD
Barking Alien

[Dannyalcatraz]

Originally Posted by Knightfall

Does your campaign world have any "strange" races in it?

Now, I'm talking "really strange" not just your average dragonborn or variant elf, dwarf, or halfling. Undead races, plant races, etc. They can either be homebrewed races or a race from a unusual gaming source.

Tell us about them and why they're unique.

Cheers!

Knightfall

In my post-apocalyptic fantasy homebrew campaign that I've been designing for...oh...2 years now (), I have oddities aplenty. Here are a few:

Inheritors- (my Warforged/Dwarves) are essentially a fantasy version of Cybermen or Daleks- they are repositories for the brains and psyches of psionically gifted dwarves. They got the name because they are the only dwarves who survived...

Most look like standard warforged, but a variant called "Ancestrals" have bodies with a classic dwarven body-shape.

Asteraiinen, Svartolaiinen, Sylvaiinen- (my Elves) these true Fey are among the few to survive the events that reshaped their world. The Asteraiinen manipulate light- esp. starlight- and certain extraterrestrial metals. The Svartolaiinen dwell in the dark underground, similar in some ways to the Drow or Shadar-Ki, but related to neither- they manipulate Shadow. The Sylvaiinen are fey whose very essence is merged with plants- they photosynthesize and have woody bark...and are wise in the ways of nature.

Gnophits- a melding of gnomish traits with elemental and para-elemental features, they are the result of a truly stupendous prank played by the Gnomish gods upon evil elemental lords who were seeking to send a horde of minor elementals to colonize the wounded world.

Ffenris- these giant-sized bipedal wolfmen are among the worlds most feared barbarian hordes. (Think a D20 version of the Wolfen with some changes, partly inspired by Wolfen in D&D)

Tyrocshigong- a.k.a. "Resonators," "Scream Demons," "Sound Chasers" and many other things, these strange (Aberrations? Outsiders?) beings are nearly sightless but instead experience the world through sonar...they can even use sound as a weapon. (Based on the Sheshayans of Alternity/D20 Future.)

Zyzyzzera- a small sized, flying, dragonfly-like insectile race, similar to Thri-Kreen in mentality, but without special weapons. They're lightning fast, and prefer to attack from the sky with their javelins, spears, and the like.

???- as-yet unnamed, unstated races based on Dragonstar's Quasta and Tarn Idouin.

Kijomedans- not a race but a collection of races...this is the collective term for the Awakened & Anthropomorphic creatures created originally by the Druid Kijomeda and his followers, the Green Council (See post #41 here:Campaigns in a nutshell. Adventures in a sentence.)

[Minigiant]

There are a couple strange ones:

Ander: A race or small dark skinned extremists that come in 3 colirs that hate eat other. Reds are barbaric and destructive. Blues are religous and oppressive. Greens are mad scientists. Golds think the other 3 are crazy and left the race war.

Howlin: Hairy humans who have dog-like tendencies. They have barks that can perform magic effects.

And my faves

Wu: The Wu (new elven for "random encounter") are humans with divine blood. Their blood is a blessing for each Wu can develop a special powerful effect and makethiem immune to disease. It's a curse for thwy are doomed with constant trials that always causes great loss. This causes thier population and forces each Wu to be a trian warrior. Every single adult Wu is at least level 10 because any Wu that makes it to adulthood has been through some bad stuff. The old folks home residents can take out large armies because they all epic. Every living farmer can solo "multiple wandering orges" and the queen "accidentally ran into dragons" more times than she can remember. The prince is constantly tripleteamed in combat by his 4 lich ex-wives.

[Asmor]

At the moment, no. The closest thing to a 'strange' race is the warforged, which didn't feature prominently in my setting until very recently (a warforged from another world came to this one, and set into motion events leading to the PCs accidentally activating an ancient army of warforged hidden under an ocean).

Well, that's not entirely true. I do have one strange thing, an air kiln-born, from the same plane as that first warforged I mentioned. They both survived the end of their own world and were shunted here. In fact, both were old PCs in a Savage Worlds fantasy game I ran. The Air Kiln-Born was translated into 4th edition and is currently a PC.

Kiln-Born are basically clay skeletons which have an elemental bound to them.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Wu: The Wu (new elven for "random encounter") are humans with divine blood.

In my campaign, Humans...well, ANYONE with Outsider blood is called a Nephilim. I haven't nailed down whether it will be a template or a "Racial Character Class"- I'm leaning towards the latter.

[Rechan]

Inheritors- (my Warforged/Dwarves) are essentially a fantasy version of Cybermen or Daleks- they are repositories for the brains and psyches of psionically gifted dwarves. They got the name because they are the only dwarves who survived...

I want to run Warforged/Dwarves in a similar manner, except my explanation is that Dwarves were dieing out due to a plague that was making them impotent (cutting into their all ready slow procreation rate). In order to survive, they started crafting Warforged, which are repositories for the Soul of dwarves.

Because WF creation takes so long, they started funneling dwarven souls into a Soul Forge. Then, warforged could make their own, and take a dwarven soul from the Forge and imbue it into the shell.

I know it kinda takes the fun out of WF, but I was thinking that Warforged would have Dwarven culture. An inclination to mine, for gems and gold, for craft. But not as annoying as Dwarves.

[The Mirrorball Man]

We have Blemmyes, acephalous creatures who have their face on their torso. They can eat people's dreams and regurgitate it as magic petroleum. Most of them are fanatically devoted to His Outrageous Theatricality, the God of excess.

[Obryn]

Originally Posted by Crothian

There is now a race of talking squirrels, there has been for a while a race of living stone. They can appear as almost anything since they can add more stone to their bodies and shape it as they wish.

oooh! Thanks for reminding me. I need to update the Ratatosk (from Expedition to the Demonweb Pits) to 4e!

-O

[Evil DieM]

Yes, they're called "adventurers". Feral trolls are calling them "dinner", and I can't repeat what the minions are calling them just now...

[steenan]

My homebrew world does not have any strange player races. There are, however, a few really strange kinds of creatures, too alien to be playable - but definitely having their part in shaping the world. And the strangest of them are Hydras.

To understand their nature one has to know a little about how the world itself works, especially the relation between gods and mortals. Gods cannot exist without mortal creatures that follow them. No matter how powerful a deity is, without prayers and sacrifices it withers and dies in no longer than human's lifetime. On the other hand, no mortal race can rise above animal level ("awaken" as it is called in the game world) nor stay in the civilized state without a god to guide them. The interconnection is very strong - in myths there is no difference between a race awaking and a god being born. One of the races - as advanced as humans or elves at the time of its fall - reverted to animal level after slaying their own god in a civil war.

The Hydras are autotheist. Each one is its own deity, its own religion, its own culture.
A hydra is a colony of snakes, thousands of them. A hive mind, awakened through and by itself, worshiping itself as a god (albeit a small one). It is alien not only to humans - it is as alien to other hydras as cultures and religions can be one to another. But it is definitely conscious and intelligent, it may learn languages, use magic, create art. It may be curious, may be helpful, may be unreasonably hostile. Each encounter with such a creature (if "creature" is even a appropriate word) that happened during our games was definitely interesting.

[Nightchilde-2]

While I use the "standard" published races (including the stuff from the FRCS, Dragon mags and PHBII), I did reflavor some of them, the weirdest of which being the genasi.

Genasi in my campaign are the manifestation of the will of the game world (which is actually alive, but that's not something that we've delved into in-campaign yet). They aren't born so much as they just spontaneously manifest, usually during some great natural event like an earthquake, tornado or powerful thunderstorm. Within a few hours, they're able to function similar to "normal" living creatures, including fluently speaking a language.

[RangerWickett]

Minotaurs and bird people. Plus a race called tarrasques, who are reptilian, and can turn into mist. They worried my PCs for a whole campaign.