skippy_the_witch
First Post
While D20 Modern has a list of Arcane and fantasy creatures that would survive or rather could be placed in a Modern setting, the specific campaign is more similar to Buffy or Shadowrun, with magic coming back or bleeding into the real world. But what would happen in a D20 Technomagical fantasy setting, i.e. something similar to Forgotten Realms "Modern" or even "Future". Which creatures from the Monster Manual would survive, and even maybe thrive in such a world, a world that is technologically advanced, BUT magic never left, and either enhances or even replaces the technology equivalents.
There have been many extinction events in the past in the real world, and some people think that the modern industrial world is an example of yet another such mass die off. Many of the creatures in our world either face extinction, or have adapted to living within our more urban wildernesses. Same should hold true in a similarly developed fantasy world of D&D.
The first, and most obvious, question is would the creature survive. Some would trive. Others could only be found deep within the equivalent of the Amazon river basin, or in zoos and nature preserves. And some would be almost unique, only a handful of the species left (think California condor or Loch Ness Monster).
Next question is the status of the creature, with five basic categories: Mainstream (Hidden), Outsider (Public), Outsider (Hidden), Mainstream (Public), and Mythical/Legendary.
Mainstream means that the creature or being has adapted to the modern world somehow. For intelligent beings, they have become a part of the society where they live. Mainstreamed does not mean that they are neccessarily law abiding, and may actually be almost all criminals living in the urban wastelands. Criminal gangs of goblins living in the slums are as much a part of a society (albiet a mostly parasitic part) as the productive halflings from the burbs. For animals, vermin, and other creatures, mainstream usual refers to domestication (for beasts) or infestation (for vermin). An example of a "wild" creature that has successfully made itself a part of certain urban landscapes in our world is the coyote. It has not only survived, but even thrived in some western US cities, and is a good example of a mainstream non-domesticated animal.
Naturally, those creatures and beings that have not become a part of a society or enviroment are refered to as outsiders. Again, outsider in no way implies social standing or criminality. Outsiders are those who have not become part of the larger society or have been unable to adapt to the modern world. Most "wild" animals fall in this category, as do many of the standard fantasy "monsters" (mostly because nobody wants a dangerous predator as a next door neighbor) and "lost" tribes. While individual beings may choose to "drop out" of a society and become outsiders, that does not matter, as I am asking about the race or species as a whole, not the exceptions. Even if a species wanted to become part of a society, their nature may not permit it or they may be deemed too dangerous to be allowed to live, thus are forced to remain outsiders.
Hidden creatures or beings are those that the general public are not aware of, think are now extinct, or are activally hiding themselves by pretending to be other species or within the shadows. Sometimes a species is considered hidden due to geography (i.e. living in a remote location) or the number of representatives still alive (i.e. endangered species). Even those considered to be extinct are known to have existed at one time in the past, like dinosaurs, dodo birds, etc.
Mystical/Legendary creatures and beings are those that the population at large is not only not aware of, but also do not believe ever existed. Those that have been heard of are considered to be nothing more than urban legends or bard's tales, and any "proof" of their existance is considered fraudulant and fabricated. Think Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, Roswell Aliens, etc. Ironically, thanks to modern tabloids, many of the intelligent species that would be classified as hidden outsiders have been able to hide themselves in seemingly more public, yet vastly subtler means by falsifying evidence. Except for a "loony" fringe, people do not except that mythical beings ever existed, even in pre-modern times of legend.
The last question that needs to be asked is how common is the creature or species, i.e. common, uncommon, rare, or extremely rare/unique. This does not even have to have anything to do with the numbers of this species, just the likeliness of running into one. Naturally, this can change not only from campaign to campaign, but country to country within a world.
Lastly, no more than two sentences of comments should be added to help clarify any of the above or to add other notes.
EXAMPLES
NAME: Dwarves
SURVIVAL (Y/N): Yes
STATUS: Mainstream (Public)
RARITY: Common
COMMENTS: Like all of the base character races, dwarves can be found in almost all societies and enviroments. Tend toward highly skilled "blue collar" professions (i.e. mechinists, mechanics, contracters, etc).
NAME: Aboleth
SURVIVAL (Y/N): Yes
STATUS: Mythical/Legendary
RARITY: Extremely rare
COMMENTS: Aboleths are masters of deception, and have convinced the world that not only do they not currently exist, but that they never existed. They run vast criminal empires from deep underground hidden bunkers, always working through intermediaries and their scum minions, and usually specializing in illegal drugs and biotech (including bootleg organs, cloner shops, dweonetics,etc). Unknown to even their beneficiaries, many arboleths also finance cutting edge (and sometimes illegal) research into psionic enhancement, pharmacology, and other forms of biotech.
I plan to keep posting to this thread by going through the Monster Manual (3rd ed, because I do not yet own a 3.5 and the SRD does not list all of the creatures within) and adding who I think will survive and how. I welcome comments on my creature posts and am interested in seeing what others think.
Thanks,
skippy
GM of The Cursed Earth
There have been many extinction events in the past in the real world, and some people think that the modern industrial world is an example of yet another such mass die off. Many of the creatures in our world either face extinction, or have adapted to living within our more urban wildernesses. Same should hold true in a similarly developed fantasy world of D&D.
The first, and most obvious, question is would the creature survive. Some would trive. Others could only be found deep within the equivalent of the Amazon river basin, or in zoos and nature preserves. And some would be almost unique, only a handful of the species left (think California condor or Loch Ness Monster).
Next question is the status of the creature, with five basic categories: Mainstream (Hidden), Outsider (Public), Outsider (Hidden), Mainstream (Public), and Mythical/Legendary.
Mainstream means that the creature or being has adapted to the modern world somehow. For intelligent beings, they have become a part of the society where they live. Mainstreamed does not mean that they are neccessarily law abiding, and may actually be almost all criminals living in the urban wastelands. Criminal gangs of goblins living in the slums are as much a part of a society (albiet a mostly parasitic part) as the productive halflings from the burbs. For animals, vermin, and other creatures, mainstream usual refers to domestication (for beasts) or infestation (for vermin). An example of a "wild" creature that has successfully made itself a part of certain urban landscapes in our world is the coyote. It has not only survived, but even thrived in some western US cities, and is a good example of a mainstream non-domesticated animal.
Naturally, those creatures and beings that have not become a part of a society or enviroment are refered to as outsiders. Again, outsider in no way implies social standing or criminality. Outsiders are those who have not become part of the larger society or have been unable to adapt to the modern world. Most "wild" animals fall in this category, as do many of the standard fantasy "monsters" (mostly because nobody wants a dangerous predator as a next door neighbor) and "lost" tribes. While individual beings may choose to "drop out" of a society and become outsiders, that does not matter, as I am asking about the race or species as a whole, not the exceptions. Even if a species wanted to become part of a society, their nature may not permit it or they may be deemed too dangerous to be allowed to live, thus are forced to remain outsiders.
Hidden creatures or beings are those that the general public are not aware of, think are now extinct, or are activally hiding themselves by pretending to be other species or within the shadows. Sometimes a species is considered hidden due to geography (i.e. living in a remote location) or the number of representatives still alive (i.e. endangered species). Even those considered to be extinct are known to have existed at one time in the past, like dinosaurs, dodo birds, etc.
Mystical/Legendary creatures and beings are those that the population at large is not only not aware of, but also do not believe ever existed. Those that have been heard of are considered to be nothing more than urban legends or bard's tales, and any "proof" of their existance is considered fraudulant and fabricated. Think Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, Roswell Aliens, etc. Ironically, thanks to modern tabloids, many of the intelligent species that would be classified as hidden outsiders have been able to hide themselves in seemingly more public, yet vastly subtler means by falsifying evidence. Except for a "loony" fringe, people do not except that mythical beings ever existed, even in pre-modern times of legend.
The last question that needs to be asked is how common is the creature or species, i.e. common, uncommon, rare, or extremely rare/unique. This does not even have to have anything to do with the numbers of this species, just the likeliness of running into one. Naturally, this can change not only from campaign to campaign, but country to country within a world.
Lastly, no more than two sentences of comments should be added to help clarify any of the above or to add other notes.
EXAMPLES
NAME: Dwarves
SURVIVAL (Y/N): Yes
STATUS: Mainstream (Public)
RARITY: Common
COMMENTS: Like all of the base character races, dwarves can be found in almost all societies and enviroments. Tend toward highly skilled "blue collar" professions (i.e. mechinists, mechanics, contracters, etc).
NAME: Aboleth
SURVIVAL (Y/N): Yes
STATUS: Mythical/Legendary
RARITY: Extremely rare
COMMENTS: Aboleths are masters of deception, and have convinced the world that not only do they not currently exist, but that they never existed. They run vast criminal empires from deep underground hidden bunkers, always working through intermediaries and their scum minions, and usually specializing in illegal drugs and biotech (including bootleg organs, cloner shops, dweonetics,etc). Unknown to even their beneficiaries, many arboleths also finance cutting edge (and sometimes illegal) research into psionic enhancement, pharmacology, and other forms of biotech.
I plan to keep posting to this thread by going through the Monster Manual (3rd ed, because I do not yet own a 3.5 and the SRD does not list all of the creatures within) and adding who I think will survive and how. I welcome comments on my creature posts and am interested in seeing what others think.
Thanks,
skippy
GM of The Cursed Earth