Anthropomorphic Animals in Greyhawk

LoneWolf23 · Dec 30, 2006

I'm a furry gamer at heart, and I'm curious.. How would one explain the existance of anthropomorphic animals in the world of Greyhawk? The easiest explanation I can think of is making them the result of a "Island of Dr Moreau" style experiments by a Mad Wizard...

Set · Dec 30, 2006

I'd have Markessa all-growed-up and having created her own servant races in some out of the way place she took over (the Mage of the Valley never impressed me, maybe she kicked his butt and took his stuff?), plus a frustrating amount of personal 'false Markessa's' that the PCs keep thinking are her, only to find out they killed another of her Simulacra.

Greyhawk online has her as a High Elf female Wiz 13 / Hexblade 6, but I'm not in love with that write-up. If anyone is suited to be a Master Transmogrifists, it's her.

PC 'furries' could be escapees from her brutal condtioning (a combination of spells and intimidation and having the 'tribal leaders' do the work of educatin' the young 'uns into a life of brutal servility on her behalf) and perhaps there could even be an underground railroad of sorts, or even a resistance movement, to try and free her subjects from her capricious rule. She would likely use normal animals, and some low-intelligence and brutish race, like Orcs, as the parent material to create her fusions, so her 'moreaus' would generally be strong, but not so bright (and already inclined towards cultures of cruelty, savagry and sullen obedience).

Alzrius · Dec 30, 2006

Recently, the Isle of Dread has been placed in the World of Greyhawk, and was confirmed to have once had rakasta (tiger-men). You could say that similar cat-people are offshoots of that.

Other races aren't impossible, if you just say they're from an isolated area.

ivocaliban · Dec 31, 2006

Happy about it or not, the Valley of the Mage is known for it's bizarre inhabitants and escaped experiments.

SteelDraco · Dec 31, 2006

My homebrew has a region that turns people who stay there without magical protection into furries. It's one of several areas that are just a little too close to one of the other planes, and the influence of that plane affects everyone in the region. It's similar in execution to both the idea of coterminus planes from Eberron, and the Taint mechanics from Oriental Adventures. Just passing through the region (say, a few days), and you'll have slight animal features. Stay there a couple of weeks, however, and you're going to end up a wyldling.

The means of controlling this metamorphosis is strictly controlled by the fey, and the druids of the region that work for them. It's a fun little area, and I'm kinda disappointed that I never got a chance to play around with it more.

Dannyalcatraz · Dec 31, 2006

In Marvel Comics of the 1980's, there was a mountain that was home to many animal-men- and the home of the foundlings who would become known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

I forget the exact reason for the animal-men's existence, but it was some kind of ultra powerful entity as I recall.

In a campaign of my own design, one of the sources of anthros was a trio of awakened Aspen trees on an island- they were the agents of the trees, their eyes and ears...and hands.

HeavenShallBurn · Dec 31, 2006

You could check out a guy who goes by Strega on the net, basically whipped up a high-level wizard who didn't trust the usual hirelings. So he made them himself, several races of them. I think he was using the Savage Coast of Mystara as a starting point but it could be adapted.

In my own homebrew the giant empires made several furry races in a series of experiments looking for servitor races. It worked well, but over the next several thousand years their population grew and their own gods rose. Eventually the gods of the furry servitor races, angry at being relegated to a status beneath the pantheons of the giants acted at the instigation of the god of the rat-people. Undermining the giant empire through stealth and forcing it to collapse by attrition. When the remaining giants retreated to the mountains their once servants took over much of the continent.

Alzrius · Dec 31, 2006

Dannyalcatraz said:
In Marvel Comics of the 1980's, there was a mountain that was home to many animal-men- and the home of the foundlings who would become known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

I forget the exact reason for the animal-men's existence, but it was some kind of ultra powerful entity as I recall.

That was Wundagore, as I recall, home of the High Evolutionary. He was a scientist who made those anthropomorphic beings.

Dannyalcatraz · Dec 31, 2006

You are indeed correct sir! Thanks for filling in the gap in my recollection!

High Evolutionary = Moreau +++

grimwell · Dec 31, 2006

You may find this information about the Manse of the Cat Lord useful. It refers to anthropomorphic cat people from the 'Gord of Greyhawk' series. This sets a clear precedent for anthropomorphic beings in Greyhawk without being a game breaker. Col. Playdough himself had them in his own novels!

Can't get much closer to cannon than that. =)