I hate cat-people, dog-people, lion-people, etc

[tarchon]

WFRP beastmen all had more or less similar stats, with a few species-specific traits, and you could roll on a random table to see whether they were goat-headed, dog-headed, snake-headed, and so on. Usually when we encountered a pack, it would have a variety, and the players would await the die rolls with trepidation. I seem to recall the snake-headed ones were the most feared in our group for their poison attack. They extended the concept with chaos champions, so you could kind of mix and match heads, appendages, that sort of thing. Made a lot more sense than the ISO standard type IV chaos demon.

 

[the Jester]

I don't mind them if they're MORE than just cat/dog/lion/cow people. Usually, the problem is that they're just animals that walk on two legs and have opposable thumbs.

Right- throwing in something fluffy to make them interesting really helps.

In my campaign, f'rinstance, the tabaxi had a huge portal-using empire based on forgotten 'radiocrystal technology' that predates the current magic system... but they blew themselves up long ago, and only a few scattered artifacts remain of their tech and cities. The few remaining tabaxi are mostly far away and scattered, and often hunted by their own creations (the canus are a dogfolk kind of race I also have, though pretty much strictly as a monster race antagonistic to the tabaxi- they were a slave race the tabaxi bred from dogs that threw off the yoke after the Miloxi Empire fell).

 

[d20Dwarf]

I think what we need are liger-people. They're pretty much the coolest race in the game.

 

[Ace]

Hear hear!

Humanimals are the height of lazy design.

So are "yet another Tolkien rip off" race --

The problem comes when that actually playing a very alien species is extremely difficult -- familiarity may breed contempt but it also simplifies --

FREX I can figure out how an anthrocat (or an Elf) might think but the farther I go out from what I understand the harder it gets to actually play one--

Personally I prefer nonon human races in my games focusing on human cultures that can be described in a few understood phrases -- Decadent Yankee Traders-- Fantasy Venicians -- Buddhist Spartans -- Romano British that sort of thing

 

[diaglo]

I think what we need are liger-people. They're pretty much the coolest race in the game.

i just rented that movie yesterday.

 

[francisca]

Are orcs considered pig-people? I always thought that from their portrayal way back when in the days of the D&D expert rules set.

- Ed

Orc: The other white meat

Like JD, I never considered them pig-people myself.


An the crusty old one is correct about Gnolls, I have forgotten my roots.

 

[Campbell]

While I'm not a huge fan of cat or dog people, most other animal-people races don't seem to bother me so much. On some subconscious level it's hard for me to buy into animal people that aren't based on animals that most people are either afraid of or disgusted by.

 

[francisca]

You forgot the scorpionmen, the lupins, the wallaras, the enduks, and the flying elves from Savage Coast. And the several types of lizardmen.

Yes. Yes, I did. And it took me years. Curse you VirgilCaine! Curse you!

 

[francisca]

Bruce Willis really cuter than you?? sucks to be you

Well, life got better after she dumped me that wide-reciever after I kicked her to the curb, so hey, you know. No sweat.

 

[Tewligan]

I think what we need are liger-people. They're pretty much the coolest race in the game.

They would, of course, have a favored class of sorceror, since they're bred for their skill in magic.