Anthropomorphs as Base Race

[Nikroecyst]

Well, as per the template, it makes them basically monsterous humanoids (just like the sample donkey picture, opposable thumbs and all). They are basically humanoid versions of animals, with arms and legs (though legs can be hooves, claws, or talons, and hands can be claws or talons), they would be able to weild weapons, armor, and shields, and thier sizes would only vary between Med. and Small.

Honestly the only difference between my campaign idea and the typical DnD 3.5 would be:

1.) Anthropomorphs would be the only humanoids (or monsterous humanoids) in the campaign world

2.) Only a certain 6 base races allowedd for character creation

3.) Culturally certain "races" would most likely resemble currently exsisting races (Bears instead of Dwarves, Cats instead of Elfs, ect.)

I took the idea of one or few races rather than the 40 some I had and split them up into 6 types: Mammal, Reptile, Avian, Insect, Crustacean, and Amphibian. I would have added fish and other aquatic but I was trying to keep the game as terrestrial as possible. Each character can select 3 "Animalia" from an extensive list to customize thier paticular character. Only certain Animalia are allowed for each racial type and the animailia are based on anamalistic characteristics such as Natural Armor, A Canine's Trip, Natural Attacks, and so on. Animailia can also be taken as feats for later character progression. This would most likely open up monsterous feats for players as well.

Whatta ya think?

 

[drdevoid]

I would use racial paragons for those that want even more animal (or animal folklore) traits to keep others balanced at LA +0.

Arcana Unearthed/Evolved did a brilliant job with this. WotC's Unearthed Arcana did a lesser job but in the same vein.

Using existing races with no level adjustment, swapping the odd ability and changing the flavor text might be an idea to save you time in the future.

 

[Herobizkit]

Very true, but I don't think [playing as animals] would make for much of a campaign. It might work as a one-episode 'cure the curse' type plot, but knowing players, they're too fixated on hardware to give up their weapons & armour & enchanted whatsits.

My main player and I (we run solo campaigns) are hardcore role-players. As long as the story is interesting and your character's personality and background are well planned out, you never need gear. Heck, I kept my main player frozen at 7th level for nearly six real time months and we never thought twice about it.

You could still have magical whatzits and whozits, but you'd have to be creative. Marsupials, with their opposable thumbs, would be your spellcasters by default. *LOL* And you could take some liberties with the [Wild(shape?)] feats and apply them to animals in, well, animal form, so that they wouldn't NEED fingers to cast spells. And animals still have body parts: collars for the neck, bracers for fore and back legs, fetishes/feathers for headpieces, magic horsehoes for horses ... really, any magic item can have any form, just think outside the box.

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

Good for you Herobizkit, guess you're a better roleplayer than my lot!

Seriously speaking, the main problem with non-humanoid characters is sustaining the campaign. If you start something really far out, you'd better be committed to it or you'll have big problems sustaining it. I know what my crew do isn't 'good' roleplaying - we're more likely to go 'stuff the crack of doom, let's go kill some orcs' - but the key point is we're having fun, and as long as that remains the case I can't say we're going wrong.

Besides, many of our characters are shapeshifters. I've thought about non-humanoid PC's before, and it's something I'd limit to extremely good players.

Nikroecyst, first thing to remember, these characters are ALWAYS armed. They've got claws and big sharp pointy spiky teeth. They'll also be physically powerful, but the obvious way to balance that is because so is everyone else. They don't need to balance to the stock races - they need to balance to each other. As long as no race is cripplingly worse / mind-blowingly better than the rest, you should be OK.

Of course, if one race is completely unbalanced on the 'worse off' side, that can make for an exceedingly satisfying character... I run a campaign where the baseline race is capable of punching out a minivan, and my brother takes great glee in playing a normal human and showing up all the supernaturals.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

If you are looking for cultural ideas, why not base each animal type's culture loosely on the type of organization the animals have naturally?

For example, anthro wolves would live in small, pack-like communities, and be ruled by the strongest - the 'alpha'. Anthro cats would be mostly solitary, with even their cities being wide-spread with lots of territory. Anthro horses would be nomadic, and live in small tribes ruled by a stallion, with all other males leaving once they reach adolescence, to join one of the bachelor tribes until they can start or take a tribe over from another. Anthro birds would live in large communities, etc.

Just an idea.

 

[phindar]

Take a look at Croc games Wargods of Aegyptus. Its based on the Egyptian pantheon, which makes most of the races anthro. When I was running my Mythic History game, I used this as a model for variant pc-races from various cultures from the Aztecs to the Korean mythology, as well as including the centuars, minotaurs and satyrs from Greek mythology. (AE also has a handful of anthro races, and there is a bit of an overlap with the Wargods stuff.)

Its also worth combing though the books for the anthro races. Kenku, goatfolk, gnolls, catfolk, wemics, yuan-ti, lizardfolk, grippli, bullywugs, and so on. A lot of this stuff already exists in the system, its just a question of adapting it to a playable, starting pc race (usually by ditching racial levels and abilities to get a LA +0).

Also, take a look at Usagi Yojimbo. I think it would make a neat alternative to "traditional" D&D. Also, wasn't there a anthro-based system, Iron Claw or something? I never played it, but a friend of mine ran a game and I remember them talking about badgers and foxes and gorillas.

Edit: Huh. Followed one of my own links and found this: http://www.sanguine.com/index.shtml

Ironclaw and Usagi Yojimbo rpgs.

 

[Herobizkit]

I can't believe I forgot this. True20's predecessor, Blue Rose, has rules for intelligent animals as PCs. Probably available very cheaply as a PDF, you could buy it and check them out.

 

[Nyaricus]

If you are looking for cultural ideas, why not base each animal type's culture loosely on the type of organization the animals have naturally?

For example, anthro wolves would live in small, pack-like communities, and be ruled by the strongest - the 'alpha'. Anthro cats would be mostly solitary, with even their cities being wide-spread with lots of territory. Anthro horses would be nomadic, and live in small tribes ruled by a stallion, with all other males leaving once they reach adolescence, to join one of the bachelor tribes until they can start or take a tribe over from another. Anthro birds would live in large communities, etc.

Just an idea.

Actually, that's a really good, and original, idea. I like

'Course, being able to wield weapons as a mouse is cool, too.

"Redwall!"

Sorry, I couldn't resist

cheers,
--N

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

Actually, it's not original. See virtually every worth-bothering-with children's book featuring talking animals.

In the good ones, the animal's personalities and social behaviour is (at least loosely) based on the behaviour of the actual animals. See CS Lewis's Narnia series for a case in point. For a roleplaying example, see every shapeshifter that isn't a werewolf in World of Darkness. Of course, it's always stained by our perception of the animal.

I beleive it is better to have the 'animal nature' at the subconscious level. Your wolfman may be urbane, civilised and gentlemanly, but he's still got a friggin' big predator in the back of his head - just like us.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

I never claimed it was original, although I appreciate the complement.

I actually got the idea from a couple of books I'd read, involving shifters instead of anthros, but same basic concept. (These weren't children's books, but now that you mention it, I can think of some offhand like that too - Watership Down, for instance.)