Brainstorming a Six Limb Ecology

[Umbra]

G'day guys,

I'm about to start a new campaign where the party are members of the Lost, enslaved descendants of peoples magically transported from Faerun to this new world. The party needs to escape, learn about the world, gather resources, gain levels, discover the secret of the enslavers and free their family and friends before finally discovering a gate back 'home'.

Most critters in this world are six limbed. eg the plain living enslavers are based on lamia's with their secret's template applied, centaurs rule a woodland area, a wolf-like equivalent of humanoid head and arms on a four-legged-torso control an icy forest. Other intelligent creatures are variations on humanoid top on creature bottom like driders.

To broaden my own ideas I would like the boards to brainstorm options (preferably low admin ones!).

What creatures would you use? What would their cultures be like? What would their reaction be to intelligent four limbed creatures?

Note: this is a brainstorming thread. no critiques. no complaints. just ideas.

Thanks in advance

 

[Will]

Thri kreen, dragons, ...

Just saying.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Fairies also have six limbs.

How would you react to a six-legged creature that was intelligent, wielded weapons, and could cast spells?

I would investigate them... if there's only a few of them an armed posse could take them prisoner, then subject them to interrogation with magical aid - charm monster, zone of truth and detect thoughts will help out there.

 

[JimAde]

Some natives might actually pity the humanoids. We're all handicapped.

Or maybe the slaver race has a myth that humans were punished by the slavers' god by having one pair of legs removed and put into servitude. It's always good to have a rationale when you're enslaving people. Helps you sleep at night.

 

[Nifft]

My Elemental Planes are all part of a five-dimensional macrosphere, so they are full of hexapods... and those with more legs, or who can slither.

- Aranea (perhaps a biped-hybrid?)
- Basilisk
- Behir
- Displacer Beast
- Drider (sorta)
- Ethereal Filcher (sorta)
- Formian
- Girallon
- Lamia
- Stirge
- Xill
- Xorn

Including wings as limbs:
- Achaierai
- Dragons
- Griffon
- Hippogriff
- Lammasu
- Manticore
- Mephit
- Pegasus
- Sphinx
- Sprite (Pixie, Grig)

Slithery non-Bipeds:
- Lillend
- Naga
- Salamander
- Yuan-Ti


Fiend Folio (mixed):
- Ahuizotl
- Shedu


MM2 (mixed):
- Abeil (but bluh)
- Frost Salamander
- Loxo (if trunks count as limbs)
- Marrash (if wings count)
- Mudmaw (if tongue-tentacles count)
- Neogi
- Ormyrr (but bluh)
- Rampager
- Spell Weaver
- Spell Gaunt
- Tauric Critter (Template)

-- N

 

[s/LaSH]

Consider 'lower' forms of life:

- Hexweasels
- Spherical fish with four frontal fins giving them great maneuverability
- Herd animals that are either long (and six-legged) or winged; flying buffalo and weasel sheep become common sights
- Evolutionary branch: hexapods and winged creatures (hexapods are four-shouldered, winged are bi-shouldered). Probably before the mammal/reptile split; this means pegasi are more closely related to dragons than to girallons. Fur and feathers etc are simply evolutionary convergence.

Cultures would be different, but as the creatures in question here are still two-armed, not that different. They have greater maneuverability and, presumably, endurance (horses, wolves, whatever, they can run for days); this indicates that their culture will be nomadic, or revolve around long distances between key locations such as cities, forts or mines.

This wanderlust could explain why slaves are necessary: they need someone who can stand sitting in one place for a while.

Buildings will be bigger. No two ways about it. You need more room if you're four times the size of a human (which they are). Not taller, necessarily, just wider in every regard. Which may require plenty of internal supports in a room, just to keep the ceiling up; or the ceiling is way higher via buttresses or whatever.

Horses are used to produce antivenin in our world because of their immune systems, so perhaps the centaurs are more comfortable around serpents. Or naga and yuan-ti. It's not what you'd think of, but it is logical.

 

[Tonguez]

- Herd animals that are either long (and six-legged) or winged; weasel sheep

IMC I've adopted the Giant Aphid as a common herd animal - same stats as a sheep but Aphids are grass eating soft shelled vermin with six legs (four for walking the tusk like front pair for digging/defense). Aphid wool is a silky substance which the Aphids exude from their shells (and is infact their 'waste')

Anyway giant insects are a perfect addition to your setting, and in fact could entirely replace a mammal/reptile ecology. Formians and Driders (use the template) and of course the Insectile template too (Insectile goblins, ogres and elves). Perhaps even the Centaurs are modified soft shelled insectiles!

 

[Gez]

MM2 (mixed):
- Abeil (but bluh)
- Frost Salamander
- Loxo (if trunks count as limbs, but bluh to the power of 10000)
- Marrash (if wings count)
- Mudmaw (if tongue-tentacles count)
- Neogi
- Ormyrr (but bluh)
- Rampager
- Spell Weaver
- Spell Gaunt
- Tauric Critter (Template)

-- N

Fixed it for you.

 

[Nifft]

Fixed it for you.

Thanks! I was so caught up in how smart I was to think of its trunks as limbs, I forgot for a moment how lame the base critter was.

Your correction is appreciated!

-- N