Funny Animal D20 anyone? (MM2 rant)
- Thread starter Jolly Giant
- Start date
On yakfolk: I always thought that yakfolk was in ancient Oriental mythology. Much older than Birthright, Al-Qadim...
In general, though, the humanoid thingies tend to be the most *sensible* of the monsters (exception: loxo) and, in most cases, are converted from previous editions (though of course the giff was discontinued
).
When one compares them with such creations as the Titanic Toad, the Rukarazyll (pardon?), the Famine Spirit (no need to bite my head off) and the Gravorg (just look at the picture), it seems that the 'funny animals' are the least of the problems with the MM2!
PS I, too, liked MM2.
In general, though, the humanoid thingies tend to be the most *sensible* of the monsters (exception: loxo) and, in most cases, are converted from previous editions (though of course the giff was discontinued
).When one compares them with such creations as the Titanic Toad, the Rukarazyll (pardon?), the Famine Spirit (no need to bite my head off) and the Gravorg (just look at the picture), it seems that the 'funny animals' are the least of the problems with the MM2!
PS I, too, liked MM2.
the Jester
Legend
Al said:In general, though, the humanoid thingies tend to be the most *sensible* of the monsters (exception: loxo) and, in most cases, are converted from previous editions (though of course the giff was discontinued
When one compares them with such creations as the Titanic Toad, the Rukarazyll (pardon?), the Famine Spirit (no need to bite my head off) and the Gravorg (just look at the picture), it seems that the 'funny animals' are the least of the problems with the MM2!
PS I, too, liked MM2.
Hey, I hated the gravorg based on the web preview- but once I saw the pic I fell in love!
"Nice kitty... er, raccoon... er... whatever."
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Loxo are based on Indian Myth, and Stolkfolk are medieval descriptions of a group living in Africa (long necks, long beak-like lips (possibly a real Lip-stretching culture)
Yakfolk I can't trace to any source but any suggestions would be welcome
and I think the Orc = Porc came about because someone said they had tusks and pug-snouts like a wild boar...
Yakfolk I can't trace to any source but any suggestions would be welcome
and I think the Orc = Porc came about because someone said they had tusks and pug-snouts like a wild boar...
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
When I saw the picture for a hecatonchires, I thought to myself "that looks like a cyclone full of birds"...
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
What's wrong with gravorgs? DnD has always left a void in the "antigravity cave lemur" department.Al said:
My real concern isn't "funny animal people"; it's "funny people" in general. Can one world like Oerth or Faerun actually support so many sentient species?
Demiurge out
Gez
First Post
Yeah, Kuo-Toa are fishmen, not toads or frogs ! But then again, Kaluta is a bad artist, everything he draw looks like toads or frogs. That's probably why he was tasked with drawing the Bullywug.
There are two D&D artists that have a very good reputation I quite don't understand: Kaluta and Reynolds. Reynolds don't know that, usually, arms are thinner than legs, and at least thinner than torsos. He also don't know how to draw a foot. Kaluta's pics are always badly colored and their lines makes them look flat.
Other funny hybrids:
Asaatthi: Yet another serpentfolk race.
Trogodon: Crocodilian centaurs with a crocodilian humanoid torso and head on a crocodilian body. CC1
Proud: Leonine centaurs, more animal in appearance than FR's wemic. CC1
Filcher, Frost Ape, Swamp Gobbler: those are not humanoid apes, they are apes with humanoid-level intelligence. CC1
Pestilite: The long awaited bug humanoid. CC2
Slime Reaver: Another froglike humanoid, for those who think bullywugs and sivs should be OGC. CC2
Piscean: Three all-new flavor of fish-like humanoids ! CC2
Kappa: Your turtle humanoids. OA
Nezumi, Slitheren, Rat Host, Wererat (OA, CC1 & CC2, CC2, MM): You can never have too many ratmen. That's why the Manual of the Planes gives you an ECL for the Uridezu (humanoid ratdemon).
Faun: If you thought one goat-humanoid (satyr) was not enough, here's another. Deities & Demigods.
I, for one, am not too worried with the overabundance of "furries". First, I don't feel compelled to place everything in my worlds. Loxo, for example, I will probably never use. But variety is the spice of life. Maybe if I were running a Dragonstar campaign, I would allow potentially everything to exist in the universe, to account for the aliens.
Then, my homebrew's creation myth had powerful divine entities competiting in their design to create the ultimate race. Ape (or Monkey) and Serpent (or Snake) were among the most prolific creators, that's why we have so many human-like race and so many reptilian humanoids, but Bird, Cat, Horse, etc. also created their own design, and then frequently copied other designs that seemed well-done. Ape having come with one of the best idea (two free hands with opposing thumbs), one that he has declined in several variation himself (human, elf, gnome, orc, etc.), it's no wonder he's been plagiarized to death.
In the end, these powerful deities got schizophrenic when the sentient races they made began worshipping them -- but partial aspect of them, not the wholeness. Dwarves worshipped several minor dwarf gods, not Ape. So these powers finally bursted from the strain of the cosmic energy drawn from faith that stirred them apart, and their shards became the minor, petty, constantly warring gods they are today.
There are two D&D artists that have a very good reputation I quite don't understand: Kaluta and Reynolds. Reynolds don't know that, usually, arms are thinner than legs, and at least thinner than torsos. He also don't know how to draw a foot. Kaluta's pics are always badly colored and their lines makes them look flat.
Other funny hybrids:
Asaatthi: Yet another serpentfolk race.
Trogodon: Crocodilian centaurs with a crocodilian humanoid torso and head on a crocodilian body. CC1
Proud: Leonine centaurs, more animal in appearance than FR's wemic. CC1
Filcher, Frost Ape, Swamp Gobbler: those are not humanoid apes, they are apes with humanoid-level intelligence. CC1
Pestilite: The long awaited bug humanoid. CC2
Slime Reaver: Another froglike humanoid, for those who think bullywugs and sivs should be OGC. CC2
Piscean: Three all-new flavor of fish-like humanoids ! CC2
Kappa: Your turtle humanoids. OA
Nezumi, Slitheren, Rat Host, Wererat (OA, CC1 & CC2, CC2, MM): You can never have too many ratmen. That's why the Manual of the Planes gives you an ECL for the Uridezu (humanoid ratdemon).
Faun: If you thought one goat-humanoid (satyr) was not enough, here's another. Deities & Demigods.
I, for one, am not too worried with the overabundance of "furries". First, I don't feel compelled to place everything in my worlds. Loxo, for example, I will probably never use. But variety is the spice of life. Maybe if I were running a Dragonstar campaign, I would allow potentially everything to exist in the universe, to account for the aliens.
Then, my homebrew's creation myth had powerful divine entities competiting in their design to create the ultimate race. Ape (or Monkey) and Serpent (or Snake) were among the most prolific creators, that's why we have so many human-like race and so many reptilian humanoids, but Bird, Cat, Horse, etc. also created their own design, and then frequently copied other designs that seemed well-done. Ape having come with one of the best idea (two free hands with opposing thumbs), one that he has declined in several variation himself (human, elf, gnome, orc, etc.), it's no wonder he's been plagiarized to death.
In the end, these powerful deities got schizophrenic when the sentient races they made began worshipping them -- but partial aspect of them, not the wholeness. Dwarves worshipped several minor dwarf gods, not Ape. So these powers finally bursted from the strain of the cosmic energy drawn from faith that stirred them apart, and their shards became the minor, petty, constantly warring gods they are today.
Lurks-no-More
First Post
demiurge1138 said:
Excellent point.
Given the human tendency to kill/enslave people not exactly like yourself, plus the fact that sentient species (w. the ability to shape their environment, therefore spreading out of their particular ecological niche) would be in direct competition with each other, I feel this is not feasible.
Most game worlds should have long and bloody histories of genocidal wars, darkened by superstition and the fear of the strange, only occasionally lightened by willingness to weigh others on what they do, not what they are. (Of course, it would resemble our world a lot, except even more extreme.)
We are talking about imagined worlds, however, so anything goes if you like it so. If you (or your players) are happy with gazillion races, go for it.
Personally, this is one of the reasons I find Dragonstar and Planescape good: they offer an explanation to the startling variety of sentients. For every mixed-species world, there must be a dozen ones where there are only humans, or elves, or orcs, or antigravity cave-dwelling lemures. Makes sense, I think.
Similar Threads
