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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Michael Silverbane" data-source="post: 7421814" data-attributes="member: 38016">I stole a thing from Zak Smith for my goblins, they being the personification of bad ideas. Whenever someone (including another goblin) has a bad idea, a goblin is born (through spontaneous biogeneration). The type of goblin is determined by the general nature of the idea. Most bad ideas result in your bog standard goblin, but particularly violent ones become a bugbear, while bad military theory becomes a hobgoblin and bad science becomes a blue (psychic goblin). Goblins do not have biological sexes, but can reproduce "normally." That is, by having bad ideas, which they are super good at.Dwarfs are not born, but discovered and mined. A newly discovered dwarf is physically, fully developed, but dumb as a bag of hammers, and imprints to an extent on the one who unearthed them. This has led to a bit of an underdark-race (as opposed to a space-race) between the dwarf clans, and other types of creatures (particularly other underground dwelling creatures) to locate and unearth (or locate and preserve, in some instances, because dwarfs start to age when they are unearthed), and gives the dwarfs an excellent reason for digging deeply and greedily. Dwarfs do not have biological sexes, nor any way to reproduce without extensive magical interference.Elfs are hermaphroditic, and reproduce through an innately magical process of internal alchemy which requires the cooperative exchange of biological material from three elfs. Whenever you see three elfs together, you can be sure that one of them is "miracleworking." These miracleworking elfs are highly valued as a sacrificial component in all sorts of rituals. Once the process is complete, which takes several years, the elf that emerges is essentially an adolescent, having been implanted with the knowledge of its parents, but having no real experience. The elfin reproductive process can be subverted by the host (mother), resulting in a drow elf.Preadult orcs have a larval stage that is indistinguishable from a razorback boar. Orc chops are a thing. After a few years, these pupate and quickly transfigure themselves into adult orcs. They emerge fully formed both physically and psychologically. Female orcs are quite rare, but huge and incredibly fecund. Male orcs are your bog standard servant of Gruumsh (or whoever).Several other types of creatures similarly are created or form through non-biological means (kobolds, for instance are created by dragons out of their blood).As you may have noticed, none of these creatures has a real childhood to speak of. This helps to avoid the orc babies conundrum, but also serves to make each of the creatures uniquely fantastical. Hopefully giving the players something to think about when playing or interacting with these types of creatures.Basically only humans and other real world natural animals have a normal biological life cycle. Everything else happens through quasi mystical huckey puckey.</blockquote>

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