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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 1910972" data-attributes="member: 1125">Okay leaving discussions of divine intervention for later I think taking an essentially Ecological model is 'facilitated' by the rules and its use of Terrain types (ie Cold:Arctic, Temperate, Warm, Aquatic, Desert, Forest, Hill, Marsh, Mountains, Plains, Underground) although perhaps never intended these not provide discrete habitats in which each creature is adapted to thrive. Humans of course are adapted to thrive in any land - that is the human advantage) elfs however are limited by Terrain thus:So grays, wild and wood elfs have some overlap but are not neccesarily competitive (since gray elfs have mountain forest if the Wood elfs occuply the lowlands).Also magic and divine intervention may play an ecological role and be considered 'extreme environmental change' in DnD too (the Drow are an example) Ecological Anthropology proposes that cultural traits adapt in reponse to environment and this works for DnD and the elf model. We have established that environmnet change (even subtle shifts to different terrain types) results in physcial and mental adaption in Elfs (resulting in changes in Stat blocks for each subrace) I will then posit that this physical change in combination with terrain pressures leads to Cultural change. Personally I'd say that a chaotic alignment is a cultural trait and not neccesarily a disadvantage in the model (although it often becomes so in DnD mechanics). Now unlike the highly mutable Elfs, Humans (because of their Adaptability trait) go through very limited physical change (ie no stat change and only variation in melanin levels) but do go through cultural adaption as a response to new environments (beyond this development of culture is too broad to be expanded here)Again the role of gods is too campaign specific but does raise a number of interesting possibilities. Personally I see no reason why an Ecelogical model as I posit should be at variance with either divine intervention or even Aristotelian physics (which admittedly I not familiar with). Must mythologies place human(oids) higher than the beasts with a special purpose. Taking my story as an beginning (Tiki the carver creating humans by imposing his own conception on to nature (rather than with it), we could also assign say Sina goddess of nature (who has responsibility for plants and animals) is the creator of Elfs (again a branch taken from the tree of life) Elfs were created for grace and beauty to live with nature as a part of it (blah blah) - this is why elfs modify to become 'part' of their specific habitat. Dwarfs were created from on of the roots of the tree created with endurance to dig in the earth (blah blah) - each myth creates a specific purpose for the creation which gains expression in the racial traits and drives. Their success depends upon how well they meet the assigned purpose as set by the gods...Again the perponderance of competing species highlights one of the flaws of older versions which persist in 3e but again Terrain types come into play to explain the ecology especially if they are more strictly applied so taking a series of underground races including Kobolds, Goblins, Grimlocks, Gnomes and Dwarfs we find each have other Terrain types that they favour eg Goblins are found underground in Temperate and warm lands whereas Kobolds are found in conjunction with forest. There is overlap but they do not occupy the 'exact same niche' and there may be over factors which allow them to thrive (eg Kobolds association with Dragons is a powerful advantage)GoblinClimate/Terrain: Temperate and warm land and underground[CODE][B]Kobold[/B]Climate/Terrain: [U]Any forest[/U] and underground[B]Gnome[/B]Climate/Terrain: [U]Any forest, hill[/U], and underground[/CODE]Gnomes and Kobolds compete and this is confirmed by Gnomes +1 bonus vs Kobolds.[CODE][B]Grimlocks[/B]Climate/Terrain: [U]Any mountains [/U] and underground[B]Dwarf[/B]Climate/Terrain: [U]Any hill, mountains[/U], and underground[/CODE]These occupy the same niche and so Dwarfs are probably fighting Grimlocks often (if using Grimlocks ic I'd probably allow a Dwarf to count it as a goblinoid and apply the racial bonus)</blockquote>

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