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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Starfox" data-source="post: 5015510" data-attributes="member: 2303">MonstersWhen we talk Monsters, I like them to be unique. Generally, there is just ne of each of these creatures, or they are part of a group (like dragons) that is in itself very diverse. Often the result of a curse or the product of folklore - I am a strong subscriber to the "myths shape reality" idea in my game worlds. Or there can be a person that is the instigator for the monster, knowingly or unknowingly. Monsters generally have a purpose - be it to seek vengeance or eat maidens because the instigator was once spurned - and should not be just generic evil. Evil HordeBut not all enemies are so melodramatic. I like a game world to have a selection of crude and barbarous races, like orgs, gnolls, and goblins. Not too many different types per world - orcs can advance in ability just like humans can, so there is no real need to introduce special "bonus orcs" just because the adventure is supposed to be harder. While not really "monsters" in the definition above, these are definitely bad neighbors. These are enemies with an agenda - they want our land, cattle, gold, whatever. Here I allow myself more stereotypical evil, simply to justify beating these guys up. Without the evil, these are just neighbors in funny costumes. Basically, this is how our less enlightened ancestors saw "the other", people across the border that spoke a strange language, had odd customs, and looked different. In fantasy, we dress these guys up as nonhumans because it makes it easier for modern sensibilities to accept, which I think is perfectly fine as long as we don't take this model back with us when we look at the world. Sometimes, a very powerful member of the first group can spawn so many underlings that they enter the second group - there is The Chimera (a monster) and Chimeras (a horde). This is how I played Birthright. PeopleAnd finally, there is the traitor/conspirator/rival type of opponent, that is just like the PCs, only an opponent. Often the most rewarding, these must fit the world and its society very tightly - and often their best protection is the laws of the society they are trying to usurp. These are not really monsters at all, and need not even be evil, just have their own agenda. The PCs goal is just as often to recruit/reform these guys as it is to defeat them. This is also the group where the PCs can find potential allies/romances/plot twists most easily. Sometimes, it turns out a monster or an evil hordes are people after all, which invariably changes the whole focus of the campaign.</blockquote>

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