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Post-apocalypse & fantasy races
- Thread starter Hairfoot
- Start date
Turanil
First Post
They are not fantasy races, but genetically modified humans. For example, several attempts were made for the rich people to get children who would be more elegant and almost immortal. These were called ELF, that is an acronym for Elegant Luscious Folk (and uses the Elf race's racial traits). However, before the new human race would be successfully engineered (and still, not a 100% success as they were nonetheless less resistant so the -2 penalty to Con), there were several failures. One of those failure were a race instead born ugly, and also prone to violence and idiocy. These were called ORC, that is an acronym for Odious Repulsive Cretin (and uses the Orc race's racial traits).Hairfoot said:
You see the idea...
Perhaps they were there all along, hiding, and the temporary decline in the human population allowed for a resurgence. Mutations would work too.
See Elfstones of Shannara, for example. It's hinted in there that some of the races are mutations from the human, born of radiation and inbreeding, while other races were just in hiding or banished to another plane and allowed to break free during the disaster.
See Elfstones of Shannara, for example. It's hinted in there that some of the races are mutations from the human, born of radiation and inbreeding, while other races were just in hiding or banished to another plane and allowed to break free during the disaster.
Hairfoot
First Post
I want to incorporate them into a near-future apocalypse scenario (2015-2030), so I can't go too far ahead with technology or mutations.
Also, I want to include magic in the campaign and preserve some sort of alien-ness in the non-human characters. The shadowkind model from Urban Arcana is good, so perhaps having a global disaster reveal them in their true form could work.
Also, I want to include magic in the campaign and preserve some sort of alien-ness in the non-human characters. The shadowkind model from Urban Arcana is good, so perhaps having a global disaster reveal them in their true form could work.
John Q. Mayhem
Explorer
QuaziquestGM
First Post
They were living in a parrell plane of existance....until the bombs fell and shattered the glass. Now the the planes have merged...and they are not happy about it.
Avalon and Dimensional Barriers
This is the setup I am using for my D20 modern campaign:
There is a legend among some men that once, long ago, elves, men, and all mythical beasts walked togther on this plane. During the inquistions driven by the ruling class of man, and they're "church," the elves and men of an older faith receded. They worked a great magick, known in our distant past as a mythal, pulling an entire contiental island, once known as Atlantis, or Avalon, from the fabric of reality. They pulled with them all the creatures of intelligence who opted to leave.
This resulted in an unexpected result. Magick ceased to function in the "earth" and man fell into a dark age. A time when even such wonders as a simple herb healer where accused of dark sorcerey and destried lest they draw attention from the other side of the veil.
Without the dragons, great mythic creatures of magick, new magick could not be created. New ideas of ways to cope came forward and man made technology.
On the otherside of the Veil magick contiunes to grow and innovate at the same rate as technology did. Pulling the veil aside certain groups of elves began to come to our side. Venturing back to push the limits of the human mind, and bring about cultural revolution.
Now the veil is thinning. Human violence, elven ingenuity, and the draconic need to hoard is pushing the veil to the side. Humans are so busy killing each other, and warring over beliefs they havn't been noticing it yet. Now as the deathtoll reaches climatic porportions the Isle rises again, the veil thins, and Magick, is Back.....
It starts slowly, creatures of shadow, and mist,
Then people slowly beging to notice the strangness.. the mystics of the world rejoice as they are finally rewarded. The final moment comes as teh Unseelie (evil elves, (drow)), take out each world leader in a single moment. (seriies of assassians, and dimension door spells). The Unseelie take over.
Flash forward a hundred years, mankind is still fighting a losing war with the unseelie, the Seelie court is held and bound by custom to not interfer. The Chromatic dragons have joined teh unseelie, and the Metallic have joined what few numbers they have with the resistance.
Most Cities are ruins...
Military Forces are in shambles, only a few units persisting anywhere and having no real command structure left they have at best become city state militia.
The Hunt is a feared entity, groups of Unseelie mounted on Nightmares hunt men for TV Ratings...
Some humans are willing pets, traitors and experimental subjects (see Anthropomorphic characters (Savage Species)
The Experimentation on Humans and Elves of the Seelie court have resulted in grotesque monstrosities known as Goblins (human mutants), and Orcs, (elf mutants)
Magickal exposure has changed some humans, giving birtht o the Halfling and Gnomish races.
Dwarves have come out of hiding from the hills, determined to help put the Unseelie back in they're place... Teaching the arts of Weaponcraft to Man once more.
Races: Human, Seelie (Elf standard), High Court (Eladrin (EL Applicable), Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, Unseelie (Drow) Renegade (VERY Rare), Half Elf, Goblin, Orc, Half Elf, Half Orc (Rare), AnthroMan (Various, but nothing over LA +2, no racial HD), RW-4s (Warforged),
I use a modified version of the D20 Modern and Standard 3.5 rules...
Primary quest is retrival of a series of magickal artifacts, Excalibur, Holy Grail, Ankh of Ra, Ark of the Covenat, etc... o and avoiding the regular hunting parties and later the full force of the unseelie empire.
Whadda ya think?!
Elvnsword
This is the setup I am using for my D20 modern campaign:
There is a legend among some men that once, long ago, elves, men, and all mythical beasts walked togther on this plane. During the inquistions driven by the ruling class of man, and they're "church," the elves and men of an older faith receded. They worked a great magick, known in our distant past as a mythal, pulling an entire contiental island, once known as Atlantis, or Avalon, from the fabric of reality. They pulled with them all the creatures of intelligence who opted to leave.
This resulted in an unexpected result. Magick ceased to function in the "earth" and man fell into a dark age. A time when even such wonders as a simple herb healer where accused of dark sorcerey and destried lest they draw attention from the other side of the veil.
Without the dragons, great mythic creatures of magick, new magick could not be created. New ideas of ways to cope came forward and man made technology.
On the otherside of the Veil magick contiunes to grow and innovate at the same rate as technology did. Pulling the veil aside certain groups of elves began to come to our side. Venturing back to push the limits of the human mind, and bring about cultural revolution.
Now the veil is thinning. Human violence, elven ingenuity, and the draconic need to hoard is pushing the veil to the side. Humans are so busy killing each other, and warring over beliefs they havn't been noticing it yet. Now as the deathtoll reaches climatic porportions the Isle rises again, the veil thins, and Magick, is Back.....
It starts slowly, creatures of shadow, and mist,
Then people slowly beging to notice the strangness.. the mystics of the world rejoice as they are finally rewarded. The final moment comes as teh Unseelie (evil elves, (drow)), take out each world leader in a single moment. (seriies of assassians, and dimension door spells). The Unseelie take over.
Flash forward a hundred years, mankind is still fighting a losing war with the unseelie, the Seelie court is held and bound by custom to not interfer. The Chromatic dragons have joined teh unseelie, and the Metallic have joined what few numbers they have with the resistance.
Most Cities are ruins...
Military Forces are in shambles, only a few units persisting anywhere and having no real command structure left they have at best become city state militia.
The Hunt is a feared entity, groups of Unseelie mounted on Nightmares hunt men for TV Ratings...
Some humans are willing pets, traitors and experimental subjects (see Anthropomorphic characters (Savage Species)
The Experimentation on Humans and Elves of the Seelie court have resulted in grotesque monstrosities known as Goblins (human mutants), and Orcs, (elf mutants)
Magickal exposure has changed some humans, giving birtht o the Halfling and Gnomish races.
Dwarves have come out of hiding from the hills, determined to help put the Unseelie back in they're place... Teaching the arts of Weaponcraft to Man once more.
Races: Human, Seelie (Elf standard), High Court (Eladrin (EL Applicable), Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, Unseelie (Drow) Renegade (VERY Rare), Half Elf, Goblin, Orc, Half Elf, Half Orc (Rare), AnthroMan (Various, but nothing over LA +2, no racial HD), RW-4s (Warforged),
I use a modified version of the D20 Modern and Standard 3.5 rules...
Primary quest is retrival of a series of magickal artifacts, Excalibur, Holy Grail, Ankh of Ra, Ark of the Covenat, etc... o and avoiding the regular hunting parties and later the full force of the unseelie empire.
Whadda ya think?!
Elvnsword
The book "Keeping it Real" by Justina Robson will help you out. Massive supercollider sccident punches a whole in parallel universes, both modifying earth and allowing the fantasy creatures -- who we are aware of culturally form occasonial crossovers -- to travel back and forth freely.
Hairfoot
First Post
Thanks for the tips.
That's a good setup, elvnsword. I'm trying to avoid the mutation-race concept, but faerie hunts as TV sport is a concept I'll gladly steal, if you don't mind.
That's a good setup, elvnsword. I'm trying to avoid the mutation-race concept, but faerie hunts as TV sport is a concept I'll gladly steal, if you don't mind.
Ah, yes! I was wondering how I could work CERN's new toy into it.
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