What are the prefered lab animals for fantasy?

[DMH]

Peasants, doesn't seem to be any shortage of them either.

I was going to say something sarcastic, but this isn't a bad idea when Wayne mentioned it back in the second post. As long as the people or their families are compensated, why wouldn't good casters and alchemists not use peasants for non-lethal experiments?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I was going to say something sarcastic, but this isn't a bad idea when Wayne mentioned it back in the second post. As long as the people or their families are compensated, why wouldn't good casters and alchemists not use peasants for non-lethal experiments?

Exactly, good caster's will take care and provide compensation for the use of peasant volunteers in their research. Do everything within their power to minimize risks, and given the compensation peasants wouldn't be too adverse. Might even jump at the chance if it could do something beneficial for them in the long term. Evil casters on the other hand will also use them simply because they're plentiful, easily acquired and not powerful. And being evil they just don't care how the peasants will feel about it or whether they'll suffer, after all what do they matter?

 

[TarionzCousin]

I was going to say something sarcastic, but this isn't a bad idea when Wayne mentioned it back in the second post. As long as the people or their families are compensated, why wouldn't good casters and alchemists not use peasants for non-lethal experiments?

Plus, there's a five percent chance your mutations might actually be beneficial!

See Also: Aberrant Dragonmarks.

 

[Kaodi]

The Adventurers' Guild pays the Nefarious Villains' Guild a not inconsiderable sum to ensure that all members of the latter guild must use intelligent humanoids during experimentation in order to maintain a proper supply of Evil Wizards for Adventurers to defeat.
While at first this might seem contrary to the interests of the Nefarious Villains' Guild, one has to remember that it usually ends poorly only for the Evil Wizards. Evil Warriors, Evil Priests and Evil Monsters profit immensely by having Adventurers' attention diverted towards guild members other than themselves.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Trolls. They regernate.

They are also good for fast food joints.

Yep,

I have a Dwarven Ranger (Enemy Giants) who has some trolls locked up in the Basement as GMeat Source/Garbage Disposal.

When anyone orders them, he still harvests & prepares Troll Oysters on the Half Shell Personally.

As for Experiments,

I'd go rapid, massive populating lesser humanoids, such as Kobolds or Goblins, or humans

 

[Umbran]

With all the spell creation and new alchemical formulas being developed all the time, there has to be some animal testing.

Technically, no, there doesn't. What we think of as lab animal testing is a result of the scientific method being applied to biology, in a world where certain specific biological rules apply that have it make sense.

In a world without that method, and where those rules are either unknown or may not apply, testing your spells and alchemical formula might look very different. Rather than always testing on a particular strain of mice, maybe you need to test on animals that are of any species, but have a particular balance of the four humors, or are all the same shade of brown...

 

[DMH]

Technically, no, there doesn't. What we think of as lab animal testing is a result of the scientific method being applied to biology, in a world where certain specific biological rules apply that have it make sense.

True, but then you refute yourself thusly:

Rather than always testing on a particular strain of mice, maybe you need to test on animals that are of any species, but have a particular balance of the four humors, or are all the same shade of brown...

That is a very interesting idea. Maybe there are some abberations created to mimic many different species' attributes. Or there are minimals of the various creature types.

Or evil wizards should have a serious leg up on research since they have no quams about using humanoids.