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Which is Cooler, Yakfolk or Abeil?
- Thread starter Jason Bulmahn
- Start date
Angel Tarragon
Dawn Dragon
Abeil hands down. I love insect people. There are too few of them.
The abeil are pretty cool, and I can actually see them as long-term opponents/allies. I could easily create a campaign world where they were a major race, like elves. Pronounce it "ah-BAY-ill."
But yikaria are better, based on the awesome campaign material that Wolfgang Baur came up with concerning them in the Al-Qadim campaign. For those who don't know, the MMII information on them is slightly distorted: it has them summoning jann because jann were the closest genies mentioned in the MM. They actually summon dao (see the Manual of the Planes), the jinn of the Elemental Plane of Earth. Their deity, the Faceless God, won a wager against the Great Khan of the Dao, and as a result the dao are slaves of the yikaria for 1001 years. The yikaria force the dao to worship their deity (at least nominally), they've warped some of their forms to become tasked digger genies, and they've generally made the dao's lives miserable - not that they don't deserve it.
Still, I wouldn't want to be a yakman when the 1001 years is up.
But yikaria are better, based on the awesome campaign material that Wolfgang Baur came up with concerning them in the Al-Qadim campaign. For those who don't know, the MMII information on them is slightly distorted: it has them summoning jann because jann were the closest genies mentioned in the MM. They actually summon dao (see the Manual of the Planes), the jinn of the Elemental Plane of Earth. Their deity, the Faceless God, won a wager against the Great Khan of the Dao, and as a result the dao are slaves of the yikaria for 1001 years. The yikaria force the dao to worship their deity (at least nominally), they've warped some of their forms to become tasked digger genies, and they've generally made the dao's lives miserable - not that they don't deserve it.
Still, I wouldn't want to be a yakman when the 1001 years is up.
I love insect people as well, but the abeil are stupid insect people (just like the wasp people from the Fantasy Bestiary that eat magic). The bern from Wildwood are a very cool insect race even if they are deaf.
In fact, other than berns, I can't think of any interesting insect based race. The template from Bodies and Souls can make them easily, but no set races.
In fact, other than berns, I can't think of any interesting insect based race. The template from Bodies and Souls can make them easily, but no set races.
Abeil story ideas:
- An abeil city-hive, accompanied by their spider-eater mounts, is warring with a city of drow elves with monstrous spider and retriever allies. A human town sends the drow tribute in order to appease them, causing the abeil to consider the humans enemies as well.
- Formians invade the Material Plane, allying with an abeil city-hive. The abeil queen is considered an equal to the formian lesser queens, and together they plan to conquer the entire planet in the name of Law.
- Unemployment and inflation hit a human nation due to cheaper abeil-crafted and mined goods hitting the market. Human merchant guilds are readying for war against the LG abeils.
- Rumors fly among human nobles that the royal jelly produced by abeils can, if regularly applied, keep humans young forever. They hire thieves to steal some, or even armies to enslave the abeils and take it by force.
- A demon queen aligned with insects corrupts an abeil hive-city. The abeil queens begin interbreeding with demons and drow.
- The party needs to negotiate with some neutral abeils for spider-eater mounts, food, and supplies for a long journey through the mountains past their city-hive. The abeils insist that the PCs prove themselves by helping them complete a magical ritual, surviving a taste of the royal jelly, combat with their greatest soldiers, or helping them drive off a group of duergar competing with them in their mines.
- A thri-kreen asks for help freeing its tribe, who have been imprisoned in an abeil hive-city for violating obscure taboos.
- The PCs befriend a half-abeil who has fled his or her society. The halfbreed's kin want to force it to return.
- The party has been assigned by the Harmonium to help convert an abeil hive-city to their cause.
- A demiplane that has become one gigantic abeil hive-city is being invaded by hunter xill. The PCs, who have stopped in the demiplane to buy supplies, convert their treasure, find the last key that opens an enigmatic portal, and so on, end up participating in the battle.
- The party has been assigned by the Revolutionary League to prevent an alliance between the abeils and the Harmonium.
- A group of abeils is attempting to prevent their god from dying by regularly feeding it royal jelly. But the ancient, near-forgotten god, the last member of its pantheon, desperately wants to die. It is too weak to leave the hive-city on its own.
- An abeil hive-city is built in the center of the planet around a small black hole. The abeils keep the black hole from swallowing the world by regularly applying alchemical amber to the seal. A faction wants to interrupt this process and let the world die.
- A planet dominated by abeils is being invaded by neogi spelljammers. The Elven Armada wishes to destroy the neogi before the abeils discover how to use neogi lifejamming technology and become a greater threat.
- An abeil city-hive, accompanied by their spider-eater mounts, is warring with a city of drow elves with monstrous spider and retriever allies. A human town sends the drow tribute in order to appease them, causing the abeil to consider the humans enemies as well.
- Formians invade the Material Plane, allying with an abeil city-hive. The abeil queen is considered an equal to the formian lesser queens, and together they plan to conquer the entire planet in the name of Law.
- Unemployment and inflation hit a human nation due to cheaper abeil-crafted and mined goods hitting the market. Human merchant guilds are readying for war against the LG abeils.
- Rumors fly among human nobles that the royal jelly produced by abeils can, if regularly applied, keep humans young forever. They hire thieves to steal some, or even armies to enslave the abeils and take it by force.
- A demon queen aligned with insects corrupts an abeil hive-city. The abeil queens begin interbreeding with demons and drow.
- The party needs to negotiate with some neutral abeils for spider-eater mounts, food, and supplies for a long journey through the mountains past their city-hive. The abeils insist that the PCs prove themselves by helping them complete a magical ritual, surviving a taste of the royal jelly, combat with their greatest soldiers, or helping them drive off a group of duergar competing with them in their mines.
- A thri-kreen asks for help freeing its tribe, who have been imprisoned in an abeil hive-city for violating obscure taboos.
- The PCs befriend a half-abeil who has fled his or her society. The halfbreed's kin want to force it to return.
- The party has been assigned by the Harmonium to help convert an abeil hive-city to their cause.
- A demiplane that has become one gigantic abeil hive-city is being invaded by hunter xill. The PCs, who have stopped in the demiplane to buy supplies, convert their treasure, find the last key that opens an enigmatic portal, and so on, end up participating in the battle.
- The party has been assigned by the Revolutionary League to prevent an alliance between the abeils and the Harmonium.
- A group of abeils is attempting to prevent their god from dying by regularly feeding it royal jelly. But the ancient, near-forgotten god, the last member of its pantheon, desperately wants to die. It is too weak to leave the hive-city on its own.
- An abeil hive-city is built in the center of the planet around a small black hole. The abeils keep the black hole from swallowing the world by regularly applying alchemical amber to the seal. A faction wants to interrupt this process and let the world die.
- A planet dominated by abeils is being invaded by neogi spelljammers. The Elven Armada wishes to destroy the neogi before the abeils discover how to use neogi lifejamming technology and become a greater threat.
Desdichado
Hero
That's my take on it too; where's the option for "Don't you mean which is less lame: yakfolk or abeil?"Garnfellow said:
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