Creating Feasible Fantasy Creatures

[Iosmovaehar]

When producing original creatures for your fantasy world, how do you strike a balance between creating creatures that feel unique, while also making their bodily forms not too too fantastical so as to make them nonsensical or impossible in the context of your world?

How big can a creature get? Are there certain types of bodies that particularly large / particularly small animals should not have?

For example, is this bek-bek (Quick concept sketch: bek-bek by Iosmovaehar on DeviantArt) impossible in Earth-like gravity? Standing roughly as tall as a large sauropod, it has a fairly light and spindly build. Would long spindly legs support such a body? Are there certain proportions that one should keep in mind when deciding on the size of such a creature? I am quite ignorant of biomechanics and whatnot, so any thoughts would be welcome!

This, or anything to do with the feasibility of your, or others' fantasy creatures should be discussed here!

 

[Rkcapps]

As a rule, if it serves the story, I don't like to get bogged down in the mechanics, as long as the creature comes alive on the page. And entertains. Think J.K. Rowling (well, I do!).

 

[Steerpike]

Depends on what I'm writing. For certain fantasy, I may not really care about any of this--whatever suits the story works just fine. For SF, of course, I'd want to consider all of these points.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

It depends on suspension of disbelief and Rule of Cool for me. That is, whatever readers will believe in, works.

I don't like dragons that are ludicrously huge, but the largest of mine probably weigh as much as a draft horse, and can still fly. Readers will accept that. I have huge megafauna that is not much less plausible than dinosaurs. I like my creatures to be fairly plausible, but ultimately, whatever works for the story, works.

 

[TheKillerBs]

Yes, your bek-bek is impossible in Earth-like gravity. The legs are too spindly, the neck is too narrow for that head and unless it's adapted to a cold climate, it's too hairy for its size. All that being said... Don't change a thing. It looks awesome.

 

[TWErvin2]

Fantasy worlds have fantastic creatures, from undead and lycanthropes to giants, sprites and dragons. If Tolkein can have walking and talking trees, your creature is not out of line.

It must, of course, fit within the context of your world. But readers of fantasy are willing to suspend disbelief, if you don't jar them too much along the way.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Well, it looks like a long-nosed version of the AT-AT Walker from Star Wars, so watch out for speeders... but as folks have said, it isn't going to matter much to fantasy readers unless everything else in your world is concrete realistic, and only if you include a drawing. If you say "a spindly legged" etc, I'm still going to see in my head spindly for a creature who can be that tall. Meh, no biggie. I assume there are explanations of some unearthly sort to make it happen. So long as you follow the logic of your world, you should be all right.

It's possible to go too far with this stuff, depending on my mood as a reader. But generally I don't care.

 

[elemtilas]

When producing original creatures for your fantasy world, how do you strike a balance between creating creatures that feel unique, while also making their bodily forms not too too fantastical so as to make them nonsensical or impossible in the context of your world?

How big can a creature get? Are there certain types of bodies that particularly large / particularly small animals should not have?

For example, is this bek-bek (Quick concept sketch: bek-bek by Iosmovaehar on DeviantArt) impossible in Earth-like gravity? Standing roughly as tall as a large sauropod, it has a fairly light and spindly build. Would long spindly legs support such a body? Are there certain proportions that one should keep in mind when deciding on the size of such a creature? I am quite ignorant of biomechanics and whatnot, so any thoughts would be welcome!

This, or anything to do with the feasibility of your, or others' fantasy creatures should be discussed here!

I agree with the others about 'if it serves the story...' etc.

One thing I notice about your tall beast is that, even for all its height, it is still a small animal, all things considered. It looks like the legs are about 30 feet long and the body about 15 or 20 feet long. Unlike a very large dinosaur, its body is not this huge mass that requires veritable pillars of bone and muscle to support.

So, yeah, looks cool so far. . .

I'm hazarding the guess that when this beastie lies down (either to sleep and perhaps to give birth), it'll get up again like how a giraffe does. Only much more impressive!

One thing more: I'd really hate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when this megafaun decides to take a dump! But its pats might make a good fuel source at least.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

I am wondering why it needs the trunk. Does it feed from very, very high trees, or from the ground?

I assume the broad, flat feet are to spread out its weight. Does it live in sandy areas?

What about those very large eyes? Is there a reason for those? Large herbivores often have small eyes.

 

[Steerpike]

I guess you can get away with more when you're dealing with machines, but dimension-wise it is similar to a tallneck.

 

[Viorp]

When it comes to fantasy everything goes.
You have fantasy materials and magic.

One thing which I find weirdly annoying is that in fantasy worlds animals don't tend to use magic.
Even in a world where magic is based on magic circles it is bound that structures making use of magic would also evolve in animals.

 

[Ruru]

In general, I agree with the others here, that unless it's truly ridiculous a reader will run with it, particularly if you don't supply drawings. Your readers imagination will likely make your creatures as realistic as the need to be for them.

However . I come from a biological back ground, and I really enjoy creating creatures that are plausible, at least in an ecological sence, and with an idea of how it would function in its environment. So things like the questions that DragonoftheAerie asked.

I think as a rule on earth, as a creature doubles in size its body needs to be three times as strong to support it. Hence tiny spindly creatures like gazzel for example, with their really thin legs, and things like rinos that look over engineered XD. I think my main hangup though is flighted creatures will too small wings.

 

[elemtilas]

I am wondering why it needs the trunk. Does it feed from very, very high trees, or from the ground?

It looks like the bush next to it (dinner?) is pretty low, and the beast's neck is rather short. I'd guess the trunk is used to aid in feeding. Perhaps it has other uses like grooming, perhaps mating rituals, drinking, bathing.

I assume the broad, flat feet are to spread out its weight. Does it live in sandy areas?

What about those very large eyes? Is there a reason for those? Large herbivores often have small eyes.

The better to see you with, my dear!

Perhaps this isn't a herbivore after all? Maybe it uses that long trunk to latch onto some hapless prey animal? To suction eggs out of nests? To snag birds on the wing? To thwack and subdue other would-be predators?

 

[Iosmovaehar]

You're right, the eyes should be smaller. The long trunk is for grasping leaves and sucking-up water for drinking in much the same way as an elephant. Kneeling or sitting down would be very difficult for such a creature, so the long trunk would make drinking and eating much easier for it.

As for the reason for their large feet: I just figured a hoof might be too small a walking appendage for such a large beast. Hooves would put so much pressure on the ground that it would be prone to losing it's footing, especially in sandy regions with less stable soil. I'd imagine that some varieties live in open savannah like giraffes, but others might live in heavily forested areas like okapis.

Edit: ooh, I like that idea about the mating rituals with the trunks.

 

[TheKillerBs]

The eyes are great though, they give it that smug air about it. That gives the drawing personality and memorability. Changing them would detract more than add to it I reckon.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Odd question - why does the talineck have a flying saucer on its head?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[elemtilas]

When it comes to fantasy everything goes.
You have fantasy materials and magic.

One thing which I find weirdly annoying is that in fantasy worlds animals don't tend to use magic.
Even in a world where magic is based on magic circles it is bound that structures making use of magic would also evolve in animals.

Well, they don't use magic in the primary world either. The only animal known to take magic (sciency things like electricity and chemistry) and make deliberate use of it is the human kind.

I'm sure there are animals out there that use magic because they've adapted to and evolved within a magic imbued environment. For example, in The World several kinds of winged animals (mostly birds, but also Daine) navigate and orient themselves by means of thaumoreceptors in the brain. They sense the wave formations of thaumic energy as it flows up from the deepest core and washes around all the intervening layers of planet and stuff that gets in the way. Up on the surface or in the sky, they can sense the interactions between these waves and those of magnetic fields. The bird isn't consciously using magic, but he is making use of a natural resource to get from point A to point B, just as his ancestors have done since the Dawn of Time when all the continents were different.

Some animals, I think, may actually be consciously using magic. For example, common rats that live out in the wilds never engage in this curious behaviour that many urban rats to. And that is catbaiting. The behaviour is simple enough. A rat will search for a particular kind of clayey soil, such as can be found in any cemetery, and bring this back to the nest. The rats will dip the ends of their tails in it. When out on their nightly sojourns, as often happens, they'll meet up with a cat. Now, most rats run away, but not so the urban rat. These will straighten their tails and twitch them very rapidly, until a certain resonant frequency is reached. The clayey earth on the tip of the tail will begin to glow, a kind of radiant green. Not very bright, but just interesting enough to attract the attention of a cat. A bright contrast in low light situations. The cat's attention is diverted and the rat makes his escape. Basically, the rat has come up with a thaumic cat toy, which bobs and sways as he runs along, confusing the cat and foiling his attempts at catching the rat.