Patrick-Leigh
Inkling
What array of creatures are in your world?
Short answer: A HUGE array of creatures. I am going all out with my flintlock fantasy story setting, bringing in creatures from the real world, mythology, folklore (including some fearsome critters from lumberjack lore and American folklore,) and anything that isn't someone else's IP.
Are there any unique ones, or mostly traditional?
I'm working on some original creatures but I'm also using plenty of traditional ones, just not in traditional ways. More on that later.
What kinds of beasts?
In addition to those found in the real world (both living and extinct,) I have stuff like Griffons, Hippocampi, Tatzlewyrms, Grootslangs, and lots more. I want plenty of familiar stuff to go along with my new stuff, both to pay homage to the things that have inspired me and to give people a taste of new things.
What kinds of beings?
If this means "sapient creatures," there were originally nine Core Races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Faeries, Kobolds, Orcs, and Draconians) but some of them were transformed during a period called the Divine War, when the gods were fighting each other directly. This is how beings like Centaurs, Harpies, Merfolk, and so forth, came to be. Additionally, certain Constructs (Golems, Machina, and the like) gained sapience during the Divine War and occasionally do so to this day, so there are artificial beings as well.
What kinds of spirits?
Sprits fall into four categories: Angels (good spirits,) Demons (evil spirits,) Deities (gods and goddesses,) and Souls (the spirits of mortals who have died.) Souls have the potential to join the ranks of Angels and Demons but undergo changes when they do. Souls that become Angels will remember their lives but, having a spiritual and eternal perspective, now, will not show any favoritism to people they knew in life nor will they feel nostalgia when visiting places they knew before they died. If you ask them about their lives, the way they will describe it will sound less like an autobiography and more like a dossier, if that makes sense. There's a detachment in the way they explain things.
Souls that become Demons have all their memories of their mortal lives sealed (but not erased.) They know they were once living people, but they don't recall any specifics. This is to make sure they cannot show any mercy to anyone they knew and especially loved while they were alive. Further, their personalities are greatly altered by both the influence of the evil gods they serve and the torture they endure while being transformed into Demons.
The gods come in two forms: Deities and Demigods. Deities are spiritual beings that can create something out of nothing (that is, bring something into existence with their wills alone) and who can exist in multiple locations simultaneously. Demigods are spiritual beings that can only do one of those two things but not both. Most Demigods choose to be limited to one location at a time but still be able to will things into existence but some choose the other route. Quite a few Demigods exist in physical form but are on the scale of Godzilla and other Kaiju. (Indeed, I have plans for at least one story that will be an homage to Kaiju movies that involves multiple Demigods getting into a brawl of some kind.)
Are there any special quirks/differences you give your creatures?
I'm trying to put my own spin on all the creatures from mythology and folklore that I use. For instance, the Hippocampus is not strictly half horse, half fish. It's a horse that had fish attributes blended into it, so it's got four legs, not two, a fish's tail, scales, and gills (though it can also breath air.) The closest example of a Hippocampus in my setting would be this image:
So, in a nutshell, while I will be using plenty of traditional creatures, I'll be putting my own spin on them. Or, to put it another way:
Are wizards their own species, or just anyone who can use wizardry, or some combination?
Mages in my story setting are people who are able to use Arcane Magic (Thaumaturgy) with a certain level of skill. Arcane Magic is technically accessible to just about everyone, but most people, if they ever bother learning it, can only manage Cantrips, which are Spells that any layman or housewife could pick up. They're very basic and low in potency. A Mage can do Spells that are both powerful and complex. All Arcane Spells are powered by Aethyr, a strange energy that originates from The Source and seeps over to other Material Planes of the Multiverse through a sort of cosmic osmosis.
That's just one form of Magic, however, There's also Psionics, Divine Magic (Miracles,) Necromancy, and a few others, but if I got into all of those, we'd be here all day.
Are the creatures from the homeworld or other dimensions?
The Multiverse consists of the Celestial Plane (the primary Material Plane,) which is a lot like our universe in terms of it's design, the Transitory Planes, the Echo Planes, various Demiplanes, the Energy Planes, and the Spiritual Planes. Organic (and inorganic) life resides on the Material Planes (Celestial, Transitory, Echo, and Demi.) Angels, Demons, Souls, and Deities exist on the Spiritual Planes. Creatures on Planets on the Celestial Plane can move from World to World (Planet to Planet) by traveling through the Transitory Planes.
Are there any cyborg or robot creatures, like cyborg wizards, god machines, unibots, etc?
Cyborgs exist, but I'm not sure what they're called, and their artificial body parts are either Arcane or Psionic in nature, not robotic. Regardless, a Mage or Psion can have a magical prosthetic, so "cyborg wizards" are certainly possible. I mentioned Constructs already. If they gain sapience, they're called Awakened Constructs. Some Awakened Constructs can become Mages and Psions, so Android/Gynoid Wizards are also a thing in my setting.
Are they mundane in origin, such as aliens in most sci-fi stories, or more supernatural in origin, like monsters in most fantasy stories?
All life stems from the gods, either directly or indirectly. Macroevolution (single celled organisms becoming multi-celled organisms and so forth) isn't a thing but microevoution most certainly is and it can be affected by different kinds of magic and other factors. So, in a way, my setting is the product of Creationism and Intelligent Design but evolution is not entirely absent, either. It just doesn't come in the macro variety.
Are there any monstrous god-like beings?
There's the Dark Pantheon, which is all the evil/chaotic gods, but, like the Light Pantheon, there are sub-groups within it. The ones that can be described as "monstrous" are the Eldritch Lords, who are insane, Lovecraftian beings that came about during the Divine War. I'm still working out the details with them, but I currently have at least six Eldritch Lords and each one has one or more mental illnesses as part of the basis for what sort of being it is. (So, paranoia/anxiety, kleptomania, eating disorders, psychopathy, etc., but these are all just elements of each Eldritch Lord, not their sole defining attributes. The Eldritch Lords aren't intended to be allegorical for mental disorders, but, in some ways, they have mental disorders.)
Some Kaiju-like Demigods could also be described as monstrous, especially the ones that were made by or broke off from the Eldritch Lords, though other Kaiju-like Demigods oppose them, which is how you can get stuff like Godzilla vs King Kong in my story setting.
As an extension, do monsters have their own gods that they worship?
Monsters, as they're defined in my story setting, are not sapient, so, no. Abominations can be sapient but they're not exactly religious 99% of the time. Hybrid races that came about because of the Divine War do worship the gods they choose. I should also clarify that no sapient race belongs exclusively to any god or goddess, not even the ones that made them. To the gods, judging someone by their race is like judging them by their shadows. The body is just a shell for the Soul, not the Soul itself. The gods that made the different Core Races have areas of influence beyond those races. The Matron Deity of Humans is also the Archon of Love (not just the romantic variety,) so anyone seeking insight on the various types of love or hoping to find a significant other can turn to her for guidance, be they Human, Elf, Orc, or whatever. Likewise, most blacksmiths worship the Patron Deity of the Dwarves, as he was the one who taught people how to work metal, originally.
Well, I think that should be enough for now. Thanks for inviting people to share their stuff with you! This was a lot of fun!
Short answer: A HUGE array of creatures. I am going all out with my flintlock fantasy story setting, bringing in creatures from the real world, mythology, folklore (including some fearsome critters from lumberjack lore and American folklore,) and anything that isn't someone else's IP.
Are there any unique ones, or mostly traditional?
I'm working on some original creatures but I'm also using plenty of traditional ones, just not in traditional ways. More on that later.
What kinds of beasts?
In addition to those found in the real world (both living and extinct,) I have stuff like Griffons, Hippocampi, Tatzlewyrms, Grootslangs, and lots more. I want plenty of familiar stuff to go along with my new stuff, both to pay homage to the things that have inspired me and to give people a taste of new things.
What kinds of beings?
If this means "sapient creatures," there were originally nine Core Races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Faeries, Kobolds, Orcs, and Draconians) but some of them were transformed during a period called the Divine War, when the gods were fighting each other directly. This is how beings like Centaurs, Harpies, Merfolk, and so forth, came to be. Additionally, certain Constructs (Golems, Machina, and the like) gained sapience during the Divine War and occasionally do so to this day, so there are artificial beings as well.
What kinds of spirits?
Sprits fall into four categories: Angels (good spirits,) Demons (evil spirits,) Deities (gods and goddesses,) and Souls (the spirits of mortals who have died.) Souls have the potential to join the ranks of Angels and Demons but undergo changes when they do. Souls that become Angels will remember their lives but, having a spiritual and eternal perspective, now, will not show any favoritism to people they knew in life nor will they feel nostalgia when visiting places they knew before they died. If you ask them about their lives, the way they will describe it will sound less like an autobiography and more like a dossier, if that makes sense. There's a detachment in the way they explain things.
Souls that become Demons have all their memories of their mortal lives sealed (but not erased.) They know they were once living people, but they don't recall any specifics. This is to make sure they cannot show any mercy to anyone they knew and especially loved while they were alive. Further, their personalities are greatly altered by both the influence of the evil gods they serve and the torture they endure while being transformed into Demons.
The gods come in two forms: Deities and Demigods. Deities are spiritual beings that can create something out of nothing (that is, bring something into existence with their wills alone) and who can exist in multiple locations simultaneously. Demigods are spiritual beings that can only do one of those two things but not both. Most Demigods choose to be limited to one location at a time but still be able to will things into existence but some choose the other route. Quite a few Demigods exist in physical form but are on the scale of Godzilla and other Kaiju. (Indeed, I have plans for at least one story that will be an homage to Kaiju movies that involves multiple Demigods getting into a brawl of some kind.)
Are there any special quirks/differences you give your creatures?
I'm trying to put my own spin on all the creatures from mythology and folklore that I use. For instance, the Hippocampus is not strictly half horse, half fish. It's a horse that had fish attributes blended into it, so it's got four legs, not two, a fish's tail, scales, and gills (though it can also breath air.) The closest example of a Hippocampus in my setting would be this image:
So, in a nutshell, while I will be using plenty of traditional creatures, I'll be putting my own spin on them. Or, to put it another way:
Are wizards their own species, or just anyone who can use wizardry, or some combination?
Mages in my story setting are people who are able to use Arcane Magic (Thaumaturgy) with a certain level of skill. Arcane Magic is technically accessible to just about everyone, but most people, if they ever bother learning it, can only manage Cantrips, which are Spells that any layman or housewife could pick up. They're very basic and low in potency. A Mage can do Spells that are both powerful and complex. All Arcane Spells are powered by Aethyr, a strange energy that originates from The Source and seeps over to other Material Planes of the Multiverse through a sort of cosmic osmosis.
That's just one form of Magic, however, There's also Psionics, Divine Magic (Miracles,) Necromancy, and a few others, but if I got into all of those, we'd be here all day.
Are the creatures from the homeworld or other dimensions?
The Multiverse consists of the Celestial Plane (the primary Material Plane,) which is a lot like our universe in terms of it's design, the Transitory Planes, the Echo Planes, various Demiplanes, the Energy Planes, and the Spiritual Planes. Organic (and inorganic) life resides on the Material Planes (Celestial, Transitory, Echo, and Demi.) Angels, Demons, Souls, and Deities exist on the Spiritual Planes. Creatures on Planets on the Celestial Plane can move from World to World (Planet to Planet) by traveling through the Transitory Planes.
Are there any cyborg or robot creatures, like cyborg wizards, god machines, unibots, etc?
Cyborgs exist, but I'm not sure what they're called, and their artificial body parts are either Arcane or Psionic in nature, not robotic. Regardless, a Mage or Psion can have a magical prosthetic, so "cyborg wizards" are certainly possible. I mentioned Constructs already. If they gain sapience, they're called Awakened Constructs. Some Awakened Constructs can become Mages and Psions, so Android/Gynoid Wizards are also a thing in my setting.
Are they mundane in origin, such as aliens in most sci-fi stories, or more supernatural in origin, like monsters in most fantasy stories?
All life stems from the gods, either directly or indirectly. Macroevolution (single celled organisms becoming multi-celled organisms and so forth) isn't a thing but microevoution most certainly is and it can be affected by different kinds of magic and other factors. So, in a way, my setting is the product of Creationism and Intelligent Design but evolution is not entirely absent, either. It just doesn't come in the macro variety.
Are there any monstrous god-like beings?
There's the Dark Pantheon, which is all the evil/chaotic gods, but, like the Light Pantheon, there are sub-groups within it. The ones that can be described as "monstrous" are the Eldritch Lords, who are insane, Lovecraftian beings that came about during the Divine War. I'm still working out the details with them, but I currently have at least six Eldritch Lords and each one has one or more mental illnesses as part of the basis for what sort of being it is. (So, paranoia/anxiety, kleptomania, eating disorders, psychopathy, etc., but these are all just elements of each Eldritch Lord, not their sole defining attributes. The Eldritch Lords aren't intended to be allegorical for mental disorders, but, in some ways, they have mental disorders.)
Some Kaiju-like Demigods could also be described as monstrous, especially the ones that were made by or broke off from the Eldritch Lords, though other Kaiju-like Demigods oppose them, which is how you can get stuff like Godzilla vs King Kong in my story setting.
As an extension, do monsters have their own gods that they worship?
Monsters, as they're defined in my story setting, are not sapient, so, no. Abominations can be sapient but they're not exactly religious 99% of the time. Hybrid races that came about because of the Divine War do worship the gods they choose. I should also clarify that no sapient race belongs exclusively to any god or goddess, not even the ones that made them. To the gods, judging someone by their race is like judging them by their shadows. The body is just a shell for the Soul, not the Soul itself. The gods that made the different Core Races have areas of influence beyond those races. The Matron Deity of Humans is also the Archon of Love (not just the romantic variety,) so anyone seeking insight on the various types of love or hoping to find a significant other can turn to her for guidance, be they Human, Elf, Orc, or whatever. Likewise, most blacksmiths worship the Patron Deity of the Dwarves, as he was the one who taught people how to work metal, originally.
Well, I think that should be enough for now. Thanks for inviting people to share their stuff with you! This was a lot of fun!