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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:

the_nereid_by_alexey_lipatov_by_ageofaenya_dc23mr9-fullview.jpg

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!
 

WooHooMan

Auror
Is the term "atronach" something out of mythology/folklore or did it originate in the Elder Scrolls? I'm asking because nearly all the search results I get when I look up the term are related to Elder Scrolls. The only ones that weren't were a type of robot in Star Wars and a band that had the term atronach in it. I like the sound of the name and it seems like a concept that would work in my setting, but I need to be careful about using other people's IP.
Honestly, I have no idea and I don’t really care.
I doubt that Bethesda has a TM on it (or are willing to enforce it) since I’ve seen D&D use the term. And original ideas become trends when there are creators willing to copy it and “atronachs” are a trend that I’d like to see more in fantasy.
 
Patrick-Leigh
I love your amazingly creative worldbuilding, and also the way you formatted this...you already know both of those things, of course.
When I say monsters, I refer to a loose definition, but the one I am mostly referring to is the varied horde of multicolored creatures that resemble no animal, not necessarily mythological monsters, although you can include them too!
Honestly, I have no idea and I don’t really care.
I doubt that Bethesda has a TM on it (or are willing to enforce it) since I’ve seen D&D use the term. And original ideas become trends when there are creators willing to copy it and “atronachs” are a trend that I’d like to see more in fantasy.
I guess Atronachs are the new orc now; they were made by someone, then everyone else starts incorporating them. It's strange how some monsters were seemingly made to be copied, meanwhile some are meant to only exist in one author's catalogue (such as chompies from Skylanders or the creatures from Wheel Of Time [which I have not yet read!].)
 
Patrick-Leigh
I love your amazingly creative worldbuilding, and also the way you formatted this...you already know both of those things, of course.
When I say monsters, I refer to a loose definition, but the one I am mostly referring to is the varied horde of multicolored creatures that resemble no animal, not necessarily mythological monsters, although you can include them too!

I guess Atronachs are the new orc now; they were made by someone, then everyone else starts incorporating them. It's strange how some monsters were seemingly made to be copied, meanwhile some are meant to only exist in one author's catalogue (such as chompies from Skylanders or the creatures from Wheel Of Time [which I have not yet read!].)

I'm greatly encouraged that you enjoy my ideas and my approach so much. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm just coming across as weird, so it's nice having positive reactions like yours. I also agree with you about how Atronachs may have started in one franchise but have since gone on to be a staple of certain fantasy franchises. I've been debating what I would do with them. For some reason, when I hear the word "Atronach" the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of automaton. I have Machina in my story setting, which are a fusion of the Warforged from D&D and steampunk robots, in terms of the basic concept, so having Atronachs be a mechanical type of Construct seems redundant. However, two possible ways to make them more distinct occurred to me.

The first is that an Atronach would be an Elemental that has been fused with a Golem or Machina, making it easier to command and imbuing the Construct with Elemental powers that would be harder to replicate from scratch. The downside is that the Elemental can escape from the Construct under certain circumstances and it's likely to go on a rampage if it does, so this creates a serious danger to creating Atronachs, even if it allows you to build a powerful Golem or Machina in half the time with far less resources.

The second idea is that an Atronach is a Construct that has had a Demon bound to it. However, in my setting, the only beings that can truly bind a Demon are gods and the evil gods are liars, so it's dubious if the Demon inside of an Atronach is truly bound or if it's merely pretending to be bound in order to lull you into a false sense of security. (This is the same reason why Summoning Circles and Binding Rituals are almost always worthless - the Demons you summon and bind to you with an oath are just acting like you have power over them because letting you think you're in charge makes you easier to manipulate into doing what they want.)

While I really like both ideas and think I'll find a way to use both of them, I'm not sure which one will be called an "Atronach." I'm a little more inclined to have the term describe an Elemental fused with a Construct while the second concept would get a term like "Demon Puppet" or at least something that more clearly conveys the demonic element that is involved. Either way, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of featuring Atronachs in my setting and having them be very powerful Constructs that come with some dangerous risks. They're cheaper to make but there's another cost involved that often gets overlooked, in other words. Either way, there's a chaotic entity connected with the Atronach that you do not want getting loose. But that's all I have time for at the present and I don't want to get this thread too off the subject.
 
What array of creatures are in your world?
I made a very large array of creatures for my worlds because I like to go heavy on the fantasy side of things.

Are there any unique ones, or mostly traditional?
Generally, I stick to traditional as I'm more interested in the character-building aspect of stories but I have several unique creatures as well because it's fantasy, and why not?

What kinds of beasts?
It's a really long list... but things like Cockatrice, Basilisk, Griffin, Peryton, Rocs, Giants, Wyverns, Pegasi, Sea serpents. All of them are the more mundane and boring typical fantasy stuff. But then I also have the creatures that I made up like Grashk, undead alligator/skeleton things with human hands instead of feet, Jykarah, invertebrates that look an awful lot like the skin of a bats wing, Icefang, basically miniature albino venomous sabre tooth tigers, Rikksha, metallic snakes, Seekers, thin, black, wiry creatures with a penchant for strangling, etc.

What kinds of beings?
I have the typical Humans, Elves, Teiflings, Dragonkin aka Dragonborn, Fae, Sprites, Halflings, Dwarves, Vampires, Phoenixes, Trolls, Changelings, Treants, Dragons, Demons, Shifters, and Selkies though I've changed up several of them significantly. I also have Avians, (if you've seen Maleficent, they're similar at least in appearance, no horns though) Veraci, albinos, only tell the truth, and purify with a touch, Mendaci, who are the literal opposites of the Veraci and Ilkanyen, who are freakishly tall, psychic abilities, but have issues with bronze.

What kinds of spirits?
Two main types, active and inactive, both are sentient. Nightmares, The Hounds, Fades, and Primals are all active Spirits meaning that they move around and do as they like. Lelekti, Fades, Ghosts, Lost Souls, Wisps, and Elementals have rudimentary intelligence but they don't act unless commanded by another being, otherwise, they will drift aimlessly or stand in place until told otherwise.

Are there any special quirks/differences you give your creatures?
Well... again that's a really long list. I give all my creatures quirks and differences because I love twisting things around. And I've already pointed out most of the ones that I can think of already.

Are wizards their own species, or just anyone who can use wizardry, or some combination?
I don't actually ever use the term "wizard" in any of my stories and it's an ability, not a species. Magic-users, depending on the world, are Gifted, Cursed, Whisperer/Incarnation, or Traveler. Though terms like sorcery and witchcraft are used but that's more of a reference to black-magic. Magic-users are often born with their abilities except for Travelers whose magic can actually be learned.

Are the creatures from the homeworld or other dimensions?
The creatures are all technically from their homeworld, of which there are five, but the fifth world is full of all the misfits that didn't turn out right and sometimes they escape onto the other worlds.

Are there any cyborg or robot creatures, like cyborg wizards, god machines, unibots, etc?
No, I'm not a fan of sci-fi.

Are they mundane in origin, such as aliens in most sci-fi stories, or more supernatural in origin, like monsters in most fantasy stories?
Eh, they were all created by the gods and that's all there is to it. Though Faerie Dragons were created by certain races instead of by the gods.

Are there any monstrous god-like beings?
Death, Oblivion, Rharros, Blight, and Asmoveini. One for each of the worlds and are basically the worlds physical embodiment of Death and/or the world's Devil.

As an extension, do monsters have their own gods that they worship?
Most monsters are not intelligent enough to create gods of their own and those who are don't bother unless they worship one of the entities above.
 
What array of creatures are in your world?
I made a very large array of creatures for my worlds because I like to go heavy on the fantasy side of things.

Are there any unique ones, or mostly traditional?
Generally, I stick to traditional as I'm more interested in the character-building aspect of stories but I have several unique creatures as well because it's fantasy, and why not?

What kinds of beasts?
It's a really long list... but things like Cockatrice, Basilisk, Griffin, Peryton, Rocs, Giants, Wyverns, Pegasi, Sea serpents. All of them are the more mundane and boring typical fantasy stuff. But then I also have the creatures that I made up like Grashk, undead alligator/skeleton things with human hands instead of feet, Jykarah, invertebrates that look an awful lot like the skin of a bats wing, Icefang, basically miniature albino venomous sabre tooth tigers, Rikksha, metallic snakes, Seekers, thin, black, wiry creatures with a penchant for strangling, etc.

What kinds of beings?
I have the typical Humans, Elves, Teiflings, Dragonkin aka Dragonborn, Fae, Sprites, Halflings, Dwarves, Vampires, Phoenixes, Trolls, Changelings, Treants, Dragons, Demons, Shifters, and Selkies though I've changed up several of them significantly. I also have Avians, (if you've seen Maleficent, they're similar at least in appearance, no horns though) Veraci, albinos, only tell the truth, and purify with a touch, Mendaci, who are the literal opposites of the Veraci and Ilkanyen, who are freakishly tall, psychic abilities, but have issues with bronze.

What kinds of spirits?
Two main types, active and inactive, both are sentient. Nightmares, The Hounds, Fades, and Primals are all active Spirits meaning that they move around and do as they like. Lelekti, Fades, Ghosts, Lost Souls, Wisps, and Elementals have rudimentary intelligence but they don't act unless commanded by another being, otherwise, they will drift aimlessly or stand in place until told otherwise.

Are there any special quirks/differences you give your creatures?
Well... again that's a really long list. I give all my creatures quirks and differences because I love twisting things around. And I've already pointed out most of the ones that I can think of already.

Are wizards their own species, or just anyone who can use wizardry, or some combination?
I don't actually ever use the term "wizard" in any of my stories and it's an ability, not a species. Magic-users, depending on the world, are Gifted, Cursed, Whisperer/Incarnation, or Traveler. Though terms like sorcery and witchcraft are used but that's more of a reference to black-magic. Magic-users are often born with their abilities except for Travelers whose magic can actually be learned.

Are the creatures from the homeworld or other dimensions?
The creatures are all technically from their homeworld, of which there are five, but the fifth world is full of all the misfits that didn't turn out right and sometimes they escape onto the other worlds.

Are there any cyborg or robot creatures, like cyborg wizards, god machines, unibots, etc?
No, I'm not a fan of sci-fi.

Are they mundane in origin, such as aliens in most sci-fi stories, or more supernatural in origin, like monsters in most fantasy stories?
Eh, they were all created by the gods and that's all there is to it. Though Faerie Dragons were created by certain races instead of by the gods.

Are there any monstrous god-like beings?
Death, Oblivion, Rharros, Blight, and Asmoveini. One for each of the worlds and are basically the worlds physical embodiment of Death and/or the world's Devil.

As an extension, do monsters have their own gods that they worship?
Most monsters are not intelligent enough to create gods of their own and those who are don't bother unless they worship one of the entities above.
I must say, your world is very interesting as well, I like how it takes existing creatures and modifies them.
 
That, and species other than humans such as elves and dwarves.
In that case, also yes, lots of them.

-Drakkaros are technically a kind of human but they're all very tall and naturally muscular.

-Anaan, which is my version of elves, who are divided by "tribes" who gradually changed to match their environment. There's Vanaan, sky elves. The Alanaan, who are the closest thing to high elves. Danaan, dark elves, and further divided between grey-black and grey-white ones, which they call Walking Shadows and Pale Ones respectively. The Panaan, "fire elves". And the Talnaan, wood elves.

-Aeshir and Izalith, the Seelie and Unseelie "Fair Folk" types.

-Eorg, the dwarves.

-Eotu, giants.

-Beor, half-dwarves with a normal human half

-Nirn, half-dwarves with a drakkaros half

-Noske, kind-of gnomes if you squint but really more like xmas elves.

-Olba, a sub-kind of dwarf

-Kelvos, the little greenskins.

-Erkos, ogres

-Uzla, trolls

-Nweyd, big brutish-looking grey tribal humanoids, very hard to kill.

-Beast Folk. There's the Steor (minotaurs), Naga (snakemen), Reyd (rat folk), Ogsvar (dog people), Askaru (lizardmen), Bele (cat people), and other kinds I haven't named yet. Most of them have variants too, like a tiger man is called a Tyshar.

-Ikkoken are a broad category that encompasses all animal-humanoid hybrids that are chimeric rather than anthropomorphic. Like a centaur is a horse body with a human torso on it, as opposed to a horse-man, who would be a kind of beastfolk.

-Raksa, who are people ritual imbued in the womb with spiritual essence. A bit like the various kinds of Plane-Touched from D&D, except they're made one by one with magic, rather than being actual full races. One is also basically a Oni.

-Demigods, pretty self-descriptive

-Lzeng, the "humans" of the Maldem Magocracy, heavily altered with various magics. They live for ages, some straight up don't age. Their bodies passively heal so well they pretty much can't be killed unless an injury slays them on the spot. Some of them don't even bleed blood.
 
I have created three human-like species for my book series:
Aruken: Aruken evolved from humans, and are very similar to them. However, they all desire to live their life the best way possible. Also, they all have blond or light brown hair and blue eyes.
Areg-cwen: Areg-cwen are like humans, but more mysterious and moody. Their eyes are entirely black, their hair is black and their skin is gray. I based them on the Shadar-kai from Dungeons and dragons.
Fae: Fae are based on fairies, however, they are not tiny. They are actually taller than humans. They do not have wings, instead they fly using their minds (i have not worked out exactly how this works yet).
 
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