quote:

---

Originally posted by Fellfire

Not sure what system you are playing, if it is Pathfinder, NeoExodus has the Dalreans which should be easy enough to convert to your needs. PM me if you need more details.

Dalrean

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

I like the look, but I'd shrink 'em down, and make them a type of fey (no-one ever said all fey have to be 'animal').

*Hmph* - weird how typing a single sentence can send my brain off into a whole 'nother direction. Now I am thinking 'talking animals' (a'la Narnia) are really nothing more than fey in animal forms. Not fey in animal forms - they would actually be 'fey animals'.

And now typing that has me thinking of my whole 'lessening' lore having to do with the creation Myth stuff. What if all animals could talk? Originally, I mean. Then when the world became 'lessened' (broken), just like so many other sentient creatures, they lost the ability over time. It does reek of Narnia, but since we have Aslan (Nobanion), I'm not really thinking its too far-fetched.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

An idea: Unlike Faerūn (and most other settings, including Kara-Tur and Zakhara), there is no 'common' for Katashaka, so what if we had a 'psychic plant'? Some sort of spore/seed that you can implant inside a person's head, and it allows them to understand what someone is saying (the other person would also need one, if 2-way communication is desired). I couldn't find anything like what I am picturing, but imagine one of those headsets (gaming, phone, singers, etc), except it would be organics, like vines growing out of a person ear and covering part of that side of their face. It would be symbiotic in nature (so no harm... I think). There could even be rumors of a 'greater' variety that allowed some distance communication (although no more than a mile, I would imagine).

I actually am basing that idea off of something in the Well of Souls series of novels - the world (Wellworld) contains 1560 different intelligent species (so slightly less than D&D LOL)), and the way all these species communicate - even though many of them don't have vocal cords, or at least, not human-like ones - is using these crystals (I think they are grown in avery exotic environment). They implant in a person's next, and what they do is translate words spoken to the wearer so that they can understand what the other person is saying (like telepathy). Its no sonic in nature - if you focus on the other person real hard, you can see their lips aren't moving correctly, or maybe even hear a tiny bit of what's really coming out of their mouths... or whatever.

I had planned to include something like that - maybe a cache of them were found in some ruins - but I think combining this with the stuff you just made me thin of is more 'organic', both figuratively and literally. Something like a plant-pod a person sticks in their ear is definitely more in-tune with a primitive/savage/ setting than some sort of scify-ish crystal.

I love the synergy we have going around here. I would never had thought of doing a plant/vine version if you hadn't started talkingg about 'flower children'. And just because you were so helpful, I am now going to post a link to something i did find while trying to find a visual aid for what I awas juust describing...

Flower Person

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

I'm still looking for what I have in mind.

I found THIS, which is along the lines of what I want. I wasn't thinking flowers, but perhaps little flowers in a vine.

And here's some Fungus-folk for you, just because I stumbled across them.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay
Now I am thinking 'talking animals' (a'la Narnia) are really nothing more than fey in animal forms. Not fey in animal forms - they would actually be 'fey animals'.
(...)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Barastir

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay
Now I am thinking 'talking animals' (a'la Narnia) are really nothing more than fey in animal forms. Not fey in animal forms - they would actually be 'fey animals'.
(...)

---

Like the hengeyokai? IMHO, they are kind of fey animals, which can transform into human or humanoid form...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

Its not universal, although they will be 'available for purchase' within Stormwrath (my FR version of Stormreach). On the tribal level, perhaps the witchdoctors/shamans have them, and 'maybe' the Chief, or one other who acts as 'ambassador' (although that's usually the shaman's job, or the chief's). This would go for drow and some of the other non-humans as well (not sure about the giants, though - I suppose some of the more intelligent varieties might make use of them).

There has to be a down-side, and I am not sure if I want them tied to Katashaka itself (like, the plants die a few months after leaving the continent). Permanent loss of 1HP per 6 months of use? Of course, that would mean they are growing, and we may want to enhance them as they grow (range is the most likely thing affected). So if you are wearing one for 10 years, it'll cost you a permanent loss of twenty HP, which could kill some low-levs. I guess if you die because of the implant, you become a new pod-producing plant (so I take back what I said about my doctored-pic above - the 'berries' would NOT be new pods).

The idea is, I want PCs to have them (at least one per party), so they can talk to everyone in Katshaka, but I also don't want it to be abused. Thus, they can go to Katahsaka, have one inserted (and lose 1HP), and then 6 months after they can have it extracted before it 'grows' again and takes another HP. The extraction process should be VERY painful (temporary 1D6 damage and disadvantage on all die rolls for one week because of the nagging pain). I suppose clerical magic could alleviate some of that.

Maybe tie the HP loss to an aging-like effect, so people who have them in for a decade or longer look much older than they should. That should be a secret, though, except to natives, which is why most don't have the things. Outsiders arriving and eagerly getting their implants would be considered ignorant to the natives. So lets say you loose the same amount of time you've been wearing it, so like 5 months for 6 months (same as when you lose the HP). So if you wear one for a decade, you loose ten years off your life. To many non-humans this isn't that much of a big deal, and to higher-level humans who have access to age/life affecting magics, its also not too big a deal.

And if someone finds a 'Fountain of Youth' while wearing an implant (Emplants? That's a great name!!! Empathy + Plant), things could get VERY interesting. There should be some sort of wild magic effect, or the like.

Maybe that's how Kaiju are spawned?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

Now you have me picturing a race of 'Flower Children', who would just be vegetable hippies.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by xaeyruudh

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

Now you have me picturing a race of 'Flower Children', who would just be vegetable hippies.

---

Vegepygmies + campestris = insta-win!

For those who recall the old Elfquest stories, and want a somewhat less slapstick session, we could upgrade the campestris' "singing" to the singsong poetry of Petalwing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I read Elfquest, back in the day, but I don't recall much about Petalwing. I believe, though, that she was the Preserver who used a word that I now use for any kind of monster: nastybad.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by xaeyruudh

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I read Elfquest, back in the day, but I don't recall much about Petalwing. I believe, though, that she was the Preserver who used a word that I now use for any kind of monster: nastybad.

---

Sounds right - I don't recall any of the other preservers speaking to the elves. I was hugely entertained by all her compound words, but "highthing" is the only one I remember clearly.

---