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keftiu
Senior Scribe
656 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jan 2020 : 23:07:02
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There's a player in my group keen to make such a character, but I don't think such a race exists anywhere in D&D canon. Any suggestions for how to handle them, or where they would live?
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4e fangirl. Here to queer up the Realms. |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4702 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2020 : 23:22:20
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Well the one idea that occurs is the awaken spell, it does not provide a folk however does offer intelligent animal.
Other options for folk would have to be were or other shape shiftier type of "people" I would think. It just too hard to picture a herd of antelope developing a community without shape shifting and ability to communicate. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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keftiu
Senior Scribe
656 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2020 : 01:29:33
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Okay, throwing something together and trying to get away from the obvious route:
The Nakali are a reclusive race dwelling in the Shaar grasslands, their nomadic clans traveling migration routes between communal sanctuaries and sites of power they protected from the outside world. Resembling humanoid antelopes with tall, nearly-straight horns, the Nakali are naturally mildly psionic, enjoying a limited form of telepathy they use to communicate silently; those with greater psionic talent were used to drive the other races away non-violently. Oral traditions (often enhanced in the telling with great psionic images or shared memories) warned against the dangerous potential and past abuses of arcane power, leading to the antelopefolk's hiding of a number of ancient ruins, wells of elemental or primal wnwegy , or other locations potentially exploitable by those with such a hunger, a belief only reinforced by the desolation wrought by the Spellplague.
Despite all this, the Nakali do not hate other races, merely mistrust them and treat them warily. Humans are regarded as loud, arrogant, and too curious for their own good, but a few individuals across history have earned their trust and are honored in the storied histories the clans tell. The xenophobic elves of Elfharrow forged a tense bond with the Nakali after the Spellplague in the two peoples' limited interactions, and that's grown into a mutual respect; the southwestern migration routes make a point to meet with them a few times a year. Few groups are more hated than those wemics devotees of Malar, who hunt the Nakali for sport and sacrifices. Some stories speak of small folk with a similar psionic gift as the Nakali, leading those few who see the wider world to believe they once had dealings with the ghostwise hin to the north.
Nakali organize into roaming clans with names like the Azure Wing and the Dust Dancers, marked with signature fur paint and colorful textiles, traveling ancestral circuits across the Shaar and bonding with the others at shared places of respite, replenished with supplies whenever a clan leaves them. Here stories are retold and shared, and members are freely exchanged to sate curiosity for new sights or to bond with new people, often traveling with five or more clans over the course of a lifetime. Those few Nakali who develop arcane talents are essentially given a polite exile to a clan of their own, the Splinter Horns, whose path only crosses that of the others once every few years; most of the Splinter Horns view this as an acceptable sacrifice for the public good, and endeavor to lead full lives supporting each other despite their relative isolation.
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4e fangirl. Here to queer up the Realms. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36971 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2020 : 01:51:40
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What would I do with antelopefolk? I'd let them play with the deerfolk on the range where the buffalofolk roam.  |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2020 : 12:41:14
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OMG, its weird that this thread should start? I ask because I've kind of been writing about them for Katashaka. I picture them fulfilling a role there somewhat similar to centaurs, except that they are on the plains and hunted by the other races (many of whom see no problem with eating other intelligent races if they appear like big game). I was literally looking into writing up something and asking about it in the Brainstorming Anchorome Thread (because I'm also looking into larger versions of Hybsil to put up in Anchorome).
If I wanted some and didn't want it to be in Katashaka or Anchorome (for specifically antelopefolk), I would have them captured by explorers of that "new land" and transferred to Faerun. The would fit the Shaar well. I would give them a very shamanistic culture (in that they deal with the spirits of the land), and maybe in their homeland they have discovered arts similar to the Rashemi with their telthors.
I've been making 3D models of them the last 6 days as time permits.
Horned Taurics with spears (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4084759)... note each one has multiple horns types … kudu... springbok... and something resembling ram horms
Horned Tauric Females with Bows (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4092609)... note each one has multiple horns types … kudu... springbok... and something resembling ram horms
Deer Centaur Female Archer https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4092522
Tauric Deer with tomahawk https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4084512
Plainsfolk Centaur with tomahawk and long hair https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4085349
centaur female archer https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4094275
Plains Centaur with and without headdress https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4085062
Zebrataur male with spear https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4086035
BTW, Wooly, I literally started to look into making a bisonfolk model LAST NIGHT. I'm also going to take the model I made of a female centaur archer last night and move the body onto a deer body and maybe make some versions with different weapons. I also want to start in on making some wemics, Rhinaurs, Rhinotaurs, tauric foxes, but if I do they'll probably have full lion heads or other cat heads (rhinotaurs being "minotaur" like with humanoid torsos, Rhinaurs being tauric hippo/rhinos... Rhinaurs are in Star of Cursrah FR novel btw, so they are canon and were once in Calimshan). I also plan to make a lamia using some of the body model I already have.
I have not PRINTED any of these yet mind you, as I've been busily learning how to use my 3d printer the last few days on little squirrelfolk (got a squirrelfolk riding an owlcat while firing a firebolt making noise behind me) and trying to make a decent "Elsa and Olaf" for a fellow player as a present. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2020 : 13:31:13
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By the way, if you didn't want it to be "captured and dragged to Faerun", I'd still recommend not having their culture start in the Shaar. I state that because there's plenty of documented races there already, so it would be shoehorning around existing stuff. We have a whole world outside of Faerun to explore. They could be from Nimbral. They could be from Katashaka. They could be from Anchorome. Perhaps they've come to Faerun as explorers themselves. Perhaps they wandered through some old portal of the Imaskari, and we find out there are Imaskari settlement remains in Katashaka. Perhaps they were on Abeir, and they've come across as part of the remerging of the worlds.
My personal favorite of all of these ideas would deal with my ideas for the Cliffside City of Peleverai down in the Shaar, wherein I propose it was resettled by Mulans and Chondathans from "transferred to Abeir" sections of Thay, Chessenta, and Unther while in Abeir. However, also Shaar barbarian tribesmen and Crintri elves and Arkaiun humans of Dambrath can be found in the city as well with equal standing, and even some wood elves from Chult and some dark elves. In this particular scenario, these people of Peleverai in the shaar are part of a larger group which allied for resources and protection despite being far flung while on Abeir (a concept that I've been calling the United Tharchs of Toril). Each piece of this collective is small so as to fit within an existing campaign without overpowering it, but by having different groups in different areas it allows one to have something familiar wherever you want to start. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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What would you do with antelopefolk?
