[note]Iâ,¬,,¢m trying to create entire ecosystems here, so any suggestions for life-forms would be greatly appreciated. It can be anything from a single species to an entire class.
[ooc]For information on scientific classification: Wikipedia knows all! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_classification#Examples)[/ooc]
Also, I need help with names. Any suggestions are welcome[/note]One of my favorite parts about the setting Iâ,¬,,¢m working on is the biodiversity the world exhibits, especially in the area of animals. Different continents have entirely different ecologies, and since some continents recently (between twelve and one m.y.a.) collided, biodiversity is changing even further as new species interact. Even more recently, sentient life exploring the globe has brought new animals to different areas. So, here, Iâ,¬,,¢ll be presenting some new ideas for animal life. I need help, and the ideas are going to sometimes be half formed thoughts. Most of these are going to be made modular enough to drop in any setting, and many of them will work equally well for sci-fi or fantasy. Enjoy!
[ooc]The current nomenclature of the animals is going to be descriptive, not permanent names. Expect a lot of â,¬Å"Scorpion Fly Aâ,¬Â and â,¬Å"Octopus Tree Bâ,¬Â type names. Also, when I refer to a creature as sentient and cultured, I mean a creature that has near human level intellect and has developed something recognizable as a culture beyond simple flock, pack, or school mentality. Displacer beasts are sentient, but not cultured. Ants are cultured, but not sentient. [/ooc]
[spoiler=The Cephalopod Continent]
The basic premise for this continent is that life he did not come from fish being forced onto land, but rather various primeval cephalopods being forced onto land. Although insects exist here (they exists on every continent), no other modern class of animal is native to TCC, though some have been introduced throughout history. The dragons left this continent alone, since some of the native life forms were just too dangerous to bother with, and life on the continent was so alien that the dragons didnâ,¬,,¢t want to deal with. Couple that with strange magics that the native magical beasts can use, and things become extremely hairy. TCC is going to blur the line between Aberration and Animal, but Iâ,¬,,¢m honestly working on a way to remove type from creatures all together, I think itâ,¬,,¢s too constricting.
Oh, and why Cephalopods? Well, as Wikipedia states:
Quote from: Class AThis class will be the aerial creatures of the continent. Unlike birds and insects, these creatures propel themselves through the air through pushing a lot of air through their bodies at high speeds, similar to how a jet works. They are extremely fast flyers, ranging from 40 mph to 200 mph, but the lack maneuverability compared to avians of similar size. Most of them have flaps of skin that act as parachutes to slow them down for landing, which evolved into true wings for one order of Class A. The predatory members of Class A tend to have unique ways of hunting â,¬' members of order A, for example, hunt other flying creatures by launching a sticky substance at them, which clogs their prey's â,¬Ëjetsâ,¬,,¢ and causes them to fall, while members of order b hunts by swooping down on ground based animals and catching them on sticky, barb covered tentacles.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Class B]Unlike the other life-forms of TCC, members of Class B developed a cartilage skeletal system which turned them into the dominant life-forms on the continent. Occupying a similar niche as mammals in the modern world or dinosaurs in the prehistoric world, members of Class B run the gamut of life. Virtually all members of this class share these traits in common: Four legs for locomotion and four limbs for manipulation, the latter often being spaced radially around the mouth (each limb has 4 cartilage â,¬Å"bones,â,¬Â giving them a jointed appearance, though they are still flexible like tentacles.) They lay eggs instead of giving birth, and they are warm blooded. One of the two recognized sentient, cultured species of life on the continent, the Rethalig, are members of this class.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Class C]The main distinguishing feature of this class is locomotion, which comes from a single, muscular â,¬Ëfootâ,¬,,¢ located underneath the body, similar to a slug. They retian the Cephalopod ability to change skin tones better than most other species, and the intelligent race that evolved from class A, the Sillishi, have no spoken language, instead communicating by varying skin tones.[/spoiler]
More to come later![/spoiler]
Added more info on class C, though still not much. What do y'all want to see next? Advanced arthropods? A geographically isolated swamp dominated by amphibians? The descendants of dinosaurs? More classes of cephalopodian life? Or should I just surpise you? Let me know!
Here are some more random animals that came to me when I was working on homework. Thoughts on anything would be greatly appreciated.
Quote from: Giant Desert Lizard AThe GDLA are a large, herbivorous lizard. Nearly twenty-five feet long from nose to tail and standing about eight feet tall the ground, GDLA are slow, placid lizards that feed largely on cactus. GDLA are only active for about three to four hours a day, and spend the rest of the time resting in burrows underground.
The GDLA would normally be an unremarkable animal, but for its hide. A GDLAâ,¬,,¢s back is coated in bony, spiked plates that tend to be about 2 feet wide and can be nearly 3 feet thick, but are surprisingly lightweight. Many desert groups hunt GDLA for their plates, which donâ,¬,,¢t protect the creatureâ,¬,,¢s underbelly, and use the plates for shields, armor, or even to fortify structures. One tribe, Desert Tribe B, has domesticated a breed of GDLA which, while smaller, is also more active and very useful as mounts in times of war.
One of the many breeds of false dragons, FDA are among the most dangerous. Although a smaller breed of false dragon, about three feet from head to tail, FDAâ,¬,,¢s, like many false dragons, have a dragonâ,¬,,¢s more feline build instead of the more typical reptilian build. Its scales form a distinctive red and orange â,¬Å"starburstâ,¬Â pattern, and the males have two large, forward facing horns, used in mating displays.
The FDAâ,¬,,¢s most frightening ability is itâ,¬,,¢s ability replicate a dragonâ,¬,,¢s breath weapon, an ability only a few other false dragons share. FDAâ,¬,,¢s have a gland in their mouth that fills with a highly volatile liquid. When threatened or aggressive, an FDA can breathe a glob of this liquid, which ignites upon contacting the air. An FDA can get about seven to twelve â,¬Å"shotsâ,¬Â of this breath before it needs to feed and rest to replenish. The exact process that makes this liquid is unknown, as is the liquidâ,¬,,¢s composition.
FDA live in prides much like great cats, with the females doing the majority of the hunting. Females tend to be larger than the males, but more importantly, their breath weapon is of greater potency, burning much hotter and lingering on any substance it hits for a few seconds after impact.[/quote]
I would love to see actualy animals from your Cephalopod section. The flying, which seems more like jumping, reminds me of the flying squids from Mario. I like what I see so far. :)
Sandskitters:
I would hate to run up against one of these packs. 35 mph, bipedal? Yikes. Sounds similar to the a raptor.
Giant Desert Lizard A:
25 foot lizard that burrows? I could see adventures mistaking their burrow for a cave entrance, and to top it off finding a pack of sandskitters feasting on a trapped GDLA. :) I like it.
False Dragon A:
Missing unit of measurement in their length discription. A pride of these things, that have breath weapons? I feel for the adventurers that run into these things. :)
If you would like suggestions for other animals, a description of the climate, terrain, and other deciding factors would be helpful. I love what you have so far, and can't wait for more.
As for names, improvised contractions of (pseudo-)Latin words often do wonders here (I'm not an expert, but I believe that's how most real-world animals got their names).
What you've got here is nice so far, but don't forget to include some smaller critters too. After all, those top level predators have to have some prey! (And, they can be meat animals for the sentients too.)
Also, depending on the game system and the expected character types, it wouldn't be amiss to have some unique animals suitable as pets, guard animals, pack animals, familiars, and/or animal companions.
Quotewould love to see actualy animals from your Cephalopod section. The flying, which seems more like jumping, reminds me of the flying squids from Mario. I like what I see so far. :)
Sandskitters:
I would hate to run up against one of these packs. 35 mph, bipedal? Yikes. Sounds similar to the a raptor.[/quote]Giant Desert Lizard A:
25 foot lizard that burrows? I could see adventures mistaking their burrow for a cave entrance, and to top it off finding a pack of sandskitters feasting on a trapped GDLA. :) I like it.[/quote]False Dragon A:
Missing unit of measurement in their length discription. A pride of these things, that have breath weapons? I feel for the adventurers that run into these things. :) [/quote]If you would like suggestions for other animals, a description of the climate, terrain, and other deciding factors would be helpful. I love what you have so far, and can't wait for more.[/quote]As for names, improvised contractions of (pseudo-)Latin words often do wonders here (I'm not an expert, but I believe that's how most real-world animals got their names).[/quote] What you've got here is nice so far, but don't forget to include some smaller critters too. After all, those top level predators have to have some prey! (And, they can be meat animals for the sentients too.)[/quote]Also, depending on the game system and the expected character types, it wouldn't be amiss to have some unique animals suitable as pets, guard animals, pack animals, familiars, and/or animal companions.[/quote]
I plan on using them in all these regards, (The GDLA already are used as beasts of war by one tribe) and will even have rules for familiars and animal companions once I get the stats for these fellows established. :)
Quote from: WerewootsDue to the great reds infrequent attack of halflings, there have been reports of halfling werewoots appearing in the south. While such reports are laughable, a halfling werewoot would make a dangerous foe, and an entire tribe of them could prove deadly to nearby humanoid settlements. It can be assumed that, like most werebeasts, werewoots would share a vicious insanity and be dedicated carnivores.[/spoiler]
On the other hand, the wyld woot, which can be found in wyldwoods, is the only known breed of flying woot, and can be mistaken from a distance for bats. Largely insectivores, wyld woots are highly territorial and will attack even humanoids entering their territory during the mating season.
[spoiler=predators]Coming soon![/spoiler]
W00t!!!oneoneonetwo Can I have a woot as a pet? *ponders* A halfling werewoot would make a great pet if tamed. :D
We have our own personal dictionary here at the CBG, by the way. There's two guys around that offer free translations (just find the appropriate thread) and me and some others are always willing to improvise some low-quality Latin if the need is high.
Túrin
Quote from: TúrinW00t!!!oneoneonetwo Can I have a woot as a pet? *ponders* A halfling werewoot would make a great pet if tamed. :D
We have our own personal dictionary here at the CBG, by the way. There's two guys around that offer free translations (just find the appropriate thread) and me and some others are always willing to improvise some low-quality Latin if the need is high.
Túrin
[/quote]
w00t! (pun intended) Thanks, when I figure out ideas for genus and species name I'll definatly talk to you guys about latinizing it. :D
if youre using pseudo-latin (is it just me, or is using the latin word for "false" to describe a type of latin humorous?), why not just use the crappy latin dictionaries? its not like youre going to use the actual words themselves, just the sounds....
Yeah, I noticed the humor there too.
The problem with the crappy latin dictionaries is they all either A) only do latin to english, not the other way around, B) only give you the latin roots of an english word, not the latin way to say an english word, which are not the same thing, or C) are horribly incomplete. :(
I see your point. When making crappy Latin, it's always good to know that at least what you started with made sense. :D
Quote from: XathanI'm going to have to have a halfling werewoot tribe kept as pets by an elven court now, thanks for the idea. :D
:D You're welcome.
Quote from: Combustible CritterA mammalian herbivore which hunts for tubers. It is covered in bony plates made from minerals gathered throguh digestion. since it moves so slowly, a certain fast-growing moss tends to grow along the edges of the bony plates which protect it. When frightened or when seeking to attract a mate, they scrape their plates together creating sparks, and if enough moss is present, flames. this serves as a natural means of defense and a form of communication over long distances.
I always liked campaigns with alien ecology.
Just wanting to say that if you look for inspiration go to conceptart.org. They have a creature of the week contest where you can find images of more than enough strange creature to set your creative juices flowing.
Oo, there is some really good stuff there. Thanks for the tip, I like what I'm seeing. :)