help with RPG races and background info

#1
Hey just trying to wirte a VRMMORPG  game that has more then just the usual human elf and dwarf as the playable chracters and NPC races but there does not seem to be that meny was wondering if anyone can help me out and get some creit in a story thank you for the help all is ok any race from space to perhistoric as long as some info about them so i could write how they are like ELF tree lover lives long bow and arrow or dagger and magic something like that is great

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#2
If anything will do, why not just look up mythological creatures? There's quite a lot out there with the accompanying legends and lore if you're willing to spend the time researching.
RE:TTC | Support Your Authors | WriTE + Magazine | LitRPGS | INKED | RRL Music Playlist | Gashapon Art Machine | RRL Discord
Congrats, you've found the following item: <Potato.> Would you like to add it to your inventory?
<Yes>/<No>
P.s. Too lazy to finish cleaning up my forum sig right now. Ignore half the links please.

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#3
The humanoid playable races I have in my story include celestials (can become angels at level 100), dragonkin (can become dragons at level 250), beastkin (really any combination of animal and human), vampires, other undead, demons, merfolk (mermaids and mermen), goblins, and elementals. Elves have three subraces (moon, sun, and dark elves). If you're interested, I could help come up with lore for them, but I think it's mostly quite obvious based on general knowledge of fantasy creatures.

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#4
If you want a specific example, you could bolster your creature count by dropping in beastmen.

I know what you think. They're frequently used. They are, but you could go for the unorthodox beastmen. Instead of tigermen, wolfmen, lizardmen, ratmen and all the other classics, you could for an example pick scorpion-men.

An example of their preferences could be: equipped with a venomous tail, these fierce tribal fighters use their natural chitin armour instead of, or even in addition to, metal armor. Due to this added toughness and their extra weapon, their tail, they are typically seen as fierce melee fighters.

I'd recommend doing research on other unorthodox animals as well, and combine them with humans. The more weird the animal, the less likely it is that it's been done a lot before. This way, you can bolster your creature count by one or two, without beastmen becoming an overwhelming percentage of the races.

Be wary of adding like 10 different types of beastmen. Not only is it a pain if you decide to infodump it in, but it's monotonous in the long run. "Oh, another beastwoman... Surprise?"
Member of WriTE

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#5
My honest opinion when it comes to a multitude of races:  WHY??

My story is amazing!  It has 3,214 races in it!

So, what's the story of creation?  How'd the world get formed?   

Umm...  The gods made it.

What gods?

Umm...  The gods!

When the gods made the races, which was first?

Umm...  Elves!  Maybe Dragons!  Maybe Angels?  

How did this first race react when the next one was created?

Umm...

How does each race worship the gods?

Umm...  

What's the history of the races?  Why does the elves hate the dwarves, who hate the gnomes, who hate the fairies?

Umm...

What do they all use for currency?  Do they value the same things?

Umm....

Look at all the diversity, culture, religions, politics, and history of the human race here on Earth alone.  Encyclopedias can't contain our history and beliefs in a single volume.  How can an author ever do justice to dozens of alternative races and cultures?

If they're nothing more than -- "You meet a dog faced man, he's called a gnoll.  He tried to kill you, but you killed him instead." -- then do you need to even think about them?  Add them as needed, keep them in the background, and don't worry about them.

If you actually want to breathe life to a different race, then focus on that race.  Introduce an elf, with all its quirks, history, and prejudices.  Then introduce a two-headed chicken race and have them fight, interact, argue, and agree with that elf.  Focus on the personalities and cultures appropriate to your story, and keep the rest of the races where they belong -- as backdrops for the rest of the story.

You don't need dozens of different races for a story.  In fact, I'm of the mind that they simply distract from the story as they clutter up the author's mind with a lot of junk they don't need to worry about.




In my years of playing table-top RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, I met many a game master.  I even ran many a game as a game master.  One type of game that I *always* found that failed??   Those where the game master had focused too broadly on the overall world.

"I spent three weeks working up the wedding ceremonies for the pigmy tribe of monkey-dwarves that live on the island of Hoopahopa!"

"Well yeah, but what about the dungeon that we're going into?  What about it?"

"I'll just wing it.  I was working on the wedding customs!"

"But we've never been there, and I don't think our characters will ever go to Hippy island anyway!  We're all going into The Ruins of Rikkitiki!"

.
.
.

And the game died, swallowed by "what could've been but never was".  Too much focus on things outside the immediate point of the story, which just distracts and breaks flow where it should be.

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#6
What Darkbringer says is a bit over the top. They are right however that it's not really important unless you intend to focus on them. Just do some hand waving and ignore the species until it actually matters. If you're really desperate then just open a Dnd bestiary and pick a random monster. If you really have to then just chose at most 10 species that are going to actually matter in the story and build up a loose history and relationship structure in regard to common interacts between species. Humans discriminate again one another for the most petty of things so between species it shouldn't be hard to find a reason for their relations to be strained or otherwise.
<"No love, just hate.">

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#8
Lots of races can be fun but you need it to be balanced and have physics too.

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#9
How about human sub-races? Like in Elder Scrolls.

I find it unfair for humans that they are 'vanilla' race. Elves who often have long lives, affinity to magic and Dwarves who are great craftsmen and blacksmith and lives longer than humans too.
No Respawn - An asshole's perspective of RPG Apocalypse

http://royalroadl.com/fiction/6957 

Or click this if you'd like an overview of "No Respawn"

http://forum.royalroadl.com/showthread.php?tid=80194

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#10
Be wary of adding like 10 different types of beastmen. Not only is it a pain if you decide to infodump it in, but it's monotonous in the long run. "Oh, another beastwoman... Surprise?"


So how many types of beastmen/women are appropriate? I think they can be flavorful and fun. I don't think 10 types is necessary either but what about say 3 or 4 types?

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#11
If you're really desperate, you can pass off mixed races as actual races.
Eg.
Lycan Moon Elf
With the blood of the wolves and the moon elves, this race dominated under lunar conditions. The Lycan Moon Elves are lone wolves, unlike their cousins, werewolves, which are more sociable. They are known for their incredible bouts of speed and secretive behaviour, and unlike the normal werewolf, can use magic. Their heritage means they have an incredible affinity for the Moon and a great affinity for Nature.

Have you considered plants?
Eg.
Ent
A rare race of sapient trees. They live long lives, becoming wiser and wider with each year. Their incredible weight and sizes reduce their mobility heavily, but they make up for it with everything else. They're strong, tough, and knowledgeable. Their wisdom knows no bounds. They are quite the solitary race, mostly due to their rarity, as being evolved from ordinary trees. They are the embodiment of Nature.

How about races that aren't humanoid?
Eg.
Slime
A mass of slime. Incredible possibilities for growth and development, but are extremely weak at the beginning.

Or

Eg.
King Bee
A race of bees that are impossibly intelligent. They have developed their own society through a melding of hives. They are larger than the average human. They are fast and can fly. Their stingers are their main way of attack, as they also contain poison. They are fragile and are not strong in magic, but are adept in ki.

Or something more ethereal, like spirits, elementals, sprites, ghosts, fairies, pixies, ghosts, etc.

Something like that?
Just use your imagination. Make up something.
I agree with Deathbringer. If you want to build your world, and base your VRMMORPG around lore, just stick to a few races, as it gets confusing.

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#12
Human
High Human(just better human, lives longer and shiz)


Goblin
Orc
Troll
Minotaur
Centaur
Archne-like centaur but with spider body
Lamia-like centaur but with snake body
Vampire
Frost Giant

Dwarf
Elf(Variations: Sun, Moon, Dark)
DragonNewt-Dragonkin/part dragon. Wings and some scales but human body.
Lyncathrope-Werewolf
Demon-horns and tranformations into large demons with wings.
Beastkin-animal ears
Fairy-pocket sized
Pixie-child sized

Slime-morphing and changing and stuff.
Parasite- switch between any bodies can steal abilites before moving to next body
Mana entity-absorb mana eventually become godish being

Most are pretty self-explanatory/common lore behind them

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#13
So in your last comment what's your reasoning for two groups there? Did you count that as the division of good and evil types with some on the side?

RE: help with RPG races and background info

#14
I will throw a few races:

Humans
Elfs
Dark Elfs
High Elfs
Wind Elfs
Orcs
Orcans
Castanics
Elins
Poporis
Tuwangi
Amanis
Barakas
Liliths
Nephilims
Gigants
Spirits
Demons
Angels
Fallen Angels
Ertheias

And so on...there are so many that you can be all day speaking about them, just google them or something! Also, you can even create your own, is all between the chair and the desk.
"The truth is like a burst of light which can blind everyone on its path. Which ends up being harmful, that's why we embraced the darkness, we embraced balance before it was too late" - (Lhya) Extract of Valley of Titans' Tales