AMIA ARCHIVE :: View topic - Short-Lived Races

I might be skeptical of a Kenku even being able to cast spells. They don't speak, they mimic, so that is entirely dependent on whether it needs to be YOUR voice performing the incantation.

They would be an outcast from their people, and would be just beginning to mingle with longer-lived and more civilized populations... The obvious issue I'm having is that all of the candidates I can think of would have a particular 'special snowflake' factor that I'd rather trim down as much as possible, among other concerns.

That's an interesting situation. By virtue of being an outcast to their own people, wouldn't there have to be a bit of a "special snowflake" factor as you call it? "Normal" individuals are seldom made outcasts, because, well, they fit in don't yet? Seems weird that a society would make an outcast of an otherwise normal individual, unless they were framed for some sort of misdoing and banished; maybe that's a route you can go that avoids making them too far from the norm. They're normal by most standards of their race, but they caught a raw deal and can't go back to their homeland.

Author:	Faith [ Mon, Jan 25 2016, 23:22 PM ]
Post subject:	Short-Lived Races
I've been toying around with a character concept for a while now, but I've had loads of trouble deciding on a suitable race. The character has to be able to study and practice wizardry, and come from a race that possesses a significantly lesser lifespan than humans/half-orcs. They would be an outcast from their people, and would be just beginning to mingle with longer-lived and more civilized populations. Consequently, they'd learn that most humanoids can lead much, much longer lives than the character could ever hope to, providing the character's central conflict and motivation. The obvious issue I'm having is that all of the candidates I can think of would have a particular 'special snowflake' factor that I'd rather trim down as much as possible, among other concerns. The races that I've considered, and their pros/cons, are: Kobolds - Probably the most reasonable lore-wise, and further solidified by the Compiled Kobold Lore Thread's mention of kobold wizards attracting "ridicule and scorn." However, as far as I can tell, kobolds that heavily deviate from their cultural norm are already pretty heavily in the majority, so I'm hesitant to further contribute to that potential imbalance. Gnolls - They clearly live extremely short lives, but seem to have almost zero connection to magic and have the common issue of being unable to approach civilization without being slaughtered or instinctively slaughtering someone else. Additionally, if I'm not mistaken, even an extraordinary gnoll simply doesn't seem to have much chance of becoming educated, even in very favorable conditions. Lizardfolk - Their life-span seems to be just shy of that of a human, and they still have the former half of the problematic relationship with civilized settlements that gnolls possess. At the least, they seem to frequently have divine shamans, which is better than nothing. Also, similarly to kobolds, I'd be worried about diluting the dedicated but limited numbers of lizardfolk characters. However, I'm very interested in how their culture seems to very largely revolve around survival, which I figure very much fits into a fear of growing old and dying faster than anyone around them. I'd appreciate it if anyone could recommend a sentient race (monstrous or otherwise) that fits my criteria, provide any input regarding the three races I've already mentioned, or offer advice/criticism for anything I've mentioned in this post. (Sorry if this all is a bit silly!)

Author:	Dark Immolation [ Mon, Jan 25 2016, 23:46 PM ]
Post subject:	Re: Short-Lived Races
I'm not sure of their maximum lifespan, but Kenku reach adulthood at 9 years, I believe. Oh, and you have Goblin which wouldn't require a request. They live for, what, 30 years if they're lucky not to get squished by something earlier?

Author:	Overneath [ Mon, Jan 25 2016, 23:57 PM ]
Post subject:	Re: Short-Lived Races
I might be skeptical of a Kenku even being able to cast spells. They don't speak, they mimic, so that is entirely dependent on whether it needs to be YOUR voice performing the incantation. I've always assumed every wizard casts the same spells in a slightly different way - they're paranoid and egotistical like that. A hobgoblin might work if you're a minimalist. They're already a playable race with no request, oddities because of being goblinoids but predisposed to a sharper mind than their cousins. I believe they age slower than goblins but faster than orcs, who are already at the bottom of the 'standard race' age pool. And, to top it all off, they hate elves, who you'd probably already envy due to their incredibly long natural lives.

Author:	Dark Immolation [ Tue, Jan 26 2016, 0:05 AM ]
Post subject:	Re: Short-Lived Races
Overneath wrote: I might be skeptical of a Kenku even being able to cast spells. They don't speak, they mimic, so that is entirely dependent on whether it needs to be YOUR voice performing the incantation. I'm not aware of anything that says it has to be "your" voice. The only thing is that you speak in a loud and clear enough voice. Tangentially related, something like UMD might actually require you mimicking a voice or two to get the magic to come out of an item/scroll/etc, something I'd see a Kenku as being pretty good at. Not to mention, that gives me the awesome idea of a Kenku who accidentally stumbles upon wizardry by imitating the voice and motions of a Wizard casting cantrips. >_> And something I realized: Quote: They would be an outcast from their people, and would be just beginning to mingle with longer-lived and more civilized populations... The obvious issue I'm having is that all of the candidates I can think of would have a particular 'special snowflake' factor that I'd rather trim down as much as possible, among other concerns. That's an interesting situation. By virtue of being an outcast to their own people, wouldn't there have to be a bit of a "special snowflake" factor as you call it? "Normal" individuals are seldom made outcasts, because, well, they fit in don't they? Seems weird that a society would make an outcast of an otherwise normal individual, unless they were framed for some sort of misdoing and banished; maybe that's a route you can go that avoids making them too far from the norm. They're normal by most standards of their race, but they caught a raw deal and can't go back to their homeland.

Author:	Faith [ Tue, Jan 26 2016, 0:29 AM ]
Post subject:	Re: Short-Lived Races
Dark Immolation wrote: That's an interesting situation. By virtue of being an outcast to their own people, wouldn't there have to be a bit of a "special snowflake" factor as you call it? "Normal" individuals are seldom made outcasts, because, well, they fit in don't yet? Seems weird that a society would make an outcast of an otherwise normal individual, unless they were framed for some sort of misdoing and banished; maybe that's a route you can go that avoids making them too far from the norm. They're normal by most standards of their race, but they caught a raw deal and can't go back to their homeland. I'm not trying to completely eliminate that aspect, only "trim it down" enough to make a more believable character that doesn't detract from the overall tone of the setting. I'm fine with being the equivalent of a fallen druid or a ranger that talks to his pet hamster, I just don't want to be as lore-breaking and distracting as a gnoll having a tea-party over by the Dale- or, with less hyperbole, a gnoll attending arcane lessons at the Blue Skies Academy. Your idea does sound interesting, however.

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Author:	Faith [ Tue, Jan 26 2016, 4:05 AM ]
Post subject:	Re: Short-Lived Races
Thanks a bunch for the input; I've decided to go along with hobgoblin.

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