Modern Fantasy General #2

This is some of what we've had on martials and how they work so far. What I don't want is a *too* clearly defined line between martials and mages. We want to create a world that's always known and made use of magic just as well as the sword.

>I think we should stay focused on the FF influence,
Agreed wholeheartedly

And to A Friendly /K/anadian this is about what people seem to bee thinking for Warriors youtube.com/watch?v=AeeoEpmyb2Y
Though it should be said that Mages and Warriors both use magic just in different ways it seems reasonable that a mage could perform similar feats to Warriors and vice versa with proper training

Okay. I'll bow down on this and leave it for another time. I am a reasonable adult after all.

I'm good with this and really like it. Its basically what I'm picturing as well. I'm just having trouble with the implementation.

I think it would be wise for us all to focus on the setting and leave mechanics out of the discussion
At least until the setting itself is finalized
Focusing too much on the theoretical mechanics means we are limiting the material to match them and not creating them to match the material

Lets try to keep the Setting System neutral

Sounds good to me.
I'm not really suited for making combat systems so maybe the anons (and namefag) here that have a better idea of where to go with it can mull things over while the setting is established.

You could use something like "Legends of the Wulin" but in my continual quest to shill for the Ubiquity system I will suggest that because I love shouting into the void.

youtube.com/watch?v=NTDdBjlIGew&list=PL2EE22A058D429D28&index=4

Mechanics and system should come later. Let's focus on the feel and fluff of the setting for now.

That's what I was trying to get at. Everything seems way too focused on things that would just be handled by the system mechanics you play with. Like, why bother talking about what the action looks like? That feels too confining and shuts out people depending on if they use D&D or Warhammer or Alpha/Omega.

Yeah saw that after I posted.

So If we are still working on races I want to do Kobolds. I'm starting from scratch so forget dnd/pathfiner cliches.

Basically a 3.5-4.5 foot tall race of reptilian/raptor like creatures. Live underground in large warrens and are an ancient race. Have more of an affinity to technology then magic, but can use both. Other than outcast's mostly never affected the world above.

Some as some city's are situated above large warrens, causing interaction between races in certain areas. Outcast/Immigrated workers priced as mechanics and maintenance because of small size and affinity with technology. Relatively "Neutral" in interaction. Some racism from other races, maily due to alien appearance compared to other races, and different psychology.

Society is almost entirely communistic, little impact on other society's except in very specific areas despite being very common below ground.

Thoughts???

I feel like they need some negative trait added to them. As it stands they're a little too perfect, being just quiet, communal, tinkerers, but other people treat them poorly, unfairly.

I like the idea of height based cities, A large ancient kobold warren deep underground, utility (Plenty of job opertunities) and poor/homeless above that, much less racism due to more interaction and more kobolds. A "Lower City" Basically Detroit, about 1 kobold to every 10 humans. and then a middle class and higher class areas above.

Creates the illusion of poor, pathetic slave creatures, when if fact the higher you go "up" the lower class it is for kobolds.

Make any sense?

Could a mixture of things like Destiny and Final Fantasy be considered for combat?

You get the operators operating but then you have the magic ability to not only throw fireballs, go invisible and create mini barriers but also whip out a sword (possibly of pure energy) or other such weapon and use it with equal deadlyness when in close quarters or fighting something you can't kill with bullets even if your gun can channel lightning into the bullets as it fires.

I think first we should talk about tone (since that's the prompt and all). Maybe figure some stuff out about Warrior magic and what kind of modern fantasy we want. Also, I believe we should address the issue of how magical aptitude is gained. Are you born with the ability to be a magic-user or can anyone be one?

Are we keeping the Kobolds appearance similar to your pic or is that open to interpretation

Also if we're getting started on races then I'll kick in my vote for an Elven analog, a sort of lithe race more suited to magic with a lot of natural elements and filigree in their structures, think former British Empire they used to control a large territory but now are relegated to their ancestral homeland
Also they don't have to look like elves in fact it would be preferable if they didn't

Its simple. Different psychology, disregard for authority, class and wealth may hurt a lot of important feelings.

And when i said complete disregard for surface i meant exactly that. They view it like the 3rd world or china. they don't give a fuck (The main society anyway).
, which will cause political issues.

Most humans will also only interact with the outcasts, the weirdos and quite possibly a lot of criminals.

Basically like any alien sapient species. No more evil than humans, but no more innocent or good either. Interspeices relationships will be strained, confused and abrasive for both except were they both interact commonly enough it creates a different mixed culture which is seen as bad because it is seen in both society's lower class areas.

they will war over the same shit as people it is just hidden from "Common' Knowledge.

So not!elves?

Most of that was discussed in the previous thread at least in terms of magic
In terms of tone I believe it could be up to the person running the setting but the majority of people I have seen seem to want a Final Fantasy 6,7,8,15 style world in terms of how modernized it is which isn't necessarily bad

The consensus seems to be High Fantasy with Mid to High Magic rather than Gritty Realism and Low Magic

Ah, I see. Kinda like little subterranean North Koreans. I like it.

If we are talking races, are we doing away with the idea of humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs?

I vote 'no'

Elves/Eldar/Eladrin/Protoss basically the we used to be somebody but we aren't anymore magic/nature guys
Their tech would favor pure magic over magitech and you would see a lot of greenery and open spaces in their cities

Both. It comes more easily to some people but can be gained through trauma or frustration. IE making someone do many impossible taskes until they "Snap".

Its rare because mos people wont be willing to push them selves that far. Untrained mages will exist due to the trauma aspect, wild and dangerous.
Relatively similar but open to interpretation. There is a "baseline" but depends on preference. will probably be mild differences like with us and skin color and physiology. But very similar to pic.

Keeping humans seems like a no brainer but we might not want to limit ourselves to the standard fantasy fare

Dwarfs and elves could be literally "Races" well ,there is maybe about three "Species".

What do you guys think??

I imagine the aesthetic looking something like an evolution on the stuff from "The Last Guardian" or "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild"

It's not really limiting, it's just to begin. To take the standard high fantasy fare and see how they work out before creating band new races (Which I for one am more than welcome to).

What do you mean by that race vs species distinction? I don't think we should go overboard on the races though.

I think he means if you choose Human you can be white,black,asian,elf or dwarf
Or at least something along those line?

Maybe the ancient stuff (Ruins)

I'm seeing more of gritty dieselpunk style for the cites. would crate an intrusting overlay in very old cites. also different cultures different style.

I get what you mean. As long as elf and dwarf aren't that much biologically different than humans (getting rid of the long lifespans would be a great way to achieve this) it should work out fine.

Kind of. Elf and dwarf more being like donkey and zebra with horse (human). Interbreed able and very similar. But different enough to be sterile mixbreeds.

Going with those that can interbreed being one race would be cool to me. So in some viewpoints, you'd have pointy-eared elves, round-eared elves, short elves, etc, as an example.

I'd go with elves tending to look younger for longer, but having the same general lifespan as everyone else (barring expensive magitech medicine/life extension)

So they are basically asians? Fantastic.

I'm fond of the idea of humans as the dominant race

Like other races exist but they're drunken injun on the reservation tier

But yes. Human type is all one "Race" with similar ancestors. Gets rig of the bland all the same aspect.

Also adds intrusion conflict. People who accept all the "Human type" but are racist to other species, vs Dwarfs that hate elves, vs all intelligent creatures are equal people.

Dieselpunk is an "interesting" aesthetic and could work depending on exactly how high we are setting the tech level a topic for another time perhaps

I was thinking of a more modernized look but then again I've been playing FFXV for the past few days so that could be coloring my expectations of the look

I'd just find it hilarious if they were all the same species and everyone who isn't backwards knows that, but they all believe they're the normal version.

>To a dwarf, you have
Too-tall pointy-eared dwarves, Too-tall round-eared dwarves and proper dwarves.
>To a human
Pointy-eared stuck-up humans, short grumpy humans and proper humans.

Too over done. Boring and somewhat unrealistic.

I'm more for two or three big races on different continents in a cold war, concentrating on each other and kind of ignoring the little guys.

history being land mass your species evolved and dominated and then your empire if applicable.

also proxy wars.

Airships are so cool

Personally, I prefer a more modern technological aesthetic as well. Something that fits the 21st century.

I don't believe that was ever in doubt my good man

Personally I like the idea of Elves and Dwarves having all disappeared for unknown reason.

Sort of gets the vibe of most epic fantasy "This is the time of man" and whatnot.

Also it gives us a fantasy equivalent to the ancient Mayan/Aztec/Inca where there are these ruins with weird magi tech and shit that could destroy the world.

Kaiju feel like they'd fit this setting

I genuinely think that, deep in our thousands and thousands and millions of years with nature, there's a chance that an animal's going to come and attack us or eat us or destroy our village or eat our food. It's deep in our DNA that the creature's going to come today or tomorrow. In the modern time, just this small period of time in the lifespan of humanity, we've built these massive cities and we've pushed nature out, but it's still very strong in us that the animal is going to come, and it's going to destroy everything we've built. Our caves have gone from these little huts and caves to 30 story buildings, so our nightmares become 30 stories as well.

Perhaps one of the major innovations in the universe is that there is one nation that deploys fighter planes from their airships. Everyone else has their ships made for ship to ship combat.

...

...

>lets create a modern fantasy setting!
>but what if we just took all the fantasy races out?
Jesus christ it's like you guys don't even bother to read the OP or the world doc.

All depends on how advanced we have the general baseline of our tech in this setting.

Yes. But without the evil dictator and cant feed them selves factor.

>Not sucking the dick of Norse mythical creatures means it's not fantasy

In the words of one of the Inklings

>"Fuck! Not another elf!"

Remember, we are essentially taking the high fantasy setting and seeing what would happen if it were to modernize.
What we aren't doing is just injecting 21st Century tech we all use in the real world into this fantasy world and calling it "modern". It's why we have discussed at length magitek and want to take heavy inspiration from the FF15 aesthetic and style.

Real fucking cool.

I've thought about this somewhat. Giant mega creatures that just exist. They keep to themselves and wander around the proverbial "NOPE NOPE NOPE" territory or even just around the land. Beasts of a time long since past.

kek

We did discuss a little bit of magitek in the last two threads.
Magitek now heats your home, lights your streets, pumps water through your house, etc.

It is high fantasy though which traditionally means elves, dwarves and the likes.

It wouldn't be fantasy at that point anymore kiddo. If you don't like there being fantasy races, you can escort yourself out.

>Fantasy
>needs include pointy eared fuckers and dudes with tales

Sure lad. And just we're clear I've been the OP for the past 2 threads. Just because I throw shit out there that interests me doesn't mean you have to use it or it has to be canon.

My issue with the idea of removing the standard, classic fantasy fare is that most people end up adding "new" races that are just NOT!Elves/Dwarves/etc and are essentially the same, but different so that we can be different. If we're actually going with just other, lesser appreciated fantasy races, go right ahead. But don't just have them stand in for the ones that are being removed.

There was also the idea of having communication be relayed through a combination of wireless connections and information stored in mana stones.

>implying you being OP entitles you to any sense of authority
lmao

That was me user!

post number 69
Heh

>implying you being OP entitles you to any sense of authority
What in the ever loving fuck are you talking about? Never said I was in charge of shit. I'm just throwing shit out there like every one else here.

Damn you I wanted that post!

I'd say the advent of airships would overtake the desire for airplanes except in a war scenario. Especially considering airships would be comfier.

As long as they aren't filled with terribly combustible gas, they'd definitely be preferred.
But then again, planes are faster. At least these are magitek airships, though, right? So they can go fast?

We all seem to have a pretty good idea of how our setting works but very conflicting ideas of how to populate it
Human only
Traditional Races
I can't believe it's not Elves
Since one of the original goals of this thread was to begin the talk of races we should probably decide if we even want non-human races and go from there

>It wouldn't be fantasy anymore

...are you trolling?

But don't forget they also facilitate the transport of more goods than on planes. Probably slightly faster than the titanic considering it's not cutting through solid water.

General consensus seems to be yes

Well, of the stuff that's been proposed so far, I like the world being post-elf and dwarf, because as had been stated, traditional fantasy is almost always set during their twilights.
And /k/anada guys Kobolds could be cool. If I had any say I'd want to ask for some kind of shark men. Or maybe some living constructs/statues, like a race of golems?

An user suggested last thread that it'd be standard D&D Race selection. Which gives the world a lot to populate with that isn't just standard fantasy (Humans, Elves, Dwarfs and Orcs).

Way I figure it, humans are diverse enough as it is

I posted in one of the previous threads that airships were magically held aloft as well as magically propelled but somewhere along the line someone discovered it was easier to just magically propel a winged craft and basically invented magitech jets

Any time you add a fantastical race to your world, they need to be held to the question of "Would they be more interesting as a human ethnic group?" If your world wants arbitrary borders of biology between them, than go whole-hog and make giant bat people and fun shit. If you can't come up with a satisfactory answer though, they should probably just be another human group, because that's actually more interesting the way fantasy works anymore.

Also, I feel like cartoon humans like orcs, elves and dwarves are a waste of time, because they have huge trouble serving purposes that humans of a differnet ethnicity and culture couldn't serve, and they're not half as fun.

If you're gonna use races go weird or go home.

Interesting, perhaps airships would still be available or would they go the way of the blimp? I ask because the idea of sky pirates would be awesome.

Just made a strawpoll. Hopefully the options please everyone.

strawpoll.me/12048744

I may have opened a can of worms I can't shut, but here's the general problem with doing weirder races then Elves and Dwarves you start going into Star Wars territory where everyone starts looking arbitrary different because they want to avoid being Elves and Dwarves, or the director wants an obvious looking bad guy. At that point there's such a jumble of races that none of them are distinct and it just becomes distracting.

That was the idea
Traditional airships remain as transportation, shipping and Helicarrier tier flying fortresses with planes being combat and scout craft

At least that was my idea
How weird are we talking here, because in my experience when you throw in a species with a truly alien biology and mind set it ends up with the GM using that as an excuse to do whatever he wants with them

>"Well it's a good thing that none of our enemies have had sonic based attacks or I'd be fuuuucked!"
>Next session
>"The BBG, a member of the Xanadu race, invokes a racial ability SONIC BLAST!"
>"You motherfucker."

That's all 10 posters accounted for.
Seems split between traditional races and Species seperation.
Since this is the case (And I voted for Traditional Races) I would not mind Species Separation and in terms of world building it would allow for us to have an easy fusion of cultures between racial areas (Some weird Human-elf fusion architecture, gov't, etc.). Especially since everyone is a subspecies.

>Falling Skies
The show was really good up until those last few seasons. Really disappointing ending.

Sounds good to me
Let no one say /mfg/ isn't a democracy

I like this. Humans, elves, and dwarves (maybe orcs too? I don't know) are all part of the same species but they are distinctly different races. Allows for room as for expansion as well as contraction.

So just like here, one can walk into some cities and see all kinds walking around. From pointy ears to round ones, short to tall, and all in myriad colors and all the baggage that all of this implies. Perfect harmony isn't the goal, so there should be plenty of animosity and stratification between them all.

For sure. This isn't a utopia where everyone lives in peace and harmony
>Then the fire nati-
No. It's just hidden racial tension that boils over when leaders make the wrong moves.
Hell, imagine what would happen to the half-whatevers if a civil war were to ensue and they had to pick sides.

Keeps the setting flexible.

This fits modern fantasy more i would think. Just add in magic to the various pressures that made us different so very long ago. It'd be cool to have racism based on (obvious) things like skin color (green for orcs), ear length, height, the size and sharpness of your teeth, the shape of your pupils, etc.

So just basic races? No other species?
Damn that's boring.

Not at all. This is just the beginning!

Possibly but it does seem to be the consensus
Though now that we have an idea as to what the races look like we can decide what they act like

Perhaps now is the time to float the topic of Culture?

Middle Eastern Orcs maybe?

We can have stranger races living in remote areas just fine I would think. Just think of all those different tribes we've got here. They exist but just aren't really relevant to the everyman's day or life.

This implies kobolds consider surface dwellers to be lesser creatures. Anyone up for kobold fascism?

If this wasn't a cry for the fascism then I don't know what is!

Quite possibly. Personally speaking, they're my favorite kind.

I guess now is the time.

Quick question that might help deal with your race issue: did you guys keep the idea that cities would be walled off and the like to keep the beasties out?

If you did, you could instead focus on building up a big city with its big population of strange folk. Focus on the people there, leave the bigger questions as plot hooks.