ITT: Sheepfolk

Tanky sheep with steel wool when?

Racial ability: resistant to blunt weapons, until hit with a slashing weapon.

Sheepfolk are peerless in the manufacture of woolen garments. Sheepfolk-made gambesons are widely sought for their lightness. A sheepfolk who makes armor out of his own wool finds it very easy to enchant.

Among the most prized possessions of any sheepfolk clan is the "ancestor's fleece". Whenever a sheepfolk founds a new clan, he makes a pillow out of his own wool. Forever after, the leader of the clan must sleep with his head on that pillow, and patch it up with his own wool if necessary. If the ancestor's fleece is lost, the clan must disband--though the former leader may create a new clan of his own. The ancestor's fleeces of the oldest clans are, of course, more patch than original, after many centuries of use.

That's kind of a goofy idea...

It doesn't seem too far-fetched to me.

The ancestor's fleece of the very oldest clan of sheepfolk, which has been used for over a thousand years, still has a few glints of gold, and is used as proof of that clan's divine lineage.

Sorry, I was busy so I half-assed that post.
I think the idea of a Clan dispanding over a pillow, requiring everyone to uproot their lives over something that could be easily replaced. I'm all for important artifacts and heirlooms, but ending an entire clan over one feels a bit forced.
If my clan-leader said he lost some ancient tapestry or some sword, so I have to give up my entire life, I'd flip him the bird and get back to tending my crops.

Goatfolk are like the elves of sheepfolk. Smarter, more agile, less sociable, and total pricks about it.

>Goats
>Refined Elves
I think you're looking for 'Pagan worshippers out in the backwoods who know far too much about things no one should know anything about'

I think you misunderstand what I mean.

>Clan Amantis, under leader Olvidar Amantis, loses its fleece to a thief
>Olvidar makes a new fleece and founds a new clan called "Olvidar"
>Most of the former members of Clan Amantis now join Clan Olvidar and go on with their lives, with no major upheaval at all
>A few sheepfolk refuse to join the new clan and decide to move to other clans with longer lineages

I like to fluff the Sheepfolk as everything right with small-town living from an American standpoint, with lots of community, competition, good food, and rebellious youth.
Throw it into a fantasy setting with some 'Black Sheep' who desperately want to see the world and bring a hard head and a strong stride to the adventuring scene and you have a fun race.

I like the Sheeple being woke, they live high on the mountains because they can climb easily with their goatfeet, and they have oracles who people visit. The climb is treacherous but people do it anyway for the fortune telling.

They're geomancers too because they were friends of the extinct dwarves.

Because I find the idea of sheepfolk naturally evolving pretty damn silly, I have it so that they are the descendants of 'sheeple' who allowed their kingdom to be destroyed from influences foreign and domestic while they enjoyed their wealth.

I'm all for furry mechanics, too bad a lot of games involving them suck

in my personal experience, any game, film, animation, or setting that has 'anthros' or 'furries' as a central concept tend to be hot garbage.

I think you mean Sheeple :^)

>Son, we live in a pasture that has briarwalls, and those walls have to be guarded by goats with swords. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Fleece? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Baambi and you curse the Bearded. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know; that Baambi's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, *saves lives*. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that briarwall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a sheep who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a *damn* what you think you are entitled to!

Let me guess - freemartins are your magical realm.

I had to google what that was, and I'm still confused.

I am stealing the term 'Briarwall'

A female sheep with a male twin is, due to hormone stuff, generally very bossy, sterile, and gay.

I mean when you put it like that...
Maybe.

Lambshites

Glad to be of service, my flocksman.

Are sheepfolk omnivorous?

...

Rarely. You occasionally see a sheep eating chicks or small eggs if there's a low-lying nest, similar to deer.
I'd still say overt, going-to-a-resturant-and-ordering-a-steak would be a goat-thing, if at all.

Goats will eat anything if they think they can stomach it.

So where are we on how lycanthropy/vampirism affects beastfolk differently? Because I've got some ideas.....

The sheepfolk do indeed raise sheep. Though they themselves are vegetarian and would view culling their herds to eat or for any other reason as deeply troubling, they make extensive use of these sheep for wool, milk, and cheese. Due to their similarities, the sheepfolk are also able to engage in limited communication with their less intelligent brethren, making their flocks a useful source of information and even companionship. One would be wise to pay attention to these outlying flocks and avoid their notice if traveling in sheepfolk land with ill intent.

Humans don't give a fuck about eating monkeys and apes. It's the half the reason they are going extinct. Most x-folk should give zero fucks about killing or eating their lesser cousins

Why raise livestock when your own population produces wool?

Secret fluffy kingdoms within the clouds.

>the descendants of 'sheeple' who allowed their kingdom to be destroyed from influences foreign and domestic while they enjoyed their wealth
*tips fedora*
Yes I also like mature sophisticated concepts for mature gentlemen in my games. We wouldn't want anything SILLY would we? ;^)

It allows you to export pretty much the entirety of your non-sapient-harvested wool without affecting the average citizen's ability to acquire woolen goods?

If you're implying that I'm an applesponge, I meant "marauding hordes and incompetent, hedonistic leadership" more than "brown person".
Get that fedora shit outta here.

So hobbits?

Long time ago I made my players fight a bunch of sheep.
I gave them stats on the moment and it was one of the toughest fights they ever fought.
Later they asked to never again make us fight sheep.

So they ran afoul of some Battering Rams?

I imagine sheeple employing numerically superior armies and sending them to slaughter with due to retarded generals.

Actually I would make an entire race of them having golden wool.
This is the reason they are hunted by other race and have to hide.

You're right about humans not giving a damn, and I considered that. However, sheep are herbivores so I think it makes sense for sheepfolk to also be herbivores. As a result, I think it makes sense for them to have a somewhat different view of livestock.

Since sheepfolk aren't necessarily the equivalent of domesticated sheep in terms of wool production, it would be pretty challenging for them to produce enough for export. Additionally, they would still use wool for clothing in cases of extreme cold, and for things like bedding and seat cushions. Items made from sheepfolk wool, rather than mere sheep wool, would likely carry additional sentimental value and be used for gifts, magical items and other items of greater significance.

I personally like the idea of sheepfolk as being pastoral and nomadic, and existing in a setting without regular sheep. The males look a bit more like goats, and the females look like big fluffy sheep.

Every summer, they shear off their coats to sell to other races to make clothes out of. This helps them make most of their money, and since they can eat grass they live with few expenses.

They are resistant to magic and have a strong martial culture, despite being peaceful.

Around ewes, you lose.

Yes.

It's weird that every humanoid race that resembles a certain animal always keeps animals of that kind. Ettercaps and spiders, gnolls and hyenas, catfolks and cats, etc. Would you really want to be around an animal that looked like this?

Kek

Funny that you mentioned that.
My setting actually has animal demi-humans that replaced the original animal of each one of the races. That way no one can call a dog-girl a bitch for puns or any other ofensive remark.

...

This is hypothetical and not related to any previous post, nor is it from any previous post's world.

To the north of the sheepfolk there reside the white monkeys, white haired, red faced monkey folk who practice a primordial animism religion, and who build neither towns nor roads, residing in impermanent tent towns.

To the east there lives the sloth folk, a contemplative race of beings who practice a religion similar to buddhism/bon and reside in big tree-cities, though they don't make roads (but do connect buildings by bridges).

To the west of the sheepfolk live the Eagle folk, about them little is known except that they live until all the feathers on their heads fall out (a process which can take over 2000 years), and there are very few of them. They worship only one god and resemble etruscans.

And to the South of the sheepfolk reside the Pigfolk, easy going, yet fierce warriors, mostly merchants, yet maintaining a big standing army. Few pigfolk practice any serious religion, but they regularly honor the gods and goddesses of whatever land they find themselves in, usually traveling about in camel caravans as traders.

Do the sheepfolk get along with any of these other folk? Is there any trade between them and the sheepfolk, or any history between them?

I never really used any animal people pretty much ever, this is my first attempt at thinking up a serious setting for animal people (and it is set to feature sheepfolk).

In brief I had the thought that this could take place in some sort of steppes, forests and mountains area roughly resembling the indian subcontinent in geographic shape (though cultures are not direct lifts or copies). What very few will know is that this map isn't the whole world, it is only the known world, and it is one huge island, there are at least five other huge islands as well, some of which are probably known of by sea-farers or people who can read ancient books, but few of which have been seriously visited by sheep yet.

Let's hear those lycanthrope ideas user.
I dig me some wolves in sheeps clothing.

If a sheepfolk fucked a “regular” sheep, would it be bestiality or akin to fucking your retarded cousin? Would consent even be viable as an excuse, since a simple level of communication is achievable between the two species?

It would be baaad behavior regardless.

This is an early draft of it but here is a short creation story that features the sheepfolk prominently.

In the start of time, there was only the great pasture of Visyamanaranja, there, the first ram, Ardadpur, the first ewe, Utpali, and the first plant, Gurdhapar, were the only beings in existence. Utpali and Ardadpur grew desirous of each other, and mated. Soon after, Utpali was large with child, and grew so hungry she ate Gurdhapar, from the sprigs that fell from her mouth came all grasses and grains, from her excrement came the tree Vishisanza, which was Gurdhapar in it's second life. Growing hungry as well, Ardadpur saw that Vishisanza had large fruits in its branches and butted the tree, a fruit falling and splattering, from the split open fruit there climbed Bandhipariyama, the white furred red faced monkey, and from the pieces of fruit that fell from Ardadpur's mouth there came all fruiting plants, yet there was a small amount Ardadpur didn't eat, and it spoiled in the sun, becoming Gajaranyavani, a green faced black haired monkey, who quickly became Ardadpur's sworn enemy when Gajaranyavani kidnapped Utpali and Ardadpur's child, the ram Yakshava, though Yakshava was wily, and escaped Gajaranyavani. From Yakshava's hairs, there came the sheepfolk of the northern plains, from a few drops of blood that issued when Gajaranyavani bit Yakshava there came the eastern and western sheepfolk, and from a tiny piece of Yakshava's hoof that broke off on a stone there came the southern sheepfolk. One day while Bandhipariyama was playing in Vishisanza's branches, a branch broke and fell to the ground, where it took root and became the source of every flower. When the first flower opened, a beautiful female red faced white furred monkey named Sasali rose out of it, and Bandhipariyama happily went off together with Sasali, knowing nothing of Gajaranyavani's deeds.

1/2

2/2

At the moment that Sasali rose from the flower, Ardadpur and Gajaranyavani were fighting. The fight was terrible, for Gajaranyavani had learned to use fire, and was armed with a torch to answer Ardadpur's formidable horns. The fight grew so terrible that Vishisanza, which had by then stood for aeons of time, was lit on fire, and from the first ashes of Vishisanza came all other worlds beyond Visyamanaranja. Utpali saw the terrible fight and tried to stop it, but Indhama, the first sloth, who had arisen self created and already a Buddha, stopped her. From the blood and scalded tissue of Ardadpur's torch wounds there came the first pig folk and the first eagle folk, from Gajaranyavani's blood smeared on Ardadpur's horns, there came the first sea creature, an octopus, which Ardadpur threw from his horns moments after it was created. By this time, Visyamanaranja was devastated, but by this time Yakshava had found the paths to other worlds, and soon after Yakshava lead Ardadpur and Utpali through the paths to new worlds, Indhama already knew the way, Bandhipariyama and Sasali had been who told Yakshava the way, so they knew long before Yakshava, and Gajaranyavani found his own way much later.

Better yet, Aramid fiber wooled sheep.
Or maybe carbon nanotube wooled sheep.

This.
Most every other animal will grow on you, but sheep are the only farm animals you inevitably grow to hate more and more.

What would you call the sheepfolk of your world? Sheepfolk seems a little too on the nose.

The Flock.

Woolies.

They're scientific name is Ovis Aries. You could call them the Ovi, or the Aries, or some kind of combination of these words.

Stupid Flockers.
Meatheads.
Wolfbaits.

Sheeple

Then how do you explain all those people with pet sheep?

“Sleep under the blanket of freedom I provide” gains a new meaning ITT

I just know that I want to hug Sheepfolk.

Hey, maybe they want to hug you.
Ever thought of that?

The Ovaries

Fucking pussies

so lycanthropy represents more to sheepfolk than just body horror or the returnof some primitive mindset; it's an absolute antithesis of sheephood. Compelled by the instincts of your race's ancestral enemy, breaking with the herd and flock to join the pack and the constant jostling for alpha-position even inside said pack, is so utterly abhorrent to them that entire villages have been set to the torch rather than let a single one escape. It's the only time when the sheepfolk turn to the sorts of witch-hunting and pogrom-building mentality that humans took for granted for centuries.

Physically, the transformation might look similar to human lycanthropy, with the exception of horns, beards, the odd hoof retention. An individual slowly begins to abandon many of its social connections, seemingly filled with rage at the slightest provocation, only to suddenly demand attention or affection at bizarre moments. They abandon poker-night, stop coming to church or the theatre, reject invitations to others' houses or visitors only to call you at 2am to drag you into an hours-long mad digging in the woods, or grabbing you by the throat and demanding intimacy. It becomes all-or-nothing for them, all the time. The smell of blood, particularly from children, seems to elicit strange excitement, to the point that they provoke children to acts of stupidity or daring just to see them fall off tree-branches and scrape themselves. Many inidividuals in the midst of their transformation have been found due to excessive child abuse, or denying food to children, especially small children, unless they 'fight for it', attempting to force imcomprehensible hierarchies.The fleece on their bodies becomes thinner, straighter, and full of oddly-matted bristles. Their eyes seem narrower, closer together, staring at objects or people with direct eye-contact like twin, laser-guided scopes.

More of a self-sacrifice angle?

Good stuff until the thing about wanting to see kids suffer and bleed. You just know some edgelord is gonna run to far with that.

The goatmen made an ancient pact to keep this scourge out. Some of them have gone for long journeys into the mountains, sometimes in twos and threes, sometimes even alone if they must, to hunt those afflicted with the madness of the Wolf. The monsters are crafty, prone to ambushing and diversion, yet the goats are surefooted and able to survive on almost anything out in the wilds.

Dark whispers tell of an alien entity which seems to draw these monsters to his side. Draped in a thousand furs, sheepskin-leather, and decked in horns and bones, it sings in black tongues and feeds the werewolves with raw chunks of meat from its leather-bound gloves. A twisted, hooked rod in its other hand, on some tellings, is used to trip sheeple so the wolf-addled can tear it to pieces, or hook the horns of doomed rangers.
It is called Packleader, He-Who-Coolies, Skinwearer, Old Shanks and To-Whom-We-Are-Veal. But it takes to call itself..... the Shepherd.

Thanks.... I'll try to keep it more gorunded next time.

You hit gold with the stuff about them abandoning social conventions and becoming... strange, alien to their fellows even without physically transforming. I get what you were going for with the kid thing, a betrayal of family values and maternal/paternal instinct to protect. Which i think is a bit off target, even wolves care for their children. Perhaps instead trying to teach their kids to stalk and hunt, to be more like them. Corrupting the next generation rather than viewing their own children as prey. Much more insidious that way.

The Woolen or Ariesians

A combination of 'betrayal of family values and maternal/paternal instinct to protect' and 'predators prefer to target the young, sick, and elderly for practical hunting purpose'. I should have added a line about them burglarizing old-folks homes for their medication, visiting sick relatives despite health warnings or quarantines, wandering the halls of hospitals, and attending funeral homes even when the funeral in question has nothing to do with them.
Like a guy just sitting there, grinning, while reading a magazine in the ICU lounge, or dropping an important civil case at his legal firm to become a literal ambulance chaser.

They can smell weakness and injury.

...

I getcha. But if i may i would suggest them taking on predatory behaviors that provide direct benefits. If they aren't going to eat the guy they're burying then why is he lurking nearby? Things like bullying, stealing, intimidation for material or social gain would flow more naturally and seem less like edgy for edgy sake behavior. I really get what you're going for here, i just think a lighter touch more in keeping with how predators in general behave would achieve the desired effect. More of a show, don't tell kind of approch.

Not really, since wool isn’t really a sacrifice since you can just grow more.
Sheep may not care for the rest of the shearing process, but actually being sheared feels good. If you’ve ever had your head shaved by a barber, you know.

>Aries
The Arians-
Wait.

See on how to make it work without fluffy hitler

Then it means I can have a sheepfu to hug with.

Yakshava the ram, Ardadpur the first ram, Utpali the first Ewe, Bandhipariyama the red faced white haired monkey, Sasali the red faced white haired female monkey, Indhama the sloth-Buddha, and much later Gajaranyavani the green faced black haired monkey, were all traveling.

Indhama stopped after traveling the shortest distance from Visyamanaranja the celestial pasture, going into deep meditation sitting under a tree named Bandhu, which was a root of Vishisanza that survived and became it's own tree, a clear wide serene lake not far from Bandhu. Each time Indhama's reflection was totally still, it became a new sloth-folk, some returned to Visyamanaranja to try to repair it, some remained with Indhama, and some left to explore.

Ardadpur and Utpali found Visyara, a shard of Visyamanaranja that had survived the fight between Gajaranyavani the green faced black haired monkey, and Ardadpur the first ram. In Visyara, Ardadpur and Utpali wandered the pastures of that green and good place freely, and they have many millions of children together, for they were eternal immortal beings, their children becoming Sheepfolk.

Yakshava wandered so far that he came upon Shambhiraj, the first wolf, a deadly being with a mouth full of thousands of swords and fur dark like night. Yakshava saw the bones of thousands near Shambhiraj, yet challenged Shambhiraj to the riddle game, and Shambhiraj was so surprised by this, he agreed, staking a life-guarantee for Yakshava, with Yakshava's stake that Shambhiraj would allow Yakshava to pass without harming him. Yakshava agreed to the terms, which were that if Yakshava died he would be eaten, then, in the middle of a riddle, Yakshava suddenly butted Shambhiraj right in the head, and shambhiraj didn't wake up from this trick until long later, when he realized he'd been tricked he promised the winds he would eat every sheep he could get his teeth in, and his sons and grandsons and progeny have kept his word down to our time.

Meanwhile Bandhipariyama and Sasali had gone so far afield that they had forgotten all of the other eternal beings except Gajaranyavani, which neither of them knew about at that time. The two red faced white furred monkeys had millions of children together, for they were eternal immortal beings, their children becoming Monkey-folk like themselves. Yet a forewarning of danger was ever in Bandhipariyama and Sasali's minds, and they forbade their children to build buildings except tents, or to make roads.

One day, while eating grain and resting after a long foraging journey, Yakshava saw the most beautiful ewe he had ever seen, his subsconscious desires brought forth from eternity his own companion, Singhali, who's wool glittered like gold, silver, and seemed to be set with diamonds. At first Yakshava thought he could simply tell her what to do, but she defied him, then he tried to give her a gift, she rebuffed it, then Yakshava became confused, but went along with it when Singhali began to sing & dance, soon they desired each other more than anyone else, not long later they were mating regularly, they had many children together.

Gajaranyavani had taken an entirely different path, a secret path he thought no one knew about. Gajaranyavani's path was fraught with every danger imaginable, the green faced black haired monkey facing hailstorms, lightning storms, earthquakes, and scorching heat. From Gajaranyavani's fear that he was being assaulted by magic, there came the first witch, the green faced black haired female monkey, Marilokiyavi, who charmed Gajaranyavani when he got to the world closest to the hell realms beyond our world, yet not actually part of the hell realms, though it was worse off than the devastated Visyamanaranja in every way, it was as yet a mortal realm. Together the two green faced black haired monkeys had millions of children, for despite themselves they too were eternal immortal beings, their children monkeyfolk like themselves.

Deep in the Troll-infested western mountains there exist a group of Goatmen who made it their job out of killing Trolls. While at a glance they seem similar to the Wolfhunters, these Trollhunters are less spiritually oriented. There are no pacts that bound them to hunt Trolls, some do it for the bounties the mountain settlements give for Trolls, some do it for fun, fame or prestige, some do it because it's the family business - but the more dangerous members are the ones motivated by vengeance.

>Sheepfolk
Arch enemies to the yikaria (or Yak-men)

it would be the same as fucking a monkey or ape for a human

Spider webs and cocoons can infest undead sheeple, blending in with the wool from a distance

now I'm thinking an interesting character would be the daughter of a lycanthropic Sheeple who was raised to hunt, track and fight. she becomes a Law Shepherd to a big flock of Sheeple and has to use the skills her lycan father taught her to bring down her own dad when he starts killing too close to home in his old age

So how can I take this from a simple origin story to a more fleshed out world? Ideas or suggestions? You can read the whole story here.

I've made a lot of little bits and pieces and a lot of complex settings, but one featuring only (animal's name)-folk (no traditional fantasy world races at all, or very few), is something I've never really tried that I can remember.

This, they are also as mean as their limited intellect allows.