Whats the key to coming up with fun and interesting animals in a high fantasy setting?
Or period for that matter what should I take into account other than;
>Habitat
>Food
>Predator
Whats the key to coming up with fun and interesting animals in a high fantasy setting?
Gavin Ortiz
Michael Smith
Animals should either highlight the tone of the area they're in
>fluffy, friendly animals in safe areas; scary, vicious animals in dangerous areas; fluffy, friendly animals that suddenly become scary, vicious animals in cliched areas
present a challenge for the PCs
>animal wants to eat them; animal is defending its territory by murdering them
or present an opportunity for them
>delicious animal can be hunted and offered as a food bribe; flying monsters can be tamed and used to cross a gulf
Parker Moore
You could also take into account
>Lifecycle
>Effects on its environment
>Strange quirks/behaviors
>How it's viewed by nearby cultures
>Origin
Noah Edwards
Noted are there things biologically wise I have to also consider? In terms of a creature's physical charecteristics
Like the OP picture for example
>The Mossbacked thumper are herd like creatures. Their distinctive moss-like coverings a result of their exaggeratedly long amount of time spent in the shades grazing and resting. This substance grows more frequently and in much greater amounts on the females backs. It has been observed that the growth of flowers from the female's backs occur during mating season acting as a pheromone of sorts. The dorsal opening releases a less potent form of this pheromone allowing the female to be tracked down by mates and family members should she be separated from the herd. The flowers are prized for their aphrodisiacal and detoxing nature. Many a incense are created from the harvest glands directly beneath the dorsal opening. The People's of the Bloodgrass plains are known to boil the female Thumper's moss to ward away evil spirits and attract watchful protectors.
Christopher Rivera
>>Habitat
>>Food
>>Predator
You're literally already off base. In high fantasy creatures should serve as allegory for whatever meaning you are trying to communicate.
The forest guardian is a huge an powerful beast because the forest is huge and powerful.
Orcs and irredeemably evil raiders because they represent uncivilized barbarism and how it threatens society st large.
Not saying you shouldn't consider realism things for versimillitude, but designing a high fantasy monster with a base of reality serves no purpose to the overarching narrative or motif if the setting.
Chase Hughes
Well, if you are going to use evolutionary logic, and you don't have to in fantasy settings but it can be a nice touch, you can remember to factor in things like the effects of predation/predatory behaviour on the placement of sensory organs.
Evan Davis
If you want a high fantasy setting, you're going to need more than just that. High fantasy is a little more magical and a bit crazy - you can have things like thunderboars or insect dragons or shit like that. So you can think of what the biome is like, what seems plausible to throw together, what would make for a fun encounter.
A simple trick is to just throw a couple different animals together in some way. It can also help to think how nearby civilizations could domesticate and make use of such animals - or not and how they'd deal with them or hunt them.
Jason Turner
Luis Roberts
Jace Nelson
Impact on the economy.
Is this game? Reared for slaughter? Is it a pack animal? A mount? Is it hunted for furs, or other body parts? Kept for companionship? Does it have some other use, or no use at all?