From: millerl@wharton.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Unique Races
Date: 28 Dec 92 02:44:36 GMT
Organization: Newt World Order

In article <darknite.725438230@camelot>, darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III) writes:
> The first was _Mistress of the Empire_, by Felix Feist.  The race
> in question is the Cho-Ja, an insectoid race.  The interesting
> part about the Cho-Ja is their hive mind-- the Qeens are the only
> truly 'intelligent' members of the race, while the drones are
> controlled almost completely by the Queens.  But the Queens form
> their own hive mind amongst themselves, and with a world-wide
> network, they are nearly always in contact with one another, and
> nearly nothing s _ever_ forgotten.  (In the book, Cho-Ja mages
> are also dominated by the Queens, but for a campaign in which I
> include them, I'd probably elevate them to separate intelligence,
> and exchange the Queenly ability to control a hive for a broader
> ability with magic.)

First a correction, the author(s) are Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts, not
Felix Feist. I've read Daughter and Servant of the Empire, but not yet
Mistress, so didn't get this much info about the Cho-Ja, who I also find
an interesting race. However, the background of Kelewan is eerily
similar to Tekumel, which is part and parcel of Empire of the Petal
Throne, and Tekumel has quite a few six-legged races like the Cho-Ja.
Does anybody know how much the Cho-Ja were derived from Tekumeli
creatures? They seem to bear some similarity to the Hlyss and the
Pe-Choi, probably more to the Pe-Choi (especially given the similar
names), but the Pe-Choi don't appear to have queens and a hive structure
and the Hlyss do. Anybody with inside information?

> At any rate, this raises the question, "What unique, new races
> have other people out there created?"  I'm personally bored (and
> have been for quite some time) with Elveses and Orcses and
> Stunties...

The best method I've ever seen to create new NPC species was to use the
Traveller random animal generator. I would use it to determine the
functional background of the race and then go through a mental process
akin to "uplifting" the creature to sentience. This produces an
interesting science-fiction style creature, and to adapt it to a
"fantasy" world all you need to do is think about how they'd adapt to
the presence of magic, given the assumptions of your campaign.

One creature/race that I find to be fascinating is the Analeptic Alzabo
from Gene Wolfe's quintology _Book of the New Sun_. [WARNING: Mega
Spoiler coming] It is a foul monster with big nasty teeth and claws like
steel spikes that eats people and can then "remember" their lives. It
will recall the habits and friends of its prey for a few days, and it
can imitate their voices, so it will seek out the friends and family of
its victims and trick them into letting it into the house so it can eat
them. The Alzabo doesn't often face armed and ready opposition, but even
if it does it is hard to kill, with a tough horny hide. Perhaps the best
thing about it is that if it is killed, an organ in the Alzabo's brain
can be removed and rendered into a potion that allows about 20 people to
recall the memories of people if they consume part of their dead bodies.
In the books this makes for a small group of people with very peculiar
burial rites.

If you are looking for other interesting races you could do worse than
seeking out and getting a copy of empire of the petal throne. It has a
wide collection of interesting non-human races. Another good source
would be GURPS/uplift, based on David Brin's uplift series.

-- 
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                           internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
Mediocrity is a hand rail.                         -- Baron de Montesquieu