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I'm thinking about running an Apostae campaign--basically, an Advanced Race Builder based dungeon crawl. The more I thought about it, the more interested I am in it while realizing Apostae is a VERY different world.
First, there's the Ilee. One big race, nothing in common. Everyone is an individual, everyone is part of a group. I'd imagine that different languages are entirely based on physical location and not at all on any "racial" tie. In fact, since all procreation occurs in only one place, there might not even be any language barrier; everyone is born in the same place, and everyone will travel there during their lifetime.
Sex would be quite odd, and possibly nonexistent. No guarantee of compatible parts, and since everyone is so unalike, the Ilee probably don't even have any concept of gender--no male, no female, just Ilee. Thus, any other Ilee can be your partner for your child.
Magic is also a force that completely changes standard fantasy tropes. There is no multiverse. That means no summoning. No magic-granting deities. There is no sky, so the Ilee philosophy of existence would begin and end with the lands in Apostae. The Field limits you above, and the Worldheart limits you below. Because the Worldheart is in the center of Apostae, that means that at all times, the Worldheart is beneath you.
What do the Ilee eat? Probably other Ilee, those who don't end up with sentience, say. In fact, since an Ilee can be pretty much anything, then sessile plant-like beings could be Ilee, too. In fact, the very idea that some living being might not be Ilee would be mere speculation.
Any other thoughts?
I suppose each player would pretty much build their own race using ARG.
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Oh man this planet is fun.
Love the Ilee. They could range in anything from xenomorphs to Protoss to Star Control's Spathi. (or really just about any race from Star Control)
There's just something beautiful and sad about the way they're set up.
On language, considering the wild variance in their anatomy, their language might be a wild combination of communication forms, from verbal to sign to touch(to psychic). Some might not have mouths. Some might not have eyes. Languages might be constantly adapting monsters made of stitched on parts depending on the capabilities of individual Ilee coming into a community.
Sex would definitely have to be at least a bit weird. It may not be how they actually reproduce, but I could see some still having certain needs and Ilee couples with crazy-different forms having to work at figuring that out. The proposed lack of gender identity probably plays into that a bit.
I like the idea of Ilee farming fleshy alien plants all along the walls of some of Apostae's tunnels. Like caverns covered from top to bottom with these polyp-like organisms that Ilee could just wade through and harvest.
Can't help but imagine that offworlders would be really unsettling to them. You know how we get the Uncanny Valley dicomfort when we look at things that are just "off" enough to not look natural? It might be even worse for them looking at people like humans or dragons, any intelligent species with relative closeness in form. Maybe they'd have a hard time thinking of such "lookalikes" as individuals of their respective races.
I know there's not much to support it, but I love the idea of Ilee having at least some working form of biotechnology. Living suits of armor, fleshy/plant-like communicatin networks, stuff like that. Like the "beehive gun" in Half-Life, for one example. Actually, I'm really liking the idea of manufactured anything being fairly rare compared to tools, clothing, weaponry, and even vehicles made completely from organic sources, and possiblly still alive at that. That cloak that keeps that spritely looking Ilee warm? It's a symbiotic creature bred specifically for that purpose. Like a tame, non-sapient, and friendlier cloaker.