Throughout the secret history of Druids, there exists a controversial act that some druids have committed. Some consider it a sin against nature, others the ultimate bond with it. Throughout the world and time, certain powerful druids have assumed the form of their animal companions, and mated with them. This is the "true" origin of anthropomorphic races in the world. Catfolk, ratfolk, mermaids, centaurs, stryx; all are descended from a cross-species Adam and Eve. For many druids this is a source of shame, for others pride.
DM/GMs, have fun with this idea!
Throughout the secret history of Druids, there exists a controversial act that some druids have committed. Some consider it a sin against nature, others the ultimate bond with it. Throughout the world and time, certain powerful druids have assumed the form of their animal companions, and mated with them. This is the "true" origin of anthropomorphic races in the world. Catfolk, ratfolk, mermaids, centaurs, stryx; all are descended from a cross-species Adam and Eve. For many druids this is a source of shame, for others pride.
DM/GMs, have fun with this idea!
lol you and i think alike, i just incorporated this idea not too long ago.
I did this two years ago. Players felt it was gross and wanted no part of it. Also they were upset towards the people who were okay with it.
Ew.
I did have a druid that called his animal companion his brother, but that was more of a spiritual thing. I also had someone play a wolf hengeyokai druid that had his animal companion and cohort as the female members of his pack, so I guess that fits there.
In my home setting, the one animal race is the result of the Fey realm leaking into the normal world and mutating people, giving them animal features. Members of the species usually have traits of a number of different animals.
Eh, for the possible thread discussion of using this as the "true" origin of anthropomorphic races, the topic is fine and I don't mean to disrupt you from that train of thought.
However, from a world folklore point of view, sex has nothing to do with the creation of anthropomorpic beings. In most cultures, like Ancient Greece, anthropomorphic races were the creations of gods - Poseidon created medusa, cyclops, harpies and many others.
In Japan there are two thoughts on this, the yokai (in addition to most monster types, all anthropomorphic beings of Japan are yokai). Yokai are cursed beings, sometimes transformed from human to animal yokai during one's lifetime as punishment for some indiscretion, but sometimes occurs upon reincarnation (this is how the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror depicts anthropomorphic yokai). In some traditions the yokai preceded the existence of humans which would make the consideration that they are a product of the sexual union of humans and animals completely invalidated.
Also outside of D&D/PF druids never had anything to do with animal companions, nor shapechanging further invalidating the concept.
I generally base all my fantasy concepts from folklore origins and not intellectually logical discussions based on science and biology - but continue on in your line of thinking as folklore doesn't effectively explain origins of anthropomorphology based on logic.
I generally base all my fantasy concepts from folklore origins and not intellectually logical discussions based on science and biology - but continue on in your line of thinking as folklore doesn't effectively explain origins of anthropomorphology based on logic.
Thank you for your feedback. I had no intention to replace or displace these classical origins, but to merely provide a creative alternative history for them. This is the homebrew section, after all. My intention is to give the druids and anthro races a bit of dramatic depth by linking them in this way. It is not cannon, so you can take it or leave it.
I have thought of this origin of them, but went with something completely different for my world. I have a number of anthropomorphic races in my world (frog [grippli], crow [tengu], rat [ratfolk], gnolls, wolves, foxes, african wild dogs, polar/grizzly/black/panda bears, lion/tiger/leopard/cheetah cats, lizardfolk, kobolds), and their origins are planar in nature. I have an "Elemental Plane of Life" (positive energy plane), and concentrated energies from that Plane leak onto the planet. It mutated various creatures (and some plants) into humanoid shape. The other races (dwarves, elves, humans, etc) are descendants of my plant people procreating with various fey creatures of various elements.
However, from a world folklore point of view, sex has nothing to do with the creation of anthropomorpic beings. In most cultures, like Ancient Greece, anthropomorphic races were the creations of gods - Poseidon created medusa, cyclops, harpies and many others.
Cyclops are not an anthropomorphic animal race.
And the minotaur wants a word with you.
A less squicky option might be that druids who spend too much time in a single animal form eventually gain the ability to assume a hybrid form that looks like an anthropomorphic animal of that type (perhaps through an as yet unspecified feat?). Descendants of that druid conceived after he gains that form might inherit that shape from birth.
Cyclops are not an anthropomorphic animal race.
And the minotaur wants a word with you.
I was listing monsters created by Poseidon, including both anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic beings - I wasn't suggesting that cyclops are anthropomorphic. Actually, the minotaur is another Poseidon creation, but I was just doing a quick list, not a complete list (I did state 'and many others' - minotaurs fit in that 'many others' addition).
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Somebody get Piers Anthony on the phone!
*beep-boop-beep-boop-beep*
Hello? Piers Anthony? Author of the Xanth novels, which features dozens of races that are "people bred with things that were not people because of love springs" ?
...Is your refrigerator running?
I was listing monsters created by Poseidon, including both anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic beings - I wasn't suggesting that cyclops are anthropomorphic. Actually, the minotaur is another Poseidon creation, but I was just doing a quick list, not a complete list (I did state 'and many others' - minotaurs fit in that 'many others' addition).Cyclops are not an anthropomorphic animal race.
And the minotaur wants a word with you.
Well Poseidon created a bull, who had sex with a woman, who gave birth to the minotaur.
And since the thread was about origins of anthropomorphic animal races, the Cyclops seemed like the 'odd man out.'
Of course, this means somebody liked hyenas enough to create an entire race of psychotic, brutal, man-eating gnolls in their image,
That would be Lamashtu, Golarion-wise.
Can't help but feel that is a bit...errr...ick for using in a game world. I am not sure any of my players would go for playing a race whose origins lie in bestiality.
Plus you would need that to happen on a massive scale for a viable race to be born out of that. I don't think druids are common enough for that to happen, especially as you would need it occur often enough to jumpstart each of those races.
Also...let me reiterate...ewww
For anthropomorphic races...I just go with the gods altering some ancestral creature into a humanoid form, or just good ole fashion convergent evolution.
Somebody get Piers Anthony on the phone!
*beep-boop-beep-boop-beep*
Hello? Piers Anthony? Author of the Xanth novels, which features dozens of races that are "people bred with things that were not people because of love springs" ?
...Is your refrigerator running?
LOL, yes this is exactly where my mind went as well. I grew up on the Xanth books. Those poor confused storks.
The anthropomorphic races of the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG) can be found here:
In the Company of Henge (hengeyokai)
Although the basic racial traits match those from the bestiary for kappa and tengu (henge are not in any PF bestiary), all other aspects are based on Japanese folklore and not the development by any RPG designer in the past or currently. So these versions of Japanese anthropomorphic beings are more authentic.
Be sure to check out the awesome art at least, and read the reviews.
Why do we have to make their origins squicky? I hate Skum, even as villains.
My campaign has a whole party of anthropomorphics and created a race for it called zoanfolk. In my version of Golerion, zoanfolk originate as descendants of mortals and fey shapeshifters. Many fey races are like kitsune in that they can shapeshift between human and animal form. While zoanfolk lack this ability, they appear as humanoids with animal characteristics matching that of their fey ancestor.
Squicky?! At least the OP has the decency to make his druids wildshape before trying to mate with the critters...
Literary interlude!
King Olam, now deranged, attempted copulation with a leopard; he was savaged and died.