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Fantasy Race Building: Umber Shades

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Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#1: May 8th 2011 at 6:29:57 PM

Well, my last topic's purpose was served, so I'm going to work on an aspect of the Islands that I have thought long and hard about: the Umber Shades (or Umber Demons, depending on someone's in-universe religion)

Basic Physiology: Humanoid, vary in height between 4 to 5 feet, basic skin color is gray/dark brown. Most defining feature is tentacle hair, which is a spiritual/status symbol to them. Race is overtly feminine, and mostly matriarchal. Thought of basically as a 'feminine' race. Normally are nomadic, occasionally travelling between islands if deemed necessary by their band's leader.

Abilities: Each Shade has an affinity towards elemental magic; see Adaptations.

Adaptations: Once or twice in a Shade's lifetime, their personality becomes greatly aligned to one of four aspects: Fire (Anger, Hot-Blooded) Forest (Sorrow, emotionally sensitive), Water (Vanity, Gossipy), and Ice (Guess. Okay, fine, cold personality). Each of these emotional phases has a corresponding physical change, along with the affected individual going off to live with one of several domains.

Basic: Normal. Nomadic. Prefer polearms and daggers.

Fire: Glowing cracks emerge in the skin and hair, dark red replaces dark brown skin color. Live in volcano islands. Prefer bladed forged weapons such as swords.

Forest: Grow twigs on body, dark green replaces gray skin color. Live in large forests. Prefer clubs and cudgels.

Water: Grow fins on limbs and back (They look kinda like Zoras from the Lo Z games), dark blue replaces brown skin. Live around islands and in underwater ruins near coasts. Prefer tridents and weaponized whips if they fight at all.

Ice: Light blue replaces dark brown, hair freezes into ice crystals occasionally. Live in tall mountains. Prefer to generate their own weapons (Members are more proficient at elemental magic).

Personalities: Strangely, when an Umber Shade is drawn into an elemental aspect, their change works against them.

Basic: Withdrawn, mysterious, avoids extreme emotions.

Fire: Fiery, hot-headed, charges recklessly into danger. Not a good trait when you are surrounded at all times by lava.

Forest: Easily upset tree-huggers. Emotional frailty is not kind to those who live in the forest, where death comes in many forms. (As in they might cry if they find a dead squirrel. In nature.)

Water: Gossipy, vain. It is not wise to spread rumors when there is Always a Bigger Fish. (Imagine a high school entirely filled with Libbys, and that will give you a small hint of what Water Shade alcoves are like)

Ice: Cold, unfriendly. Being a loner is not a good thing when the best source of heat is the body heat of someone else.

Politics: An interesting case, as bands of normal Shades rarely meddle with humans unless it serves their own interest or they are feeling sympathetic, but Elemental domains constantly inter-fight, kidnapping, pillaging, but not really fighting wars. (Think Greek city-states in the myths.)

So, any comments? I was trying not to make a Mary Sue race, so I played up the emotional turmoil.

edited 9th May '11 12:33:02 PM by Ninjaxenomorph

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#2: May 9th 2011 at 10:45:23 PM

It's a little unclear - can they only change to one type, and then are stuck there for life (or most of their life)? Or do they change often?

What sort of things can be catalysts for these changes, and what are the social aspects built up around them?

Be not afraid...
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#3: May 10th 2011 at 12:03:18 AM

Water and Ice? Seems a bit redundant.

I would also try to avoid too narrow or singular an approach to mindsets. There should be positive and negative aspects to any such trait. It really does seem you've gone a bit far in the negative to some, to the point where I'd be annoyed by all of them.

CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#4: May 10th 2011 at 1:22:25 AM

Water and ice are actually fairly different, actually. Things that live in water are streamlined, learning to go with the world around them, not against it.

Things that live in ice, on the other hand, are usually bulkier. They're used to fighting against the ice, trying to stay warm, not actively inviting the warmth into them.

It leads to completely different attitudes in life.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#5: May 10th 2011 at 6:07:13 AM

Some clarification: When a Shade changes, it is normally for at least a decade. However, their environment when they change eventually forces the Shade to develop a different, more 'normal' (by Shade standards) personality. Elemental changes only happen once or twice in a Shade's life, three being extremely uncommon. Only one Shade in existence, their spiritual leader, can go through all four in their lives, and they go through other changes afterwords.

I guess the elements do have a singular approach, but I wanted to get the negatives down. Fire might be more courageous and spontaneous, Forest would be more caring and sympathetic than normal Shades, Water would be more dynamic and peaceful, while Ice might be philosophic and meditative, like monks.

I am drawing inspiration from Bionicle, where 'Water' had control over most liquids and 'Ice' was control over cold.

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
lordGacek Since: Jan, 2001
#6: May 10th 2011 at 7:54:02 AM

Okay, so I'm gonna put the relevant fragments in quoteblocks:

Race is overtly feminine, and mostly matriarchal. Thought of basically as a 'feminine' race.
Thought of by whom - you, or other folks in-universe?

Basic: Normal. Nomadic. Prefer polearms and daggers.
This preference for a given set of weaponry. How does it work? Culture, tradition? An inexplicable and supernatural affinity?

Live in volcano islands.
Like above, what makes them live in such places? Are they magically drawn to it, feel fine only in abundance of their element, or is it simply more like a cultural thing?

best source of heat is the body heat of someone else.
I like this idea, mweh heh heh *SNORT*! (gosh, I'm such a swine) But don't they, like, know how to use fire? Or do they abhor something so opposed to their element?

blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#7: May 10th 2011 at 9:15:36 AM

[up][up]

I'm just bothered by having Water and Ice as if they were truly separate elements, perhaps because I just don't see what schema you're using for your elemental pattern. It might help to establish their relationships among each other, and why they're different. Otherwise it just seems a weird distinction. Perhaps if you flavored the water as more of the tides/waves/currents kind of thing?

Other similar concepts besides Bionicle are Shadow Raiders/War Planets, the Genasi of D&D and the colors of Magic: the Gathering. Some of those might have ideas to offer. Not to mention their classical concepts. You do seem to have left off Air and Earth, is there some reason for that?

Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#8: May 11th 2011 at 6:01:07 AM

[up][up] 1) Yes and yes.

2) Tradition, ease. Umber Shades, by themselves, are nomadic and stealthy, so daggers (For ease and stealth) would make sense, and polearms in that they prefer being farther away from their kills.

3) Fire Shades leave for the Islands of Fire (that is what I'm calling them now) because of tradition, and an undeniable draw to the area. It was basically set up by one of their gods.

4) Well, they can use fire, but prefer not to, because they draw their strength from the cold around them. Using fire messes that up for them (Plus melts ice, which is a big no-no), but other heat sources, like body heat and furs are fine.

[up] Yeah, the water is not just water, but tides and currents and sea creatures. Ice just controls cold, and is the philosophic opposite with water, being introverted and philosophical. Now that you mention it, the normal Shades kinda embody the earth and air mentality, they just don't have powers.

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#9: May 11th 2011 at 9:16:59 AM

Furs are not a source of heat, they are insulation.

Have you given much structure to your elemental scheme? That would seem to be the most important part of this race.

Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#10: May 11th 2011 at 11:34:56 AM

Insulation, heat, close enough. I thought I had given it a lot of structure, but what I hav in my head does not necessarily translate to writing, but I have given it a lot of structure.

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#11: May 11th 2011 at 12:08:02 PM

Well, I asked mostly because I don't know what's in your mind, and if you've posted it here, I can't say I've read it.

But since you are going to have furs in this ice domain, you will want to have a source for it, which means some large animals, who have to eat something. Make sure you have a reasonable food chain.

jewelleddragon Also known as Katz from Pasadena, CA Since: Apr, 2009
Also known as Katz
#12: May 12th 2011 at 3:13:53 PM

This race is interesting. I think I would like reading about them. Some notes:

  • The name reminds me too much of D&D's Umber Hulk. It also seems odd for their name to have a color in it, since they change color.

  • I think you can have any elements you want in your elemental system. Just because earth/fire/air/water has history doesn't make it the only option.

  • Preferred weapon also seems D&D-ish. Usually in real life what weapon you use is determined by the type of combat (phalanx has different requirements than guerilla) and by the available materials and manufacturing skill. I'd also expect individual preference, but just having the entire race all prefer one weapon is hard to explain.

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#13: May 12th 2011 at 10:47:04 PM

How does changing affect them on an individual level? They'd have to leave the goup they were travelling with and go join another. Is this a sad time, because they have to leave friends and family? How do they find a new group, and how easily are they accepted?

Be not afraid...
jewelleddragon Also known as Katz from Pasadena, CA Since: Apr, 2009
Also known as Katz
#14: May 13th 2011 at 2:22:22 PM

Also, just occurred to me: Are they monogamous (or monogamous-ish)? If so, do couples split up if one of them changes, or do they tend to both change at the same time, or what? If they split up, is it considered an LDR or a complete end to the relationship?

Ninjaxenomorph The best and the worst. from Texas, Texas, Texas Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
The best and the worst.
#15: May 18th 2011 at 4:48:21 AM

That is a good question. I would imagine they put their personal lives on hold when they change, do whatever they want in their Domain, and wen they come back, they resume their normal lives.

Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men
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