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    • CommentAuthorMillefiori
    • CommentTimeJul 13th 2009
     
    Since there are threads for magic systems and lore, why not one for magical creatures and/or beings?

    I've got crocodile-dragons and desert elves living in my fantasy counterpart to Egypt. The crocodile-dragons can't fly, can't breath fire, and certainly wouldn't allow anyone to ride them, but they've got venom that burns like crazy.

    The desert elves have the standard big pointy elf ears. They have much better hearing than humans and are nocturnal.
    •  
      CommentAuthorJabrosky
    • CommentTimeJul 13th 2009
     

    ^ The creatures you describe actually sound scientifically plausible, so I like your ideas.

    Most worlds I build use animals from Earth’s past rather than the standard fantasy creatures. I think our past is full of amazing wildlife that would fit in great in a fantasy novel.

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      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJul 14th 2009
     

    heehee.

    I once dreamed up a creature. the best decription for which was “part wolf, part leopard, but all wild”. Also, it had wings.

    Also, another creaturee I dreamed up (for a science class about evolution and aliens, of all things), was a two-legged digitigrade creature with a scorpion-tail coming out from the base of its neck. This was way back when I was 12/13, just so you all know. These days, I stick to real or pseudoreal creatures.

  1.  

    For my novel, I haven’t actually thought much about the fauna of it, but I’ve already ruled out dragons, unicorns, centaurs, elves, and all the other usual suspects.

    •  
      CommentAuthorswenson
    • CommentTimeJul 14th 2009
     

    I’ve thought of new twists on old creatures… for example, fairies/sprites/whatever I call them are sort of like… fireflies? They’re animals (sort of insect-like, I’d say), and fly and emit light. But they certainly aren’t sentient. I haven’t really thought about them much, but I like the idea.

    • CommentAuthorWiseWillow
    • CommentTimeJul 14th 2009
     

    I’m not terribly creative, but I have invented one creature, sort of. It’s rather like a California condor, only slightly bigger. It evolved from the same base as peacocks, but it is more restrained in color, and still has functioning wings. My version of faeries (they’re about four feet tall, and have bird wings that aren’t very useful) use them as steeds.

  2.  

    Orcana: ugly, misshapen hairless humanoids with squinty eyes who are clumsy on land and get weaker when exposed to prolonged sunlight. Once every 100 years or so, they rise up from their underwater homes en masse and head off to get slaughtered by Heroes™. Sound familiar? Those not consigned to their deaths have a matriarchal, highly spiritual culture.

    I’ve also got the standard Humans (breed like rabbits), Dwarves (valley-dwelling farmers with a collective Napoleonic complex), Elves (photosynthetic pointy-eared humans proficient in Nature magic), and hybrids. Humans have driven the Elf and Dwarf races to extinction through extensive hybridization, after perks of said cross-breeding were discovered. A cross of two different races always produces a Half. A cross of two hybrids can produce any combination from 100% one race to 100% the other, with most falling somewhere in the middle. Those of elven strains can manifest as a Half-Elf if the parents are of sufficiently Destined stock and the percentage is close enough to 50%, with the strengths of both races, the weaknesses of neither, and an Extraordinary ability on top. In contrast, those who only receive 1-10% of one race are generally disadvantaged compared to full-blooded members of their dominant race.

  3.  

    Question for curiosity: when you make a fantasy animal, how do you do it? Do you mix two animals a la Avatar? Do you draw on stock fantasy animals like unicorns and fairies and/or make them your own? Or do you only use Earth animals?

    •  
      CommentAuthorClibanarius
    • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2010 edited
     
    TakuGifian said: *"I once dreamed up a creature. the best decription for which was “part wolf, part leopard, but all wild”. Also, it had wings."*

    A Lyphon?
  4.  

    Like a hyphen?

    Buh-dum tish!

  5.  
    No my dear : )

    Like a Gryphon (aka Griffon) only since it has wolf and a carnivorous cat's head (I'm presuming that's the head anyway) and wings it's Lyphon or Liffon.
  6.  

    carnivorous cat’s head

    I thought the griffin had the head of an eagle with the body of a lion…

    Question for curiosity: when you make a fantasy animal, how do you do it? Do you mix two animals a la Avatar? Do you draw on stock fantasy animals like unicorns and fairies and/or make them your own? Or do you only use Earth animals?

    But for my current project, I’m trying to maintain an air of ‘realism’ (that wasn’t me just abusing the quotes, by the way) by not having any creatures like unicorns, griffins, etc. because they tend to be distractions unless they’re really important. My only really magical creature are my witches. There might also be other humanoids who can use superhuman powers in that world, but for now, I’m focusing on really individualizing my witches to my specific plot.

    I wouldn’t advise mixing two animals unless they went really well or were a really interesting combination, but that’s just me. Maybe Avatar ruined it for me?

  7.  

    I thought the griffin had the head of an eagle with the body of a lion…

    Perhaps it is an anti-griffin?

  8.  
    I stand ko-recctehd

    *And here comes a wave of grammer facists*
    •  
      CommentAuthorApep
    • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2010 edited
     

    Oh great, it’s going to be a grammar blitz…

    hides

    •  
      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJul 3rd 2010
     

    Regarding the “take a stock creature and change it” method, I once moved the unicorn horn to the horse’s muzzle and gave it a backward curve like a rhinocerous horn. It was cool, but completely impractical.

  9.  
    Strengthen the uni's head and neck (which would mean you'd need to bulk the rest of the horse out) but anyway, you do that so it could use the horn like a rhino does.
    •  
      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJul 3rd 2010
     

    The horn was for uprooting small bushes, which the horse thingies ate. Not for attacking/defending from enemies.

  10.  
    Oh.

    Heehee

    So. . . how come it didn't work out? : )
  11.  

    I personally like the idea of the bulked up horse with a rhino horn on its head.

  12.  
    That's 'cause you know how just how drop-dead awesome and wonderful I am. : )

    And modest, don't forget that part.
  13.  

    @ Steph

    That would be awesome.

    Okay, tell me if I’m alone in this sentiment: some magical creatures are just so horribly cliched for me that I’ll never use them. Even hanging the lampshade on the cliches are cliched, you know? Like elves and mermaids and dwarves and fairies. Maybe I’m just not imaginative enough, but I can’t get myself excited about any of ‘em. They’ve just… been done before, and by people much better than me.

  14.  

    I know what you mean. Also, some draw a very definite imagery. Like Tolkien elves and dwarves? That’s why I’m sticking with something fairly ambiguous.

    •  
      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2010 edited
     

    So. . . how come it didn’t work out? : )

    Because I wised up and decided to stick with humans.

    The closest I get to magical/fantasy creature in the current incarnation of my world is a vague mention of “spirit monkeys” here and there. And even then, beliefs are divided as to whether or not spirit-monkeys actually exist.

    •  
      CommentAuthorClibanarius
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2010 edited
     
    +spirit-monkys+


    *Watches in horror through a telescope as you buried by a wave of grammar facists*
    •  
      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2010
     

    Yeah, you’re one to talk, Clibby.

  15.  
    What do you me-

    *Is buried by aforementioned wave of grammar facists for his grammatical offenses*
  16.  

    Okay, tell me if I’m alone in this sentiment: some magical creatures are just so horribly cliched for me that I’ll never use them. Even hanging the lampshade on the cliches are cliched, you know? Like elves and mermaids and dwarves and fairies. Maybe I’m just not imaginative enough, but I can’t get myself excited about any of ‘em. They’ve just… been done before, and by people much better than me.

    I would use mermaids and fairies (I am using the latter) but not elves and dwarves. Something too Tolkein-y about them.

    ...and, Clib? Stop kicking. I might be part of the grammar fascist wave burying you, but you don’t have to make things difficult.

  17.  
    +...and, Clib? Stop kicking. I might be part of the grammar fascist wave burying you, but you don’t have to make things difficult.+

    Oh yes? *Erupts from the swarm with the fury of a volcano*

    "Hey, you! You tore my arm off, give it back. NOW" *Takes own ripped off arm back and proceeds to beat the grammar facists into a frantic retreat.*
  18.  

    Yeah, you really might want to lay off. You’re not really contributing any to the thread.

    I would use mermaids and fairies (I am using the latter) but not elves and dwarves.

    Same here. I think that there is enough tweaking you can do even with widely known species like mermaids. Actually, what I am calling ‘sea-witches’ (a rough name I’ll change) in my WIP are kind of like mermaids in some ways and sirens in others. Even elves and dwarves you can do something to, but I’m not really interested because Tolkien’s definition is so enduring and so iconic and I love Tolkien so much, I deliberately try not to emulate him.

    To stimulate more discussion: a lot of people have mentioned ‘tweaking’ existing creatures. How do you start doing something like that? Do you just ask ‘what if?’ questions? (Like- ‘what if mermaids were actually really ugly?’ and then go off from there)

  19.  
    I do that sometimes.

    Make the elves into genocidal arrogant jerk-offs (problem was that's been done before)

    What about tweaking the trolls and orges?
  20.  

    orges

    You mean orcs? Or ogres? I suppose you can tweak anything if you have cool ideas. But I was asking about how you come up with the ideas of exactly how to individualize them.

  21.  
    I meant Ogres.

    As for tweaking. Hmmm

    Okay forget the orges, I'm drawing a huge blank.

    What about. . . a tyrannosauroid type civilization that's like the roman empire, with a social structure and culture similiar to tang china.

    Is that what you had in mind?
    • CommentAuthorDeborah
    • CommentTimeOct 28th 2010
     
    One of my stories has naaids and dryads that intermarry with humans. And there's a minor character who turns out to be a were-lion.
  22.  

    I suppose you can tweak anything if you have cool ideas.

    Truth.
    I enjoy making really weird creatures that still seem realistic – I don’t know how to describe it.
    Also, for my next story, I plan to pretty much reinvent dragons. They’re too badass to land on the cliche heap.

    • CommentAuthorNo One
    • CommentTimeNov 5th 2010
     

    I plan to involve some human-cross-cat as the result of human-cat genetic experiment in my story, plus many others that are similar due to genetic experiments. Dragons-human, wolf-human, etc.

    I’m looking forward to writing the story. :)