2 - Character Creation- Species

[Storyteller Joy]

Character Creation: Species

What do you ... become?

At some point after you begin game you will be given an opportunity of some kind to enter Harpeah. When this occurs, and your character enters Harpeah, they gain a species, a sort of “curse” that affects all who cross into the portals between worlds. They will also get a magic “type”. This type is based on your character’s species and will be decided by the dice-gods of roleplaying.
 In character, your character doesn’t have a choice about what they are going to pop out at on the other side- that’s for You to choose, Right Now! If you have a strong preference for magic – and are not an old jaded experienced player of Clans, you can request, politely a specific magic, keeping in mind the “odds” of that and your chosen species.

The image below is a rough idea of the percentages of getting various elements.

If you want to know more about the Magic, you can visit the “MAGIC” section of the Rules- otherwise experiencing it in character is fine too. It will not affect your character one way or another at creation aside from it’s going to be randomly generated based off your species of course.  

There are three “Tiers” of species. Each tier is different (A brief description is below, the rest is for you to discover in character).

Common:
These species are considered “short-lived” at only 70-120 years before they die. Short lived species are also the most likely to have multiple sets of offspring- and- are some of the most common species around Harpeah- Lots of allies and friends with a lot of different opinions that change very quickly. The most common are also fully adapted into moving in and out of their human forms and do so without any problems clearly having one form and then multiple others. (Except humans…)

These include:

Humans- (Humans who stay human coming over from Harpeah have NO MAGIC and are considered seriously taboo by people in Harpeah)

Salamanders- Fire Lizards able to change size and shape from small to large house like creatures. These are often mistaken for Dragons- though they are wingless and unable to fly.

Undines- Water creatures that are able to shapeshift into any water-based creature and amphibians.

Shape-Shifters- Humans who have gained the ability to shapeshift into mammals who walk the earth (Does not include Whales or Dolphins, or Seals or Penguins)

Pixies- Humans who have gained the ability to shapeshift into birds (and penguins)

The Exotic:
These species are considered the “normal” in Harpeah. They live upwards to 600 years and have fewer children during the course of their mature years (20-200 years) – rarely more than four in their entire life cycle. There are still a fair number of them roaming the world and they aren’t hard to find- though nowhere near as numerous as the Common Species. They

These include:

Unicorns- Creatures of light, healing and purification powers, they are considered fierce protectors.

Mermaids-Creatures of Water, considered the rulers of the deep, able to take human form on land, and half-fish, half human by sea.

Winged-Humans-Creatures of Air, considered the rulers of the heavens, they are humanoids who have wings of various types (Lizard, Bat, Feathered, Insect).

Dwarves- Men and Women of the Underground, these hearty short humanoids do not have another form, but they hear the planet’s beating heart and know it’s secrets. They hold domain over all the underground.

Half-Human/Half-Beasts- These are a series of rational humanoids who, unlike their shape shifter brethren, have been permanently stuck in a form that is both half man, and have animal. They are also smaller in number then either the mermaids or the winged-humans and only when they work together have the same “strength” in numbers. They tend to stick to small family groups.

• Centaurs- Half Human, Half Horse.
• Catfolk- Half Human, Half Cat
• Dog/Wolf People – Half Human, Half Wolf/Dog (Slang: Werewolves)
• Tengu- Humanoid Birds, with faces and bodies of birds—and unlike the Winged Humans, they can take human form, as they typically are far more bird then man, but they are unable to fly in human form.
• Saytrs- Half Human, Half Goat.
• Naga- Half Human, Half snake
• Kitsune- Half Human, half Fox- Like the Tengu, Kitsunes lean toward the more bestial side of their natures and their features. They can take on limited human forms (they never lose their tails or fox ears)

Rare and Unusual:

These species are considered the “normal” in Harpeah. They live upwards to 600 years and have fewer children during the course of their mature years (20-1000 years) – rarely more than two in their entire life cycle. They tend to live in family/species oriented groups and rarely encourage visitors in their domains. Those few who do live amongst the cities and towns do so as some-what radical thinkers and doers- often ostracized from their people for a variety of reasons. As a group, they are far less likely to be in human form, and most despise it completely- if they have one at all. They are far removed from humanity and have a harder time, sometimes, relating to those who have shorter lifespans and require quick action. (Note: Elves do not have a human form, as they are already some what human.)

These species include:

Dragons- Eastern or Western. Dragons are fierce protectors of their Dragon Isle and rarely are seen off it. Dragons rarely let females off their islands- and will do their best to make sure they are protected and secure on the island should they be found.

Selkies- The Seal people are able to shed their seals skin and walk as man. Selkies are fine tuned with the sea, and can hear the whisper of the ocean and it’s tides like none other, giving it the ability to know what the planet’s feelings are. (not unlike the dwarves) Selkies stay in one family group, rarely do their pups wander far from home- for it’s far to easy to be stuck in the human guise if their skin is lost. Selkies also are inhumanly beautiful/handsome and very powerful magic users in the water element branch.

Winged-Beasts- Kings and Queens of the Air, the Winged-Beasts are all magical creatures that almost everyone protects for their natures and spirits. Their numbers are smaller than even most rare creatures, which makes them treasured companions and almost celebrities where they go. The Griffins and Pegasi are the most of this group, with only a handful of Alicorn’s and Phoenixes in the world.

• Griffins- Winged beasts with the body, tail and back legs of a lion, and the head, forefeet (and talons), and wings of an eagle. (Though there are some subspecies of Griffin with more or less lion/eagle that’s the general combination.) They are able to compel the truth in anyone near them. Even their feathers are enough for the compulsion to ring true.
• Pegasi- Feather Winged Horses, able to communicate via Telepathy.
• Alicorns- Rare offspring of Pegasi and Unicorns, with both the healing and telepathy of either parent. There are only a handful of them around the planet, and often they are protected by both sets of parents as honored and respected. Usually an Alicorn is considered royalty for either family.
• Phoenixes- The Virtually immortal Phoenix is a firebird. They must be of the fire element, their tears are healing, and they are able to resurrect if their dead bodies are burned to a crisp. There are only a few Phoenixes left alive in Harpeah.

Gargoyles- Men and Women of stone, their flesh is almost impossible to damage. They are fierce protectors of the mystical places of the world. They are able to hear the Planet’s heart as well as the distant planets and moons in the solar system where Harpeah resides. They are also some of the only creatures who can go there.

Elves- Long lived, long eared humanoids, Elves are some of the most vigilant and watchful of humans and the places between earth. They are the most likely to produce a world-walker, a person able to open up portals between worlds on whim. Elves are everything the stories say, and more.

Onward to Step 3 : The Bare Bones Stats