Beast List
May 25, 2017 17:04:11 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on May 25, 2017 17:04:11 GMT -6
Overview: creatures formed by natural means and strongly attuned to the magic of the world, Beasts are essentially just very dangerous wild animals, with all the instincts that comes with that concept. Very unlike monsters which are simply Nether-fueled killing machines; Beasts and Monsters will typically kill each other on sight, whereas humans and beasts can sometimes coexist peacefully depending on the circumstances. As such, beasts can be used as either an alternative foe to bandits and monsters, or as allies of convenience against darker foes, or even full on three-way battles.
Far less formulaic than monsters, beasts are typically very difficult to judge on sight - two individuals from the same species may vary wildly in strength, with one harpy hardly a match for a beginner mage while another may be capable of launching devastating magic that could give Athos himself pause. Thus, rather than the clearly defined 'tiers' of monsters, Beasts are simply classified by species and can vary immensely between individuals.
Note that Silver weaponry IS NOT super effective against Beasts, but that they are overall slightly more vulnerable to all Anima magic, and certain elementally aspected beasts, obviously including Elementals, may be especially vulnerable to their counter-element.
Generic Beasts
Creatures that can be encountered in appropriate locations - while still relatively rare and some are very dangerous, weaker specimens are free to be spawned by members.
Harpies - Women with wings instead of arms and talons rather than feet. While some believe that they may be related to the Bird Tribe of Taguel, the truth is long since lost to history, and the taguel view them as no more than pests. Harpies are generally fairly unintelligent, but are naturally attuned to wind and/or lightning magic. A few harpies have greater intelligence than their kin, typically becoming the leaders of their flock, and a few harpy matriarchs are blessed with intelligence approaching human - and a terrifyingly potent attunement to magic that renders them incredibly dangerous. Most common on certain mountains in Vinland, but rumors of them have always existed in the mountains of Bern, and in recent years claimed spottings have become significantly more common.
Furies - Loathsome beings with the body of a great bird of prey and the head of a woman, these creatures are known as terrifying aerial skirmishers, using their wicked talons to rend foes and their prodigious strength to carry men high into the sky before dropping them to their deaths. Almost all are completely bestial, little more than animals with vicious battle instincts, but a few - known as the Erinyes - supplement their natures with an almost human cunning - and typically hatred for the unjust as well, though how they define injustice varies by individual. Unlike Harpies, their attunement to natural magic is limited to subtle use of weaker wind magic to allow them to pull off impossible aerial stunts, making them by far the most agile fliers in the world.
Basilisks - Strange snakelike creatures long rumored to live in the deeper wastes of Nabata, these odd reptilian herbivores are known solely for their devastating defensive mechanism - powerful magic that allows them to gradually turn anything they see into stone. Not even the earth is immune to their magic, their lairs often surrounded by stony ground. The effect is not reversible once it completes, but if a victim can end the creature's life or escape its vision before petrification is complete, the unstable magic gradually reverts itself, healing the victim over several hours. Skittish creatures, they rarely attack unless threatened, and are best avoided. Exact appearance varies but you can use this as a baseline.
Minotaurs - a surprisingly common legend despite their long absence from Elibe, minotaurs are creatures with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Best known for their lore in an old legion about a labyrinth, in reality minotaurs are generally happy to hole up in any manner of old ruins, and are usually not particularly dangerous unless provoked - or they are in a bad mood (common), feel their territory is threatened (very common), or it's the first Tuesday of the month (in which case you're just screwed). Unless enraged though, minotaurs are typically surprisingly laid back and intelligent enough to interact with humans so long as their unique tendencies are kept in mind and no one is wearing too much red. Probably for the best; these beasts wield tremendous physical strength, easily capable of ripping a man apart with their bare hands or using large objects as makeshift weapons. Female minotaurs are rare and typically fought over by males, but are just as physically imposing as the male variants.
Elementals - Spirits of magic made manifest in the wake of forming an identity of their own, elementals are quite literally the embodiment of their, well, element - a fire elemental is forged of magical fire, while an earth elemental is - surprise - probably rock themed. Unlike golems, every elemental is unique; while not necessarily particularly intelligent by human standards, each is a sentient individual, often with a primary goal or ideal that led to their detachment from the collective consciousness into the realm of individually. While almost completely unheard of since the Ending Winter, in recent years these strange beings have begun appearing again rarely. Their natural attunement to their base element grants them some level of ability in Anima magic; powers vary wildly, but generally speaking the larger the elemental the more dangerous they are. Most elementals are the size of a cat or dog, but those that reach the size of a horse or (very rarely, and only in incredibly magical locales) a house can be incredibly deadly, with their magical potency and intelligence both increasing with size. These exceptionally large and dangerous elementals may even take names for themselves and be capable of communicating with humans, and are typically more sedentary than their smaller, flightier counterparts.
Golems - Enslaved earthen spirits bound to a physical form within walls of clay or stone, golems were all created for a single overriding purpose; protecting a certain location, destroying a specific foe, carrying buckets of water, performing simplistic bodyguard duties, so on and so forth. Unlike elementals, they were not born with free will or typically even sentience, but some were bound poorly or gradually broke through their prisons and gradually grew to be unique individuals over time. While golemancy is an art long since lost to all but the most powerful geomancers, its creations still remain - almost all remaining specimens predate the Scouring in age. Ancient ruins sometimes contain smaller scurrying specimens mindlessly performing maintenance on tombs and libraries long since lost, while larger golems can be found guarding valuable artifacts, and centuries or even millennia of age, decay, and disrepair have warped many into unforeseen ways. Some went berserk long ago and will pulp anything fool enough to stand before several tons of animate rock, but a few developed into strange hybrids of golem and elemental, physical juggernauts who stay their strength with newfound intelligence or wield it in the name of vengeance against masters who long since abandoned them.
------------
Legendary Beasts
ALL require mod approval and are capable of f**k**g up anything from a champion to a Divine Dragon. Seriously, don't f**k with thesesenators guys.
Chimera - Gigantic hybrids of lion, goat, and snake, chimeras are imposing beasts that measure a good eight to twelve feet tall and can stretch out up to twice as long. Easily on par with the average dragon in physical strength, they are melee monstrosities with incredible agility for their size and an overwhelming offense from three heads working together. Even the basest chimeras are more than a match for any human alive, but a few rare specimens, by mutation or design, may possess extra heads or very rarely elemental abilities that allow them to threaten even the mightiest of dragons or face small armies on their own.
Arachnos - Monstrous scorpions from beneath the sands of Nabata. Almost as large as they are aggressive, these gigantic arachnids can reach a good six to eight feet in height, with tails swinging upwards of twenty feet in the air, and wield massive pincers that can cut through an armored knight like race paper or sunder a dragon's scales like brittle glass. A rare few can even wield devastatingly powerful Fire magic on par with the greatest theoretical uses of Volcanon, spitting jets of molten death from their mandibles or launching superheated magical energy from their stingers that can melt through anything. Capable of burrowing beneath the sands to launch devastating ambushes, these beasts are among the most dangerous natural existences Elibe has ever seen and should be avoided at all costs.
Shai-Hulud - Titanic sandworms that have tunneled deep beneath the sands of Nabata since time immemorial. Long believed to be a myth by most of Elibe but worshiped by the men of the deepest wastes of the desert, the increased resurgence in devastating earthquakes closer to the civilized parts of the desert have many wondering if these creatures may not actually be real. Legends claim that the 'old men of the desert' may reach lengths of hundreds of meters, and certain legends claim that even larger specimens exist, possibly as much as a mile or more in length. While no man alive has seen one, legends speak of armor that no mortal weapon can penetrate and jaws filled with rings of teeth that can swallow a dragon whole. While Elibe worries about monsters and the Arum, the hardy people of Nabata fear the return of the Grandfather of Desert, the Shaitan of ancient lore.
Far less formulaic than monsters, beasts are typically very difficult to judge on sight - two individuals from the same species may vary wildly in strength, with one harpy hardly a match for a beginner mage while another may be capable of launching devastating magic that could give Athos himself pause. Thus, rather than the clearly defined 'tiers' of monsters, Beasts are simply classified by species and can vary immensely between individuals.
Note that Silver weaponry IS NOT super effective against Beasts, but that they are overall slightly more vulnerable to all Anima magic, and certain elementally aspected beasts, obviously including Elementals, may be especially vulnerable to their counter-element.
Generic Beasts
Creatures that can be encountered in appropriate locations - while still relatively rare and some are very dangerous, weaker specimens are free to be spawned by members.
Harpies - Women with wings instead of arms and talons rather than feet. While some believe that they may be related to the Bird Tribe of Taguel, the truth is long since lost to history, and the taguel view them as no more than pests. Harpies are generally fairly unintelligent, but are naturally attuned to wind and/or lightning magic. A few harpies have greater intelligence than their kin, typically becoming the leaders of their flock, and a few harpy matriarchs are blessed with intelligence approaching human - and a terrifyingly potent attunement to magic that renders them incredibly dangerous. Most common on certain mountains in Vinland, but rumors of them have always existed in the mountains of Bern, and in recent years claimed spottings have become significantly more common.
Furies - Loathsome beings with the body of a great bird of prey and the head of a woman, these creatures are known as terrifying aerial skirmishers, using their wicked talons to rend foes and their prodigious strength to carry men high into the sky before dropping them to their deaths. Almost all are completely bestial, little more than animals with vicious battle instincts, but a few - known as the Erinyes - supplement their natures with an almost human cunning - and typically hatred for the unjust as well, though how they define injustice varies by individual. Unlike Harpies, their attunement to natural magic is limited to subtle use of weaker wind magic to allow them to pull off impossible aerial stunts, making them by far the most agile fliers in the world.
Basilisks - Strange snakelike creatures long rumored to live in the deeper wastes of Nabata, these odd reptilian herbivores are known solely for their devastating defensive mechanism - powerful magic that allows them to gradually turn anything they see into stone. Not even the earth is immune to their magic, their lairs often surrounded by stony ground. The effect is not reversible once it completes, but if a victim can end the creature's life or escape its vision before petrification is complete, the unstable magic gradually reverts itself, healing the victim over several hours. Skittish creatures, they rarely attack unless threatened, and are best avoided. Exact appearance varies but you can use this as a baseline.
Minotaurs - a surprisingly common legend despite their long absence from Elibe, minotaurs are creatures with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Best known for their lore in an old legion about a labyrinth, in reality minotaurs are generally happy to hole up in any manner of old ruins, and are usually not particularly dangerous unless provoked - or they are in a bad mood (common), feel their territory is threatened (very common), or it's the first Tuesday of the month (in which case you're just screwed). Unless enraged though, minotaurs are typically surprisingly laid back and intelligent enough to interact with humans so long as their unique tendencies are kept in mind and no one is wearing too much red. Probably for the best; these beasts wield tremendous physical strength, easily capable of ripping a man apart with their bare hands or using large objects as makeshift weapons. Female minotaurs are rare and typically fought over by males, but are just as physically imposing as the male variants.
Elementals - Spirits of magic made manifest in the wake of forming an identity of their own, elementals are quite literally the embodiment of their, well, element - a fire elemental is forged of magical fire, while an earth elemental is - surprise - probably rock themed. Unlike golems, every elemental is unique; while not necessarily particularly intelligent by human standards, each is a sentient individual, often with a primary goal or ideal that led to their detachment from the collective consciousness into the realm of individually. While almost completely unheard of since the Ending Winter, in recent years these strange beings have begun appearing again rarely. Their natural attunement to their base element grants them some level of ability in Anima magic; powers vary wildly, but generally speaking the larger the elemental the more dangerous they are. Most elementals are the size of a cat or dog, but those that reach the size of a horse or (very rarely, and only in incredibly magical locales) a house can be incredibly deadly, with their magical potency and intelligence both increasing with size. These exceptionally large and dangerous elementals may even take names for themselves and be capable of communicating with humans, and are typically more sedentary than their smaller, flightier counterparts.
Golems - Enslaved earthen spirits bound to a physical form within walls of clay or stone, golems were all created for a single overriding purpose; protecting a certain location, destroying a specific foe, carrying buckets of water, performing simplistic bodyguard duties, so on and so forth. Unlike elementals, they were not born with free will or typically even sentience, but some were bound poorly or gradually broke through their prisons and gradually grew to be unique individuals over time. While golemancy is an art long since lost to all but the most powerful geomancers, its creations still remain - almost all remaining specimens predate the Scouring in age. Ancient ruins sometimes contain smaller scurrying specimens mindlessly performing maintenance on tombs and libraries long since lost, while larger golems can be found guarding valuable artifacts, and centuries or even millennia of age, decay, and disrepair have warped many into unforeseen ways. Some went berserk long ago and will pulp anything fool enough to stand before several tons of animate rock, but a few developed into strange hybrids of golem and elemental, physical juggernauts who stay their strength with newfound intelligence or wield it in the name of vengeance against masters who long since abandoned them.
------------
Legendary Beasts
ALL require mod approval and are capable of f**k**g up anything from a champion to a Divine Dragon. Seriously, don't f**k with these
Chimera - Gigantic hybrids of lion, goat, and snake, chimeras are imposing beasts that measure a good eight to twelve feet tall and can stretch out up to twice as long. Easily on par with the average dragon in physical strength, they are melee monstrosities with incredible agility for their size and an overwhelming offense from three heads working together. Even the basest chimeras are more than a match for any human alive, but a few rare specimens, by mutation or design, may possess extra heads or very rarely elemental abilities that allow them to threaten even the mightiest of dragons or face small armies on their own.
Arachnos - Monstrous scorpions from beneath the sands of Nabata. Almost as large as they are aggressive, these gigantic arachnids can reach a good six to eight feet in height, with tails swinging upwards of twenty feet in the air, and wield massive pincers that can cut through an armored knight like race paper or sunder a dragon's scales like brittle glass. A rare few can even wield devastatingly powerful Fire magic on par with the greatest theoretical uses of Volcanon, spitting jets of molten death from their mandibles or launching superheated magical energy from their stingers that can melt through anything. Capable of burrowing beneath the sands to launch devastating ambushes, these beasts are among the most dangerous natural existences Elibe has ever seen and should be avoided at all costs.
Shai-Hulud - Titanic sandworms that have tunneled deep beneath the sands of Nabata since time immemorial. Long believed to be a myth by most of Elibe but worshiped by the men of the deepest wastes of the desert, the increased resurgence in devastating earthquakes closer to the civilized parts of the desert have many wondering if these creatures may not actually be real. Legends claim that the 'old men of the desert' may reach lengths of hundreds of meters, and certain legends claim that even larger specimens exist, possibly as much as a mile or more in length. While no man alive has seen one, legends speak of armor that no mortal weapon can penetrate and jaws filled with rings of teeth that can swallow a dragon whole. While Elibe worries about monsters and the Arum, the hardy people of Nabata fear the return of the Grandfather of Desert, the Shaitan of ancient lore.