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I addressed the vampire aspect in the post, saying as we have not developed that idea I don't know were they should go, as well as why werewolves fit into that category now. If you read my stuff on the werewolf you will see I'm going for a different take on them with a more they-are-there-own-race idea and the bitten effect of transferring their form onto another more of a taboo thing to do. I am going for a more standard-living werewolf were they are in larger number and seen throughout the world at a higher rate.

Also when I finish the dragon stuff you guys can tell me if you like it or not, but we can include wyverns although there are fewer people who know about them and what differs them from a dragon. Really in my mind wyverns are as much dragons as anything else but that's just me. Also the dragon-thing put in the race section would not be a typical dragon, it would be a two legged dragon looking race that stands about seven feet to eight feet tall with now wings, or maybe wings, no tail, or maybe a tail. Look up dragonborns from the D&D 4th edition to get an idea.

so I will give the basic ideas for the races, but if you all wish to change them we can do that. Anyone who has read or watched the lord of the rings knows a basic idea between drwaves and halflings.

A Dwarf is typically a short race coming to about the maximum height of four to four and a half feet who mostly live within mountains and enjoy mining and forging rare and powerful weapons. They also generally have large beards in which they focus a lot of their personal pride and heritage off of. It is said the bigger and longer a Dwarf's beard the older and even sometimes the more experienced he is. Dwarfs are fiercely loyal and see almost all of their own race as brothers and sisters and would fight along side one family line just as easily as they would their own. The typically enjoy strong alcoholic drinks such as custom beers, ales, mead, and strong whiskeys they make themselves. On the battlefield you see them using axes and hammers more than swords as it fits their smaller size, and often with a shield or sometimes as a large two-handed version of the weapon. Most races think drwaves to be rude and crude race but in truth they are just not favorable to softening their tone or way of life as it is generally a reflection of how they are raised and the world they live in. A Dwarf can live in upwards to 500 years if he does not die in battle first.

A halfling looks to stand about three to three and a half feet in height and are often mistaken for children due to their size. Most halflings live in large meadow like villages or can often times live in cottages by the rivers and lakes, and on even rare occasions will set up small villages outside a human city. A halfling is generally considered to be a little-human but that idea is a bit lessening to their race as they share many traits with both elves and dwaves as well. Halflings tend to be quick and nimble when it comes to all things, but even more so when combat of dungeon crawling comes into play. You will find a great many thieves and rogues in the world to be halflings as it just seems to fit them. However the average halfling will be a farms or rancher and live a quiet life, with the idea of running off on some adventure seen as a crazy and unpleasant thing to do. They typically enjoy a good ale or beer and have been known to craft their own that even a dwarf would enjoy. On average halflings can live to about 100 years and a bit more with good health.

A gnome is a race that stands about about 2 and a half feet tall and typically live underground or within a vast and maze like cave system. They often time mine deep into the earth for gem stones and other rare stones they use for all manner of things. Gnomes who live underground say they can hear the rock and protect the earth from those who don't understand it, and some gnomes live in deep forests and look to be protectors of the trees were they often make their homes. Gnomes who venture out typically find themselves working as alchemists as they understand minerals so well, or rogues of types with a greater idea on locating and disabling traps and other deadly things. Gnomes often have beards similar to dwarves but smaller and they never reach past their chest, also most gnome men begin to go bald on the top of their head at a early age but have thick tough hair around. Gnomes are said to be somewhat mysterious as some of their kind can live deep within the earth and never come to the surface, but they are a quiet race and seem to do a lot of thinking before they ever set out to accomplish any task great or small. It is said gnomes philosophers can be some of the sharpest minds you will ever find, but if you want to learn from them it will take a lifetime. Gnomes can live anywhere between 150 to 200 years.

Now a gnoll is typically seen as a dog like creature who has some orc traits but with fur and a muzzle that makes them look like jackals or hyenas. They usually live in caves or within deep dark forests and will attack anything they think they can kill easily without much effort. gnolls tend to be pack oriented but in odd ways sometimes. Some packs can be only for killings and raiding, some packs may be just for raiding, some packs may have one or to females to reproduce, some packs maybe just three members strong, and then some are just so crazy there is no rational behind it. Gnolls are generally cowards and if the perceive a fight to be difficult they will run away before they even raise a spear. Common weapons for Gnolls are crude spears and blunt weapons, and anything else they find from those they loot.

Kobolds are small short little lizard creatures who don't get much taller than two feet if they are lucky. they are typically seen in large numbers so they fight by overwhelming an enemy rather than just beating them. Kobolds are often times used as front line cannon fodder for the lesser races during times of war and for some reason they often times run head long without thinking. Kobolds are said to worship dragons of all kinds as they seem them as the greater lizards of the world. A powerful dragon may have Kobold servants who constantly guard and gather treasure for the dragons horde so it is always growing. When Kobolds live on their own it is within deep cave networks or sometimes even mountains were they can better breed their large numbers, which they do like rabbits.

A Hobgoblin is generally the result of a goblin and orc breeding and then that line continue to breed on and on from there. They are rare at times but are generally capable of traits from both races. They have large builds and muscles life orcs but due to their goblin blood stay on the quick side of that coin. They fight with tactics that seem to marry the ideas of orc and goblin as well with strong quick over whelming charges and brute force smashing of the front lines. Hobgoblins oddly enough seem to develop higher brain functions and can often times craft crude weapons and will wear armor and even on rare occasions magical items to help them in battle. Hobgolblins live anywhere they can set up a village or camp and tend to be nomadic in nature with families moving with the warriors and hunters a few days after the depart.

I think that covers the basics of the races from the knowledge I have on them off the top of my head. These races are typically seen in many fantasy books and table-top games. This is everything I could think of for now without using a wiki for help so as not to get into much detail. The idea of so many races is to have diversity and many different things to draw off of to use in different situations. Also the sub-races were developed high increasing difficulty challenges for young adventures.

What kind of powers are we giving to vampires? I'm really only familiar with Anne Rice's where, provided a vampire lives long enough (or consumes the blood of vampires that have lived long enough) vampires can acquire a whole range of powers including: Conjuring fire, telekinesis, telepathy, the ability to defy gravity (a.k.a. flying, which may be connected to telekinesis), superhuman strength, extremely heightened senses, immunity to disease, enhanced healing capabilities, and even metamorphosis (this last was in mention only). Are any of these going to be given to the vampires for this world? Or are vampires just intended to be beings affected by a virus, thereby only having lust for blood and immunity to aging?

so any skills a person has before they are turned would be increased is what your saying. Say the person bit was a wizard so now they would be even more fluent in their magical abilities as well as being strong and fast. It does fit, I would like to maybe add something to the idea, an idea a few friends have thought of in the past. Depending on how long it has been sense a vampire has had blood the stronger or weaker there powers and abilities are. So one who has just eaten is more capable than on who has not. Also I think the age of the vampire should also play a factor, but not the age of the person but the age from the time they were turned. So a vampire who has been so for 1000 years and just eaten is a true force to be reckoned with but a freshly turned vampire who has eaten will still be a tough fight but still beatable so long as you are skilled yourself.

I would like to get Lady Hikari's opinion on the vampire subject as she is another of our true vampire fans.

Also we still need comments on the races I listed. Yes's and No's are what I'm looking for, and please fill free to elaborate on your choice either in the thread or to me through PM.

We have a few votes now but I would like to get about six or seven votes before I make the ruling just to see if anyone has any thing against or would like to refine or debate an idea.

I'm not too keen on Gnomes and Gnolls because... they just doesn't seem s interesting. You didn't cover elves though. I like what you put about dwarves and halflings.

I think you should all decide what role the races will play in the political and social sense of the Fantasy World before you decide what "classes" suit them.

For example, if you decide that Humans are a magical empire that shun the barbaric melee classes then it would make no sense to make a Human Fighter as that would be considered a freak in that culture. Or if the Elves are to be pacifists living isolated in the forest then it makes little sense to equip them with any weapons, let alone long-range bows and arrows that kill before the enemy even sees them.

I think elves should be barbaric. Every fantasy has elves as graceful, high blooded people. We should make a change from the norm.

lets not go overboard lol xd

If we want to change some races we can but we also need to think about it in a way that makes since and will be easily explainable and understandable to anyone who wants to participate in the RP. We can change the elves but maybe not to a polar opposite as it would be a hard thing for anyone who already has an idea for elves in there head to want to understand or play as one. Changing things such as Elves being the majority race and humans a minority would be something, or having the elves be more tribal and nomadic but still nimble and agile, maybe not graceful but more the rogue than the ranger idea. You could have them be more rustic in their cultural ideas and how they look at things but still rely on speed to fight rather than strength, almost like the counterpart to a barbarian. A nomadic race that is always moving but is more focused on speed.

As for the orcs well that one might be interesting to try as I have seen people attempt to make orcs have more of a human like appearance. I've seen some anime that show female orcs as being quiet beautiful but the men are a bit brutish. You know maybe we could combine the idea of the orc and the dragonborn race thing in some way, make something almost like the Krogan in Mass Effect but with a twist. Some big race were the males have a large brutish reptilian like appearance and the women are sleek and graceful with just green skin, maybe some dragon like ears, and maybe a tail. On second thought that sounds like a better idea for just a new race on its own or for the dragon style race...I'm might elaborate on this and show everyone later on.

Never said the men had to be ugly just more reptilian like really, and who knows how the genetic structure of a sub-dragon like race works. I was not really going for ugly men and beautiful women I was thinking more the men are the front line warriors and the women are the agile and quick ranged or assassins of the race. Both have equal set of abilities that give them advantages their opposite gender cannot perform so they are balanced. Again still it was just a curious idea that came to me as I was writing that post, I had not put much more than a quick synapse firing thought to it at that point.