Fantasy Species Fuzions

NOTE: Fixed the bug that was causing the buttons not to work if run from the main page.

Working on the superheroes and villains as fantasy species table reminded me how much I missed doing Weird & Wonderful Tables. I thought that table worked out really well, and it made me want to go back to my "traditional" fantasy series, which as a reminder includes a Weird & Wonderful take on Undead, Anathema, Vampires, Goblins, and Elves. Also, whereas my Phantasmos setting is very gonzo Heavy Metal original science fantasy, my Aquarian Dawn setting that I'm currently running a campaign in is a bit more grounded in "traditional" fantasy (although growing increasingly gonzo, because I can't help myself), so I've been trying to think about more interesting takes on "traditional" fantasy.

So the theme of this table is "what if a traditional fantasy species was more like another traditional fantasy species?". Despite the name, these aren't hybrids per se (not half-elves, half-orcs, etc.), although they could be if you want to use them that way. They could also be sub-species, or they may even be able to just replace the regular version of that species, if you want to run a mostly "traditional" fantasy campaign with a twist. Certain assumptions are made in the descriptions about the nature of the primary or secondary species in each entry, or the relationship between the fuzion with one or both of those species or other species, but I think most of these could be made to work in any of the capacities suggested above, maybe just with a bit of tweaking.

For this table, we've got orcs, elves, dwarves, halflings, and goblins, so you'll get orc-elves, orc-dwarves, ..., elf-orcs, elf-dwarves, etc., for a total of 20 combinations. If people like this, I may add more traditional fantasy species fuzions down the line, or focus on fantasy species from other genres or culture like Japanese fantasy or Chinese Wuxia.

Some of the entries I would consider more original, while others are more like adaptations of other creatures from fantasy or folklore re-imagined as a fuzion of traditional fantasy species. I tried to think about thematic through-lines for the species, so that for instance there are certain commonalities between all fuzions with dwarf as the primary species, vs. dwarf as the secondary species. I didn't let that overly limit me, but this process was a useful way to think about what thematically drives each of these species.


Click through the list of fantasy species fuzions:
Go to fuzion by number (1 through 20):
Pick a random fuzion

Picture Reference

Name	Primary	Secondary	Description
1. Golden Orcs	Orc	Elf	They have saturated yellowish-green skin like an underripe mango, and glowing eyes of the various colors of the visible light spectrum. If they have hair, it is light brown or some shade of blonde, red, green, or violet. As natural forest fires are necessary to enrich the soil, destruction is as much a part of nature as creation. The golden orcs were created by the gods to cleanse the world. They are intelligent and rational, and take no joy in their task, but they will complete it with zeal. Some say they are the true first-born of the gods. Others say that they are the gods' final children, plucked from their place in time by the extra-temporal gods to correct errors in the past where needed.
2. Fireborne	Orc	Dwarf	Unbeknownst to the High Father, the lesser gods kept some of the clay of life for themselves. Unfortunately for them, some of that clay was stolen. A dark sorcerer, evil god, or god-like outsider stole the clay of life, and used their powerful magics or technologies to change its very nature. They fired their creations in their abominable kiln, creating monstrosities and aberrations of life. Their bones, claws, teeth, and tusks are made of metal. Black ichor lymph flows beneath their hard, burnt, clay-like exterior. They glow ever red-hot. They are simple creatures, more like insects than beasts, programmed necromantically like zombies.
3. Drone Orcs	Orc	Halfling	Halfling-sized orcs. They are a simple people with simple needs, mostly to consume. They are kept as low-maintenance reserves, should a dark-lord's evil plans go awry. If the horde is decimated or eradicated in an unexpected and stunning defeat, it is easier to use magics or technologies to morph the drones into new soldiers to replenish the horde than breed or craft a new horde over centuries or millenia. In a pinch, they are formidable in their own right, and some hordes are even left in drone form intentionally, for various tactical niches unsuitable for full-sized orcs.
4. Spore Orcs	Orc	Goblin	The dark lord who created this horde made them from the fruiting body of a fungal-like substance from another plane. They are green and purple-skinned, waxy and fibrous like a vegetable or fungus, covered in fruiting mushroom-like growths. The growths develop like a cancer, crushing their internal organs and obstructing or mutilating orifices, until they explode, releasing a cloud of spores. The spores carry microscopic cells like micro-orcs, assaulting the bodies of their enemies on the sub-cellular level, transforming them into full-sized spore orcs.
5. Green Elves	Elf	Orc	This is an altered / expanded version of the entry in Anathema. They are a shamanic people who pray to the spirits of the dark and nightmares, of wild beasts, spirits in the flame, and gods of the dark cosmos and stars. The forests are harsh, and they are a harsh people, but they are not necessarily evil and neither are their gods or spirits, although they may seem it. It is a balance, to appease the darkness, to harness the light of the cosmic inferno, to read the messages of eldritch beings written in the stars. They use tools of obsidian and the metals found in summoned meteorites as shamanic fetishes and foci. They are the true druids, the fomorians, the protectors of nature against civilization, civilization from nature, and the world from the elseworlds.
6. Berserker Elves	Elf	Dwarf	They are the size of elves with the muscle mass of dwarves. They have the hairiness and large noses of dwarves, and the large almond eyes and long pointed ears of elves. They are psychedelic psilocybin warrior monks. They practice martial sciences as a form of personal and spiritual development, and enjoy ritualistic violent combat, but most would prefer to spend their time learning and creating. They are natural philosopher-engineers, although they tend to prefer hand-to-hand combat or fighting with simple weapons like axes and hammers. They see tools as extensions of the body and mind, and so for physical and visceral acts like violence, they prefer tools which best enhance, rather than replace, their physicality.
7. Hill Elves	Elf	Halfling	An unusually mundane sort of elves. They live simple lives, not that unlike rural humans. Some have magical aptitudes, but no more so than the average human. They don't commune with nature spirits or live in magic trees or arcane towers. They're well-fed, tending to be even a bit pudgy. They are excellent chefs. In some ways they out-human humans, with awkwardly large hands and feet, and they're even hairier. That all being said, they're still much quieter, at least when they want to be. The few hill elves to interact with the larger machinations of the world, to become adventurers, tend to pursue magic and alchemy, usually by way of atypical means, more like magical bards, through music, or theatrics, or most of all, through food.
8. Puca	Elf	Goblin	A highly magical species of dimunitive elves, more like nature spirits than mortals. They are sometimes impish but generally well-meaning creatures that live primarily in forests or in subterranean villages under termite-like mounds. Their civilization appears technological in its complexity, with plants, animals, and other aspects of nature working in a Rube Goldbergian-parody of natural order. Their footsoldiers are redcaps, their cavalry ride large dragonflies or dragonfly unicorn ponies, and their mages are leprechauns who harness the power of rainbows through gold coins which they carry in pots, or through four-leaf clover charms.
9. Ur-Dwarves	Dwarf	Orc	Dwarves have a little-known ability, one so dangerous, so grotesque, it is carefully suppressed by the dwarven elders and scholars. Any dwarf who eats another dwarf absorbs their clay of life into themselves. As they consume more dwarves, they grow, wider than tall, like a grotesquely stretched, cylindrical dwarf, yet surprisingly limber. They become uglier, their skin harder and more clay-like, more angular, and cracked into rocky pieces. After consuming 100 dwarves, a dwarf becomes an Ur-Dwarf; a hulking beast more like a clay golem in appearance than a dwarf. In addition to growing bigger and stronger, their savant-like mechanical and engineering skills are also enhanced, as is their vicious cunning, although their social intelligence and critical thinking declines.
10. Rune Dwarves	Dwarf	Elf	They could almost be confused for halflings, if not for their musculature. Despite their mass, they are surprisingly graceful, effective in the shadows and facing off in the light. As a culture, they have contributed more to the alchemical magics and sciences, and engineering, than any other culture or species. Their runes were the first to account for the mathematical concept of zero, and to effectively incorporate numerology into their language. They are masters of finding the True Name in things, and in building tools, weapons, and golems with alchemical fires and runic encodings. They often carve runes into their own clay skin, sometimes imbuing in them unique colorings and auras in addition to whatever magical benefits they provide.
11. Homunculi	Dwarf	Halfling	Pint-sized humanoid creatures, created from the clay of life for alchemical experiments. Alchemists, wizards, and engineers tend to use them as assistants, and initially they have little sense of self or agency (although this often develops over time). They often have exagerrated features reflective of their purpose. The most common homunculi have massively, comically oversized hands and facial features on an otherwise gaunt body and narrow head. Etched into their brains, rather than the normal folds one might expect, are runic symbols of the body part that part of the brain controls. A trained alchemist can even cut open a conscious homunculus' head to make modifications to their brain.
12. Wabi-Sabim	Dwarf	Goblin	When the lesser gods crafted the dwarves from clay, not all of their creations met their homogeneous design. Whether early trials, sculptures ill-formed, or set too close to the flame or too far from it, or even experimental post-dwarven trials, some deviated from the design. They are often stunted, misshapen, or missing limbs or facial features, although some may be larger or have extra limbs or facial features. Unwilling to destroy their deviant creations, the lesser gods laced the wabi-sabim with gold to fill the cracks and glue broken parts, giving them their unique gold-veined skin and greenish-yellow tint. Either due to their atypical forms, or due to the alchemy laced in their skin, they occasionally develop unique physical, magical, or alchemical abilities.
13. Brutelings	Halfling	Orc	Abnormally large halflings with androgynous features and large hands and feet. They are nearly indistinguishable from humans, and are similar in temperament to an average masculine human. They are prone to hypermasculine aggression and displays of dominance, as well as narcissistic and anti-social tendencies, although they are not necessarily evil, and in dire circumstances make for competent and efficient leaders amongst a mixed-species group. They are generally good at manipulating humans and rising to positions of prominence and power in human civilization, for better and worse, but are generally disliked by other halflings, who find them to be too serious, too intense, and too power-hungry.
14. Gnomes	Halfling	Elf	They are to elves as halflings are to humans. They are extremely thin and narrow, with long faces filled mostly by large eyes, and pointed ears. They are magically inclined, inquisitive, and hyperactive. They focus intently on their tasks, and make for excellent tinkers, craftsmen, farmers, and engineers. What they altogether lack in strength and durability, even compared to halflings, they make up for with intelligence, in spades.
15. Pygmalions	Halfling	Dwarf	A diminutive warrior species that has learned to harness the powers of the clay of life. They have used the clay to enrich their forms, giving themselves dense muscles and skin, and rounded, full bellies. They can shape their clay, allowing them to alter their faces, and to a lesser extent their bodies. They worship a raptor-like crane god and venerate cranes. Their warriors, known as raptors, wear feathered outfits and crane-faced masks, utilize martial arts inspired by cranes, and ride domesticated war-cranes into battle.
16. Mutant Halflings	Halfling	Goblin	Sometimes called trolls or gremlins (if not already used in the setting). They have various combinations of exagerrated facial features, and exotic neon, pastel, or metallic colored hair and skin tones. They are hyperactive pranksters, often with a violent side, but not necessarily evil. They often have unique magical abilities or naturally high magical aptitudes. While they tend to get along perfectly well amongst themselves, most other intelligent species find them to be too unruly, undisciplined, and disrespectful to authority to tolerate, and so they are mostly relegated to far-away places and left to their own devices. That being said, they develop emotional attachments to individuals of other species easily, and once ingratiated in a group or civilization, will readily abandon their homes and adamently cling to their new friends, only giving up if treated to the most hateful, heinous, humiliating personal offense, one that far exceeds the magnitude of whatever perceived wrong-doing the mutant halfling may have committed. Only one who has become a true friend would know how to commit such a grievous offense.
17. Dire Goblins	Goblin	Orc	Some goblins are neither born naturally, nor created by dark lords, but are transformed. To kill 1000 goblins is to be reborn a dire goblin. They maintain their original identity, but an evil and insane voice stews inside them, goading them into evil deeds. When overcome by the dire goblin, their bodies cease and convulse, as a hulking brute the size of a bugbear punctures their mortal body. Dire goblins have green or yellow skin, their hands and feet are clawed, their bodies are covered in horns and spikes, and their eyes glow like an inferno. In addition to their sheer physical power, they also wield cosmic infernal magics. Over time, it becomes increasingly difficult for the host to resist the voice, and eventually they transform fully into the dire goblin. They may have the memories of their original identity, or feign as themselves, but their soul is dead and gone forever.
18. Cherubim	Goblin	Elf	They have the proportions of a human baby, although goblin-sized, and with just enough musculature to support themselves. They can also carry themselves by two sets of bird-like wings. They have four genders, identified by their head, like that of a lion, an ox, an eagle, or a long-nosed human. The lions tend to be aggressive and animalistic, the ox stoic and disciplined, the eagle cunning and vigilante, and the humanoid social, playful (sometimes playfully mischievous), and jovial. They live in a land of primordial paradise, created by the gods to protect paradise and to serve in other ways. That being said, they spend most of their time appreciating the benefits of living in paradise. If their task forces them to leave paradise, especially in the service of mortals, there better be some fuckin' involved or they'll be ornery right up until they return to the gates of paradise.
19. Brownies	Goblin	Dwarf	Goblins who have been imbued with the clay of life. They are slightly larger than regular goblins, and much more stout. They are crafty and mechanical, and find domestic affairs like cooking and cleaning to be meditative. They are renowned architects, mindful of the structural needs, aesthetics, and ergonomics of the buildings they construct. They are a rare kind who find such inherent reward in their work, that they often forego greater monetary rewards or promotions to managerial or leadership roles. This is because, unbeknownst to most, they derive most of their sustenance magically, through domestic labor. That being said, they are also known for their... quirky sense of humor, and will often play pranks on their lords or build easter eggs into their constructions. They are also irrationally thin-skinned, and will lash out at even the slightest insult.
20. Gluttonous Goblins	Goblin	Halfling	They are round, their bones degraded beneath their fat, appearing more like frog-men than goblins. They build contraptions on wheels or treads or spiderlegs to contain their bodies and locomote. Their contraptions are usually powered by foot pedals, as they have large feet and surprisingly muscle-toned legs. They are hunter-gatherer-scavengers, and when it comes to finding their next meal, they are more pro-social, crafty, and cunning than any human civilization. If not for their singular and simplistic goal, as a group they may very well be the most dangerous intelligent species in the world.