Coffee for Mandy

For reasons that may or may not have to do with things you might find on the internet right now, I would like to throw some attention to this ko-fi page for Mandy Morbid. Buy her a coffee!

BONUS: Mutants Metamorphica

EDIT 6/11/19: I've been going through and changing a bunch of my labels to coincide with my OSR blog roll search engine, but for some reason this one got re-posted which is weird. This is a really old post 0.o. I must have accidentally changed something in the title which caused it to repost? Ah, well anyway this is a decent list!

This table was inspired by the Metamorphica Revised, an awesome book with a 1d1000 table of mutations! I like to personalize my mutants, so here what I did was randomly select three mutations, and create a mutant from those three. Technically this is not anything you couldn't do yourself if you owned the book, but I tried to think about interesting ways to combine the mutations such that my mutants are more than the sum of their parts, and hopefully you'll get a kick out of them.

This is in no way meant to undercut the book, but to show what an awesome and powerful tool it is. In fact, if at least 20 people say they were encouraged to buy the book from this post, I'll make 20 more! Admittedly, I may just end up doing it anyway eventually, since it's a lot of fun!

The book has detailed descriptions of each mutation and subsets them by categories, but I chose to just pick at random from the full 1d1000 table, and to draw my own interpretations of their meanings. Likewise, in certain cases I bend, extend, or add to the interpretation of the mutations, for the sake of cohesion or because it struck my fancy. This exercise wasn't about "staying within the lines", but about using the metamorphica as a kickstarter for my own imagination. I try to be vague about any non-pertinent details so that it can be used flexibly. Many of these entities could be interpreted as one-of-a-kind fantastical beings, or as a template for an entire tribe or species. Many could vary in intelligence from bestial to god-like, or vary in shape from inexplicable to bestial to humanoid.

I also think this could be a good reference for the kinds of mutants one might encounter in Phantasmos, as mutants are the most populous "species" in the setting.

Mutations	Numbers (d1000)	Description
Material transparency; Increased Empathy; Decreased Empathy	869, 553, 516	Transparent, bioluminescent skin with two polarities, red and blue. In blue-state, is loving and empathetic. In red-state, is aggressive and selfish.
Physical Coward; Large Ears; Internal Portal	472, 83, 851	Has elephantine ears, from which it can withdraw or deposit objects from a pocket-dimension. It can "hear" the muscle contractions of approaching lifeforms, which evokes a reflexive flight response.
Sexually Attractive; Aura of Disgust; Tusks	136, 724, 183	A succubus/incubus-like, tusked being. It is both alluring and revolting, which may manifest in its physical appearance or in a more subtle, existential manner. Maybe you're into it, and that's ok...
Demonic Phenomena; Control Clocks; Aura of Disgust	778, 752, 724	Reflects the time of death of any who observe it (and in some cases, can change it). Rather than inducing fear, most individuals instinctively externalize their feelings into hate and disgust towards the being.
Largesse; Drone Producer; Roots and Vines	449, 425, 344	A large, tree-like being. Produces animate fruit of various shapes, sizes, and properties, which do its bidding.
Precognition; Suckers; Decreased Awareness	664, 374, 513	An octopoid being with no sensory organs, except for the psychedelic swirls on its suckers which can sense the future through a complex space-frequency transform and predictive modeling.
Extra Fingers/Toes; Linguistic Mimic; Tail	45, 567, 169	A bird-like being with a long tail, at the end of which is a mouth surrounded by fingers. Manipulation of the mouth and fingers allows for perfect linguistic mimicry.
Editorial Evaluation; Re-Arranged Face; Toxin Resistance	534, 126, 384	Its face re-arranges to either literally or abstractly reflect whoever it is facing, allowing it to think as they do (more so sympathy than empathy per se). Any toxins, physical or metaphysical, can be spit out of its re-arranging face.
Wings; Microscopic Vision; No Pain Receptors	199, 304, 308	Wing-like appendages over its eyes sheer trace quantities of atoms in the environment into sub-atomic particles which it can "see" by touch. This would be a painful process, if it could feel pain...
Attention Deficit Disorder; Tumours; Light Generation	505, 182, 296	Covered in light-generating nuclear fusion tumors. It is bursting with so much energy that it struggles to focus on any one task (technically ADHD but still).
Fortune Teller; Long Legs; Math Brain	819, 92, 569	Its brain is actually a hyperplane which can do statistical prediction or multi-dimensional scaling of reality. In order to gather as much data from its environment as possible, it stands on tall legs to survey a wider area.
Diffused Organs; Energy Blast; X-Ray Vision	35, 797, 998	A large but biologically simple eukaryote. Most of its biological systems are generalized, redundant, or replaceable. Has fine-grain control of x-ray radiation which it can use both for visualization and energy projection.
Superhuman Strength; Romantic Rapport; Sense Interference	948, 583, 585	Has the proportional strengh of a spider, a precognitive sense towards danger, and is surprisingly charming- in a dorky way.
Force Field; Hallucinatory Possessions; Telescopic Vision	817, 825, 376	Primarily exists on a hyperplane. By pulling at the vertices of lower dimensions, can manipulate space like a force field, or project higher-dimensional objects into lower-dimensional space. Is able to observe at high-fidelity anything in lower-dimensional space within its range of vision.
Powerful Jaws; Tremor Sense; Create Darkness	327, 386, 767	Has a large jaw which utilizes compound mechanics across multiple gears, giving it dynamic range. Can produce vibrations in its jaw which ping the ground like echolocation to sense tremors. Can produce vibrations at the speed of light, in opposite phase of light, creating darkness.
Painkiller; Aura Reading; Parasite Infestation	891, 605, 313	Covered and filled with gross, worm-like extra-dimensional parasites which sense and feed off the magical or metaphysical auras of those around them, including the host. This allows them to absorb physical and emotional pain. If not for how quickly they run through their host, they'd actually be more of a symbiote.
Addicted; Slow Healer; Enhanced Senses	401, 358, 541	Body produces soma, a hyper-addictive drug which induces synesthesia and hallucinations which enhance the senses (and provide plenty of new ones). The being is unfortunately addicted to its own bodily excretions, to the point that much of its energy is focused on the production of soma, at the expense of physical repair.
Weather Sense; Short Legs; Anthopomorphic Animal	600, 137, 9	An anthropomorphic groundhog, close to the ground, with a hyper-acute sense of environmental phenomena.
Increased Physical Strength; Fortune Teller; Loose Skin	285, 819, 96	A large, strong being with loose skin (its foldy flaps). By pinching and pulling on the foldy flaps, reading them like palmreading or phrenology, can draw inferences not just about its own fortune, but of others touching the foldy flaps.
Superhuman Speed; Herbivore; Earthquake Prediction	947, 439, 533	A plant-strangling, vine or weed-like creature, burrowed deep in the ground. Unlike most plants, it is not only highly animate, but in fact faster than most animals- faster than their perception, even. Being so deep in the ground, it's developed a knack for sensing earthquakes.

OSR Blog Roll Search Engine!

Have you ever tried to find some specific article, but couldn't remember when it was written, or what it was called, or which blog you found it on? Isn't it maddening!? If this has happened to you, hopefully this new search engine will solve your problems!

To the best of my knowledge this does not already exist, but I apologize if somebody has already done this.

I've added a search engine to the footer of my blog which should include all blogs from the OSR blog roll as of 6/10/19.

You have to go to the main page of the blog, not just this article specifically, in order to access it.

I have not done a whole lot of testing on it, so if you think it's broken or missing something please let me know!

TNT Character Type: Mystic

Tunnels & Trolls (TNT) is a really simple game that I like quite a bit. I don't want to over complicate the game because it doesn't need it, but I do think it lends itself well to little OSR-like hacks. For instance, I'm working on rules for massive combat called the Mechs & Monstrosities Hack.

The warrior / rogue / wizard types in TNT are already pretty all-inclusive, but I thought I'd try my hand at designing an additional character type that fills a unique role or has a unique feel. I don't think it's adding anything that couldn't technically already be done in TNT, but hopefully it's interesting enough that people want to try it out anyway.

As with most of my stuff, due to lack of opportunity, this has not been playtested and will likely need playtesting, but hopefully it's a decent framework for what might be a functional character type.

This type fills roughly three roles:

• It's a mixed magic / fighting class. It's very different from the rogue, but like the rogue, can be a multi-purpose character.


• It's meant to fill the monk / psionic character archetype. That's mostly just fluff, and honestly any of the TNT types could be made to fit that archetype, but this models it a little bit more specifically.


• Inadvertently it's become a charisma / face class. While not typically associated with the monk / psionic archetype, it just kind of made sense with how I built the type, and I think charisma really needs a boost in TNT. For every other class, charisma is the only attribute that doesn't contribute anything besides SR; it doesn't add HP or MP like CON or WIZ, nor combat adds, nor spellcasting. So this hopefully gives charisma a boost!

Mystics

Not all magic is drawn from the metaphysics of reality, or the divine. Some magic is drawn from the self, from those with presence, with an indomitable force of will. Those with the training and discipline, who hone their bodies and minds, transform themselves into something exceptional: the mystic.

Some mystics are extravagant; they wear exotic outfits and carry talismans. They often preach the divine or the occult, whether they believe this is the source of their power or not, and draw the attention of others like moths to flames. When they walk into a room, heads turn. Their very presence demands recognition. Rich or poor, native or foreign, they have an essence, a charisma, that transcends socio-cultural barriers. Their bodies may be unassuming in appearance, but they can channel their mental energies into potent psionic force. 

Other mystics choose a more austere, ascetic life. They revel in manual labor, channeling their disciplined minds to strengthen their bodies. They are wise-men; they do not demand attention when they enter the room, but when they speak, others listen. They are more so warrior monks than mesmerists or occultists, but their power essentially draws from the same place, from existential and epistemological analysis. Their orders may acknowledge the spiritual, metaphysical, or divine, but they are more concerned with ordinary affairs, or philosophies relating to individuals. Some believe that their powers come from an arcane or divine source, but to these mystics, there is no meaningful distinction between the self and these outside forces.

Mystic Stats

• Can fight unarmed or with mystic focus weapons with (1d6 * STR Multiplier) + 1d6 + combat adds
• For human characters, this would mean 2d6 + combat adds
• This is the same as the Martial Arts rules in TNT Deluxe but with an additional 1d6
• Can spend 1 WIZ to add +1d6 combat dice when fighting unarmed or with mystic focus weapons, up to mystic level times per combat round
• Can channel psionic energy / ki through hand motions or mystic focus weapon for a 2d6 + combat adds ranged attack
• Cannot spend WIZ to add additional combat dice
• Use mental stats for combat adds when fighting unarmed or with mystic focus weapons (IQ, WIZ, CHA, LK)
• Can spend 1 WIZ on a SR to change a physical stat roll to mental stat roll: Str -> IQ, Con -> Wiz, Spd -> Cha
• Body and Mind are one: CON and WIZ are interchangeable for taking damage and casting mystic spells.
• Gain one mystic spell per level of mystic level or lower, in addition to being able to learn new spells in other ways (same as wizard and rogue)
• When using regular weapons, the mystic's psionic energy causes wear and tear to the weapon. Roll SR LK for wear and tear, on fail, the weapon deals -1d6 dice, and the next SR increases by 1 level.

Mystic Spell List

Note that this spell list was partially inspired by the psion GLOG class by Angus Warman of the Meandering Banter blog.

You can potentially include some wizard spells as well, although I do think mystics should have a more limited spell list than wizards. The spells should be evocative of wuxia, or something generally psychic / psionic.

Level 1

Third Eye

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 30 minutes

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or -1 to SR level

Restrict one sense to enhance another, providing +3 on SR rolls related to that sense.

Iron Fist

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 1 combat turn

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: x2 Duration

Forearms and fists are covered in a metallic psionic coating, providing +3 armor for one turn when making an unarmed attack or attack with a mystic focus weapon (attack and armor on same turn as casting). Damage dice count as magical for any effect purposes. Armor bonus does not stack if wearing sleeved armor, gloves or gauntlets, or carrying a shield. 

Hovering Water Lily

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 1 combat turn

Range to Cast: Touch

Range of Effect: 5'

Power up per level: Duration x2, or Range to Cast x2 (i.e. 5', 10', etc.), Range of Effect x2, or increase to size or weight of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.), or walk on walls.

Small, lightweight objects can be made to hover around the mystic or psionically tossed (possibly as improvisational weapon attacks). 

Whole Cloth
Cost: 4 WIZ
Duration: 10 minutes
Range to Cast: 5'
Range of Effect: Relative visual range
Power up per level: Duration x2, or increase size of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.), or Range to Cast x2, or add additional sensory effect (i.e. sound, smell, etc.), or capable of independent motion

Creates a small illusory object. If a target is suspicious (e.g. the illusion is implausible), roll a charisma SR to maintain the illusion. If the illusion is attacked, it immediately breaks. If the illusion is given a tactile sensory effect and used as an attack, it does not deal damage or provide combat dice, although on a successful charisma SR, the defender perceives 2d6 illusory damage, which is recovered as soon as the illusion is broken.

Level 2

There is No Spoon

Cost: 3 WIZ

Duration: N/A

Range to Cast: 5'

Range of Effect: 5'

Power up per level: Increase size of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.)

Through focus, the mystic can warp or break any small non-living, non-magical object (such as a spoon). If the object is being held or worn, such as a weapon, armor, or trinket, the target rolls for wear and tear, otherwise automatic.

Crouching Tiger

Cost: 4 WIZ

Duration: Passive for 10 minutes; 1 combat turn once activated

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or number of defensive uses x2

Speed or charisma SR for a stealth attack against an enemy that does not see you. Roll combat dice for an opposed combat roll, and double the results if the SR was successful (otherwise regular damage). If the SR was successful but the opposed combat roll failed, take no damage. Can also be used to defend against stealth attacks for passive duration one time.

Level 3

Diamond Mind

Cost: 10 WIZ

Duration: 10 minutes

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or Range of Effect x2 (i.e. 5', 10', etc.) to encompass allies

Mystics have immense willpower and even the ability to psionically impose their will on reality. They are immune to telepathy and can even fake their thoughts to a telepath (Charisma SR roll), and are protected by a shimmering aura that provides +3 armor against any kind of elemental attack and immunity to environmental factors.

ESP

As wizard spell, but level 3, cost 10 WIZ, charisma SR roll to succeed.

Discussion

Here are some design notes / concerns:

• Whereas the rogue is more like a true generalist, the mystic uses both magic and physical combat but in a more narrow way


• Giving mystics mental stat adds for combat and the ability to substitute mental stats for physical stats on SRs at a low cost reflects the "mind over matter" nature of monks, and can be flavored flexibly. It could be that they are shrimpy noodles whose "physical" abilities are entirely psionic, or they could be a shredded washboard whose physical strength comes from their indomitable will.


• Mystics have a more limited spell list than wizards (part of that is me being lazy, but even if I added more spells I want it to be limited), and are focused around wuxia and psionic-like abilities.


• Not unlike D&D, at low levels they're generally going to be weaker, because if they want to use mental adds then they have to fight unarmed or with a monk focus weapon which only deals 2d6, or maximum 3d6 if they pay 1 WIZ. This is hopefully offset by the fact that they can pretty much ignore physical stats, so they should have high combat adds and the ability to grow in both "physical" and magical ability more quickly than a rogue, who would have to spread their stats. As they level and can add more combat dice to their unarmed / mystic focus weapon attacks, they become more comparable to a warrior, but at the cost of WIZ.
• I'm still worried that this type is either woefully underpowered or woefully overpowered, it really needs to be playtested!

High Level Games: 4 Reasons Why Your Game And Mine Are Less Different Than You Think

I wrote another HLG article! In line why my recent interest in SWORDDREAM (check out the subreddit!), this article is about defying our preconceived notions of what differentiates different kinds of games, and to what extent it's authorial intent, culture, dice probabilities, etc., and also how to go about leveraging that knowledge. Even if you disagree with the particulars, the point of this article is more about just encouraging people to think about their games more critically, or at least differently.

SWORDDREAM

So my friend Saker Tarsos from tarsos theorem made me aware of this interesting new RPG movement on twitter called #SWORDDREAM. You can learn more about it on the graverobbers guide blog.

Nobody had done it, so I took the reins and made a subreddit. In keeping in the spirit of SWORDDREAM, it's "unofficial by design". If you want a convenient, centralized place to discuss SWORDDREAM-related stuff, it's there, and if you don't want to, then you don't have to!

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.