Two New Race Ideas

[neva]

Though I am pretty sure neither one of them could fit into the lore of Istaria, but they be pretty cool!

Lets get the first one out of the way, as I am sure it will be a big no.

Race Name: Griffon
Race Ability: Flight (passive)
Second Ability: Keen Eye (passive)

Keen Eye Explanation -
Gives the player a bonus to hit and a bonus to help avoid attacks.

Race Explanation -
A Griffon much like the dragon, is a known mythological creature that has been seen over many forms of fantasy novels and graphic books, is even a monster one could face in many popular book RPGs.

The Griffon tends to be a territorial creature, like much the dragon, and tends to defend its young and nest with every bit of essence it has. The creature is also known to be a highly noble creature and are very easy to teach, have a strong curious nature, and are very **** to sticking their beaks where it does not belong due to wanting to know just what is going on(and just what they could be missing).

The Griffon is seen as a half lion and half eagle. The head being that of an Eagles(or a hawk), wings of the bird, front legs of the bird, back legs, body, and tail of that of the lion.

How would they work in Istaria? -
I have no clue, which is why the idea may be cool, but I am pretty sure there is no room for them in Game lore, at least one that I can not think of.

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Now the Second idea, which may work and they also be neat to see in a game(but probably not likely for Istaria, since again, probably wont fit and be a pain to engineer).

Race: Serpent Dragon
Based off of: Eastern Dragon Lore
Race Abilities: Flight (passive after adulthood)
Race Ability Two: Primal Essence ( Passive, or could be click)

Primal Essence Explanation -
The Serpent Dragons are one with the Primal force around them, this ability raises there Primal skill and Force skills.

Race Explanation -
The Serpent Dragons are called this due to there body shapes. They have a long body, like that of the Serpent, though they do have legs, like there normal Dragon Cousins.
Males tend to have long 'whisker' that hangs down from there muzzle, where the female tends to lack such a thing. The male also has a patch of fur which hangs down from the chin of the muzzle, and again the female lacks this.
However both genders have a large mohawk like mane that runs from the top of there heads down to the end of the tail, which then extends out in a lion like tail fluff at the end.
They have serpent like eyes, large talons on their feet, different shapes of muzzles from some looking a bit canine, to others being very reptilian. They all carry sharp rows of teeth for eating meet and they tend to have very smooth scales, nearly skin like, but they do shimmer in the light when kept groomed. They are capable of breathing fire like any other dragon and are able to fly when the reach adulthood.

This flight is done with a mystical form that the elders had learned long ago, by using the primal energy around them to give them lift. It is a kept secrete from any other race and only those who past the trails are taught how to do this.

Young hover may have a mild understanding of how the energy works, so they are able to glide there bodies in a short distance, but typically many tend to stumble in mid-air and fall looking rather silly for their failed attempt.

The Serpent Dragons, despite there name, are highly intelligent. They tend to have a great scholars mind and tend to like the ways of human living. Their concept of a lair is not one of the cave, but lairs built on high mountains that are actually built like palace structures within. Making pillars laced with gold and silver, and floors of fine marble.
The Serpent Dragons also enjoy reading and holding conversations with all races, they are not ones who believe in violence, but will act out in such form if provoked to do so.

How would they work in Istaria? -
My Idea, is they probably come from another land far away and had been in hiding for some time, however the Blight pushed them out, or at least caused them to ask for help, since they are not a race of violence but have been forced into such acts.
Meaning they need help from there cousins to help them defend off the Blight, or at least keep it at bay.

[Fyrethorne]

I like the Griffin idea. However it would be a huge job to program and implement them. Plus, what sort of plot structure could they build? Maybe dragon lairs with different room types for griffins?

[neva]

I like the Griffin idea. However it would be a huge job to program and implement them. Plus, what sort of plot structure could they build? Maybe dragon lairs with different room types for griffins?

Most Likely. Or they could use some of those massive trees that all shine and glow. >.>

Seriously, they probably use the lair concept as well probably just in a different means. I imagine griffons would have more wood like structures in them(which means they could be another race outside of bipedals that could gather wood and make use of it) and things like cloth and such.

I imagine the Serpents would use more metal, clay and fine stone.

[Sindala]

I'd say lets have Wood Sprites.
They start little like the size of a Dryad but they have their own type of RoP where they grow to be a Wood Golem.
Istaria's version of the golems ingame but obviously with nature bias.

(Their you go, Wood Golems with a purpose now and lore to go with aswell)

[flamestar]

Race Name: Griffon

How would they work in Istaria? -
I have no clue, which is why the idea may be cool, but I am pretty sure there is no room for them in Game lore, at least one that I can not think of.

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Now the Second idea, which may work and they also be neat to see in a game(but probably not likely for Istaria, since again, probably wont fit and be a pain to engineer).

Race: Serpent Dragon

How would they work in Istaria? -
My Idea, is they probably come from another land far away and had been in hiding for some time, however the Blight pushed them out, or at least caused them to ask for help, since they are not a race of violence but have been forced into such acts.
Meaning they need help from there cousins to help them defend off the Blight, or at least keep it at bay.

Hi. I'm kinda new here and all, but I've been browsing the forum and this caught my interest. I think these ideas are pretty cool.

As far as I know, there are no games anywhere that feature griffins as playable charcters (granted, World of Warcraft has them and their cosuins the Hippogryphs, but only as "public air trasportation"). Most of the time you see them in games as creatures to fight. But in mythology, far as I know, they are as well known to the world as dragons and unicorns and pheonix.

Although I see where you are coming from as to the lore. I know almost nothing of Istarian lore, save for the Gifted, Living Races and Whithered-whats-their-names-undead-bad-guys conflict. Where would the griffins fit in? Are there not some as-of-yet unknown parts of this world where they might be hidden? Perhaps they would be a newly discovered race. After all, there are new creatures of our own real world we find all the time.

According to griffin lore I've read (not much mind you) they are found of nesting in high mountains and hoarding gold to line the nests with. Parhaps they are an unknown race which have stayed hidden, but were forced out/threatened by the Undead-Evil-whose-name-escapes-me.

But then there is the game itself to consider. Another flying race would compete with the dragons, would it not? But then again, such an addition might increase interest in the game. And griffins would certainly have differences from dragons in terms of magic and crafting when you think about it (except my mind is blank about that right now). They might at least have woodcrafting skills, since griffins build nests and not lairs. Who knows? should this race come in, the dragons might be the ones who find them.

Anyway, I'm sure the modlers and engineers would have a field day with them. Griffins are a pain to draw and make them look good. :P Trust me. But if done right, they can look downright awesome!

As for the Serpent Dragons, you idea of their story sounds pretty good and they would be very interesting to see alongside their winged cosuins, but you were right when you said that the engineers would have a fit. Serpentine as they are, they would be trouble to make.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts on this. What do you guys think?

[AguaRush]

if istaria did ever which not likely and probably 99.9% sure not going to happen but one can dream xD

i like the griffons i think another flying race would be neat. though some sort of ROP i believe should be required, not that the griffon would have to grow in size maybe get more feathers on a crest or something

but for eastern dragons while they are unique and beautiful i see them as an odd addition only because there isonly one type of dragon in istaria.. Istaria Dragons.. they have no other name.. istaria doesnt have a specific Eastern culture area not that it coulndt be added just think it would fit in odd.

2 coppers worth ^

[flamestar]

if istaria did ever which not likely and probably 99.9% sure not going to happen but one can dream xD

i like the griffons i think another flying race would be neat. though some sort of ROP i believe should be required, not that the griffon would have to grow in size maybe get more feathers on a crest or something

but for eastern dragons while they are unique and beautiful i see them as an odd addition only because there isonly one type of dragon in istaria.. Istaria Dragons.. they have no other name.. istaria doesnt have a specific Eastern culture area not that it coulndt be added just think it would fit in odd.

2 coppers worth ^

What's "ROP"? Do you mean making them look different then how they do in other games? Well, there are only so many things you can do with a griffin and still have it look like a griffin.

You could put ears on it, have feathers on the end of the tail instead of a tuft of fur (wait... they did that in the Disney Narnia movies... nevermind), well, they could have ranging feather/color patterns, like on the dragons; you could even put a mane of fethers (like a lion's mane) around their neck, you know that spot where the neck connects to the chest and shoulders? Maybe the males could have that feature and the females don't? Or would that just look silly on them? Or maybe they could have stripes, wait... nevermind. If they had stripes then they would be Gryphers (half eagle, half tiger).

Anyway, I still think that Griffins would be a cool addition. If we could figure out how to add them and keep the game in balance, seeing as each race has their own strengths and weaknesses. What would be the Griffins? What could they offer to the game aside from sheer coolness?

[awdz]

ROP = rite of passage, a looong quest series dragons undergo before they can fly.
Griffins would not be able to model the bipeds adv/craft because they do not have hands to use tools/weapons, so it would make more sense to model their development along the lines of dragons. I think it'd be difficult to come up with a whole racial line of things to mirror what dragons do and implement them on top of other changes already planned for the world (eventual tiers 3-5 revamps).

I love the idea of the serpent body shape line of dragons. That could directly make use of the current dragon mechanics, just with different body graphics - sort of like the variety of biped races all use the same game mechanics.

Something like centaurs could make use of the biped mechanics while still being a significantly different body shape. I don't know how hard it is to implement the further you go from what's already designed.

[Solitaire]

If we were going to add another player race to the game, I would really want to take the time to do it right. But we do not have that amount of time and manpower to do it currently. And I refuse to cookie cutter out another biped race. Making bull heads and putting them on the Satyr bodies and calling it a 'minotaur' as an example of what I feel would be wrong to do.

However, doing it right would require a tremendous amount of time to develop. There are the art assets to make. Racial makeup, traits and abilities to consider and make up in the database. Quests and lore. Housing. Racial city & structures. There would be a heck of a lot of work to do to make the creatures interesting and fun to play.

And my last argument, purely from a personal point of view but I know that many would share it for one reason or another. Like it or not, Dragons are the signature race of Istaria. Masters of the skies. To me, it seems wrong to put another flying player race into the air. Even if they were something new.

BTW, somewhere back in Istaria's Dark Ages, Griffins were on the table as a creature. If you look hard enough on the net, there are still an image or two of a concept floating about. I ran across them once while searching for something else. I've never seen any assets for them, though. Considering the age and a few assets I found for some other long abandoned races, they would not be usable anyway.

[Dakoren Ironhand]

BTW, somewhere back in Istaria's Dark Ages, Griffins were on the table as a creature. If you look hard enough on the net, there are still an image or two of a concept floating about. I ran across them once while searching for something else. I've never seen any assets for them, though. Considering the age and a few assets I found for some other long abandoned races, they would not be usable anyway.

http://www.crimson-dawn.org/images/R...%20Griffon.jpg

[baileytheferret]

love it...only have one more thing to say....UNICORNS!!!!

[ConveyusPrime]

http://www.crimson-dawn.org/images/R...%20Griffon.jpg

Man, that looks nice. I'd roll a Griffon if they made it look like that. X3 Heck, I'd make one period, but that would look really nice! XD

[Solitaire]

Thanks Dakoren. Could not remember where I had seen that image and a quick search last night turned up nothing.

[neva]

Oh, I know these ideas would never happen. I am fully aware of this, but I can still sometimes wish and thus suggest the idea, even if it was to get shot down.

I am also aware of the situation of man power as for one, I live in Arizona and two, been trying to coax some of my buddies getting out of college to make talk with VI about a job, even if it is part time, but it look good on a resume(Though so far, they don't take my word on such things, silly boys).

Actually my friend and I were talking about the Griffons, a few of us really about how they could fit into Istaria via crafting and such things.
I suggested they do use wood, clay, and cloth for their homes. Wood is gatherable, since you don't need an axe to do that, good pair of claws can strip bark and if you know how you can carry a bucket of sap by the handle with a beak.

Cloth would be hard to make, but they can gather flax and stuff.. again, claws are handy for such things and birds are known for weaving. I forgot the species of bird, but they are known to make a weaved nest of twigs between tree branches and make it enclosed. So in theory, a Griffon could also do this.

Clay, is well, clay. That is all I gotta say on that.

I imagine there gatherings skills would be done the same way a Dragons is done, which is use 'natural' crafting tools. Meaning where we just click on our macroed button, hit gather, and away they go.

Also if they already did design a Griffon and if VI could get a hold of those original files, that also takes off some of the work load.

As for a RoP, yeah I can see the Griffon having there own, probably start out as a wee little thing and they get bigger. Though I imagine Griffons are not anywhere near the size of Dragons. So an old Griffon maybe be like-- up to an adult dragon's shoulder.

[GlindorOcculus]

Like it or not, Dragons are the signature race of Istaria. Masters of the skies. To me, it seems wrong to put another flying player race into the air. Even if they were something new.

Even though Griffins are pretty cool, I agree with Solitaire that it would somehow feel wrong to share the skies with another race ;-)
And what would the Griffins use for armor?? Enchanted Feathers? :P

[AguaRush]

Even though Griffins are pretty cool, I agree with Solitaire that it would somehow feel wrong to share the skies with another race ;-)
And what would the Griffins use for armor?? Enchanted Feathers? :P

hehee enchanted feathers xD i gotta get me some of those

[flamestar]

hehee enchanted feathers xD i gotta get me some of those

lol, well you know... that's not really a bad idea. it could work, who knows? As for a Rite of Passage... well, why wouldn't it be similar to the Dragons'? Birds aren't born knowing how to fly, they have to learn how, they have to "earn" it. Why not griffins? That is the Rite of Passage for Dragons right? earning the gift of flight?

Although... there is that problem of them being competion to the dragons for the skies.... But, would it really have to be that way?

Oh, and if they did put in Serpent Dragons, what sort of crafting, RoP, and other stuff would they do?

[Frith-Rae]

I live in Arizona and two, been trying to coax some of my buddies getting out of college to make talk with VI about a job, even if it is part time,

Well long as they don't mind not getting paid - they might take on a few unpaid interns .

I don't think their hiring otherwise. Could be mistaken though heh.

[neva]

lol, well you know... that's not really a bad idea. it could work, who knows? As for a Rite of Passage... well, why wouldn't it be similar to the Dragons'? Birds aren't born knowing how to fly, they have to learn how, they have to "earn" it. Why not griffins? That is the Rite of Passage for Dragons right? earning the gift of flight?

Although... there is that problem of them being competion to the dragons for the skies.... But, would it really have to be that way?

Oh, and if they did put in Serpent Dragons, what sort of crafting, RoP, and other stuff would they do?

I honestly wouldn't see it as competition. I guess to not my PoV. Since I see the Dragons probably being the more faster in the air then the Griffons, and the Griffons being maybe faster on land. Which this itself could even out the playing field a bit just by switching there speeds.

As for the Serpent dragons, as I stated above, I imagine them working more with clay, stone, and metal since they like things to be more beautiful and not so, stone blocky(sharp).
However, someone did bring up the fact that there is only one form of Dragon in Istaria, the Istarian dragon. Ok then, lets say we go off that, then perhaps these guys are not really dragons, but another race of reptile and perhaps instead of flying they could actually move over water or through water.

One thing Istaria does not have is a race that can handle water. Anyone goes into the water, a little 'breathe' bar comes up and your doing a flail because you know your running out of time and your moving like your 60% over your load of handling because the game does not allow swimming.
I am guessing however the reason Istaria doesn't have swimming is because of the engine that constantly seems to clog up the works at times. Sometimes, how I wish to shake my fist at it.
However, this is still an idea. Move the Serpent breed from the air, to the water instead. Wallah, A Dragon of the sky and the Dragon of the Seas(The Leviathan).

Well long as they don't mind not getting paid - they might take on a few unpaid interns .

I don't think their hiring otherwise. Could be mistaken though heh.

Eh, I also figured that as well, though if he wants a job in the industry he really needs to get the background behind it. Sadly, most of my friends think they can jump on some boats without some kinda background and it has me shaking my head. I am kinda hoping he also doesn't do this, but---
Who am I to talk, I guess. Here I am trying to do web comics, graphic novels, and comics with no college education, and the only art background I got is a long family linage of artists and went to a specialized high school for fine arts on a college level.

[Solitaire]

We could use a skilled intern or two that know 3dsMax. However, they would not be in making any new assets for the game unless they also have or are willing to gain a good working knowledge in Maya as well. Most of our older models were made in Max and they could use a review and optimization which is what an intern would be doing.