DESIGNER’S DIARY 22: ARE THEY… TOO MUCH?

Posted on by RPCraftPublishing

In the Book of Conflict – Brutal Races, there are 6 subraces for each of the 9 races, totaling 54 distinct “peoples.” In the fluff sections, we mentioned that, with a few exceptions like Castellan/Grunt hobgoblins and Trapper/Ancient/Dragonsong kobolds, the majority live separately. This implies a multitude of different cultures and settlements, especially considering 15 half-orc variants. While half-orcs might not have distinct settlements due to their nature, they would still occupy space within the population.

So, where do all these different races live? Is there room for them in most settings? Could there be conflicts with the original features of a given setting?

First and foremost, it’s essential to reiterate that all races were designed to fit into average settings without straying too far from their original settings in well-known realms. However, it’s true that the variety is extensive.

What can be done about this?

The solution is quite simple, actually. Let’s assume you have a setting, and based on its size, the approximate population of each race is somewhat known. In some well-crafted settings, the distribution of populations within settlements is even specified. If you’re working on your homebrew setting, you likely have rough estimates in mind. What you need to do here is not increase the population but adjust the populations within the races.

Let’s take Faerun, one of the most well-known settings (which is quite large and populous), for example. It’s said to have a population of 66 million known civilized races. Let’s make an estimate that there are 5 million goblins. You can accept this as 1 million or 10 million, but it doesn’t change the principle. Let’s proceed with 5 million.

If you have 5 million goblins, all you need to do is divide the given six goblin subraces within this population.

For example:

  • 4 million – Wily goblins
  • 400,000 – Muzzler goblins
  • 300,000 – Jackass goblins
  • 200,000 – Snakefoot goblins
  • 75,000 – Beefy goblins
  • 25,000 – Eerie goblins

You can easily divide the existing population in this way. The fluff sections of the races already indicate which ones are more prevalent. Or let’s go with a different example. Again, you’re playing in Faerun, and you’re considering 5 million orcs. However, you don’t want to use the deities from our book. You want to continue with deities like Gruumsh, Ilneval, or Luthic. Naturally, this may push some of the orc subtypes associated with these deities out of the game.

In fact, this is not a problem. Let’s assume you won’t use Branded orcs related to Repetnuk due to their prominent features. Do Nomad orcs seem too unusual for you? No problem.

  • 4.5 million – Pureblood orcs
  • 400,000 – Thunderborn orcs
  • 50,000 – Sanctuary orcs
  • 50,000 – Golden orcs

Problem solved.

Send Thunderborn orcs to the most challenging terrains. Use Sanctuary orcs as a few nomadic clans in civilized lands. Consider Golden orcs as exceptions living in a single underground settlement. The rest can be Pureblood orcs.

You might ask, “In the given examples, orcs and goblins, although they are the less populous Brutal Races, can this be done if their numbers are even lower?”

Actually, there’s no obstacle to this. Let’s consider minotaurs, the least populous ones. Let’s predict that the total population of all minotaurs in the same setting is a very small number, say 50,000. Maybe you don’t want to place Masquerade minotaurs in cities, and Myrmidon minotaurs come with their deep lore that you don’t want to use. You want wilder minotaurs. Sure.

  • 40,000 – Creatan minotaur
  • 7,000 – Celestium minotaur
  • 2,500 – Gladiator minotaur
  • 500 – Lifewarden minotaur

Problem solved.

Perhaps in your setting, there are massive war arenas, great battles, full of shows. In this case, you can make Gladiator minotaurs the most common type in that area. Maybe in a setting where elves are the dominant spell users, you throw away all other subraces and only use Myrmidon minotaurs. No problem.

In practice, all you need to do is estimate the general population of each race in that setting and place the ones that fit you there in different proportions.

Let’s consider a more diverse example. We provided six subraces for troglodytes, and technically, Typ (half-troglodyte) could be considered a subrace. In the book, in the “Creation of Troglodytes” section, we mentioned that these are the most common subraces and that there could be many more types, like Stonehide troglodytes used as workers by dwarves, Tideborn troglodytes created by a sea deity worshiped by priests, and Blightclaw troglodytes created by powerful hag covens. Still, we didn’t delve into the details.

With inspiration from this information, you can turn troglodytes into the most common race in your setting. Maybe there are hundreds of millions of them in the total troglodyte population in your setting, and there are dozens of different types. In this setting, there may be no room for orcs, goblins, or minotaurs. This is entirely up to your imagination. In another setting, hobgoblins might be the rulers of the world. In another, the greatest heroes, lords, and kings might come from Hound of Faith gnolls rather than humans, elves, or others. All of this is entirely up to your creativity.

In light of all this, don’t let the diversity in the Book of Conflict – Brutal Races intimidate you.

They are at your disposal to use as you wish.

Still, do you have questions about placing them in your own setting?

Then write to us; we would be happy to answer your questions.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Leave a Reply