Speciation in intelligent races

[Shadekeep]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

What are the biological advantages of using tentacles on land?

Unless specially adapted for land, they are a mixed bag. In some ways they are less efficient for locomotion on land than rigid limbs and generally octopi would be expected to cover ground more slowly. However, they are superb for climbing, and even a nearly-vertical surface with modest texturing would be surmountable by using tentacles. So a person could outrun an octopus, but the octopus would have a much easier time surmounting a wall or escaping an oubliette.

Also, since octopi don't have bones, they can fit through much more narrow spaces, and can to a large degree compress their body to fit into things no human could.

[Shadekeep]

Incidentally, I will be expanding upon these items and adding stats later as part of a larger effort. There will be some new entries coming as well. Some of them are:

Chthonic Kraken - Gigantic intelligent octopi, fiercely territorial and a renown danger to seafarers. Have the aforementioned historical animosity with Colossus Squid. Prefers very deeps waters, but will rise up when hunting or to grapple with ships.

Mesmerien - Related to the Land Octopus but with attributes of the Cuttlefish. Most striking is their variable skin patterns, which they use to confuse and even hypnotise their opponents.

Drakhume - This specie of Reptile Man has dragon lineage and they tend towards magical studies. They live long and breed slowly, so their numbers are low, and they are frequently found as royalty in Reptile societies. Some even have natural dragon powers.

Petrosphinx - This is a quadruped gargoyle, instead of the more typical biped version. It is more stocky, and also has somewhat leonine features. It is intelligent, but its paw-like hands are not suited for weapon wielding or fine motor skills. It can do basic object manipulation with them, such as open doors or turn the pages of a book.

[Terquem]

Originally Posted by Shadekeep

Unless specially adapted for land, they are a mixed bag. In some ways they are less efficient for locomotion on land than rigid limbs and generally octopi would be expected to cover ground more slowly. However, they are superb for climbing, and even a nearly-vertical surface with modest texturing would be surmountable by using tentacles. So a person could outrun an octopus, but the octopus would have a much easier time surmounting a wall or escaping an oubliette.

Also, since octopi don't have bones, they can fit through much more narrow spaces, and can to a large degree compress their body to fit into things no human could.

see, this is where my imagination goes completely wild

Who's to say that the magical, land dwelling, eight limbed, creatures of the world of Cidri are anything at all like Octopuses, except in general appearance?

What if they have bones? What if they have well, other things we haven't thought of

Just because they look like Earth Octopuses, doesn't mean they have to conform to the things we already accept about octopuses.

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by Terquem

see, this is where my imagination goes completely wild

Who's to say that the magical, land dwelling, eight limbed, creatures of the world of Cidri are anything at all like Octopuses, except in general appearance?

What if they have bones? What if they have well, other things we haven't thought of

Just because they look like Earth Octopuses, doesn't mean they have to conform to the things we already accept about octopuses.

To me, the Octopii of Cidri, the Mind Flayers of D&D and the creatures of Cthulhu have a strong connection. I see them as remnants of an Elder race, with many strange powers and abilities. They're scary things.

[Shadekeep]

Originally Posted by Terquem

What if they have bones? What if they have well, other things we haven't thought of

I'm with you there. Nothing says they have to be literal analogues of Earth Octopi, just amphibious. They have the potential to be so much more. Some of my variant races in this thread have further unusual aspects. For example, the Ammonite Priests have an air-bladder within their shells that is likely partly magical and which allows them to float through the atmosphere like a nautilus navigates the waters.

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

To me, the Octopii of Cidri, the Mind Flayers of D&D and the creatures of Cthulhu have a strong connection. I see them as remnants of an Elder race, with many strange powers and abilities. They're scary things.

Exactly! I sense that commonality too. There is an inhuman and uncanny intelligence even to our own octopi, so this race on Cidri has to be very mysterious and complex indeed.

[Shadekeep]

Hurm, looks like a blue-ringed octopus on the cover of Decks of Destiny. Ah well. I suspect versions of most of my octopi variants will show up in the upcoming releases and bestiaries, since I basically plundered the most obvious ones from the natural world.

[FireHorse]

Originally Posted by Shadekeep

There is an inhuman and uncanny intelligence even to our own octopi, so this race on Cidri has to be very mysterious and complex indeed.

I once had a friend who worked in a pet store with many aquariums, and they had an octopus. My friend told me that they had to put a weight on the cover of the tank with the octopus, to hold the cover down — because the fish from the adjacent aquariums kept disappearing.

When they set up a camera to find out what was happening to those fish, they discovered that the octopus would wait until everyone had left, open its own tank, cross over to the next tank and open it too, then drop in and have lunch. Then it would go back — closing both covers again behind it, and no doubt feigning innocence as well as an octopus can.

(Hence, the weight, so it couldn't push its tank's cover open anymore.)

That may not be Rocket Science, but it ain't dumb either.

[KevinJ]

In Goranth I use a bit of speciation in that the Zards (lizardmen) are actually a genetic offshoot of The People (Kobolds).

Tolkien had Orcs, Hobgoblins, and Goblins all derived from Elves that were corrupted by Morgoth and Trolls from corrupted Ents.