[DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world?

Greg 1 · 08-02-2021, 01:45 AM

There's no right answer to this. I'm asking about the way you personally set up your fantasy worlds.

Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Perhaps Elves come originally from the West, while Lizard Folk originate from down South.

coronatiger · 08-02-2021, 02:05 AM

My world building project has four major (playable) races: Elves, dwarves, orcs and humans. Orcs live mainly in the north of the continent, elves in the west and dwarves in the center, but they aren't locked to those regions. For example, there are many elves and dwarves in the north. Humans live all over the place.

The elves and dwarves have nations that have lasted millennia, but people move as times and conditions change. The orcs don't have their own nations, and most human-run countries are no more than a couple hundred years old.

History before the founding of the elvish and dwarven nations is undefined, so it isn't possible to say where each race originated. Priests argue whether the civilized races were created by the Creator, or if the world was populated after the Seven Goddesses took over.

ericthered · 08-02-2021, 08:09 AM

If I'm playing DF, I usually don't think about it...

But outside of DF, They usually have separate origins. I actually tend towards coming from different biomes rather than different continents. I'll often specify different nations as mono-species or as cosmopolitan or a specific mix of races.

having home continents and everyone remembering that tends to imply a recent "contact" event, and if I have one of those in my setting its likely to warp the entire setting around it, so I use it sparingly.

SilvercatMoonpaw · 08-02-2021, 08:17 AM

I usually prefer to run super-cosmopolitan settings where only experts, if anyone, would know (or possibly even care) where a species/subspecies originated. Occasionally you might get a new contact -- as I also tend to run multi-world settings with plenty of room -- so everyone knows where the "newbie" came from.

whswhs · 08-02-2021, 08:29 AM

Well, I run other sorts of fantasy than dungeon fantasy, but my current fantasy campaign has Bronze Age technology and seven humanoid races. Each race is native to a different terrain type (or set of terrain types) as defined for Survival skill in the Basic Set: dwarves to underground, elves to jungle and woodlands, ghouls to desert, men to plains, nixies to rivers and swamps, selkies to islands and beaches, and trolls to mountains and arctic regions. That gave me a basis for figuring out their likely behavior.

Varyon · 08-02-2021, 08:50 AM

That depends on the origin of the PC races. In a very old setting of mine, humans were the original inhabitants, but after the god of the world was cast down by invading gods from another world, they scattered. Some evolved into the other races of the setting, largely due to overexposure to unbalanced elemental mana. In that, humans are largely spread out over the world, while the other races are based out of the areas where they evolved (but are also present elsewhere).

Meanwhile, in my Oubliette setting, humans changed - semi-randomly - into one of four races - Elf, Dwarf, Havlin (halfling), and Nornu (giant) - when the dungeons first started appearing. As a result, there's no real homeland for any of the races - although this event happened long enough ago (particularly considering the chaos that resulted from the dungeons appearing, and later lesser apocalypses that occurred for various reasons) that most consider it a myth, particularly as it fails to account for the other two races, the malofae (catfolk) and pixies. Those two originated from long-term mingling with monsters (although this fact is unknown, even in myth), and did have a point of origin, but that's been lost to time and the spread of the races. While those of the same race tend to band together, this is more often in the form of communities within a larger, more metropolitan area than things like an "Elven nation" or the like. Monsters originate from the dungeon, and are initially more-or-less artificial, as well as wholly subservient to and dependent upon their home dungeon. Later generations can survive the destruction of their dungeon and thus become independent and known as liminals, but as dungeon locations (and type) are largely random, any given liminal could easily come from just about anywhere. Liminals functionally represent more races (and are playable), but suffer from discrimination, largely living in isolated enclaves (although you'll typically have liminals from a given type of dungeon living together).

Pomphis · 08-02-2021, 10:41 AM

Largely unknown, but the dwarves fled from something terrible about 12,000 years ago through the Longest Tunnel. The exit to the game world is beneath the oldest dwarven city and still very well guarded against the possibility that something may try to follow them. Nobody knows where the Longest Tunnel comes from.

naloth · 08-02-2021, 11:38 AM

In the majority of the games I've played in there is a dominant race for an area regardless of where they originally came from.

RyanW · 08-03-2021, 01:52 AM

Chalk up another "not DF but..."

The "PC" races are humans (which have spread everywhere), lizardfolk from the southeast, catfolk from the rainforests running down the western coast of the southern continent, and half-fae from anywhere there are both mortals and portals to the Otherworld.

Hide · 08-03-2021, 01:58 AM

Players have the chance to decide about their character’s race/origins in their backstory, then I integrate it into the world. If they don’t get into it, they are “designated” to a region of my choosing.

In my settings there are dominant races depending on the region and the time of history; certain races have their own kingdoms (e.g. elven kingdom), but there are mixed communities as well.

08-02-2021, 01:45 AM	#1
Greg 1 Join Date: Feb 2007	[DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? There's no right answer to this. I'm asking about the way you personally set up your fantasy worlds. Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Perhaps Elves come originally from the West, while Lizard Folk originate from down South. __________________ GURPS Settings Beneath Castle Everglory: A Dungeon, Lineage (Modern Fantasy) Paradise City (Cyberpunk), The World of Kung Fu (Modern Martial Arts Setting)

08-02-2021, 02:05 AM	#2
coronatiger Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Trondheim, Norway	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? My world building project has four major (playable) races: Elves, dwarves, orcs and humans. Orcs live mainly in the north of the continent, elves in the west and dwarves in the center, but they aren't locked to those regions. For example, there are many elves and dwarves in the north. Humans live all over the place. The elves and dwarves have nations that have lasted millennia, but people move as times and conditions change. The orcs don't have their own nations, and most human-run countries are no more than a couple hundred years old. History before the founding of the elvish and dwarven nations is undefined, so it isn't possible to say where each race originated. Priests argue whether the civilized races were created by the Creator, or if the world was populated after the Seven Goddesses took over. __________________ You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do. Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.) Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue

08-02-2021, 08:09 AM	#3
ericthered Hero of Democracy Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: far from the ocean	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? If I'm playing DF, I usually don't think about it... But outside of DF, They usually have separate origins. I actually tend towards coming from different biomes rather than different continents. I'll often specify different nations as mono-species or as cosmopolitan or a specific mix of races. having home continents and everyone remembering that tends to imply a recent "contact" event, and if I have one of those in my setting its likely to warp the entire setting around it, so I use it sparingly. __________________ Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!

08-02-2021, 08:17 AM	#4
SilvercatMoonpaw Join Date: Jun 2017	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? I usually prefer to run super-cosmopolitan settings where only experts, if anyone, would know (or possibly even care) where a species/subspecies originated. Occasionally you might get a new contact -- as I also tend to run multi-world settings with plenty of room -- so everyone knows where the "newbie" came from. __________________ Pronoun: "They/She"

08-02-2021, 08:29 AM	#5
whswhs Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Well, I run other sorts of fantasy than dungeon fantasy, but my current fantasy campaign has Bronze Age technology and seven humanoid races. Each race is native to a different terrain type (or set of terrain types) as defined for Survival skill in the Basic Set: dwarves to underground, elves to jungle and woodlands, ghouls to desert, men to plains, nixies to rivers and swamps, selkies to islands and beaches, and trolls to mountains and arctic regions. That gave me a basis for figuring out their likely behavior. __________________ Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more.

08-02-2021, 08:50 AM	#6
Varyon Join Date: Jun 2013	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? That depends on the origin of the PC races. In a very old setting of mine, humans were the original inhabitants, but after the god of the world was cast down by invading gods from another world, they scattered. Some evolved into the other races of the setting, largely due to overexposure to unbalanced elemental mana. In that, humans are largely spread out over the world, while the other races are based out of the areas where they evolved (but are also present elsewhere). Meanwhile, in my Oubliette setting, humans changed - semi-randomly - into one of four races - Elf, Dwarf, Havlin (halfling), and Nornu (giant) - when the dungeons first started appearing. As a result, there's no real homeland for any of the races - although this event happened long enough ago (particularly considering the chaos that resulted from the dungeons appearing, and later lesser apocalypses that occurred for various reasons) that most consider it a myth, particularly as it fails to account for the other two races, the malofae (catfolk) and pixies. Those two originated from long-term mingling with monsters (although this fact is unknown, even in myth), and did have a point of origin, but that's been lost to time and the spread of the races. While those of the same race tend to band together, this is more often in the form of communities within a larger, more metropolitan area than things like an "Elven nation" or the like. Monsters originate from the dungeon, and are initially more-or-less artificial, as well as wholly subservient to and dependent upon their home dungeon. Later generations can survive the destruction of their dungeon and thus become independent and known as liminals, but as dungeon locations (and type) are largely random, any given liminal could easily come from just about anywhere. Liminals functionally represent more races (and are playable), but suffer from discrimination, largely living in isolated enclaves (although you'll typically have liminals from a given type of dungeon living together). __________________ GURPS Overhaul

08-02-2021, 10:41 AM	#7
Pomphis Join Date: Oct 2004	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Largely unknown, but the dwarves fled from something terrible about 12,000 years ago through the Longest Tunnel. The exit to the game world is beneath the oldest dwarven city and still very well guarded against the possibility that something may try to follow them. Nobody knows where the Longest Tunnel comes from.

08-02-2021, 11:38 AM	#8
naloth Join Date: Sep 2004	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? In the majority of the games I've played in there is a dominant race for an area regardless of where they originally came from.

08-03-2021, 01:52 AM	#9
RyanW ☣ Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southeast NC	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Chalk up another "not DF but..." The "PC" races are humans (which have spread everywhere), lizardfolk from the southeast, catfolk from the rainforests running down the western coast of the southern continent, and half-fae from anywhere there are both mortals and portals to the Otherworld. __________________ RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats.

08-03-2021, 01:58 AM	#10
Hide Join Date: Nov 2016	Re: [DF] Do the PC races come from different parts of the world? Players have the chance to decide about their character’s race/origins in their backstory, then I integrate it into the world. If they don’t get into it, they are “designated” to a region of my choosing. In my settings there are dominant races depending on the region and the time of history; certain races have their own kingdoms (e.g. elven kingdom), but there are mixed communities as well. __________________ - 画龍点睛。Ｈｉｄｅ。