In the baalbuddy-verse the last thing you want to pretend to be if you want to get some action is an elf, so those gnomes have their work cut out for them.
In the baalbuddy-verse the last thing you want to pretend to be if you want to get some action is an elf, so those gnomes have their work cut out for them.
I never understand why in several fantasy setting Dwarf, Gnome and Halfing are different species, who have genrally no connection.
Especially halfings and gnomes they are basically the same, small humanoïds, it's kind of redundant.
It's also bothersome that Dwarf, a real life word to describe small people are generally, TALLER then the previously mentionned beings, it's doesn't make sens.
Not forgetting that historicaly speaking, gnomes was just a regional term for mytological dwarfs, like how Kobold was just german for Goblin!
Just because they're different species doesn't mean they might not be related and have had a common ancestor. Just living a long time isolated from each other could have led to them diverging and becoming different species before the means of easier travel reconnected their populations.
There used to be several species of humans living on Earth at the same time, would you have called that redundant?
I never understand why in several fantasy setting Dwarf, Gnome and Halfing are different species, who have genrally no connection.
Especially halfings and gnomes they are basically the same, small humanoïds, it's kind of redundant.
It's also bothersome that Dwarf, a real life word to describe small people are generally, TALLER then the previously mentionned beings, it's doesn't make sens.
Not forgetting that historicaly speaking, gnomes was just a regional term for mytological dwarfs, like how Kobold was just german for Goblin!
End of my stupid rent.
I would love to see more fantasy settings where origins of species are explained. Most of works just stick to the "It's magic, I ain't gotta explain shit" approach. Or something like A god:creates a race Another god: Impressive, very nice. Now let's look at this! creates another race
I like the Arcanum explanation: there are two kinds of selections in the world - Natural Selection (the same we have here on Earth) and Supernatural Selection (affected by magic, either wild or intentional).
Just look at the timeline: 2.000.000 years ago - humans and dwarves divided into different species; 900.000 years ago - "wild outburst of magickal activity, sudden cataclysmic storm of Supernatural Selection" (quote from the game manual) causes the emergence of elves and giants from humans; 700.000 years ago - dwarves and gnomes divided into different species; 200.000 years ago - first halflings appear, presumably from gnomes (also Supernatural selection) 50.000 years ago - giants degenerate into modern day ogres 10.000 years ago - orcs are created from humans as the result of "relatively recent and extremely powerful enchantment"
You were using scientific terminology like species. Even then, it's not like speciation won't naturally occur given even enough time. Even if some higher power made them originally, it's also quite common in fantasy for them to diverge from their origins over time and groups once of common origin to split and change from each other, which may inevitably lead them to become different species with differences in features.
Generally in fantasy setting, creature are the creations of god or other higher power, like in mythology.
So you can't use evolution has an explonation (even convergente one) with there three quasi indentical species who aren't link in any manner.
To add to what GreyOmega4k said, if you want to go with explanation that some higher power is responsible for it, that makes it more easy to explain, not less. If there is a sentient higher power consciously creating things, it can arbitrarily create 3 outwardly similar species it feels like it, and that's it. And that's not mentioning the cases where there are several different higher beings, they just create their own stuff independently from what the others are doing.
And that's not mentioning the cases where there are several different higher beings, they just create their own stuff independently from what the others are doing.
Why fantasy gods don't get along, they always claim the other gods stole their idea and copied them. All fighting over who first created the original shorties.
Why fantasy gods don't get along, they always claim the other gods stole their idea and copied them. All fighting over who first created the original shorties.
I never understand why in several fantasy setting Dwarf, Gnome and Halfing are different species, who have genrally no connection.
Especially halfings and gnomes they are basically the same, small humanoïds, it's kind of redundant.
It's also bothersome that Dwarf, a real life word to describe small people are generally, TALLER then the previously mentionned beings, it's doesn't make sens.
Not forgetting that historicaly speaking, gnomes was just a regional term for mytological dwarfs, like how Kobold was just german for Goblin!
End of my stupid rent.
think of it this way instead. Halfing = short humans Dwarf = short giants Goblin = short orc/hobgoblin/bugbear (depends on system and setting) Gnome = short elves
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