Creature Types

The game system defines several Creature Types as tags that various creatures (anything not an object) have. Generally, each creature has one Type with possibly one or more subtypes. This document discusses how those fit into the world of Dreams of Hope.

Creature Types

Beast

Beasts are those creatures that

1. Arose naturally or were created by Primordial level entities; they generally trace their roots back to before the Dawn War. While they may have been selectively bred by mortals since then, they are a longstanding part of the natural order and breed true.
2. Participate fully in the cycle of life and death. They eat and are eaten by other creatures (if only in decay); they are born from mothers (or eggs), live normal lifespans and grow from infants to adults, etc. They are part of the food chain.
3. Generally do not have complex civilizations or language. There are a few exceptions, but they're rare.
4. Generally do not have significant fantastic abilities. They're things that, in principle, could exist on Earth (if you ignore violations of the square-cube law and other pesky details).

For example, the wolf and the dire wolf are both beasts. One is the larger, stronger, more powerful version of the other, but both are perfectly normal, natural creatures.

Monstrosity

Monstrosity is a bit of a catch-all category, but generally share the following traits.

1. Are not humanoid in shape.
2. Participate normally in the cycle of life and death and food chain.
3. Generally were artificially created originally, usually by non-"natural" means (ie by spells and other magical/alchemical processes rather than simple selective breeding). Such meddling normally is well in the past.
4. May breed true OR be "sports" (one-off or limited-number derivations of beasts).
5. May have fantastic abilities such as spell-like abilities, breath weapons, unusual body shapes

For example, the warg is a type of dire wolf that have enhanced intelligence due to ancient meddling. As such, they are nearly human-smart and have language of their own. Winter wolves are similar, but were created by exposure to elemental Ice. They tend to be "sports", popping up in regions heavily influenced by the Plane of Ice. Chimaeric creatures such as...well...chimera and manticores and owlbears fall into this category due to their origins.

Aberration

Aberrations, while not always tied to the Dark Beyond and the forces that swim there, frequently are. They

1. are generally grotesquely twisted in shape
2. have strange, unworldly abilities
3. are almost always one-off creations, twisted results of malign energies warping "real" creatures.
4. do not participate in the normal cycles. They may not be born (but are created), may live until killed, and often do not eat or drink normally (instead subsisting on esoteric foods such as "thoughts").

Humanoids

The basic "mortal races". Invariably intelligent and social (although some would say that gwerin are anti-social by nature), they are what most people think of as "people". All playable races are humanoids.

Giants

Giant-kin or true Giants. All of these either were transformed themselves (see Jazuu) or are the descendants (in the case of the giant-kin) of failures during that process.

Constructs

See Construct. They have true names in fragmentary form.

Celestial

Celestials are lucians whose energy/form derives from the Great Mechanism itself. These might be bonafide members of the Angelic Hosts or other residents of the Astral who are acting on behalf of the Congregation or the Hosts. They are defined by true names.

Fiend

Fiends derive their energy/form from mortal soul energy directly. These are of two forms.

• Devils/Infernals (more politically correctly "Contractors") are lucians or ascended mortals who are paid in the coin of excess energy collected via worship or contractual agreement from mortal souls. Yes, this does make most Ascendants technically infernal, at least technically. Generally, only members of the Diabolical Families are referred to by that term. They are defined by true names.

• Demons subsist on souls sacrificed to them and consume souls entire. See Demons for more details.

Undead

Undead are the remains of formerly-mortal bodies and spirits animated by various methods. Most undead are animated by jotnar and exist to destroy all life. A select few retain their presence due to unfinished business, binding magical oaths, or other unusual means. See Undead for more details.

Fey

Fey are groups of kami that have taken on themselves true names (derived from concepts and emotions). See Fey courts as well as the article on kami for more details.

Plants

Well...plants. At least the less sessile varieties. Often magic was involved in getting them to be more active than most, but sometimes this happens naturally.

Ooze

Protoplasmic creations, usually alchemical/magical in origin.

Elementals

Those bound to the Names of the Elemental Planes. Unlike lucians, these share most of their true names and are bound very tightly to the elemental energies they derive their life from. Sometimes humanoids shed part of their mortality to take on elemental nature.