A new take on Orc

[MoonHunter]

Okay, I know we have done Orcs before. But we have done Elves a few times as well. These are an Orc Replacement. They are something everyone has a reason to hate, elves to despise, and it explains half orcs. They are a brutal intelligent race.

Faunoids is the fancy, scholarly name.  Others call them Critters, or Beastmen, Beasties, or even FurFolk.  (Insert other name... )  Others will called them The Changed or BeastSouls or DammedOnes.

Faunoids start out as regular people, from all races.  At some point in their life, they change.  They become a mockery of their race, mixing the race with an animal - becoming half human and half something else.

The shift in faunoid is normally painful and dramatic. Those who are changed lose all empathy for others, being sociopathic and driven only to meet their own needs. They keep their intelligence, but lose focus to use certain skills that do not generate immediate gratification.

In addition the shift grant great strength and speed, in relationship to the beast the faunoid becomes. They also gain enhanced senses, claws/ horns/ hooves.

The reason for all this?  Is it a super recessive trait/ bloodline, is it a curse, is it a god calling its own, nobody knows for certain.  

I like the Evil Diety calling his own, choosing those without a soul or those whos soul were given over to him.  That way you can have "finger pointing" as to why someone became a faunoid (ancient pacts, parents who are evil/ trafficing with evil, someone born "wrong").

Eventually they either leave their place, are driven from the place (even if they have not done anything yet), or destroyed by an angry local mob.  They seem instinctively drawn together (or they just want to live in the same kinds of environments).  

The Faunoids of all types group together. When the groups get large enough, they break into gentes or groups based on type. This gives us a more tribal feeling.

Pack: Wolf Faunoids. These are your main group of Faunoids.  They always operate in groups and thus are more effective.

The Pride: All the various cat are kept in line by the Lionoids, who want a group competitive to the Pack

Claw: Bear

Cloven: Boars and Bulls

You get the idea

A couple of points
Given the low Elven Birthrate, and a higher percentage of faunoids, it could explain why Elven types hate Faunoids.  They are children "stolen" from the Elves.

Let Faunoids follow an Evil Figure, both in the past and now.  This gives a great tie in to the reason for faunoids.

This allows faunoids to be familiar with weapons and items, but unable to produce them. They are not warriors, they are simply kids who now can use violent means to achieve what they want.

[Ancient Gamer]

These I like. They seem a bit like the chaos beastmen of Warhammer, but are much better explained and "more realistic".

I will use them in my setting, if that is ok with you =)
(I won't keep the name though...)

[Scrasamax]

I like the idea, but the first thing I thought of when I read faunoids was a bipedal deer, with the white spotting like the fauns from Fantasia.

So the Faunoids are not a single viable species, this raises some interesting questions.

Are faunoids cross fertile with one another? What happens if a wolfen mates with a pig-faunoid?

If the Faunoids arent tool makers, and generally child like monsters, what keeps them alive, why havent the elves hunted them into extinction, or the humans in typical prejudiced fashion, hunting them down and slaughtering them in genocidal fashion?

[CaptainPenguin]

Big dumb animal-men.
And?

I would suggest that if faunoids were used, werewolves and such para-animal types would become obsolete.

I like Scras' distinction of them as child-like monsters. Perhaps, somewhat like my Urwhor, they are declining unless they have somebody to follow, so they need a master, and thus, the Big Evil Dude Who Shall Return.

I would also get rid of the name. It isn't the best you could come up with- I got the image of evil deer-men or something.

[EchoMirage]

well, it reminds me of Shadowrun. A LOT. People changing into orks and trolls at puberty...
I'd make them less childlike, and more of the sort "you hate me because I'm different, I hate you because you are all the same!"
It is difficult to hate a child, after all.

The tendency to aggressiveness, and loss of human speech (but not of the ability to speak with other beastmen and animals) might be enough for them to be cast out/flee into the wilderness and join their ilk.

For a more evil approach, perhaps they are able to lead others into the Change. Perhaps it is sufficient for someone to be violent/(other evil traits), and if they get him, he may change...
Some might enter the change voluntarrily...

[MoonHunter]

Okay, I really need a new name for these creatures. Fauna-oids ... too much latin for my own good.  They are Cthonic in the Greek sense, so perhaps a name related to that.  Beastmen is just so... overdone.  I am taking suggestions.

Deer people... hmm Elf Substitute?  Saytrs but not... nah... something for another day.

The whole Child issue is what makes them more complex than just Orcs.  They are not just another monster to slay. They could of been your child.  Of course this can create a gammut of responses. You could despise the entire lot, like the Elves do. You could hate them for "taking your child away". You could want to show them mercy, because it could be your child.  You could hesitate just a moment, to make sure you are not killing your child/ cousin who was changed. Some will only subdue them, as they used to be people who were changed against their will (and children at that). There are probably groups who capture these creatures, trying to cure them.

(Oh, what fun it would be if they changed back to human/ elf/ what ever when they died).

Their lack of maturity, loss of empathy, makes them dangerous.  Imagine a cranky tantrum prone two year old who can rip your arm off if he wants that cookie. They have some language skills, but with modified mouths usually can not speak the langauge they know without an impossible accent.  They might know some craft skills they can use (if they are a bit older), but mostly they know they are supposed to have "things" but they don't know how to make them.

There primitive tribal structure based on kind is part instinct and part childhood gang.  It allows them to work together in related groups, but it makes large groups difficult, unless someone powerful can lead them.

Since there is no cause known for the change... there can be finger pointing of all sorts when they appear.  All we know is that they are "alligned" with Evil. So who's fault is it?  Is it the sins of the parents? or their society or race? Was it a curse or payment on a demonic bargin? Is it beause they were born without a soul? Was it because the Evil one inserted a faunoid soul in their child diverting the Diety given one?

Maybe Evil people can be changed because they became "Evil Enough".  It would be dangerous because they would be adults, rather than children.  These would be the scary faunoid leader types. Even if they were a "good person" everyone would assume they were secretly Evil if they changed.

(It would be intersting that the communion (or service) for the major good church incidentily contained a substance that blocked the beasting of people. Thus people who did not go to service (obviously evil people) would change. )

Maybe the Evil Diety behind all this is not as Evil as it is selfish.  It want's a people of its own and it just swipes other diety's people that the diety is not using.

[Kinslayer]

This is an intersting take on changelings.  I don't really see how it's an Orck/half-Orck replacement/retreatment, other than the "big dumb vile monster" angle.  

Another option for this is that communities are deliberately infected with whatever causes the change, and the continued communion (or equivalent) acts as a temporary antidote.  Of course, this would have a very provincialising effect on the community, as long travel or isolation would trigger the change.  Or perhaps the change doesn't affect adults & the continued antidote means that one's children will not be adversely affected.  

This idea probably works better as a mystery, rather than being "officially" explained as an evil diety, etc.

[MoonHunter]

It is an Orc replacement because it is the "opposition" for all the "good players".  Unlike the Orcs which people don't mind slaughtering because they are EVIL ORCs, these critters have a moral quandry associated with them.  Do we kill them because they may be curable, or may be your brother, or may be some innocent?

This could bring nets, trident like tangling weapons, bolas, and other non leathal weapons to the fore. Can't just kill um, but can't let them run free either.  So they could be "rounded up" and penned somewhere.  

Of course, some people could just kill them off as "lost souls" and vermin.

This could lead to conflicts between the peoples....