Beastmen
Beastmen Representing The Beastmen or Beast People Race Of People.
Description
The Beastmen are a generalized term relating to the Beast-like humanoid race, sometimes called Beastfolk, Beast Folk, or Demi-Humans. The terms are used to describe the people who use their killer instincts in their everyday life. Although they are their own race of people who generally spring up on various worlds with magic, they are their own individual species called Beastmen. The generic terms which describe them are used for the Beast People. A Brown Werewolf from one world may be called a Beastmen Werewolf as another Brown Werewolf from a different world but they are different species of Brown Werewolf. The number of exact types of Brown Werewolf within the far reaching galaxy is numerous and the only thing separating them is the exact DNA makeup that each world’s magic has altered and changed them. As certain worlds may offer stronger or more resilient Beastmen with different unique traits, they are relatively the same strength wise across the various worlds and galaxy. The exception of stronger levels in power and abilities arises from Beastmen born on specific Death Worlds, but generally regular Beastmen are those who can use their natural abilities to boost them in all situations. This isn’t to say Beastmen are weak by any means, the weakest of Beastmen can still wreck entire groups of enemy soldiers with decent training and equipment. This has led to the knowledge of Beastmen’s power and the generalization of the species as just Beastmen for simplicity's sake which is not to be confused with a Beast Person. As many of the people within the galaxy have a low to moderate level of intelligence the loose term of Beastmen fit the race well enough. Although the Beastmen are a slim variant of their beast counterparts where they stand in the size range of Humans and Ogers, they are extremely powerful beasts. As Beastmen are a varied race they have beast like features and fur which covers the majority of their bodies unlike the Beast People, they can become full beasts during their transformation making them even more powerful as they grow larger in size. Once they are full beast they rational and intelligence drops slightly as their primal urges take over. All of the Beastmen have the title of Were in their names which denotes what they are. Although the specifics are just as important, it is usually only used between Beastmen and not with the Empire as a whole. A notable example would be Supreme Lord Tanya. Supreme Lord Tanya is a Werebear, a Brown Bear, from the Brown Claw Clan and she hails from WereCall. She has thin fur over her body with small bear ears on top of her head. Although her features are humanoid and soft, her transformation is a large powerful bear form that stands 5 meters tall with a Long Silver and Grey mane.
Species And Faction
Species:
There are 9 major species of Beastmen that have been discovered and exist within The Astarian Empire.
WereBears, WereCats, WereRabbits or WereHares, WereTurtles, WereAvion, WereWolf or WereWolves, Furbolgs, Gnolls, Kobolds.
Empire Note On Main and Secondary Beastmen Species: Although the Empire sees all Beastmen as equals, the Beastmen themselves are not fond of the lesser species of Beastmen which make up the WereNull Coalition or the various beast people on most worlds. Lots of infighting has occurred over these issues.
WereBears:
This includes; Horned Bears, Armored Bears, Black Bears, Brown Bears, Forest Bears, Snow Bears, Plague Bears, Razor Bears, and other special world variants of Bears. The WereBears are a far stronger people than they look as they can lift and fight way above their power range. They may not be the fastest of the Beastmen, but they are the most honorable combat focused powerhouses who favor the challenge that comes with many on one combat and situations. Their fur is thick and their claws are sharp, as they can climb all forms of terrain with ease. A WereBear is a tough guardian and great elder as they guide others down the path of salvation through combat.
WereCats:
This includes; Horned Cats, Armored Cats, Cats, Tigers, Panthers, Lions, Lioness, Cougar, Leopard, Jaguar, Cheetah, and other special world variants of Cats. Although both WereCats and WereWolves are extremely agile, quick footed, and combat focused, they are better at different things. WereCats make for great ranged and stealth units as they are very evasive and can slip in and out of places undetected. It is said that the WereCats are the hardest Beastmen to actually kill with the vast majority of the superstitions with Felines on most worlds having multiple lives, in their case their magic power will be greatly reduced to bring them back to life at least 1 time in their lives. This universal belief has slowly begun to change the WereCats making them able to have this unique trait. What makes a WereCat a WereCat and not a Beast Cat or Feline Person? The question was posed by the Supreme King Astar during a conference and was met with a fury unlike any other as the yelling started before the first breath was taken. WereCats have 3 main distinctive traits which allow them to be far stronger than a simple Feline Beast Person. The first is their neck, the second is how their eyes change, the last trait is their claws.
For the neck of the Werecat, it has very thick fur which is made up of natural armor plates which are focused around their neck area. When looking forward in their bipedal form the folds appear in the front of the neck making them extremely resistant to neck attacks. In their predator hunting form the folds appear on the back of their neck protecting them from other predators.
For the eyes of the WereCat, they have a unique eye lid design featuring an inner and outer eyelid which performs different actions. In their bipedal form their eye lids are both open allowing for a wider view of their surroundings. In their hunting predator form their inner eyelid will close inwards focusing their eyes to engage in a super focused and super heightened eyesight allowing for near telescopic vision. This allows them to hunt their target from hundreds of meters to thousands of meters with training. Their sight is so good it can distinguish even the most stealthy of assassins hidden in the shadows as their eyes can peer through the darkness being able to see the unseen. This has even allowed them to see through illusions, spells, and status ailments like being blind. Even while blinded they can still see somewhat.
For the claws of the WereCat, they are unique in the fact they are always piercing through their finger tips as short small sharp claws. At will they will immediately protrude through the finger tips into long claws made from their own bones reinforced by magic and strengthened as their blood turns into steel as the claws undergo a chemical reaction. This allows them to rip and tear through small steel sheets and scale metal walls, they can appear on both their fingers and toes making them excellent climbers. After the claws are done they will undergo a painful retraction process which causes the inner claw to slightly shrink and retract leaving a very sharp claw tip and can be made into powerful piercing weapons or tips for arrows.
WereRabbits or WereHares:
This includes; Horned Rabbits, Armored Rabbits, Grey Rabbits, Black Rabbits, Brown Rabbits, Forest Rabbits, Snow Rabbits, Plague Rabbits, Razor Rabbits, and other special world variants of Rabbits. Their name can also be Hare as another term for rabbit, a Werehare. The WereRabbits are a very quick reproducing people who make up the bulk of Beastmen forces in most situations. They are far weaker and more generalized than all other Beastmen as they are the bulk of Beastmen troops. There is a distinctive split with the white and black WereRabbits as most White WereRabbits are high level Magic Casters and Mages while most Black WereRabbits make for excellent stealth units and assassins. Generally all WereRabbits can use magic of some kind but their relative strength, combat power, combat skill, and evasive speed is lower than other Beastmen. WereRabbits make up for their lower individual stats by hitting their enemies with a 3 to 1 ratio to guarantee their victory.
WereTurtles:
Thick shelled with many different patterns, spikes, or hardened sections. The WereTurtles are a race of slow moving but heavily armored and resistant people who enjoy the wait and slow change of time. They can remain motionless with their presence almost being erased as they are great stealth operators due to their slow forgettable natures. As modern people they use powered armor suits to enhance their abilities and to speed them up in every aspect of their lives. They live for extreme amounts of time as their power and magic grow exponentially and their speed drastically falls in comparison. They are seen as powerful hermits slowly hunching their backs over the long years. It is said the most powerful of WereTurtles magic can change and manipulate worlds and things on the same level as Supremes and Magistrates but it takes a long time for them to do it. It is said that during great wars the people will call on the powerful WereTurtles for their spells to fire off as soon as they are ready, hitting at the end of the war or even some times decades later as a powerful meteor begins to rain down on a newly constructed city. Their power is unquestionable but highly variable and unreliable. WereTurtles have ages which vary drastically as they can be born with a world and remain alive with the world for centuries and even millennium. Some WereTurtles have grown so strong that when demons have begun making a mess of their world, they can completely remove their existence however it may take hundreds or even thousands of years to do so with their unfathomable powers but speeds so slow it makes a turtle fast. WereTurtles are great villains to most people because wronging a WereTurtle means for an uncomfortable existence until you just experience true agony like sand always on your body or invisible bugs crawling on your skin. It is not a curse but an instantaneous spell which normally takes a moment to finish but can take decades to finish due to the WereTurtles lack of spellcasting speed.
WereAvion:
This includes; Chicken, Hawk, Raven, Owl, Swallows, Crows, Emu, Crane, Pelican, Ostriches, Stork, Albatrosses, and other special world variants of Birds. Due to how each one has the power of flight, they can fly in their normal humanoid form without the need of wings. Some can have wings which are treated more like Angel wings and are for show as they fly with magic power. Few can use their wings in a practical sense but it is mostly cosmetic for the inability to use tools or weapons can mean death so wings may only be used in their “transformed” or alternate form. Although they have normal tendencies, they enjoy high up places and the breeze across their bodies. They are not fans of small or cramped spaces as they will become easily panicked due to being restrained. Their powers of flight and freedoms allow for them to be one with the flow and change of the world, acting like guides and movers. They are charismatic and electric as they love dancing and the arts.
WereWolf or WereWolves:
Fast agile warriors who leap into combat at any chance with claws and fangs to tear apart their enemies. The most noble of all Beastmen, their pride makes them want to stand at the top and that makes them great leaders and elders to all Beastmen and to others who will listen. The WereWolf or WereWolves in the case of many of them are an extremely powerful bunch of people who can enhance their skills greatly for short bursts of time as they enter into the WereWolf Frenzy. Their claws will grow in size as magic flows through them causing them to become even stronger and more durable cutting through steel and concrete with relative ease. The more powerful the WereWolf the stronger their frenzy and the more control over themselves they will have. The Werewulf People, an offshoot beast people and beastfolk, have had a split occur as the magics within them became changed due to the influx of other kinds of magic based power sources and caused new lesser creatures to be born. They are hybrids as they are only part WereWulf Beast Person or Beastfolk and part something else as the majority of their magical powers are destroyed and they are left with a lessened effect which is mostly uncontrollable. The magical infections became known as Lycant and Werewulf respectively. This has caused unique characteristics to occur within these new hybrid-like species making for powerful adversaries. As the Lycan populaces grow across many worlds, the more ancient and pure Werewulf populations begin to keep them in check. Above them are the WereWulf Beast People or Beastfolk which govern over their small conflicts. A WereWolf remains true to the level of power amongst the strongest of Beastmen. These variants will be covered in the Beast Person or Beastfolk section below.
Culture
Beastmen Culture:
Many major cultures have risen over time involving the various species of beasts which make up the Beastmen race. Each major group has their own cultures and how they live on the vast majority of worlds within the Astarian Empire. On WereCall there is only survival of the fittest and communal living within the tribes connected to the center port. All other Beast People and Beastmen will have their own racial traditions and cultures while also adapting to the worlds they live on.
Beastmen A United Front:
As Beastmen may be hostile towards each other due to competition or sport, they will unite in various situations to ensure their survival which is dependent on many things and from many different worlds. The WereBears are strong melee combatants and excellent defenders, the WereWolves are agile and fast skirmishing units who excel at ambushes, the WereCats are agile assassins and stalkers of those who flee or hide in the shadows, the WereRabbits excel at magic casting and spell crafting, the WereTurtles are very strong guardians and tanks able to withstand even the strongest of spells, and the WereAvion excel at conquering the skies. As Beastmen will revere their cub mothers and valiant warriors, they will respect each other to the heist degrees and help each other even in combat to protect the cub mothers. Humans and other races will see this as a weakness to exploit and this will become their downfall in the end as Beastmen are far stronger and are a naturally more tolerant bunch of warrior people who will strike back to protect their own.
WereBear Culture:
The WereBears are a species which prefers their secluded and natural lifestyle over any others. As the WereBear is a species which is naturally strong and resistant to all forms of damage and status ailments, they tend to live secluded lives deep in the forests and jungles. WereBears are known to leave their young once they have fed on the mothers milk for a few days to fend for themselves and to thrive within the harsh lands. This has allowed other species and races to take pity on their young but fear their powers due to their insane survivability and adaptation of harsh climates. As they are humanoid Beastmen covered in fur, they don’t appear to be strong since they are not large and bulky as one may think. This has led to many downfalls as their Beast form causes them to grow massive in size and gain power capable of destroying entire forests. As the WereBears tend to focus their lives within the natural woods around them, they will carve various trinkets and totems from the woods around them as they further their control of their claws and abilities. This has them being seen more like tribal hunters living in huts than a beast people who inhabits the land. WereBears find the vast world around them very curious as it is always something they have never experienced so much of the time they observe their surroundings which make them seem off or awkward as they give thousand yard stares trying to work through what they are seeing and how it operates.
WereWolf Culture:
The WereWolves are a species which focuses on communal living and working under strong Beast People and Beastmen with a major tendency to follow other WereWolves. They are often seen as guards and servants to the strong with a gruff yet loyal attitude and resolve. In service to those they find worthy like powerful individuals they will be the fiercest and most destructive possible to serve their masters. Although they will be called mutts, dogs, hounds, or another lesser name by others, the one they serve respects them and will be respected for it. Werewolves believe in pack mentality and following the customs of their masters and their households to the absolute regardless of others thoughts on them.
Empires Note on WereWolves. WereWolves are different from those created from the Lycanthropes through Lycanthropy otherwise known as Lycans and Werewulfs which are races who can transform into a wolf person. Those are covered in greater details under the faction section specifically.
WereCat Culture:
The WereCats are a species which focuses on ritual hunting and ritual killing. They will use the dark arts to perform their various jobs and duties as they tend to live in the shadows. Many of them are born into the Felindom, a large coven made up of their own kin with the sheer purpose of training them to be assassins and spies. They learn all the arts required from masters of their craft from concubines and brothel workers to master assassins and master thieves. WereCats are different from Cat People which are fairly common on most worlds with Beast People. While Cat People have all the aspects of Cats in a bipedal standing with claws, a WereCats body allows them to hunt like a large predator cat. After they make their kill they will place a piece of their fur on the body to mark their kill. On worlds where they are legally hunting in the cases of assassinations when people see their friend die then a piece of fur being placed on the body they know they were a target of assassination. On most worlds outside the Empire’s influence murder may be considered a sin punishable harshly. Within the Empire assassinations are allowed through proper documentation and this allows for WereCats to really show off their expert skills. When a kill is made and the hair is placed, many others will disengage combat immediately to not become collateral damage. The WereCats believe in owning the hunt and owning the kill, they will always follow through with it even if it means their death in most cases due to their ritual nature and ownership of kills.
WereRabbit Culture:
The WereRabbits are a species which focuses on magical studies and magical empowerment. The WereRabbits are a people who love all things magic. As they are naturally gifted with magic of all kinds they tend to make up some of the most powerful single or dual element focused magic casters or black mages who can learn all forms of magic. WereRabbits have the unique gift where they learn magic much faster than other races and have an affinity towards restoration and healing spells to keep their comrades healthy even in the midst of battle. Although they are very fast and agile, they are capable of enhancing their bodies to move at high speeds allowing them to dash around the battlefield unleashing spells at a high rate.
WereTurtle Culture:
The WereTurtles are a species which focuses on slow magical buildup and power unmatched. WereTurtles take their lives very slow, so slow to the point for one to become an adventurer they need to constantly boost their speed and haste to be able to function at a normal rate. They are unmoving, unchanging, and world breaking as they are the ones said to be the ones prophesied to stop the end of the world fighting off many kinds of demons and creatures. They are able to make all manners of miracles happen as they build their magical spells slowly over the course of thousands of years, neigh undetectable until it is too late.
WereAvion Culture:
The WereAvion are a species which focuses on aerial hunting and aerial killing for all the races which meet their talons below. As they are masters of combat in the skies, their wings are separate from their arms allowing them to use powerful weapons and tools. Entire brigades are made up of magical cannons and heavy armor as they reign havoc across the skies. On worlds where there are Harpies, Imps and other flying demons, the WereAvion reigns supreme as the most effective killing machine. Also known as bird people like their other counterparts, the WereAvion’s beast form is a massive griffon hawk capable of rending the skies and carrying the heaviest of loads below them.
Astarian Empire's Thoughts
Many notes are taken by the Astarian Empire and are listed in each section.
After The Cataclysmic Shift
During the Great Cataclysmic Shift, a surge of energy was released. It disrupted many worlds and changed the creation of magic based species. As many worlds underwent great changes the world's populace also changed drastically to reflect the great worldly change. Although many of the races remained the same, a few new races have begun to enter the field across the Empire. New entire coalitions and groups formed from the shift. As the universe went dark for some time and the network was offline, Salith did everything she could to cull and subjugate the new threat.
Furbolgs:
Massive intelligent and powerful bear-like people who derived from the unison of Giant and Werebear magics have sprung up across various worlds. Seen more like Oracles and wise beasts due to their perceived power as they are always in their beast forms, they have grown in power over the vast years and have split off from the main branch. They are skilled with illusion and alteration magic as well as buffs and enhancements which make them smaller instead of larger. This allows them to slip into a humanoid populace or city unknown while under a combat buff, then when they need to show their size they can release their buff and turn larger than life before their eyes. They are a large 4 meter tall massively built heavy weapon wielding powerhouse hidden in their smaller frame. They prefer to use heavy 2 handed weapons or great weapons one handed to show off their immense yet hidden and misunderstood strength in combat to always have the upper hand. Although their features remain prominent, when they are smaller under a buff their features shrink and become softer, as they look like any other werebear or werebeast that the current population knows. Their population is slow growing but they have a vast spanning empire across many worlds. They are the heavy hitting combat forces in their powered suits and they are resistant to most damaging weapon types. They excel in slow defending combat as they push the lines of combat further into enemy lines. They joined the Werenull Coalition to strike back against their suppressors.
Gnolls:
Stereotypically the Gnolls are tall and lean, with reddish-brown fur, a hyena-like head, and clawed hands and feet. They can vary in appearance, with some having spotted or striped fur, and are generally feral and aggressive, with a strong inclination towards violence and raiding. They seek out powerful opponents as they have a strong clannish lifestyle built on honor and glory in combat. They seek to spread blood on their mauls and axes across the vast galaxy. They have a rocky past with other beastmen due to them being a variant of the Werewolf, they are seen as a lesser species. The Gnolls breed very fast as their mothers will carry their cubs into battle and when they fall the cubs will eat their way out and consume the flesh of their mother and of their enemies to grow in size. Gnolls can have more werewolf like features and will slowly grow more and more into their wolf sides as their fur will darken and grey with age. Gnolls seek out combat in every situation and they joined the Furbolgs in the Werenull Coalition to further their bloodshed across the galaxy.
Kobolds:
A smaller people created from the fusion of Lizardmen and Goblins, the Kobolds are a smaller, more agile race of people with a joy for trickery and a desire for wealth. Kobolds are known to the galaxy at large as Kobolds or small lizards due to their smaller lizardmen features. Unlike lizardmen who prefer to live in lakes, coastal areas, swamps, and marsh lands, the Kobolds like to and thrive in the deep mines and caves. Kobolds are excellent tricksters as they use illusion and stealth magic, they are great thieves and assassins alike due to their smaller frames. Kobolds are normally pushed around by the other races due to their small stature, however Kobolds are crafty engineers and develop all kinds of weapons and armor. They are seen as having small facial hair and long hair atop their heads with their age showing in the longer and whiter colored hair patches. They were the last faction which joined the Furbolgs and Gnolls in the Werenull Coalition to further their craft and technology across the galaxy. When they entered into the Werenull Coalition, they became not just the workers and engineers, but also the intelligent reasoning which proved to be the backbone of their aimless journey across the stars. They use massive airships armed with tons of kinetic and energy weapons and prefer to land the ship to engage enemies in ground based combat. A Kobold will build a powerful walking Mech battle suit or a super magic armor suit to pilot into combat just because it makes them much bigger.
The Werenull Coalition:
The Werenull Coalition is a massive group of space faring ships under full control of the Furbolgs, Gnolls, and Kobold forces. They caused absolute havoc during the dark ages of the universe which fell after the great cataclysmic shift occurred. As the Empire grew in strength and power, they began to destroy this rogue Beastmen faction. They were defeated in battle and before their complete destruction a few ships slipped into a gate way and left the galaxy for a new home.
Many centuries pass before they are encountered once more during Supreme Tanya’s Empire reign in the next galaxy. As the new Empire is still a fledging Galactic Empire they are unable to stop the WereNull from their complete chaotic rule over a large section of the galaxy. As the UGP was formed and began operations, the WereNull began to come into contact with the Astarian Empire as they caused havoc among their ranks and freed their worlds of the WereNull suppression and dominance. As the 3 main factions of WereNull have split apart on their own worlds, their individual home worlds were wiped out by other resistance forces aided by the Astarian Empire and the UGP. The last remaining Star Bases become a large battlefront and a thorn in the UGP’s side for some time.
Race Stats In Other Media
Race Stat Chart:
WereBear / Furbolg Stat Chart:
__________________________
HP-H STR-H END-L
MP-L DEX-L INT-L
SP-L MAG-L WIS-L
VIT-M PAM-H LUK-L
CON-M MAM-H EVS-L
__________________________
WereWolf / Gnoll Stat Chart:
__________________________
HP-H STR-H END-L
MP-L DEX-L INT-L
SP-L MAG-L WIS-L
VIT-M PAM-H LUK-L
CON-M MAM-H EVS-L
__________________________
WereRabbit / Kobold Stat Chart:
__________________________
HP-L STR-L END-L
MP-H DEX-L INT-H
SP-L MAG-H WIS-H
VIT-L PAM-L LUK-L
CON-L MAM-L EVS-M
__________________________
WereTurtle Stat Chart:
__________________________
HP-L STR-L END-L
MP-M DEX-L INT-H
SP-M MAG-M WIS-H
VIT-H PAM-H LUK-L
CON-H MAM-H EVS-L
__________________________
WereAvion Stat Chart:
__________________________
HP-M STR-M END-M
MP-L DEX-M INT-L
SP-M MAG-L WIS-L
VIT-L PAM-L LUK-M
CON-L MAM-L EVS-M
__________________________
Playing Beastmen In TTRPG and or RPG Games:
In most Role Playing Games, Beastmen are seen as highly variable and diverse as they can fill many different roles. They are able to be strong melee combatants, fast and agile all terrain strike units, or even the more back line spellcasting unit.
Playing Beastmen In Turn Based Strategy and or RTS Games:
In most strategy games Beastmen are seen as their own unique all purpose race of playable units. They encompass many different roles and jobs as they are able to become defenders, warriors, cavalry units, and magical casters. They are general and all purpose units that are very strong.