Continuing my other post about fantasy ancestries this time I wanna talk about the "originality". A lot of worldbuilders often have this struggle too where Humans, Elves, and Dwarves are quite original whereas all they can come up with are animal hybrids or robots or aliens, or just copies of Elves and Dwarves. For the setting I'm working on I've thought about this as well and I want to write it out to get a feel for it. They're not the most original, but I guess the goal is for them to feel like they belong alongside the classics rather than being obviously band-aided on.
Humans are humans. Like most fantasy settings they have little that makes them noteworthy, but are found all over the world and have a great deal more ambition than the longer-lived ancestries. My favorite take on humans is from Draw Steel, where they have the ability to smell magic.
Skor are a people from coastal regions who have gained a reputation for raiding and sailing. Think tropical vikings (not pirates, but vikings with facepaint and braids and so on). I'm thinking of giving them antlers but idk. Skin colors range from tan to dark brown, hair white to blonde but often dyed, eyes brown or green.
Ducor are derived from a homebrew D&D race made by my friend, a militaristic Spartan-ish people in grasslands and desert. Gray skin, black hair, eyes are gray, black, or purple. They have short front-set horns.
Cambions are the descendants of an ancient demon inhabiting the south pole where they can live undisturbed. Skin ranges from light purple to blue. They are covered in white hair all over their bodies which turns dark at their extremities. Their eyes glow blue or white and they have large dark grey horns from the sides of their heads
Cyclopeans are one-eyed humanoids who are quite large. They came to the planet upon a meteorite and conquered large swathes of land until their empire fell apart from within. Now they aren't so common and spread across the world, and their warlike culture has been extinguished, but their unique physique still makes them stand out. Skin ranges from green to blue to purple. They have no hair.
Droth are a people from a remote island who are known for their grim appearance and culture. They are guided by a strong belief that all peoples exist to be punished by nature. Inspired by Catholics. Their skin ranges from pale pink to pale blue, resembling bloated corpses. Hair is black, gray, or white. They have pointed, forked ears, and their eyes pop out a bit. Both male and female droth grow facial hair.
Qodites are a people who live along a large crater bay and worship their god mountain at the center of the bay. They dress lavishly and are especially sentimental and expressive with their emotions, and intense gestures are commonplace. Inspired by the Qartheen from ASOIAF. Their skin is milk white, they don't have hair, and their eyes can be blue, green, or red. Qodites have both male and female sex organs and have no concept of gender among themselves.
Solenites claim to be the most ancient of all peoples in the setting. They are found in many locations and are quite diverse, but they all have an affinity to magic. Their skin ranges from gold to auburn to dark brown, with intricate line work they are born with. Their hair is silver, and their eyes are red, orange, or brown.
I've described the general ideas behind the cultures of some of these ancestries because just like in real life peoples are often known for their culture as much as if not more than their physical traits. Still, like any good rpg setting individuals may not and often don't reflect all of the beliefs and mannerisms of the culture. Perhaps I'll draw some of these guys.
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