Bestiary:Introduction

As you read through this book you may find that many of the creatures contained in it are beasts, animals and aberrations. Also included are entries for some of the races of Otherworld or Burning Destiny, some of which are available as player character races. Scattered around in there are some malignant spirits and undead. Finally, we've peppered the bestiary with a few mechanical creatures.

I've never liked that in many pen-and-paper RPGs, as well as in games and stories of many kinds, one can tell the bad guys because of how hideous they are. This seems to be the case in many "high-fantasy" stories. To my way of thinking, this started harmlessly enough. Early storytellers must have wanted to evoke feelings of fear and horror with these tales of ugly, scary baddies. In the battle of good vs. evil, it was ok to make the evil guys not only act evil, but look evil. The trend which developed, however, was a fallacy. It soon became accepted that not only were monsters ugly, but inversely, that all ugly things were monsters. Oops.

While some of the creatures in this bestiary are indeed pretty hideous, that's not an automatic indication of evil. In fact, you will likely not find the word "evil" used many times in this book. The responsibility for making your villains diabolical, monsters terrifying, and cast of characters three-dimensional, lies with the storytellers. Placing labels isn't my thing. This is a book of easy-reference stats. We have provided you with a body and brain, like the faithful henchmen we are, but you, like Dr. Frankenstein, you must breathe life into the creatures in your stories. Two tools for use here are Personality and Motivation, which can be found explained in detail in the Core Game Book.

I encourage both Game-masters and players to think outside the box a little bit with how they craft their stories, including the flora, fauna and foes which fill their fictional worlds. This all being said. its not that you can't run a game where all the monsters are ugly and the heroes engage in a near-mindless slaughter of evil. This game was designed to allow for a wide range of gaming experiences. What I'm saying is that you, as gamers, shouldn't be confined in your approach.

If you want to make the villains in your world the shifty, cunning Pookah, or the sagacious Ginsha, go right ahead. Perhaps the villains are humans and the heroes are made up of the other races in a fight against the encroaching humans, who seek to take over their world. Perhaps the Dark Elves are the victims of a propaganda war started by the haughty Elves. Perhaps the players characters are all Green Men or Weren, fighting the other "civilized" industrial races which seek to destroy their home in the forest. There are many possibilities here for great stories, interesting protagonists, and wicked villains.

Have at 'em.