Wednesday, June 17, 2020

d100 Mundane Fictional Animals

As previously discussed, animals are great and should be used in more games. To aid in this, I've come up with 100 fictional animals for a variety of biomes. None of them are specifically magical, and my hope is that most could pass for real creatures.

10% of these are beetles in fulfillment of prophecy.
  1. Urban
    1. Bluemites, insects that build hives in spots between two places with significantly different atmospheres (e.g. at sewer entrances, beside secret entrances, in eaves)
    2. Holms, a small canine creature that inexplicable shows up at weddings and funerals.
    3. Torize, rodents that leave slight red streaks on the walls wherever they go.
    4. Sawson, an amphibian that has learned to extort humans for food by threatening to spray them with its potent stench
    5. Codfly, a flea that lays its eggs in areas rich with chemicals, or in the beds of chemists and tanners.
    6. Traudekanny, a deer-like creature that has no fear of humans. When it dies, its flesh and skeleton quickly becomes unbelievably sticky.
    7. Pot King, a smug-faced detritivore found in chamber pots. Leaves a new stink.
    8. House Lomras, a slug which has been trained to light up when fed vinegar.
    9. Bindle Beetle, a resilient insect that is attracted to the smell of urine
    10. Hobpigeon, an oversized and militaristic pigeon.
  2. Arctic
    1. Jeal, clouds of insects that ride the wind. They carry moisture and glom onto other creatures, attempting to freeze prey and implant eggs in the body.
    2. Chrop, a yellow rodent that stays near cliffs, baiting predators who would chase it into falling.
    3. Succole, a shaggy herd animal that blows its cold breath at any passing animal.
    4. Sephass, also called a jagshark, this massive marine mammal crushes ice flows from below to catch prey unawares.
    5. Cilmer, a eusocial carnivore that dries wet creatures with its absorbent coat.
    6. Candlebright’s Cow, a blubbery marine mammal that is capable of crossing thin stretches of land. Does not resemble a cow.
    7. Cone-Arc, a giant hibernating predator whose bell-rattles warn away potential rivals. Eating a cone-arc cone is said to cure impotence.
    8. Polar Yehot, a raccoon-like creature that spears its prey with icicles.
    9. Caribou Beetle, a blue insect hot enough to melt ice, planting eggs before their puddle freezes over again.
    10. Hobseal, an oversized and militaristic seal.
  3. Coast
    1. Penat, an insect whose round eggs float on the water. These eggs are encased in a wax which is harvested by humans.
    2. Thenal, an aquatic mammal that maneuvers prey into areas where they will be broken by the tide on sharp rocks.
    3. Chromun, a crustacean with a tail, making it resemble a nautical scorpion. Thrashes wildly if surprised, and easy to surprise. Cautious fisherfolk used them as alarms.
    4. Pearlbug, a round white creature found at the bottom of rivers and at low tide.
    5. Prisiot, a spotted otter-like creature that hides in reeds and preys on fish. Clothing from their fur provides camouflage in reeds and grass.
    6. Willaring, a sensitive fish that can tell whether poison is in the water, hunting only when the area is clear of it.
    7. Sea Thape, a tube-shaped creature with spines all pointing in one direction. Venomous.
    8. Junkpad, a flat-topped jelly that floats on the surface of water. Can sustain one’s weight for about a second before sinking and stinging.
    9. Yeet, a scrappy beetle with an oversized jaw that throws beach detritus and eggs into the ocean to attract prey.
    10. Hobstar, an oversized and militaristic starfish.
  4. Arid
    1. Reedfly, a long and thin insect that sticks into animals and sucks out their lymph.
    2. Glider lizard, a reptile that buoys its neck frills into a ballon-like shape, guided by the desert winds.
    3. Sury, a reptile with a plated back resembling a small cactus.
    4. Settedicky, a lanky herd creature with an impressive jump height and cowardly instincts.
    5. Kang, a humanoid marsupial that makes nests in brush and defends oases against interlopers
    6. Impellion, a burrowing mammal said to be descended from a pair of mythical lovers wronged by the gods.
    7. Confory, a feline creature with a massive hump to contain water. Inveterate persistence hunter.
    8. Millowneap, a thin ruminant as white as snow, reflects so much light it blind you when the sun is high.
    9. Scarambine, a creature almost identical to a scarab but pedantically different enough to incite corrections.
    10. Hobskink, an oversized and militaristic skink.
  5. Warm Forest
    1. Morson’s Jaw, a tick that stays in trees and thick brush, imitating the sound of appealing prey to attract hosts.
    2. Thape, a felinoid with barbed fur. It’s said that “petting a thape hairless” is a cure for most ailments.
    3. Roybotch, a bright and small bird. Said to help find lost children.
    4. Camelin, a furry primate that is mostly torso. Capable of cruelty, but also profound clarity. Prays to literal garbage.
    5. Worepurg, a lapine animal with keen smell and a tendency to feign rabies.
    6. Scowning, a creature with a banded leather back that form impenetrable piles with their pack.
    7. Bernog, a canine creature with no lower jaw that migrates in the summer and winter.
    8. Widowmaker, a brown constricting snake that freezes upright to resembled a thin tree until prey approaches.
    9. Wyrm beetle, a legless insect that hordes 
    10. Hobstoat, an oversized and militaristic stoat.
  6. Cold Forest
    1. Brown dash, a winged insect fond of flying into the joints of warm creatures.
    2. Yehot, a furry dense-furred mammal. Not intelligent, except that it has learned how to sharpen rocks into primitive knives
    3. Prancine, an elegant rodent that mates during the winter, growing a bright purple coat to attract mates during those months.
    4. Vikiss, a cylindrical black rodent known for compacting trademark dishes of snow to reflect sunlight into the center for the creature’s warmth.
    5. Locarbion, also called the accomplice bird, assists predators in tracking prey in exchange for its share of the meat.
    6. Poletoad, a hard amphibian that can survive being frozen.
    7. Wild Holms, a doglike creature that is known for attempting to join wandering parties, only to cause serious trouble.
    8. Treehorse, an equinoid creature that escapes predators by climbing trees. Make very squirrelly mounts.
    9. Jackfrost, a beetle that resembles hoar on leaves.
    10. Hoblynx, an oversized and militaristic lynx.
  7. Grassland
    1. Bowedge, a hiving insect that creates sap along certain grasses.
    2. Muppy, an anxious, tall rodents. Digs thin holes straight down to hide in, scratching any who would step on them.
    3. Tensitel, a striped mustelid resembling a burnt zebra. Attacks in motion-dazzle
    4. Musket, the world’s dumbest bird. It is bad omen for this bird to be friendly to you.
    5. Brush Caner, a dog-like creature known for running from predators. Kept as a warning animal.
    6. Admian, a hard-headed large flightless bird that swings its neck like a flail.
    7. Lowland Andesin, a ruddy goat-like creature that has learned to spit its own poison blood.
    8. Shrian, a bird skilled in creating echos to confuse other animals.
    9. Holfa, a small beetle that rides seeds through the air. Famously panics upon floating into any large life form.
    10. Hobdog, an oversized and militaristic prairie dog.
  8. Mountain
    1. Mountain Jeal, an insect that descends during winters to freeze small animals.
    2. Musclebird, a jacked mauve-coated creature that drops rocks on its prey from high up.
    3. Thruffle, a bird barely capable of flight.
    4. Hurse, a creature shaped like a mad knot, camouflaged against the rocky wall.  Attracts birds.
    5. Naste, a primate that builds simple walls of stacked stone. Said to be an anti-muse.
    6. Prockeel, a tufted reptile capable of surviving in the boiling water of geysers.
    7. Fensal, a wooly creature that extends its necks to probe holes and gulleys.
    8. Upland Settedicky, a lanky creature that bounds easily up rock faces.
    9. Promean beetle, a bug that shoots literal sparks as a defense mechanism and to attract mates.
    10. Hobmarmot, an oversized and militaristic marmot.
  9. Swamp/Bog/Marsh
    1. Harpfly, a stinging insect that leaves a small tether connecting it to its discarded stinger, potentially tripping its prey.
    2. Bogtra, a dull rainbow-colored fish that can drag itself on land for up to an hour. Has a venomous bite
    3. Andesin, a blood-red goat-like creature that is deeply poisonous.
    4. Lopper, an amphibian that slaps its tough arm along the water to catch anything peeking out of the water.
    5. Taper, a small equine creature used as beasts of burden. Their wide hooves afford better travel in mud and snow.
    6. Calcher, a short and wide rodet that can scramble over the water.
    7. Yishiona, a scaly predator that creates a diorama of pebbles and grass on its protruding lower jaw to disguise a trap for prey.
    8. Fool’s Jewel, an insect that, like its pearlbug cousin, resembles pale gems. Eating one will cure any poisoning, but 1d4 weeks later a hundred insects will burst from your orifices.
    9. Peat Devil, a beetle that is said to live near bog mummies or sunken treasures.
    10. Hobfrog, an oversized and militaristic frog.
  10. Underground
    1. Cavary, a flying stone-grey insect that is attracted to light. Eats recently killed creatures and gives steel a milky patina.
    2. Burgum, a dark bird that is half-decent at flight in dungeons and caverns, and loves to try.
    3. Lomras, a slug-like creature that grows bioluminescent when pregnant to attract predators, who spread their eggs far and wide.
    4. Bragviper, a venomous snake fond of ambushing prey. Beginning adventurers curse their penchant for hiding in pit traps. Expert adventurers learn to use the snake’s “boast”-- the telltale sound of its throat stretching in anticipation of a meal— to avoid pitfall traps. 
    5. Greepstang, a fleshy six-legged creature with hydraulic blood.
    6. Breakoff, a mustelid proficient in grabbing and breaking any limb in their reach with their tremendous set of double jaws.
    7. Deepnaste, a primate that compulsively builds barricades.
    8. Commen, undersized amphibians with putrid blood that attracts predators.
    9. Hakamal, a beetle with neon green and acidic blood, notable for swarming.
    10. Hobmole, an oversized and militaristic mole.

4 comments:

  1. Yusssssss this is *exactly* what I've been looking for, for a long time (without even knowing lol)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hob- is the same sort of thing as Dire- ? Cool

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Basically. There's also a change in attitude and organization, as in the upgrade from goblin to hobgoblin.

      Delete
  3. Spam: Tell deus ex parabola to add me to his blogroll but don't tell him I told you to do so it hurts my feelings that he hasn't already.

    ReplyDelete