Elves vs Aasimars/tieflings (planetouched) as a Mystery Race

[Domi]

I'm working on my story for NWN2 mod, and I am wondering which concept you'd be more interested as a player. The world I am working with is predominantly human, but the mystery places with different magic etc are populated with the mystery race. Initially I was using elves there, but lately I thought that maybe aasimars/tieflings will be a less cliche alternative. I'd recast the Planetouched as the gods' and spirits' spawn from the times beyond reckoning when the world was young and all that. Or are the good old elves the way to go?

[berelinde]

Elves are familiar, but I must admit that aasimars, tieflings, and ganasi (probably spelling that wrong, the offspring of a lineage that once included an elemental lord) intrigue the daylights out of me. And they're still very fresh, original, and much more flexible. They can be literally anything, from the son of a farmer who seems to have this inexplicable horn issue to the ethereal, sorcerous daughter of a scribe who inexplicably embodies the element of air, to the fierce paladin with the piercing golden eyes.

 

So, yeah, I like the plane-touched idea.

[Domi]

Well, what I am worried about is that if I have them as people with their own mysterious ways, will it destroy the whole point of using them, as we are used to these races being scattered and just showing up once in a while.

[Chev]

I voted for Elves, I think there is getting to be too much with Planetouched unless it leads to or is part of a planescape campaign.

[berelinde]

I guess I'm just looking for something that isn't elves. They're great and all, but I'm a little elfed out.

[Domi]

Heh, same here. What I want to do though is to diassociate the tieflings and aasimars from the Planescape setting, giving them the world-specific origin. In other words, they are humans from a different bloodline, connected to old gods/spirits etc, a-la aasimars of Mulhorand that are home bred from the Mulhorandi pantheon. Gensai would have been nice, but NWN2 does not have them yet

[Mike1072]

I'd probably be more excited about a well set up Aasimar and/or Tiefling story - I can't think of any memorable settings involving them, and would be more interested in exploring that concept than revisiting those secretive/distrusting/superior magical elves.

[Eleima]

Well, I voted for elves, especially if you need a "people with their own mysterious ways". From what I can recall from my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, the thiefling/genasi/planetouched are really isolated individuals, not a people. But that's just me, it's early, and my brain's still a bit fuzzy...

[Kulyok]

The more weird stuff there is, the less credible the story - to me, at least. I'd go without the mystery race at all.

[Mike1072]

Well, I voted for elves, especially if you need a "people with their own mysterious ways". From what I can recall from my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, the thiefling/genasi/planetouched are really isolated individuals, not a people. But that's just me, it's early, and my brain's still a bit fuzzy...

I checked this out in the 3E book, and that seems to be correct, for Faerun. It sounded to me as though Domi was making her own world here or at least not using a previously established setting in the Realms, in which case their usual blending in with human society wouldn't necessarily apply. I could see them establishing little communities over time - perhaps similar to the Isle of Balduran.

 

One thing I forgot to mention previously - my computer can't run NWN2 so I wouldn't even be able to play this for another 6 months - 2 years. Have you got an approximate timetable for this?

[Sorrow]

I vote for aasimars.

[Domi]

The more weird stuff there is, the less credible the story - to me, at least. I'd go without the mystery race at all.

 

Sorry, can't do, that's a given, and is a large part of the story. It's fantasy after all.

 

It is an original world that has nothing to do with FR.

 

Edit: Lol, no I have no timeline, so far I just drafted the storyline and started writing all the necessary in-game books, spy reports, etc.

[Starcrunch]

Well since you're going with your own setting why use any of the above? Elves are over used as a "mystery race" and tieflings and asimar each carry with them a players pre-conceived notions of how they should act/exist (and are handicapped by being plane touched, which is annoying in and of itself). You could create your own mystery race, call them whatever you like, and give them the feeling you desire making it a real for the player as to how they behave as individuals and a society. It keeps players who are familiar with the above races from using that knowledge and reducing the mystery.

 

-Starcrunch

[Domi]

I can call them anything I like, I suppose, but I am sort of thinking that if it looks like a duck, and it sounds like a duck... (or an elephant, because by whatever reason, it's poor elephants that get renamed a lot in various fantasy), so if I am not creating a completely new model (which I don't want to do) and using the same basic concept, I'd rather call an aasimar and aasimar, and an elf - an elf and give them a slightly different flavor in the world. There is plenty for the player to learn of the world as is, without taking all the familiar references away.

[BigRob]

If it's your own world, you could go with either one. If you want to maintain the overall character of the race, I suppose it depends on whether you want your race to be just "magical", for which I'd suggest any of the three, or directly linked to gods/devils, for which I'd say the Planetouched.