Creating Adaptable Races (Part One) By Kory M. Kaese

Why must Elves like Dwarves, or do, they have to hate them? Why must Dwarven Woman have beards, or do they? Why must Orcs have poorly made weapons, why cannot the Orcs be artisans? In your world, you answer these questions the way you want. It has come down over the years that certain races are stereotyped to only act in certain ways or can only perform certain skills. It seems that only humans in a fantasy world can adapt to new skills and new behaviors. Having a race that cannot adapt and change will ultimately lead to their demise (good argument: Why are there no Dwarves and Elves around?). What can be done? One of the following can be done:

1. Don't worry about it?
2. Supplement adaptability with Magic or Psionics?
3. Do you allow the races to adapt but at different rates?
4. Is there only a specific timeframe that that other races will exist?
5. Maybe a combination of 1-4.

All of the four methods have been used. Which is the best method? Who is to say? I have been asked in the past to create races, countries, and worlds for other players and Game Masters to use. I do not like the "Don't worry about it" method personally. If I am going to put the effort in creating a race, I do not want to limit them to only a specific time frame. This includes just altering a Game Master's base race for her/him. I like to give them some cultural and species longevity. In order to do this, the race must be able to adapt or compensate for not being able to adapt.

The use of magic or psionics can be used to compensate for not adapting. Possible choices could be magic spells to protect the race against new biological entities or spells to protect a race against contaminants of industrialization. The use of Psionics by a race to augment their senses or to enhance the race's ability to elude races that are more advanced can be another effective way to compensate. If the race cannot adapt as a whole, one or two members of the race could use special skills for the benefit of all.

A Game Master needs to define a races abilities as well as disadvantages. If a race has the ability to adapt to new situations, their chances of survival are greater as a race. Using the earth as a model, we can look at the age of the dinosaurs. For whatever reason their world changed, either by a large rock impacting the earth or some other natural disaster their world changed. Most of the animals died because they could not adapt. Then we can take a look at some of the animals that survived. Turtles, Sharks, crocodiles and the list can go on. These animals were either suited for the new change or they were able to adapt. Races that adapt will change their culture and practices as the human races have over the thousands upon thousands of years. Look at the human culture in your area 100 years ago to the way it is now. I am willing to hazard a guess that there have been some changes over the past 100 years. You as the Game Master the creator of the Campaign world can use this to project what one to all of your cultures will or can adapt. At the very least, this model can present the rate the cultures might change. A race that is stagnates will die out eventually.

Several events can force a race to adapt. Among them is the introduction of another race in the geographical area competing for resources, or a major discovery in technology, magic, or psionics, or a great natural disasters or one of the most powerful events is that of an idea that catches on. Using the History of earth one can find many examples of events that changed cultures and forced populations to adapt to their surroundings.

In the end, if you want a race to have species longevity then they must adapt is some way. In your world, you get to decide how they adapt. If you are looking for ideas on the growth of a culture or society, your local library (or internet) should have articles on developing cultures. Using the human model, you can extrapolate the evolution of your races.