in further thaumobiological news
Jun. 21st, 2019 06:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethIf a species works more like lichen, by teaming up with some magic algae or whatever, and that's where the green comes from and why descendants keep being 'half orc'
then
you have an excellent excuse for three (or more) person biological reproduction.
Like we've got the genetics and regular chromosomes of the animal part of the partnership, and they'd need two like usual
but you've then got one
who is really good at making green.
Or more than one! Some lichens are a party. Got green and blue green in there. Why not more than one sort of thaumobiological partner?
... though if the green is photosynthetic and the thaumobiological bit used to provide light but turned into something more directly useful to the animal part...
Just, lichens are cool and alien biology is cool and... honestly I'm not sure how useful to a plot 3+ person parenting is unless that plot is explicit, but, it could do interesting things to societies?
Also I reject the stupid background that says half orcs are always made by violence. Have you met humans? Humans fuck. Absolutely guaranteed there will be humans who want to fuck an orc. Just, humans. Be like that.
The down side is half orcs and orcs are almost always listed with shorter life spans than humans, whereas elves and half elves have longer. Do you want to sign up for shorter lives for the next generation? Orcs are also listed as stronger, and maturing faster. Elves are weak and young for lots longer and can die by violence as much as anyone. So I reckon the math changes depending on social conditions. Like in the here now you've got enough people dying of old age it might be worth it to be elves, but can you imagine trying to get elf babies to maturity through centuries with plague and war and famine all around? They'd be babies so long! If going to die of causes other than ageing anyway, then the trade off looks pretty good. Strong healthy fast maturing babies? Why not?
Yes I know we make up all these rules anyway.
But once you've added magic to an ecosystem then figuring out how every species relates to it is huge. Like they're all different to it. So what's the advantages and disadvantages of using this entirely new energy source in those particular ways?
Orcs is just one convention for a bundle of traits.
But it usually bundles a trade off in stats so stronger but less smart.
Full orcs in Pathfinder are +4 Strength but -2 Int Wis Cha. Like all three, minus.
But half orcs get +2 to whatever they choose, like their human side.
(Prejudice against half orcs makes no sense. None.)
But if optimised for strength not knowledge then, what, the symbiotic parts create certain conditions? Except no, because half orcs aren't negatively affected. So it's the other part of the partnership that stated out that way?
Looks like the only things half orcs get from their orc side are dark vision and a stubborn refusal to die of injury. I mean, plus points, sure, but. Not huge changes?
I guess watching Stargate gives me certain ideas about symbiosis and what it could achieve. Jaffa get a lot out of it biologically, and all the down sides seem to be socially imposed. Some of that for orcs be a start to some interesting story.
Like I said before, if orcs was there first and humans take against them for the whole not getting out of the way on their own lands tendency, everything else could, from an orc pooint of view, be a very differemt story. If the symbiotic part thaumobiological life forms are local, humans adapting could look like...
well, whatever the story wants, really.
then
you have an excellent excuse for three (or more) person biological reproduction.
Like we've got the genetics and regular chromosomes of the animal part of the partnership, and they'd need two like usual
but you've then got one
who is really good at making green.
Or more than one! Some lichens are a party. Got green and blue green in there. Why not more than one sort of thaumobiological partner?
... though if the green is photosynthetic and the thaumobiological bit used to provide light but turned into something more directly useful to the animal part...
Just, lichens are cool and alien biology is cool and... honestly I'm not sure how useful to a plot 3+ person parenting is unless that plot is explicit, but, it could do interesting things to societies?
Also I reject the stupid background that says half orcs are always made by violence. Have you met humans? Humans fuck. Absolutely guaranteed there will be humans who want to fuck an orc. Just, humans. Be like that.
The down side is half orcs and orcs are almost always listed with shorter life spans than humans, whereas elves and half elves have longer. Do you want to sign up for shorter lives for the next generation? Orcs are also listed as stronger, and maturing faster. Elves are weak and young for lots longer and can die by violence as much as anyone. So I reckon the math changes depending on social conditions. Like in the here now you've got enough people dying of old age it might be worth it to be elves, but can you imagine trying to get elf babies to maturity through centuries with plague and war and famine all around? They'd be babies so long! If going to die of causes other than ageing anyway, then the trade off looks pretty good. Strong healthy fast maturing babies? Why not?
Yes I know we make up all these rules anyway.
But once you've added magic to an ecosystem then figuring out how every species relates to it is huge. Like they're all different to it. So what's the advantages and disadvantages of using this entirely new energy source in those particular ways?
Orcs is just one convention for a bundle of traits.
But it usually bundles a trade off in stats so stronger but less smart.
Full orcs in Pathfinder are +4 Strength but -2 Int Wis Cha. Like all three, minus.
But half orcs get +2 to whatever they choose, like their human side.
(Prejudice against half orcs makes no sense. None.)
But if optimised for strength not knowledge then, what, the symbiotic parts create certain conditions? Except no, because half orcs aren't negatively affected. So it's the other part of the partnership that stated out that way?
Looks like the only things half orcs get from their orc side are dark vision and a stubborn refusal to die of injury. I mean, plus points, sure, but. Not huge changes?
I guess watching Stargate gives me certain ideas about symbiosis and what it could achieve. Jaffa get a lot out of it biologically, and all the down sides seem to be socially imposed. Some of that for orcs be a start to some interesting story.
Like I said before, if orcs was there first and humans take against them for the whole not getting out of the way on their own lands tendency, everything else could, from an orc pooint of view, be a very differemt story. If the symbiotic part thaumobiological life forms are local, humans adapting could look like...
well, whatever the story wants, really.
PS: Doh! Killjoys!
Date: 2019-06-21 06:34 pm (UTC)