Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Catra 10-19-06, 05:25 PM	My character has an affixion on Kobolds; they overran his home town and carted off his parents when he was young. Because of this, he has tracked them down across the desert planning on basically killing them all and finding out what happened to his parents. My DM and I have already played through the scenario once, but because we were both new (it was our first game), we figure we'll go through again and make a better run of it. Because of this, I know my character will eventually have plans for a sort of Adventurer's guild, and since I plan on having him 'evolve' morally (one of the main moral questions in the campaign is if monsters have souls), I plan on having him use Kobolds in a sort of forced labor program (you might call them prisoners of war, you might call them slaves) so as to test their mettle. Basically I will capture a group of Kobolds and give them much better shelter and provisions, as well as fairer treatment, than they are used to and see how it affects them. Plus, free labor! This kind of got me thinking--why stop at Kobolds for forced labor? Unfortunately, not a lot of moster races lend themselves to forced labor. All the really strong races are too wild and would be too hard to regain control if they rebelled (like trolls or ogres) and some are too humanoid for my character to be comfortable with (like hobgoblins). Bulettes might be good for hauling things (two of them could probably pull as much as six horses), but I haven't gotten much farther than that. Any ideas for monster races that would be suited for something like that?
Foxhengeyokai 10-19-06, 05:29 PM	If you think a bullette is easy to control, you must be off of your rocker!
Catra 10-19-06, 09:19 PM	I didn't say that, but they could eventually be trained. Maybe if you start with two and breed the offspring to be tame... A Druid could do it. :P Seriously, no suggestions?
Insane Pixie 10-19-06, 09:30 PM	Actually, there was a source somewhere that said some race of dwarves had raised bulettes as mounts. They're not too intelligent, so it wouldn't be that hard to a trained... buletteer? They can drag about 31,200 lbs, though. Manes would be good for forced labor. You can work them until they drop, and then they just pop out and reappear in the Abyss, as a lower demon. Oh, wait... manes. Other races I'd reccomend: • Ogre, of course. Just tell him he'll get free food as long as he works for you. • Awakened animals could be interesting. • Giants, for Strength. Other than that, nothing really screams "forced labor" to me. If I was an evil master (if... hahaha...), I'd just fill roles I needed filled with races who did it the best. Dwarfs and kobolds for mining, ogres and giant for lumberjack... ering, and maybe orcs for oddjobs.
WhiteRaven810 10-19-06, 10:02 PM	When it comes to slave miner's, nothing beats the Lawful and loyal Kobold. Troll's, Orc's, Goblin's, Troglodytes, and Ogre's are all Chaotic which makes them poor slaves. All those prisoner revolts will drain your profit margains. Maybe the Neutral/Neutral Lizardfolk? Something about the Hadozee always screamed 'slave race' seeing as how they once lived in jungles but now reside mostly on ships. Eh that's all I got for the moment.
Tiefling_Warlock 10-19-06, 10:20 PM	Undead are nice.
Catra 10-19-06, 10:33 PM	Undead are nice. They're also ugly, nasty, and smelly. the Hadozee always screamed 'slave race' What book is this from? Lizardfolk would probably work, as long as they aren't too strong. I don't want to go about killing off the stronger ones though; with the Kobolds I will be taking them out of a dismal situation, would Lizardfolk be the same way? What could I use to keep them loyal?
Lord_Canius 10-19-06, 10:40 PM	Most lizardfolk live in musty dirty stanky swamps, and by golly they like it. Taking them out of the swamp is generally not the greatest idea. However, given their tribal nature, if you can best their champion in combat, they'd probably follow you to straight to hell if need be.
Catra 10-19-06, 11:03 PM	if you can best their champion in combat, they'd probably follow you to straight to hell if need be. Sweet! With the resources available to me at that point, I could probably create a habitat for them closer to where they will be working, so they shouldn't mind too much. Do I have to defeat their champion by hand? Is using magic against him considered cheating? What would be the political implications of defeating this champion, since he will probably also be their leader?
Lord_Canius 10-20-06, 12:04 AM	Well, usually their champion should be a barbarian, the strongest among them. For leadership, nothing comes close in the lizardfolks minds to a shaman or priest, but they value physical strength to the extreme, so most likely you will face their champion, not their leader. Still, if you can beat their strongest, you could definitely beat their leader. In fact, challenge the leader to single combat as well and just have the tribe adopt you as its leader, once you've proved your strength! Remember, make it flashy. You dint have to kill the champion and/or leader, but making them look really bad or extremely weak compared to you is definitely a bonus.
Catra 10-20-06, 12:15 AM	No, I wouldn't kill them, escpecially not the leader. He would be the most influential item, and would be able to interpret my instructions to the tribe. I would probably defeat the champion, then the leader would be afraid enough to follow my instructions and I wouldn't have to depose him. When you say "make it flashy", does that include using magic?
Lord_Canius 10-20-06, 12:18 AM	It'd be best to avoid casting magic, but a magic sword, or magic items that give you permanant magical effects are game.
Insane Pixie 10-20-06, 01:18 AM	What book is this from? The Hadozee are basically gliding, chimp-people out of Stormwrack.