Preset Racial Descriptions (Grook)

Jurixe

Currently, there's a short sentence at the beginning of your description that says something like 'He is a frog-like Grook' or 'She is a beautiful Siren' etc. While these are fine for the most part, the one that's always bugged me has been the Grook description. No matter how I look at it, I simply can't get past the fact that I see 'frog-like' and immediately think of a variant of this:

I tried to find a more cartoony image that better reflects how I picture it, but internet's being stupid. Regardless, it doesn't seem to fit the Grook as it's depicted at the top of this forum background, which certainly doesn't conjure images of cartoon frogs in my head and looks more alien/almost fishlike than anything else. More importantly, it also looks more badass!

The point of this post is to suggest that the adjective used in front of the racial name be a little less limiting, for Grooks at least and maybe less so for Rajamala. I can think of maybe something like 'He is an amphibious Grook' that would fit, and maybe giving more descriptive characteristics in the help scroll for that race + official picture to help players envision what it should look like.

Not a major change/high priority idea at all, just something I mentioned offhand to a friend playing a Grook and he said I should idea it. So here it is!

Azor

I like amphibious. It still brings frogs to mind but it allows for a bit more latitude.

Synbios

@Jurixe: A Grook bard:

Iocun

I thought it was serpents who had the top hats.

P.S. I like "amphibious Grook".

Synbios

@Iocun: AB VOICECRAFT GIMMEGIMME. Close enough.

Jurixe

Synbios said:

@Jurixe: A Grook bard:

Thank you, that was pretty much spot on with how I was imagining them!

Synbios

To be fair, I've seen my fair share of less-than-amusing frogs, like the Heket in Guild Wars

Here, some samples:

Sylvance

Does seem a bit unfair. Guess it could be balanced by changing Raja descriptor to 'kitten-like'.

Synbios

Sylvance said:

Does seem a bit unfair. Guess it could be balanced by changing Raja descriptor to 'kitten-like'.

But then I'd have to use my newest in mithril-laser technology to create the ultimate kitten-based assassination tool:

Jurixe

@Synbios, when Kittenopolis becomes a reality, I will make you Minister of War.

Beya

I think 'amphibian' would be a better descriptor for Grooks, but amphibian also encompasses salamanders and newts. Then there would be Grooks with tails and frilly gills. And if James can be a newt, that means I can be a crocodile, because newts are similar to crocodiles, and what's the difference anyway? They both live in water. *

Eventually you start getting away from what a Grook is and always has been (a humanoid frog).

Detailed descriptions in HELP files are often helpful. What would you add to HELP GROOK?

"A race of humanoid amphibians, the Grook seem to be a fairly recent race, perhaps produced via experimentation with powerful magic. They have no memory of their origin in any case, and their only known settlement of note is upon the island of Ulangi.

"Grooks are the most intelligent of the mortal races and exhibit many frog-like features. Standing around five feet tall with slender builds, their eyes are typically round or bulbous, found in all colours. Their skin ranges in hue from green to blue and from pale to dark, and their hands and feet may be webbed to varying degrees."

When I saw the title of this post, I thought it was requesting a default description for the player which acted as DESCRIBE ME, possibly randomised with different features. Now that I could get into.

*The difference is that crocodiles and alligators lay their hard shelled eggs on land, for the curious.

Synbios

Beya said:

 And if James can be a newt, that means I can be a crocodile, because newts are similar to crocodiles, and what's the difference anyway? They both live in water. *

Eventually you start getting away from what a Grook is and always has been (a humanoid frog).

Detailed descriptions in HELP files are often helpful. What would you add to HELP GROOK?

"A race of humanoid amphibians, the Grook seem to be a fairly recent race, perhaps produced via experimentation with powerful magic. They have no memory of their origin in any case, and their only known settlement of note is upon the island of Ulangi.

"Grooks are the most intelligent of the mortal races and exhibit many frog-like features. Standing around five feet tall with slender builds, their eyes are typically round or bulbous, found in all colours. Their skin ranges in hue from green to blue and from pale to dark, and their hands and feet may be webbed to varying degrees."

When I saw the title of this post, I thought it was requesting a default description for the player which acted as DESCRIBE ME, possibly randomised with different features. Now that I could get into.

*The difference is that crocodiles and alligators lay their hard shelled eggs on land, for the curious.

@Beya: Not to mention that going into croc territory feels more Xoran-ish at this point.

Or ormyrr.

Renekton sneers at accusations of being a Grook.

Eld

As far as not matching the illustration in the forum banner, that illustration has always bugged me because it doesn't look like a grook to me. It looks more like the artist was going for a Deep One, which are more fish-like. I don't have a problem with frog-like, personally, but wouldn't object to amphibious; the sort of creep that @Beya is concerned about doesn't strike me as likely to be a major problem, especially with the racial description still mentioning specific batrachian attributes. For that matter "batrachian" might work, though it might be a bit too obscure.

Aovul

I don't mind Frog-like and I think it adds an interesting factor to the roleplaying aspect. I'm new to the game, new to MUDs in general, and the first thing anyone said to me was bringing up "Frog" to which I responded "Grook," offended. But I agree with the points brought up about the illustration. All we see is a face. That's it. And we barely see the face at that.

On the other hand... Fact that its so open allowed me to go wild with my description. Since I'm not playing off the Grook's intelligence and described my character like I would a more predatory frog (the type that eats other frogs, rodents, larger creatures, etc...) with rougher skin, more focused eyes. Have my hue change with the temperature. Even had him heavily webbed with a penchant for no shoes because I wanted more of a swimmer than a climber.

So a Grook player still has choices and is able to play around with. Just look up the various types of frogs or wiki a Frog like I did to start.

Amunet

I've never understood why people who choose to play Grooks, Rajamalas, Xorans, Horkvals, and the like are so bent upon having as human a description as possible, anyway. Quit choosing your race for the stats, and try roleplaying, instead. Especially now that traits and specialisations are a thing, there really isn't much of an excuse.

Tagg

Honestly, my description is vague as hell because I legit don't know what grooks are even supposed to look like. There's a lot of mixed messages in regards to it (see: the picture here vs the picture under playable races on Achaea website, in-game help file just gives average height/color, etc.)

Xith

Rajamala is tiger-like, right?

I'm fine with frog-like, cause that's what they are. Keeping the solid image of a frog face is intended. Things like that stop sirens from having tails and rajamalans from having wings. You're one race. A grook is like an upright-walking frog. Cross between Gollum and Kermit. Deal with it.

Tagg

Uh, have you paid attention to the newest Grook artwork? There's basically nothing froggy about it.

edit: noticed this on main site:

Play one of 12 races - whether you prefer humans and dwarves or more exotic fare such as winged Atavians, amphibious Grooks, and feline Rajamala, we have it all!

So why amphibious there, frog-like IG? Same thing with feline/tiger-like

Delphinus

"Frog-like" is fine to me, but as long as their frog-ness is detailed in HELP GROOK, "amphibian" is fine as well. The picture is what strayed from the original concept. The picture also shows an Occultist, which is 1) more evocative of Deep Ones than most things, and 2) likely to be mutated anyway. Note also that Chris Bourassa really loves his Lovecraft.

Xith

Mine says "He is a mhun." We're as unremarkable as our human cousins. So be thankful for what you have.
What I wouldn't give to be a frog-like mhun.

Tvistor

If anyone ever says Kitteneapolis in game I am going to kill them.

Synbios

Xith said:

Mine says "He is a mhun." We're as unremarkable as our human cousins. So be thankful for what you have.
What I wouldn't give to be a frog-like mhun.

What, no! I'm not that desperate.

Though I would not be opposed to "He is a sly-looking mhun." Or failing that, "He is a swoon-worthy mhun."

Tahquil

"She is a mhun and DAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN. Standing half a head taller than her racial sisters, she possesses an immaculate posture that does little to hide her height. A small waist and modest bust suggest vaguely to her femininity....."

Sylvance

Found another Grook image:

Sylvance

Slight derail: is there any visible difference between a beautiful female human and a siren?

Delphinus

@Sylvance: No, there is not.

Delphinus said:

Clearly, the solution is to delete sirens and replace satyrs with "fauns," a non-gender-specific race.

(I'm serious)

Tvistor

@Sylvance One is with five guys somewhere near Minia.

Arilles

Sylvance said:

Slight derail: is there any visible difference between a beautiful female human and a siren?

I always imagined Sirens as naturally slighter than Humans, with Humans being "thicker", y'know, more muscle etc, though obviously Human women CAN be just as beautiful as Sirens, it takes a lot of work, a push-up bra or bustier (though admittedly there are flat-chested sirens), and a good makeup artist...

That and I honestly think Sirens are supposed to have a supernatural beauty about them as opposed to the auto-sexy, like elves in LOTR...

As for Grooks, yeah, I hate that picture, along with the Xoran one, I really think of them as the first two pictures Synbios posted, though I could also see them as Toads as well...

Xith

Tahquil said:

"She is a mhun and DAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN. Standing half a head taller than her racial sisters, she possesses an immaculate posture that does little to hide her height. A small waist and modest bust suggest vaguely to her femininity....."

Borrowing that.

Sylvance said:

Found another Grook image:

"Mesa have passive regeneration in da water, okie-day?"

Sylvance

ROFL @Xith

Ryukishi

Grook Mage

/Warhammer