Race Creation Guide

I make guides and lists frequently, I apparently like to torture myself… :cry:

Anyway, I notice that more people seem to be making their own races and such. I thought that my “guide” could be slightly helpful, If not then hey ho.

These are all the things I consider when making a Race.

Overall/General - Voice(Low, High, Nasally etc), First impression(Do they seem eccentric, Stoic etc), Posture, Sleeping(How long do they averagely sleep? 4? 10?) and eating habits( Do they only eat meat? are they cannibals? do they eat plants? etc)

Head - Eyes(shape and colours), Eyebrows, Ears(Pointed or rounded?), Nose(Hooked or pointy?), Lips, Hair colours, Head shape(Heart, Oval etc), Facial hair, Tongue(Shape and colour)

Body - Height, Body type(Slender, Brawny etc), Skin Colour and common ailments

History/Culture - Famous battles, Famous songs(Nursery rhymes, Lullabies or “Classics”), Famous stories(Like Red Riding Hood), Religion(Do they believe in a god? If so how many? Are they secretive or open about it?), Entertainment(Do they have technology like TV and Mobile Phones? Do they have pubs or taverns? Do they have prostitutes or other adult entertainment? Do they have celebrities?)

Location - Do they all reside in one place? Do you they own any land to call their own? Do they wonder like nomads? Did they migrate or have they been there from the start?

Homes - Are they built in a forest? Underground? In the sky? Is it hot or cold? How is their home protected? What are their homes made of?

Ecology(I’m not sure if that is the correct word to use) - Sex, Mating/Breeding(Does it work the same as humans? Do they have to do anything special?), Birth(Can any gender or non binary give birth? Eggs or live birth? Does it pop out the same way?)

Language - Do they have their own? Is it still around or did it die out? Can they speak others?

Combat - Do they fight on foot,animal,by boat or by air? Do they use weapons or magic? Is there a Militia? Is it free to join as you please or is it mandatory to join?

Attributes - Are they strong but slow? Fast but weak?

Inter-Race Relations - Do they have a bad history with other races? Who are they allied with? Who are they enemies with?

That’s all I have, Sorry for making any grammatical or spelling errors.

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Wow thats acctually a really good checklist! Thank you!

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Anybody wanting build a detailed race, I’d recomend they check out the book World-Building by Stephen L. Gillett.

This is a nice guide to keep in mind since there are some things that people might not think about when making a race. Thanks for the guide man!

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