Karthunmas Art Preview 8
Chapter: Season Seven
Today’s Karthun preview features a full-page height chart of the core races (as well as reveals of several of the races themselves): Gnomes, Dwarves, Elves (Bear, Jackal, and Wolf clans, respectively), Humans, Illyn, and Lizardfolk.
I spent years going back and forth on the look of the lizardfolk, but ultimately settled on a more humanoid look in keeping with the theme of the core races embodying their deities. While Felicos isn’t lizard folk himself, his race (as well as the others) represent deeper characteristics.
Just curious, do mixed races exist in Karthun (easiest example being half-elves)?
In my Karthun game I have a player whose character is a Jackal half-Elf warlock.
I am playing a half-elf (wolf) in a game my friend is running too. I huess I was just asking if it was canon because I didn’t remember seeing anything in the text-only book.
What’s the other half?
Just human. Dad was a human, mom was an elf.
I’ve mentioned these characters, before, but I still think they’re amusing: my sons started playing D&D 3.5 about 12 years ago, when they were 7 and 10. The characters they created were a half-elf wizard and a half-orc barbarian, and they wanted to be (half-) brothers.
They did not have a clue as to the implications they made about their mother.
“Mom” is an NPC in the campaign even now. Someday, we’ll get to the bottom of it all.
I love the Bear clan’s Elf, something different than Skinny pure white Elf or Drows(or the sorts)
Looks great! The little red bow in the hair of that hulking human warrior made me chuckle. Nice touch.
Because who doesn’t want to look pretty and precious while they’re CRUSHING SKULLS with a GIANT HAMMER?!
I’ll bet that gives +1 to hit, as well.
What do we know about the Illyn, are they Fey creatures like elves?
The races look incredible!
The Illyn are the patron race of Elinar. Here’s the first concept page Brian shared awhile back: https://d20monkey.com/comic/karthun-concept-art-the-illyn/
Interesting how the jackal clan elves have such a different physiology than other elves. I should probably go back and read my text-only preview of the sourcebook to see what that’s all about.
Shortest version – Shitty members of the Wolf clan done dinked up some magic.
Wait, there was a text only preview of the book? What update was that on?
Never mind, found it. For some reason, I only had updates 24 on, so somehow I missed that one.
That bear clan elf is sweet! Makes me want to play as a bearserker elf.
Illyn be Illin’ yo.
So those are dope, but why would you ever play an elf who WASN’T Bear Clan?
Bear Clan = Best Clan.
*twitch* *twitch*
JUST START THE ARC ALREADY!
Sorry. I just… so much teaser art… WANT TO SEE STORY AGAIN.
Get a grip. I have to finish this work to finish the book and I am not starting a new arc until it is finished because I am already running in myself into the ground trying to get everything done (Karthun, freelance, archiving the series, new cast page, other new features, etc). I am almost finished and then I will get back into stories so I can get ahead and not have to miss posts again because I am always burning the candle at both ends.
*gives Brian a new case of candles* Now these here candles are impossible to light at both ends. They force the burner to slow down and exist by the light of one end at a time. We found a significant decrease in candle related issues with this new model.
Dear Brian. I just wanna tell you how much your comic has inspired both my playing and my DMing. I take a lot of ideas from online comics, podcasts, etc and put them into my DMing and playing. Before your comic I never thought of a cleric/rogue type.. played one and it was so much fun. On DM side I am actively encouraging my casters to think of flavors for their magic and they have responded well. All in all I love your comic and I wanna say take as much time as you need. As much as I want to see the next arc I want to see Karthun (SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!) so take your time and take care of yourself.
I had pictured the lizardfolk having more of a big toothy snout the way most lizard-people tend to have in RPGs, but I like this look. Kind of a Killer Croc sorta vibe. I can dig it.
And yeesh, is that Jackal Clan elf undead, a servant of The Mother, or do all Jackal Clan elves just look like someone tried to beat them to death with the ugly stick?
All in all, killer designs. I think the first character I’ll make will be a Bear Clan elf, because it’s always been my dream to play an elf who can actually grow a goddamn beard.
i would have prefered a toothy snout lizard race. Looks more natural. this way they feel more like…Aliens? i don’t know..
Okay, the drawings are really good and really well done. that being said.
Just like D&D Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much Elves.urg!
how about a second dwarf-race?
or an actual beast-race, (Lizard-folk do not Count in my book,cause of the humanized face.)
The good part is that no race has more height than humans (and ,urg, the bear clan)
that is certainly something new. normaly humans in Fantasy are average in most ways.
There is a second race of dwarves, the Underlords. (generally bald, gross beards, and pale) They’re dicks, I mean they have all their own horrible shit going on and are horrible as a result, but dicks still. Rulers leaning into some demonic whispering, horrible nasty bugs coming up from below them…they enslave others to force them fight in their war. The Sunwalker dwarves are a group of such enslaved citizenry who said eff it and rebelled/left. A PC could either be a more recently escaped Underlord dwarf or sent on some mission by the Dread Throne.
Unless the text has changed from the text-only, Lizardfolk come in a variety of sizes up to like 7 feet.
The important thing to remember is that when you start running it, it becomes your version of Karthun so do what you want. (And then tell us about it, because that’s always neat.)
I simply will say I disagree on the elf issue and beast race issue. Elves in fantasy are typically regarded as “more realm-attuned humans” in my circles, the nature we’ve seen in Karthun seems well-reflected in that stance.
Beast races are hard to fully tune for communities as nit-picky as ours, and honestly the creator explained his reasoning for these races to be revealed.
On height I can agree, neat feature for humans to keep the top of.
Try to keep your head while creating this Brian, good work as always.
All of the art is fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
I love this.
Fucking love it.
So many settings have elves as the “High” race, like they’re better.
I quite like this clan idea (Have not read the preview, I only discovered the kick starter AFTER it closed :'( )
However, beautiful. These look great, different from what we usually get in such circumstances.
However, because I love content, are there other races that ate not quite so common?
For example, the Goliath from Volos Guide, a less common race than dwarves or elves ?
It will be available to all eventually!
To answer your question though since Brian is working hard to get things done, these are just the most common races! The world of Karthun used to have three large landmasses before the Worldfire, after all that’s left is the last continent, Doryan. The text doc includes a section about how to include other races. Basically, like Gnomes, any other race can be considered as having come from one of the other continents before the Worldfire consumed your home.
Check further up for another comment I made about the Underlord dwarves. They’re jerks. (They’re also why there are no halflings, they supposedly enslaved them to extinction. Though I had a player in a game who wanted to play one and I had them join the Sunwalker dwarves who they escaped with)
I have a super weird personal idea about the Goliath, but the short answer is absolutely they can.
What about The Diminished? Are they playable or are they to be regulated as NPCs?
Totally playable.
Awesome!
Can these be considered “typical” for their race? Like, the Human looks to be what, 6’4? Maybe humans in Karthun are just bigger than humans on Earth.
Humans come in all shapes and sizes in Karthun but as a general rule (for me anyway) they are a hearty people.