Cayzle's Wemic Site

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Here is an essay by Nexx, derived from several letters he wrote me, and inspired by some older content on my site and several screeds. He gave me permission to put his thoughts on my site. I also highly recommend his Web site, which has a lot of strong gaming content.

Wemic Armaments

Wemics, in my opinion, would not be prone to using the greatsword for several reasons.

First of all, while they are technically Large creatures, their upper bodies are not especially developed compared to a human; from anything other than a game mechanics point of view, I would question their ability to use a greatsword one-handed. A bastard sword, perhaps, but not a greatsword.

Second, inside the game world, however, you have to question how they would get greatswords in great numbers, and how they would they gain any great proficiency with them. Wemics are, after all, nomadic creatures, not prone to metallurgy, nor to large-scale trade with the metal-working cultures of Faerun. Sub-Saharan African cultures did work iron, it's true, but their ironwork was limited; they did not develop steel, and constructions on the length of a greatsword were beyond even the relatively advanced Romans. They don't have the means to regularly acquire greatswords in their natural habitat, and so few would gain their primary proficiency (and thus specialization) in them.

Once they have a greatsword, who is going to train them in their use? Trial-and-error will teach them, it is true, but also consider that certain weapons are better suited to a Wemic's body and fighting style. A spear can be used from a leap and from a charge with devastating effect, is relatively cheap to make, and can take advantage of a wemic's current level of technology. A greatsword, on the other hand, is an alien weapon to them, requiring free-swinging motions which will be somewhat restricted by their large backparts; humans have enough trouble with getting legs and arms in the way of large, sharp blades without having an additional four to six feet of hindquarters to deal with, which could be located anywhere behind them, based on the needs of their footing.

Wemic Anatomy

My long-term impression of Wemics is largely influenced by two sources ... the liontaurs of the Quest for Glory series and the illustration in the Second Edition Monstrous Manual. Because of this, I've pictured wemics as being physically much closer to the Quest for Glory Simbani or Leopardmen (a shapechanging people who revere magic): covered in fur, with the characteristic "split-lip" of feline faces, and fairly sensitive noses and ears. Their jaws aren't hung for bite attacks, but they're pretty powerful. Their fingers have thick nails; not quite claws, but fairly tough. Their rear legs have claws, too, but they're less useful if one wants to maintain balance with the upper body.

Wemic Technology

Wemics have neolithic technology, but I don't see them as being "trapped" by it, so much as without the resources to advance beyond it on their own. They don't know how to get iron out of the ground, or work it if they do, but nothing prevents them from trading for steel spearheads or for other such things. Their fur-covered bodies mean that fire-based technologies (like metalworking) aren't things they're likely to explore, but that doesn't make them stupid or useless.

I could see them being very much into leatherwork (as their kills would provide plenty of leather to work with) and wickerwork/basketry. A Wemic shield is likely a wickerwork frame with a leather face; light, strong, and it will foul arrows even if they pierce that first layer of leather. I also don't see them as necessarily eating their meat raw ... I see it as an option, especially if they're on the move, but cooking is prefered because it increases the longevity of the meat and gives a lot more flexibility. But if you need to eat on the move, or without drawing attention to yourself (i.e. no smoke), raw food should be an option for wemics.

Wemics vs. Liontaurs

I like the idea [to make a distinction between old-style lion-centaurs and third edition furry wemics. Let "wemic" refer to the 5-hit-die, beastial creature in "Monsters of Faerun," that is, the WotC intellectual property. And let "liontaur" refer to the less beefy, more traditional, human-from-the-waist-up creature -- and let liontaurs have only one racial hit die.]

On a related note, the first "Quest for Glory" game, which did not include the Liontaur (introduced in the second game), did have the Cheetaur, which were beasts. No evidence of intellect was ever given in the game (not much was presented for some other creatures, too, however, so there's some wiggle room). About the height of an ogre, they were also some of the fastest creatures in the game (which didn't say a lot, though they moved as fast as the dinosaur-equivalent Saurus Rex), they were primarily nocturnal and could be really nasty.

Here are a few things to think about, when you're describing the differences between wemics and liontaurs from a simulationist point of view.

1) How are they related?

2) How do they relate to each other?

3) What's the result of a crossbreed? (Think of the difference between a human, an ogre, and a half-ogre) This question may seem a little bit furry, but if you've got wemics and liontaurs sharing and competing for ecological resources, its going to come up if the wemics have at least a low intelligence and a compatible physiology ... and that's without magical intervention.

4) What kinds of subraces are there? Is there perhaps a subspecies from another crystal sphere who makes its home in the forests, and so is a bit smaller and more agile, but takes a hit to its strength (or even charisma, if they don't routinely interact)?

5) What social structures would they use? Now, the cliche would be to base it upon a pride of lions, with a King/Chief at top, with his female advisors beneath him, but then one would have to wonder at the fate of other males in such a structure. This can tie back to the relation question ... wemics keep a fairly strict one adult male per tribe, with the balance being females and sub-adults (with adult males being driven off if they cannot defeat their father-chief), while liontaurs have discarded this practice and allow non-chief males to remain and take wives and father children. This has resulted in a physically weaker, but overall more intelligent, prosperous, and "civilized" subrace of the same species, whose features are more refined and who tend to have a longer life-span (both of which are actual, documented results of domestication, both in humans and in animals). Even within that rough description, there's a huge amout of room for improvization ... liontaurs might rule that only Kings may have full manes, and that all other males must cut their hair short, in deference to the king. Yearly, the king must face challengers to his throne in combat or in a test of skill of some sort, to prove that he is still the best candidate for the job (perhaps a multi-faceted test of skill, rather than just a trial-by-combat would fit our more refined liontaurs). Liontaurs and wemics, right now, have such a vague social structure that we don't know who they are, so it's easy to make up who they might be.