Bog Beas/Swamp Monster for allied race?

[Deleted]

Before You call it crazy - at least read...

Of course I'm not writing about current, existing in game Bog Beasts, but like previously - rather about upgraded appearance of similar creature, based on popular idea of Swamp Monster.

Such concept have been adapted in various fantasy settings, so You probably know it not only from WoW. It's basically plantlike creature serving as nature guardian on Swamps, instead in forests. It actually came to my mind, when I was reading some stuff about comics. Cause as You maybe know - both DC and Marvel introduced Swamp Monster based super heroes as protagonists.

1. In case of DC - it is called Swamp Thing - and it's in shorter possible description, human transformed by mystic sentient source of life force into it's avatar, and shape-shifting creature described as Plant Elemental. Here have some pictures -







2. In case of Marvel - it's called Man-Thing - and have very classical backstrory, of human scientist turned monstrous. I'm sure You heard at least few such stories. Here i got some pictures too -



My point is, if such creature can be superhero, why not playable race in fantasy setting? Could be great addition to Dustwallow Marsh, and maybe best possible Horde's answer to Botani? Many of You have been asking for Slavic Leshen. Well - this creatures are in fact very similar, most obvious difference is, that they guard swamps, not forests

What do You think? Could it work?

[cocomen2]

We call them Botani

[Deleted]

We call them Botani

Nah, Botani are not shwamp creatures. They are not wet and dripping all the time, they do not live underwatter, they can not have fungus as part of their bodies.

And proper shwamp monster can have all of it ^^

[Wildstars]

I like the idea but I would much more prefer if they will be only "fungus" type plant race:

[Kresh64]

I like the idea but I would much more prefer if they will be only "fungus" type plant race:

We already have a race of mushroom/fungus people, the Sporelings in Zangarmarsh.

[Magistrate]

If they're monstrous in appearance I feel like they'd make sense as a Horde race. I'd like a plant race xD

[ChronoSul]

We already have a race of mushroom/fungus people, the Sporelings in Zangarmarsh.

There are also some fungus people in BFA too

[shoc]

Why not the Botani?



Sure, they aren't exactly Bog Monsters, but they are descended from Sporemounds, massive fungal 'gods' on Draenor. The Botani even use fungus to infect other living races, to corrupt them into servitude. Whether they have wooden or fungal features could be a customization option on a playable Botani.

[Wildstars]

We already have a race of mushroom/fungus people, the Sporelings in Zangarmarsh.

We already have 2 human race, 2 orc races, 2 troll races, 2 dwarf races, 2 draenei races, 2 tauren races, 4 (!) elf races.

Its not argument.

[Kresh64]

We already have 2 human race, 2 orc races, 2 troll races, 2 dwarf races, 2 draenei races, 2 tauren races, 4 (!) elf races.

Its not argument.

Wasnt an argument against you, I just want Sporelings to get more love from Blizzard. Sadly they seem to have forgotten all the Outland races in favour of the AU Draenor ones and there arent any Sporelings on AU Draenor yet.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Perfect allied race

[Deleted]

We already have a race of mushroom/fungus people, the Sporelings in Zangarmarsh.

I was wondering, if there could be Botani equivalent in Zangar Encroachment, cause there was never shown any. Sporelings are just transformed Podlings.

There are also some fungus people in BFA too

Yes, Fungarians - blizzard attempt to copy D&D Myconids. However they are made smaller, and even less humanoid, and in rather no way able to wear players armor

I like the idea but I would much more prefer if they will be only "fungus" type plant race:

Just of being precise - fungi are not plants

And with fungal race there are problems. Of course if we stay rather in trope of Zangar Encroachment, than all that spore themed creatures can be completed with some more evolved and humanoid creature. But if we follow trope of these new Fundarians, or D&D Mykonids, we get thing that could be even harder to stick into the armor, than Botani. Sadly, because they are cute for sure.

If they're monstrous in appearance I feel like they'd make sense as a Horde race. I'd like a plant race xD

This was exactly my way of thinking here. Maybe DC version of Plant Elemental I presented doesn't show it well, but Marvel version shows my main point - they could be more monstrous than Botani.

Why not the Botani?

(...)

Sure, they aren't exactly Bog Monsters, but they are descended from Sporemounds, massive fungal 'gods' on Draenor. The Botani even use fungus to infect other living races, to corrupt them into servitude. Whether they have wooden or fungal features could be a customization option on a playable Botani.

And ddin't You just proposed in other thread fourth kind of Human? Don't get me wrong, I'm not against, even if I prefer less humanoid races.

I don't know if Botani use any fungus. Spores can be produced as well by fungi, as by some primitive plants. And we see in Draenor, that biomes descending from Sporemounds they compete with each other - Zangar Encroachment infects Podlings, and give them allergic reaction or transform into part of itself.

But it's not only about it, that was just example of them having body composed of more local fauna and flora. Botani are not swamp creatures, they are less monstrous and frightening in appearance. And last but not least - if we even consider making Botani more diverse in terms of customization - they are one race, and would be added to one faction. And what I was searching, is possible candidate for their Horde equivalent.

Current Bog Beast have maybe no appealing model, but they have art representation, that looks more like proper swamp monster -

[Techno-Druid]

We already have 2 human race, 2 orc races, 2 troll races, 2 dwarf races, 2 draenei races, 2 tauren races, 4 (!) elf races.

Its not argument.

Except those are either offshoots or ancestral groups, not races independent of each other.

[Wildstars]

Except those are either offshoots or ancestral groups, not races independent of each other.

Yangoul related to Tauren just like Botani related to Sporelings.

[Techno-Druid]

Yangoul related to Tauren just like Botani related to Sporelings.

Except they're not, botani and sporelings are separate races, while tauren and yaungol are basically what amounts to separate subspecies, they are both however, of the same species.

[Skirdus]

Alliance have a portal to the Everbloom in SW.

Botani as Alliance Allied Race confirmed

[Deleted]

Sporelings are Pondlings transformed by Zangar Encroachment. Looks like Sporemounds could took over races one from another during their rivalry, as well as assimilate external species.

Yet, emerging directly from Sporemounds make them both related, even if descending from separated evolutionary branches.

[shoc]

Even if it checked out lorewise, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a Bog Beast style race to wear armor. All of your examples clearly show that Bog Beasts don't exactly share a penchant for wearing armor, or even wielding weapons.

I'm not dismissing the idea, because that's no fun, but I'm going to ask a couple prerequisite questions to flesh this idea out.

1. What is their faction leadership structure?

2. What are their playable classes and why?

3. What is their architecture style?

4. How would they fare in extreme hot / extreme cold environments?

5. What would motivate them to join the Horde? They have a long history of clearcutting nature, which is far from the ideals of a Bog Beast.

[Deleted]

(...)

Set of questions that clearly shows one most troubling thing - Bog Beast and Swamp Monsters, even if don't have to be necessarily solitary, do not create own complex societies and civilization. Can function at best aside existing ones, like Dryads next to Night Elves

But Ok, if I took on myself such challenge, let's at least try -

5. Not all Horde races stays in bad terms with Nature - Taurens have no such problems. In fact it would probably served Horde well, to get races strengthening similar positions. Being indigenous inhabitants of Kalimdor, Tauren have also advantage to have knowledge of other inhabiting it creatures. Possible scenario could go only by that way.

4. Wetlands exist on all climatic zones - From Siberia, to Arabic Penisula on our world, in temperatures from -50 to +50 C. Creature being kind of elemental embodiment and guardian of such environment, would probably by even more resistant than traditional races. Temperatures are no problem, only possible weakens I see is drying.

3. There is no current architecture, cause there are no examples of stable headquarters. However - Taurens in Kalimdor also didin't build cities in the past, and Dryads coexisting with Night Elves either share their architecture, or live in open environment. Lest's say we get some nature guardians awakened from slumber in Dustwallow Marsh - surrounding environment is their architecture. Also already playable Void Elves do not have society and civilization yet, and are just a founding group.

2. Quite obvious proposition are Druid and Warrior. I would also think about Rogue - they are wild horror monsters - more efficient in the dark that their size could suggest. In fact rather probably nocturnal. I was also wondering about Monks - mostly because of them being described as connected to natural medicine. These are actually all ideas i have for now.

1. Because there is nothing known about any organizations of Swamp Monsters in Azeroth, and they in fact seem to by rather solitary - we could follow DC trope, with their idea of "Forest Parliament" - kid of collegiate body of Plant Elementals involved in protecting their environments. That's my proposition of story that yet would be written.

How could Horde get such allies? Probably only in one way - during scenario, in which it helps somehow save marshes from destruction or corruption. I acknowledge, that it would took lot of time to introduce such story. How would they get along with Goblins for example? That would be difficult, I expect them to act to slow down and stop pollution and degradation. I admit, that wearing armor by creature, that at least to some point can depend on properties of own body in fight, is most serious objection. On the other hand - their possible at least partially shape-shifting bodies make good material for possible racial abilities. They could for example get ability to grow different useful things on own body at will.