I didnt articulate this well enough in the video so a few people miss understood it but, a change as drastic as the hatchfolks only happened over generations of them living in the trenches, this isnt a "all of a sudden my soldier friend turned into a rat" it was slow and gradual. so you cant just magically turn into one they are pretty much a separate race within the trenches
The idea of a war going on so long that an entire race of people diverts from your own by consuming the scraps they find there I wonder if groups of people who settled near the pillars had simmilar effects, maybe theyre more resistent to manna? Or more vulnerable to it who knows
@@paulhermann2956 generations. passed down from father to son (i have no fucking idea) i never wanted to think of exact amount of time. but its been at least 5 minutes.
@@agravemisunderstanding9668 If memory serves, when the Aztec gods were all deciding on what humans should be, Coatl was the one that actually succeeded at making a cohesive creation. And he didn't rain down panthers so.... winning was a bit easier.
Quetzalcoatl stole the bones of all the previous dead humans who all had the same height and build from mictlan or something but he fell down a cliff and broke all the bones, so he remade the humans with the broken bones and that's why there are height differences
It'd make for a very interesting Pen and paper tabletop game. The magic system alone allows for some pretty cool interactions. Somewhere between D&D wild magic and the Winds of Magic from Warhammer Fantasy. Combined with the grungy, WW1 trench warfare from certain factions of Warhammer 40k it'd be pretty interesting to explore it in that kind of game. There's also the possibility of an actual video game, set in the old grid style turn based dungeon crawlers. The slower pace of such games would allow for more interaction with the worlds lore which could be spread around with books and the occasional NPC's. It'd also fit in with the trench warfare aesthetic and allow combat encounters to pop in at any time as some mad lad rushed your trench and dropped in on top of you, or a raid on your section of the trench occurred during battle. Then boss battles could be against the mages of the setting or something. You could trade with the Hatchfolk for equipment and information of deeper tunnels for loot and maybe gaining the upper hand in the war. You could also possibly go through manamorphises like the hatchfolk by eating mana infected foods and developing some advantageous mutations to boost your character in certain ways, but also running the risk of having disadvantageous things happening which could balance it out.
The Hatchfolk keeping rats is actually really smart. Some militaries train rats to sniff out explosives, which might be a pretty useful ability considering where the Hatchfolk live
also as a service, certain hatchfolk living further behind the lines as explosive removal services, hoping for the next breakthough that'll move the lines, giving them a new "harvest" of sorts.
@@Giguv05 Well, it doesn't need to be that deep. Who doesn't want a squinky little fella? Tiny rats are just perfect. They're the best pets.... and pests...
Keeping with the theme of human transformation, for some time now I've thought a good curse in a fantasy setting would be "turn into starfish". Not in the "poof-transformation" sort of way but in the evolutionary analogue sort of way as starfish are related to humans, technically also being chordates. The transformation would start dramatically with the victim's mouth splitting in an additional three seams and splaying open. The victim's head then flattens out with the mouth widening on all five sides and the tongue fractaling into thousands of pseudopods. The crucial internal organs are reshaped and migrated into the new body, what used to be the head. The skull stretches thin to become like an echinoderm's stiff but slowly flexible exoskeleton. At this point the victim plants their face on the ground as their tongues are now their feet and the wizened hollowed body snaps off, shedding the spine just as a larval starfish does with its notochord when it reaches maturity. The transformation decelerates as smaller clean-up changes continue for some time afterwards until the victim is entirely a human reshaped into a starfish. The jury is out as to if the victim is conscious during the process, or if they retain human consciousness as a starfish. This is an economical spell, not requiring much of the user's magic reserves (if the setting cares about that) as the majority of the biological energy required for the reshaping is drawn from the body that will be discarded. Just some food for thought.
I think it would be cool if for their language instead of doing the “cowardly and weak rat-man bit” that is seen so often, they were very well spoken. I imagine they often come into contact with generals and high ranking officers when starting their scouting deals or trading maps of the tunnels and trenches. Then of course they may have their own language but I like this idea seeing as they are humans.
yea i agree, i dont wanna just go to the typical little critter voice. I do belive they would have a quicker shortened version of talking but yea for talking to people i feel they could just talk normaly.
@@monlenzit'd be interesting to see how militarism has shaped their culture and language, I wonder if they have a specific language for long distance communication or silent communication
This worldbuilding project inspires me, along with Fear and Hunger, to make my own project. I’m making it for a DnD campaign and your work has really inspired me to keep going. Thanks for all the hard work and wonderful content
Which part of fear and hunger is the gameplay gonna be like? Starving to death after wandering around for 6 hours or getting turned into a human earthworm and bleeding out?
@@DoctorAidsI’ve played fear and hunger using Forbidden Lands with a modified sheet and some rules changes (body locations) It’s very fun, and when everyone is constantly starving, drenched, cold and exhausted it’s very do or die
I'm of the strong opinion that fantasy and fictional settings don't utilize the potential of altering the human body enough, so it was *delightful* to see you take a crack at it! Basing them around rats lends to some really fun societal and cultural opportunities, it's a great choice for an animal basis! The way you present your designs is always so engaging, I love both the thought process and the in-universe explanations from observers and participants, it makes it all feel so alive
feels like a more grounded take on Skaven - I like it a lot! Especially the role they play as an important but unknowable ally to both sides in the war
Love the whole project, and the concept of manamorphosis absolutely fascinates me. Also if you want the rat people to look more uncanny valley, my uneducated tip would be to try making their eyes more foreward-facing, similar to other predators as eyes on the sides of the skull are almost exclusively found on prey animals. This is evolutionary hard-coded in our brains and from my experience at least nothing with prey like eyes can really trigger uncanny valley feeling. Either way the design is great, canny or uncanny.
Another thing with the eyes could be increasing the ratio of whites to irises. The hatchfolk in this video have very large irises and barely visible whites, similar to most animals; humans are some of the only animals whose whites are large and visible, which is why seeing an animal with small irises usually creeps people out, as they have "human-like eyes". This could be an easy way to not only signal to the viewer that these are indeed humans, but also to create a creepy feeling by seeing human eyes in a seemingly nonhuman face.
@chandlerpearce6213 It's not about the size of their pupils, but their irises. Our pupils expand and contract to fit light levels, so in any depiction of them in the light, their pupils should be small; but the size of the irises around the pupil seems to be arbitrary as far as I know
i fucking love this style of video! the combo of "this is a thing i redesigned", "this is some lore about this thing", and "this is how they fit into the larger frame" is a balance i would like to encourage for future projects as (to me) these 3 things all explain stuff about how the world works and the various bits intersect!
I like the design, but I think you turned the face into 100% rat, which took away the uncanny effect. I would definitely do it rat- shaped, but i would keep a human- looking nose, so that some of the facial features still remain human. It would have to make the snout shorter, maybe tilted downwards, so that the human nose doesnt stick like a horn in the air
I had a thought once. Since you made dwarves bugs, basing on norse mythology... Maybe humans could be made of clay, like in the Bible or greek mythology? Like golems or constructs. There are rock humans in Jojolion
Now, there's an interesting concept: It could explain why Humans may have to go through the trouble of pact and ritual magic, alchemy, etc. As works of artifice themselves, the magic they are imbued with may not be their own, but the lingering traces of their creators' work. Interesting! Edit: To clarify, I'm speaking generally, more as a johnny-come-lately than as a fan who would know better about how it works in Monstergarten. On that note: Awesome concept for a Race in this video!
Also dont forget the rats would be the go to smugglers on the battlefield, getting Verus luxurries to raum officers and vice versa. Maybe even using a monetary system like the soldiers in the trenches, with sigarettes as their currency instead of coins.
I could also see them operating with more of a bartering system, given that Ram and Verus both use different currencies, and getting access to clothes, water, etc.. directly might benefit them more than a flexible currency.
Using money from either side would also likely be a bad idea regarding there dealings with both countries, a Raum officer would likely be very hesitant to employ hatchfolks that have a suspicious amount of Verusian currency. (and vice-versa) where has if they are paid in equipment and supplies, there's no way to tell if it comes from scavenging, stealing or payements.
@@ledocteur7701 i agree. after all he did mention they will/could work for both sides at once thus food water rations maybe one of their most valued trades. or even just a officer "looking" the otherway so they may scavange for a bunch of collected dead, as another reward for their task. say a trench map of the opposing sides stuff. we have a decent wealth of stuff they can be given as reward from working. maybe if the job is one that would harm the reputation of the hatchfolk some on one side the offer is more then just supplies but like what tink wants. a place in the bunker cities. so the one whom risks it is then granted a sides sovernty.
Would be interesting, what kind of roomers the hatchlings would know about him, as on the one hand side he is called "rat catcher", but on the other, they trade with knowladge, so ty know him well, but also probably some scary falls roomers
XD now THAT is a intresting job. like your role is JUST to keep the hatchfolk out of important areas and thus got the monicer of rat catcher. lets just hope they know how to defuse the situation of their job. but hmm maybe they just the one who handles dealing with the hatchfolk often.
Aquatic humans with hundreds of miniscule retractable tentacles would be a neat idea. Like a squid that can turn itself inside out and conceal tools. Squids and octopus are already so cool though 🤔
Now, while I appreciate the Design and thought behind the Dwarves, I find it hard to get behind - THESE GUYS however! Love ‘em. I wanna see a Jim Henson film with one of these guys as the hero. He’s like a Mystic crossed with a Gelfling!
this is my first time ever hearing of this channel (this video was on the next up side of a video i was watching) and..... i had to pause to go "hold on, why is this guy so cool??" not only are your art, design, and worldbuilding skills stellar, but your voice acting is _super_ immersive. i think i'm gonna binge these videos today because.. this is just so calming and entertaining it's insane.
I have this image of a Qu giving Simon some stink eye for stepping on their territory. I do really like the idea of trying to intentionally mutate people what's the magic in order to try to get some benefit out of it I wondered if it would be possible ever since I learned the metamorphosis, I hope to be a vet one day where you get to explain some of the more unique or fascinating mutations that people have gotten.
Idea looks very cool. I would like to diffrenciate then from Warhammers "Scaven", by making them nice. Scaven are very bad... just evil. I think that the little pet rats could be a window into a kind and compasinate side of them, obvoiusly stifled by the circumstances but still noticable in their everyday behaviour. I think this would keep them enjoyable to follow ...and keep any bad faith interpretations about disabled and disfigured people away. Anyway, love you're work, can't wait for the dwarf, and sory for my poor english.
Rats are known to be empathetic animals-proven in lab experiments where they will release a fellow rat placed into an uncomfortably small cage without expecting a reward for it.
Also its clear they're mixed, some working "honest jobs" as scaverngers, others stealing and even causing fights to get the really valuable stuff. Now one might think if this people would develop a nobility of sorts, or maybe even a town or nation at some point.
From a vet student who owns pet rats: Rats do NOT like solitude, they get depressed, their fur gets messy from lack of grooming, they get bored and kind of upset (lone rats can bite and have other disturbing behaviors like eating parts of themselves). So maybe they always have a pair or rats? Or maybe you can somehow incorporate into their culture that they don't like being (or feeling) alone? Just my 2 cents. Great design.
I really like the hatchfolk. It's making me think of how hatchfolk society would operate. Would it be a caste system? A merit system? Do they have local authorities in their settlements (there must be some bigger settlements dug beneath the ground farther away from the trenches no?). Considering Tink wants to become a blacksmith in baseliner human society leads me to believe that the hatchfolk aren't that organised throughout the trenches so their settlements don't reach sizes where jobs like blacksmithing would become a thing found there.
Love Tink! Wonderful concept. I don't like the fantasy trope where all members of a species love mining or dance around the trees. I hope he becomes an independent work owner. Maybe even get a sponsorship.🎉🎉
What can I say except another masterful work, this is a pretty good insight in design since people often forget how just some small changes can impact a species behavior and niche.
Love the idea of humans having to change due to either the need for it the world gives them or due to use/abuse of certain magics. As you said just at the very start, lots of potential in just changing how we humans looks a bit(not always all, but some or straight up another specie/subespecie of humans), be it something simple like with an elf or something like yours, we need more of it for real. Also is funny in a good way that you decided we should get to look a bit more like rats.....normally when I think about another species of human in any fantasy world I tend to think about them with more monkey like aspect, since we are so close genetically, but as far as I know we are also very alike to rats in DNA so it has sense(we test medicines and such with them after all).
I would like to say that I really appreciate these videos, not only for the imagination they show, but because you show the process and mistakes and things like that. It’s helped give me more motivation to finally put pen to tablet and start drawing characters and creatures and such from my own worldbuilding project I’ve had brewing in my mind for a while. Perhaps someday, out on the Internet, you may glimpse images of the Root and its many alien denizens (if I ever get around to arranging a themed portfolio). Have a nice day!
I've been following your series for a bit and at one point thought about making a fan character who was an explorer with a pet rat. Now I wonder what would happen if she met a hatch folk and they saw her pet rat!
Not saying I don't absolutely love this, but I still want to see more races/species such as the dwarves. It strikes me as odd that there would be exactly 2 sapient species in the world, even with all the ways humans have mutated through magic.
Your voice acting is excellent! I rarely hear anyone performing with this caliber of voice acting on a channel like this, it's impressive and will really keep me coming back to your channel.
I am in love with this video, from the art to the narration to the description. Dude, I could hear an audiobook from you talking about this. A true source of inspiration. As a DM myself, this is so enjoyable to feed the imagination.
Awesome work! I'd say this is my personal favourite among all your designs so far! I love how they somehow look kind and friendly, but a little creepy at the same time. I can imagine how talking to one of them would make you feel tense and how one would jump at every opportunity to reassure oneself that the hatchfolk are kind people, just cursed with their warped bodies 😬
Hi Monstergarden! I am curious. Since they commonly crawl through the trenches, gathering all kinds of useful things to sell back to the two main factions, do these hatch folks have ever met the Rat-Catcher? Would they accept to work for him, reporting the location of fallen mages? Or would they be terrified by the old wizard, fleeing as soon as he approaches and returning to the place only after he retrieved what he came for? My best regards to You!
You are phenomenal in your peculiar creativity and depth of detail. You grant so much brain food and I could not be more thankful. Edit: I love the fact you created a logical and quite literal "rat man" that fits so snuggly in your universe, man. I've been slowly working my own creative muscles to eventually getting to these kinds of ideas and depth.
I would love to see a comic book, a series, a book... Something in relation with this universe you are creating. The magic system and the weird characters are fricking awesome!
ended up loosing track of this channel and was very happy to see this video pop up in my recommended. so happy to see how your progressing with your world and that dwarves got a figure. looks great and didn't realize thier beards where visible whilst egged up. keep up the great world building
