Designing a PnPRPG; question regarding possible evolution of a sapient quadruped specie

[Jadebrain_Prime]

Hello, everyone! As some of you may or may not be aware, I'm designing, from the ground up, a Pen and Paper Roleplaying Game. One of the unique things about my game is the way it blurs the line between Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres: even though the vast majority of the game's setting is fantastical in theme, it all functions on principles which are defined by the natural laws of the setting; for example, wizards in my game are actually scientists, who just happen to apply their knowledge using energy produced and controlled by the mind (as opposed to more conventional technology). Given this design goal, I want to ensure that every aspect of my game and its setting accurately represents the physics and such of the universe it takes place in, and so I want at least an adequate amount of explanation for everything.

Now, one idea that's been floating around in my head for a while is the possibility that I might actually include in my game a playable (and thus of sapient intelligence) race of quadrupeds. The problem with this is that I would need an explanation for how the race came to be. There are two possible explanations for this: evolution and engineering. The problem with engineering is that I've already decided that at least three of the races in my game are engineered, and I don't want to become too reliant on this explanation. This leaves evolution.

The problem with evolution, as I have learned from reading a while back about why dolphins aren't smarter than us, is that a quadruped specie, having no opposable digits with which to apply sapient intelligence, would gain less of an advantage from being intelligent than a specie with opposable digits, and thus it would have less of an incentive to evolve intelligence. This leaves me with the following question: What other factors could apply, which would incentivize a specie to evolve intelligence, and which would do so enough to at least make up for the lack of opposable digits?

 

[GeoffP]

Well spoken. Maybe it's as simple as the kind of intelligence that a quadraped might pick up: could we instinctively hunt a bunch of deer, or avoid being hunted, using all the available clues and nuances that the natural landscape provides? Would we even recognize them?

In practice, such a species would be dominant over its area, demographically. Let's say top predator. Wolves have social displays that, while probably for territorial presentation, might appear 'artistic', such as howling. Or that intelligence could operate in the action of such displays, which it probably does in some sense we can't fathom. Maybe a complex call might be seen as more interesting by mates, or might intimidate others of the same species, or even of the prey species. Perhaps a really specially intelligent quadraped might use its intelligence to just draw in prey to be consumed at will, or maybe the frustrated existence of such intelligence, devoid of the outlet of tools or artistic or intellectual endeavour, might produce sociopathic or antagonistic or sadistic outlooks. Have you read The Mound by Lovecraft?

 

[Jadebrain_Prime]

Well spoken. Maybe it's as simple as the kind of intelligence that a quadraped might pick up: could we instinctively hunt a bunch of deer, or avoid being hunted, using all the available clues and nuances that the natural landscape provides? Would we even recognize them?

In practice, such a species would be dominant over its area, demographically. Let's say top predator. Wolves have social displays that, while probably for territorial presentation, might appear 'artistic', such as howling. Or that intelligence could operate in the action of such displays, which it probably does in some sense we can't fathom. Maybe a complex call might be seen as more interesting by mates, or might intimidate others of the same species, or even of the prey species. Perhaps a really specially intelligent quadraped might use its intelligence to just draw in prey to be consumed at will, or maybe the frustrated existence of such intelligence, devoid of the outlet of tools or artistic or intellectual endeavour, might produce sociopathic or antagonistic or sadistic outlooks.

Valid though your points may be, I'm not sure that the kind of intelligence you describe would be the same type of intelligence that would enable a race to be playable in my game. I'm looking more for the kind of intelligence which would allow a specie to form societies reminiscent of human societies, and even technology. Of course, given that the specie would be quadruped, the development of basic technology wouldn't occur in the same sequence as it did with humans; as I'm thinking, it would probably have to occur after the specie developed sapience, rather than before or alongside, and thus it wouldn't be available beforehand to encourage the development of intelligence. Such technology, I'd imagine, would be operated primarily by mouth, as occurs on a certain show which may or may not have inspired me to consider the idea of a sapient quadruped race in the first place.

Have you read The Mound by Lovecraft?

I can't say I have.

 

[GeoffP]

I would recommend it strongly. It's esoteric, but when you get down to the evil city, there's beings somewhat similar to your proposition and the book makes allusions to their psychology.

 

[Daecon]

What about a prehensile tounge or tail that could have the same function as an opposable digit? Or two opposable toes on each side of their hind feet?

 

[GeoffP]

Interesting tongue or tail idea. That would be simple tool use, right there. Is the toes on the feet cheating in context of the OP?

 

[Jadebrain_Prime]

Huh... I didn't get the notification email that this thread had gotten new posts. Anyway...

What about a prehensile tounge or tail that could have the same function as an opposable digit? Or two opposable toes on each side of their hind feet?

Interesting tongue or tail idea. That would be simple tool use, right there. Is the toes on the feet cheating in context of the OP?

In context, it would all be cheating. I suppose I should clarify what I want: I'm looking for an alternative to fine manipulation in general which would incentivize evolving intelligence. Given that, GeoffP's original answer may have actually been on the right track, even if it explained a sort of intelligence I wasn't looking for.

 

[GeoffP]

Frustration usually equals total bastardy, in my experience. Simmering, evil intellect unable to exploit the world but knowing that it would, if only it could. Unanswerably malignant minds.


... sorry, for some reason I was thinking of hollowed-out volcanos there for a moment. How strange!

 

[Sarkus]

In context, it would all be cheating. I suppose I should clarify what I want: I'm looking for an alternative to fine manipulation in general which would incentivize evolving intelligence. Given that, GeoffP's original answer may have actually been on the right track, even if it explained a sort of intelligence I wasn't looking for.

If you're talking about "magic" being manipulation of energy produced and controlled by the mind, then maybe telepathy is something the quadrupeds evolved with, creating initially not a hive mind but certainly something more complex than any individual, and from there to more robust individual intelligences.
If they also have reasonably dexterous hands/feet such as monkeys do, albeit not the fine manipulation that comes with opposable thumbs, then their evolution could have resulted in some semblance of sentience as well as a far more cooperative society where things have to be done in groups to achieve the same manipulation that we might take for granted.
From there it's more a matter of rationalising what their society might be like, given their lack of fine manipulation. Buttons might generally be larger, for example, and possibly unlikely to have electronics, unless they have found a way to use bulky machines that they can handle and manipulate to produce the necessary intricacies of the electronics.

From a D'n'D perspective an individual might have significant penalty to skills when fine manipulation is required but compensated with a benefit to skills for things like balance, climbing etc, depending on which creature you model them as being close to.
And when in a group they might gain a benefit to their intelligence due to their telepathy etc.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Trooper]

What about looking into quadrupedalism in humans? Maybe that would give you some ideas. An MRI showed that their corpus callosum was reduced, but you could make it larger, allowing them superior interhemispheric communication. Less face to face contact, less empathy, more Machiavellian intelligence. You know, like some of the moderators here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrupedalism#In_humans

 

[Jadebrain_Prime]

If you're talking about "magic" being manipulation of energy produced and controlled by the mind, then maybe telepathy is something the quadrupeds evolved with, creating initially not a hive mind but certainly something more complex than any individual, and from there to more robust individual intelligences.

This is a possibility, though now that you've gotten me thinking about magic, simply having a natural talent with magic in general might actually incentivize evolving intelligence in fewer logical steps... then again, use of magic without proper mastery can easily result in the death of the practitioner, even among those who are already sapient. This would drastically lower the chances of any development of magical talent prior to the development of the intelligence needed to control it... hmm...

Buttons might generally be larger, for example, and possibly unlikely to have electronics, unless they have found a way to use bulky machines that they can handle and manipulate to produce the necessary intricacies of the electronics.

Generally, I try to keep use of magic and use of advanced technology separate in my setting, despite their similarities.