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It& #39;s nearly Halloween so let& #39;s talk monsters!
Living World makes (what I believe is) a really important distinction between "monsters" and "foes"
Monsters are stuff like manticores, hydras, dracobears, revenants, etc. Creatures that hunt or kill to survive or just because
Living World makes (what I believe is) a really important distinction between "monsters" and "foes"
Monsters are stuff like manticores, hydras, dracobears, revenants, etc. Creatures that hunt or kill to survive or just because
They& #39;re not exactly mindless -- even revenants, which are the unburied dead, basically Aldea& #39;s zombies, can make some basic decisions -- but they& #39;re dangerous BECAUSE they can& #39;t be reasoned with
Wild animals fall into this category. I wouldn& #39;t call wolves monsters but
Wild animals fall into this category. I wouldn& #39;t call wolves monsters but
Whatever. They& #39;re telepathic pack hunters with innate death magic. That& #39;s pretty different than our wolves, and far more dangerous.
Monsters were made when Lobad drank the sap of the world tree, the creative essence of the living world. He spawned uncountable horrors
Monsters were made when Lobad drank the sap of the world tree, the creative essence of the living world. He spawned uncountable horrors
A lot of them are like "this ape has tentacles woooah" but some are powerfully fucked up and barely resemble earthly creatures. The gods stuck most of those deep in the ocean to guard the World Tree. Sap monsters are, again, not evil, but actively dangerous
Goblins, elves, dwarfs, humans, centaurs, etc.
These are not monsters. When they fight you, they& #39;re foes. They& #39;re people.
A lot of the discussion around D&D& #39;s racism stems from the portrayal of specific races as inherently evil and monstrous
These are not monsters. When they fight you, they& #39;re foes. They& #39;re people.
A lot of the discussion around D&D& #39;s racism stems from the portrayal of specific races as inherently evil and monstrous
Living World will not do this. No species in LW is a cultural monolith, and LW& #39;s mythology is intentionally not based around good vs evil.
Orcs in D&D, depending on the edition and setting, are generally dumb, strong, and inherently violent and evil.
Orcs in D&D, depending on the edition and setting, are generally dumb, strong, and inherently violent and evil.
There& #39;s usually not a very good reason why they& #39;re evil. iirc Gruumsh is mad that the elves are pretty or something and so his children have to murder constantly.
It& #39;s never given much thought & I really don& #39;t think it& #39;s valuable to have a group exist solely to be exterminated
It& #39;s never given much thought & I really don& #39;t think it& #39;s valuable to have a group exist solely to be exterminated
So I& #39;ve tried to give every sentient species multiple cultures and never refer to them as "monsters." They don& #39;t war constantly, they aren& #39;t inherently violent or malevolent. They& #39;re people.
Even dragons aren& #39;t called monsters. They& #39;re intelligent & they have their own cultures
Even dragons aren& #39;t called monsters. They& #39;re intelligent & they have their own cultures
