-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Male Monsters
- Thread starter Force6262
- Start date
Thotas
First Post
If I recall correctly, early Greek mythology implied that centaurs are all male. Later writing introduced a few females. I'm too lazy at the moment to go to the shelf that has the Pathfinder Bestiary, but I assume that it assumes female centaurs to exist.
Back in the '80s, Roger Moore wrote a some articles about the humanoid races trying to flavor them up and differentiate them some. He added a twist to gnolls that I've always thought was cool; female gnolls have a genetic oddity that makes them about as intelligent as domestic animals. If a DM adopted this, all the gnolls that play a role in the plot are most likely to be male. (Moore's article also stated that the typical male gnoll, being no genius either, has a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that females of other species are equals to their males, would tend to severely underestimate female characters. I really, really like that.)
Back in the '80s, Roger Moore wrote a some articles about the humanoid races trying to flavor them up and differentiate them some. He added a twist to gnolls that I've always thought was cool; female gnolls have a genetic oddity that makes them about as intelligent as domestic animals. If a DM adopted this, all the gnolls that play a role in the plot are most likely to be male. (Moore's article also stated that the typical male gnoll, being no genius either, has a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that females of other species are equals to their males, would tend to severely underestimate female characters. I really, really like that.)
SteelDraco
First Post
The current game I'm playing in has a bit of a theme of gender, and there are several races that have been shown to be monogendered. I know the centaur, gnoll, and minotaur have all been depicted as all-male.
Gnolls were pretty brutal about it, kidnapping women to use as forced breeding because there were no gnoll women. We had to save several women who had been kidnapped by gnolls at one point. Centaurs were similar, though breeding wasn't exactly implied - they were just lustful and gluttonous creatures, appropriate for the original Greek myths about centaurs.
Minotaurs kidnapped males, having no use for female captives at all - they actually gave them over to the centaurs, and the centaurs gave male captives over to the minotaurs - the two races were working together.
The minotaurs would kidnap physically-powerful men to be transformed by magical rituals and such into more minotaurs. We had to rescue the heir of the kingdom from this fate before he was irrevocably transformed.
It's possible that [MENTION=1932]Savage Wombat[/MENTION] will stop by the thread and share a little more if I mention him; he's running that game and likely has more details than what I remember.
Gnolls were pretty brutal about it, kidnapping women to use as forced breeding because there were no gnoll women. We had to save several women who had been kidnapped by gnolls at one point. Centaurs were similar, though breeding wasn't exactly implied - they were just lustful and gluttonous creatures, appropriate for the original Greek myths about centaurs.
Minotaurs kidnapped males, having no use for female captives at all - they actually gave them over to the centaurs, and the centaurs gave male captives over to the minotaurs - the two races were working together.
The minotaurs would kidnap physically-powerful men to be transformed by magical rituals and such into more minotaurs. We had to rescue the heir of the kingdom from this fate before he was irrevocably transformed.
It's possible that [MENTION=1932]Savage Wombat[/MENTION] will stop by the thread and share a little more if I mention him; he's running that game and likely has more details than what I remember.
Last edited:
Savage Wombat
Hero
I've been summoned!
Thotas had it right; I started from the point that Centaurs were all males, like satyrs. I ran that out through all the monstrous humanoid races I could find.
Harpies showed up prominently, abducting human males for breeding. A medusa and a lamia also made an appearance. Each of these races requires humans in some fashion to create more of there own kind.
Basically, this creates a distinction between "true" humanoids and "monstrous" humanoids. The true humanoids were part of the original creation, and thus can breed on their own. The ones created later were flawed, and lacked the power of creation in their own bodies. So they've turned to black magic or the worship of demons to learn ways to increase their numbers.
Thotas had it right; I started from the point that Centaurs were all males, like satyrs. I ran that out through all the monstrous humanoid races I could find.
Harpies showed up prominently, abducting human males for breeding. A medusa and a lamia also made an appearance. Each of these races requires humans in some fashion to create more of there own kind.
Basically, this creates a distinction between "true" humanoids and "monstrous" humanoids. The true humanoids were part of the original creation, and thus can breed on their own. The ones created later were flawed, and lacked the power of creation in their own bodies. So they've turned to black magic or the worship of demons to learn ways to increase their numbers.
SteelDraco
First Post
I remember the medusa (stupid Deflect Arrows!) but not the lamia. Did those two races just need males for physical breeding stock, or was there something else magical going on with them?
Savage Wombat
Hero
I wasn't sure I wanted to bring the squick into this thread. I can email you.
Similar Threads
