Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Mind if I pedantically complain that monster manuals butcher myth/folklore/fairytale?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Deset Gled" data-source="post: 7580457" data-attributes="member: 7808"><p>There is a great story of mythology pedantry that I swore came from a post here, but I can't seem to find it now. Either the post was lost during one of the accidental purges, or it comes from elsewhere. Anyway, it went something like this...</p><p></p><p>The scene is of a typical adventuring party, traversing a valley. They are alerted by a magic ward that an attack is imminent from enemies above them. Looking to the sky, they see a pack of winged creatures come from the behind a mountain. As they unsheathe their magic swords and pull out wands for the for battle, they squint into the horizon to identify the monsters. As the swarm approaches, it suddenly becomes clear: it's a school of flying sharks, shimmering white and gray in the sun... and heading straight for the party. With hate in their eyes, the sharks descend upon the party, when suddenly the bard cries out:</p><p></p><p>"But white sharks don't hunt in packs! They're solitary hunters!"</p><p></p><p>Suffice to say, there are many people who are just as pedantic as you are about monsters.</p><p></p><p>Personally, this is something that I enjoy in discussion (like here), but hate with a passion at the table. You are absolutely correct that people play fast and loose with monster rules, and that addressing it makes for a better game. Learning the actual truth behind myths helps DMs flesh out enemies. It can help make monsters unique. It adds realism that lessens the willing suspension of disbelief, and it can help players become more immersed in the game.</p><p></p><p>Many of the cases you bring up a great fodder for adventures. For example, I love the information you have about the Gorgon. I was always aware there were two different types (Greek, and the bull version from D+D, Castlevania, etc), but this is the first I've heard that the split can be tracked back to one specific individual. If I were a DM and heard my players discussing this, you can bet that 6 months from then they would find themselves in the middle of a war between two different breeds of Gorgon, both claiming the honor of the name. And the evil wizard Topsell would be the mastermind Palpatine-ing both sides to rule the leftovers.</p><p></p><p>OTOH, though, I simply despise that BS from a character in the middle of a game. Your battleaxe flinging dwarf thinks my description of the Minotaur isn't 100% accurate? Okay, make a lore check against DC 80, and try not to drool on your armor. Meta-knowledge has a time and a place. So enjoy your pedantry, but make sure it doesn't turn you into the Comic Book Guy of monsters and prevent you (or those around you) from enjoying the game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deset Gled, post: 7580457, member: 7808"] There is a great story of mythology pedantry that I swore came from a post here, but I can't seem to find it now. Either the post was lost during one of the accidental purges, or it comes from elsewhere. Anyway, it went something like this... The scene is of a typical adventuring party, traversing a valley. They are alerted by a magic ward that an attack is imminent from enemies above them. Looking to the sky, they see a pack of winged creatures come from the behind a mountain. As they unsheathe their magic swords and pull out wands for the for battle, they squint into the horizon to identify the monsters. As the swarm approaches, it suddenly becomes clear: it's a school of flying sharks, shimmering white and gray in the sun... and heading straight for the party. With hate in their eyes, the sharks descend upon the party, when suddenly the bard cries out: "But white sharks don't hunt in packs! They're solitary hunters!" Suffice to say, there are many people who are just as pedantic as you are about monsters. Personally, this is something that I enjoy in discussion (like here), but hate with a passion at the table. You are absolutely correct that people play fast and loose with monster rules, and that addressing it makes for a better game. Learning the actual truth behind myths helps DMs flesh out enemies. It can help make monsters unique. It adds realism that lessens the willing suspension of disbelief, and it can help players become more immersed in the game. Many of the cases you bring up a great fodder for adventures. For example, I love the information you have about the Gorgon. I was always aware there were two different types (Greek, and the bull version from D+D, Castlevania, etc), but this is the first I've heard that the split can be tracked back to one specific individual. If I were a DM and heard my players discussing this, you can bet that 6 months from then they would find themselves in the middle of a war between two different breeds of Gorgon, both claiming the honor of the name. And the evil wizard Topsell would be the mastermind Palpatine-ing both sides to rule the leftovers. OTOH, though, I simply despise that BS from a character in the middle of a game. Your battleaxe flinging dwarf thinks my description of the Minotaur isn't 100% accurate? Okay, make a lore check against DC 80, and try not to drool on your armor. Meta-knowledge has a time and a place. So enjoy your pedantry, but make sure it doesn't turn you into the Comic Book Guy of monsters and prevent you (or those around you) from enjoying the game. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Mind if I pedantically complain that monster manuals butcher myth/folklore/fairytale?
Top