Snapdragyn
Explorer
It occurs to me that the other thing being neglected by those suggesting females of other D&D species as noncoms due to physical differences (in addition to the obvious generalization that because such differences exist in humans they must exist in other sapient species) is the presence of magic. If females of a species are more likely to display magical talent - either through greater likelihood of inheriting the ability (sorcerers), through greater aptitude with magical studies (wizards), or through preference of the divine (clerics & druids) - then the relative power of each gender within the society would not be so disparate. In a short-lived gameworld homebrew, I had a city where women ruled for exactly this reason; they held all knowledge of magical power & men were strictly forbidden to learn magic. Strength in battle is more than strength at arms.
This is a generalization based on human experience. For polyandrous species, keeping men away from the front lines would be 'natural', since one woman could mate with many men. Try telling a phalarope or buttonquail that males aren't important for breeding - then watch all of the eggs die without a male to brood them.
Likewise, for a species with true lifetime monogamy - no 'dating around' before marriage, no divorce, no cheating - sending the 10 males from a village of 20 residents away to battle & having only 1 come back to the 10 females left behind is only going to lead to 1 breeding couple & 9 lonely spinsters. In such a society, sending 5 males & 5 females from this hypothetical village to battle would be more logical, since it would leave 5 breeding couples after the battle instead of only 1.
Human experience != all sapient species experience.
As mentioned earlier, females are vital for breeding and it would be natural behavior to keep the women away from the front lines if at all possible.
This is a generalization based on human experience. For polyandrous species, keeping men away from the front lines would be 'natural', since one woman could mate with many men. Try telling a phalarope or buttonquail that males aren't important for breeding - then watch all of the eggs die without a male to brood them.
Likewise, for a species with true lifetime monogamy - no 'dating around' before marriage, no divorce, no cheating - sending the 10 males from a village of 20 residents away to battle & having only 1 come back to the 10 females left behind is only going to lead to 1 breeding couple & 9 lonely spinsters. In such a society, sending 5 males & 5 females from this hypothetical village to battle would be more logical, since it would leave 5 breeding couples after the battle instead of only 1.
Human experience != all sapient species experience.
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