D&D (2024) (+) New Edition Changes for Inclusivity (discuss possibilities)

[Umbran]

How does making changes to aberrations make D&D more inclusive though?

By removing the direct attributions to a racist jerk.

 

[Haldrik]

According to the Monster Manual, there are intelligent Monstrosities, including Minotaur and Yuan-Ti.

So, Aberrants seem to work better as a Fiend tag, like Devil and Demon.



This can help distinguish between tropes of Unaligned mutants versus Evil mutants.



That said, it is possible to describe both Minotaur and Yuan-Ti as fiendish.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I kind of like Aberrants as the new neutral evil, but I think we keep the Far Realms and some of the lore. For example, I like the idea that most of the Aberrations are the evils that consumed their own dimensions and are floating around in the Far Realms, seeking to absorb this dimension and utilize it for their own ends.

Demons and Devils are of this dimension, Aberrations are beyond it.

I also like devils being created because and having a PR campaign that they are the best line of defense against the Demons and the Aberrations. A "Hey, look, we are evil, but we are a better evil than those things, right?" It leans into my favorite parts of Infernal powers being about making a choice, by giving you a good reason to choose them. Literally, "better the devil you know"

 

[MGibster]

By removing the direct attributions to a racist jerk.

You're telling me someone opened D&D, saw there were creatures categorized as aberrations, and jumped directly to Lovecraft and white supremacy somehow? That's absurd.

 

[MGibster]

Purging away full-on white racist supremacism. One might as well have swastikas on Cthulhu.

So what does this say about the creators of the Call of Cthulhu role playing game or those who play it?

 

[Umbran]

Demons and Devils are of this dimension, Aberrations are beyond it.

Funny use of the term "dimension".

You cannot walk, take a boat, or fly to The Abyss. It is not on the same plane of existence. I am not sure how you can call it the same dimension.

 

[Umbran]

You're telling me someone opened D&D, saw there were creatures categorized as aberrations, and jumped directly to Lovecraft and white supremacy somehow? That's absurd.

You asked a question. More than one of us has given you basically the same answer. The fact that you do not understand it does not make it absurd.

So long as this conversation is a fight to get past your persistently judgemental incredulity, I am not terribly interested in it.

 

[MGibster]

So long as this conversation is a fight to get past your persistently judgemental incredulity, I am not terribly interested in it.

I understand where you're coming from as I find it difficult fighting past your righteous indignation.

 

[Wishbone]

I kind of like Aberrants as the new neutral evil, but I think we keep the Far Realms and some of the lore. For example, I like the idea that most of the Aberrations are the evils that consumed their own dimensions and are floating around in the Far Realms, seeking to absorb this dimension and utilize it for their own ends.

Demons and Devils are of this dimension, Aberrations are beyond it.

I also like devils being created because and having a PR campaign that they are the best line of defense against the Demons and the Aberrations. A "Hey, look, we are evil, but we are a better evil than those things, right?" It leans into my favorite parts of Infernal powers being about making a choice, by giving you a good reason to choose them. Literally, "better the devil you know"

Haldrik's idea of aberrations taking the flag for NE daemons certainly would give an out of game justification for why ultroloths look like grey aliens and why the yugoloths don't have much in common with one another. Poor yugoloths never can keep up with those devils and demons in the most important front of the Blood War—PR.

So what does this say about the creators of the Call of Cthulhu role playing game or those who play it?

I personally don't have a problem with people playing Call of Cthulhu, but people have every right to be turned off from buying a product with the name of one of Lovecraft's most prominent creations on it. Delta Green has always vaguely interested me for the premise, though I've never played.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Haldrik's idea of aberrations taking the flag for NE daemons certainly would give an out of game justification for why ultroloths look like grey aliens and why the yugoloths don't have much in common with one another. Poor yugoloths never can keep up with those devils and demons in the most important front of the Blood War—PR.

That and the whole NE Yugoloth as uncaring evil and nihilistic creatures fit wells with the idea of unfathomable evil: the human mind can kinda understand evil for a goal, with an end game, but evil just for the sake of evilness is pretty hard to grasp. You could add the whole 4e's abominations to them: they were created living-weapons made by both camps of the God vs Primordials. In this new version of the Yugoloth, they could craft abominations as weapon sold across the planes to fuel cosmic wars.