D&D 5E Are humanoid mono-cultures being replaced with the Rule of Three?

[Weiley31]

Wasn't 4e the edition that started the "they're the demonic spawn of Yeenoghu" nonesense wheres up to then one of their main points was that Yeenoghu was not their creator and just stole them from their original pantheon?

5E is the Demon Gnolls. 1E or the early editions is where Yeenoghu jacked the Gnolls from their true creator deity, and 4E actually gave the Gnolls an interesting culture and stuff.

 

[Mirtek]

They have been consistently shown as living mammals with free will, normal sexual reproduction and an established culture and society. That’s the difference between them and say, undead or elementals, or demons.

Does it depend on the sexual reproduction? Because otherwise it's just as true for demons and devils

 

[Dire Bare]

To be clear, I am using orcs as a broad shorthand for inherently evil enemies that also happen to talk and like to drink beer and whatever. Would it change the discussion if I said "gnolls" or "ogres"?

Nope.

 

[Mirtek]

5E is the Demon Gnolls. 1E or the early editions is where Yeenoghu jacked the Gnolls from their true creator deity, and 4E actually gave the Gnolls an interesting culture and stuff.

Actually 4e started the gnolls are demons or rather an accidental by product of Yeenoghu's feedings on the material plane lore.

 

[DammitVictor]

(wasn't helpful)

 

[Weiley31]

In regards to Bandits and other things, you'all know that the PHB states you can declare your attack, reducing an enemy down to zero HP, to be non-lethal. Which means you can technically declare your Fireball to be non-lethal damage if you wanted to when you reduce a whole bunch of schmucks down to zero HP.

As for Cultists? Yeah Fghtan em!

 

[Xeviat]

Which D&D orcs draw on native american cultures?

I was making broad examples without getting into specifics so the specific examples couldn't get taken apart for being bad (like "Bright"). WoW's trolls are a mishmash of cultures and religions that I'm not even going to try to name because I know I'm going to get them confused for one another, for instance. The Tauren are very much inspired by native americans, down to the accents on a lot of the characters. Whether these were good or bad depictions is up for debate, but at least WoW depicts them as people with complex cultures and histories and free will and variety.

Othering humanoid fantasy races like classical fantasy tended to do echos the way dominant races and cultures demonize and other different races and cultures. It's been a thing people have complained about for a long time. It's obviously offensive when it is done to human characters of different races than the dominant one (the mysterious orient, the noble savage). Couching it under different fantasy races or sci-fi species is just a cover for the same thing, and when it's done hamfistedly it's very othering.

 

[Xeviat]

In regards to Bandits and other things, you'all know that the PHB states you can declare your attack, reducing an enemy down to zero HP, to be non-lethal. Which means you can technically declare your Fireball to be non-lethal damage if you wanted to when you reduce a whole bunch of schmucks down to zero HP.

As for Cultists? Yeah Fghtan em!

Phb says this is for melee attacks only. Sorry.

 

[Weiley31]

Actually 4e started the gnolls are demons or rather an accidental by product of Yeenoghu's feedings on the material plane lore.

Ah okay: I never played 4E but I knew that they did something with the Gnolls that wasn't exactly like 5E's version. I know 4E Gnolls, those that willingly choose not to serve Yeenoghu, do have to worry about giving in to the Demonic Corruption of Yeenoghu. So they are capable of rejecting it, it's just that at times it can be super annoying/hard at times.

I still don't get WoTC changed Gnolls in 5E to basically be unrepentant killers.

 

[Weiley31]

Phb says this is for melee attacks only. Sorry.

Not if you attack the fully trained stunt doubles that gets switched in with the actors on the set.