D&D 5E D&D Races: Evolution, Fantasy Stereotypes & Escapism

[Crimson Longinus]

Evil doesn't necessarily mean fierce predator though, does it? Aren't Kingpin and Lex Luthor in the comics; the bad guys in power rangers; and the crooks in the Home Alone movies evil in the sense they'll kill and destroy to get what they want -- and yet they still work with others when it suits them? Although I'm not sure why an entire species would evolve to be like that.

Yeah, the thing is that a lone empathy-free selfish sociopath can function in a society. But I am far less convinced that a whole society of such people could function.

 

[Cadence]

Yeah, the thing is that a lone empathy-free selfish sociopath can function in a society. But I am far less convinced that a whole society of such people could function.

Can they as long as there is another group to serve as prey? (Could something akin to Bugbears work if there were something like Goblins to lord over? Are the Illithid a species of slave holders?)

But again, I'm not sure why that would be innate instead of something they worked into -- like lots of groups of real humans.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Evil doesn't necessarily mean fierce predator though, does it? Aren't Kingpin and Lex Luthor in the comics; the bad guys in power rangers; and the crooks in the Home Alone movies evil in the sense they'll kill and destroy to get what they want -- and yet they still work with others when it suits them? Although I'm not sure why an entire species would evolve to be like that.

Ironically, all of those listed besides the Wet Bandits eventually succumbed to Lloth brand chronic backstabbing syndrome because cartoon evil like that which D&D is dealing with is unsustainable.

 

[Cadence]

Ironically, all of those listed besides the Wet Bandits eventually succumbed to Lloth brand chronic backstabbing syndrome because cartoon evil like that which D&D is dealing with is unsustainable.

I'm pretty sure the wet bandits were immune to something as mundane as stabbing. (Holy cow the 2nd movie was violent!).

There are some real world groups that ran countries that seemed pretty high up the evil list (at least as much as Kingpin) from depending entirely on slavery for their economy to genocide that seemed to last a while, or needed help to be pushed out. Do the evil countries and political parties have less of a life expectancy than the non-evil ones?

 

[Vaalingrade]

I'm pretty sure the wet bandits were immune to something as mundane as stabbing. (Holy cow the 2nd movie was violent!).

There are some real world groups that ran countries that seemed pretty high up the evil list (at least as much as Kingpin) from depending entirely on slavery for their economy to genocide that seemed to last a while, or needed help to be pushed out. Do the evil countries and political parties have less of a life expectancy than the non-evil ones?

They might be bad guys, but they're not evil. Evil is a fictional concept used primarily for propaganda.

 

[Scribe]

Yeah, the thing is that a lone empathy-free selfish sociopath can function in a society. But I am far less convinced that a whole society of such people could function.

The unstated assumption being that Evil = Loner, Sociopath, without Empathy.

What if Evil, simply means 'Selfish' and without a system of Morality which matches some version of the typical Western view of what is 'Good'.

A society can easily function filled predominantly with selfish people who are able to see that working in a group, gets them more of what they personally, selfishly, desire.

 

[Cadence]

They might be bad guys, but they're not evil. Evil is a fictional concept used primarily for propaganda.

At some point (insert atrocity and horrific things) that seems a distinction without a difference.

Is the alignment system improved by switching from good-neutral-evil to kindly-typical-bad? (Well, some Paladins would be, but I meant at the other end).

 

[Vaalingrade]

At some point (insert atrocity and horrific things) that seems a distinction without a difference.

Is the alignment system improved by switching from good-neutral-evil to kindly-typical-bad? (Well, some Paladins would be, but I meant at the other end).

It is only improved by the garbage can.

You can be a complete monster and still be LG using alignment. Most 3e Paladins were.

 

[Faolyn]

Can they as long as there is another group to serve as prey? (Could something akin to Bugbears work if there were something like Goblins to lord over? Are the Illithid a species of slave holders?)

But again, I'm not sure why that would be innate instead of something they worked into -- like lots of groups of real humans.

Illithids aren't humanoids. They don't reproduce like humanoids either--they're basically eldritch parasites that take over a humanoid body.

But for bugbears--how do they function if there's no goblins? All this does is shift their attention to another race: instead of "lording over" humans, they "lord over" goblins, which isn't any actually better.

 

[Faolyn]

The unstated assumption being that Evil = Loner, Sociopath, without Empathy.

What if Evil, simply means 'Selfish' and without a system of Morality which matches some version of the typical Western view of what is 'Good'.

A society can easily function filled predominantly with selfish people who are able to see that working in a group, gets them more of what they personally, selfishly, desire.

But is the society evil, or is the race evil?

In the end, the society would likely splinter off into factions and sub-factions and die off, as unusual individuals rose to power and more typical individuals decided to follow the unusual ones.