D&D General “‘Scantily Clad and Well Proportioned’: Sexism and Gender Stereotyping in the Gaming Worlds of TSR and Dungeons & Dragons.”

[abirdcall]

Re: Trans Woman as background

I'd definitely agree with +CHA, +WIS, +CON (to say nothing else, hair removal is not for the thin-skinned!) For skills, Insight seems clear; I'd add Persuasion for all the damn hoops we have to jump through just to get the care we need.

I'd go with the Alert feat, personally.

How about Nature for the ridiculous amount of research required?

 

[Thomas Shey]

Knowing that the racist trope it springs from is literally called the 'Mulatto Tragedy' and is all about how I should know my place and be sad... I'm going to use that terminology.

That, however, assumes all "between two worlds" characters are from groups with a power imbalance, which is not a given.

 

[Charlaquin]

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that this is being questioned because there is a picture of a bunch of tieflings having a great time together.

I can assure everyone that when queer folks get together we have a great time.

I think it’s being questioned because the description of Tieflings in the Orins and Species playtest UA completely de-emphasized the reviled outsider angle and presented Tieflings as broadly being recognized as heroes, which was a bizarre choice. The published version toned-down the weird “actually everyone loves Tieflings” angle, but didn’t really bring back the “Tieflings are unjustly persecuted” angle, so it just ends up very milquetoast

 

[Charlaquin]

How about Nature for the ridiculous amount of research required?

I’d be more inclined to go with medicine

 

[Remathilis]

I think it’s being questioned because the description of Tieflings in the Orins and Species playtest UA completely de-emphasized the reviled outsider angle and presented Tieflings as broadly being recognized as heroes, which was a bizarre choice. The published version toned-down the weird “actually everyone loves Tieflings” angle, but didn’t really bring back the “Tieflings are unjustly persecuted” angle, so it just ends up very milquetoast

The 2024 PHB says:

Tieflings are either born in the Lower Planes or have fiendish ancestors who originated there. A tiefling (pronounced TEE-fling) is linked by blood to a devil, a demon, or some other Fiend. This connection to the Lower Planes is the tiefling's fiendish legacy, which comes with the promise of power yet has no effect on the tiefling's moral outlook.

A tiefling chooses whether to embrace or lament their fiendish legacy. The three legacies are described below,..

 

[abirdcall]

I’d be more inclined to go with medicine

I hate that skill.

Nature is the skill of knowledge of creatures. Medicine is the skill of applying that knowledge which, in a world of magical healing, is rarely useful.

 

[Vaalingrade]

That, however, assumes all "between two worlds" characters are from groups with a power imbalance, which is not a given.

Fair, but in this context we're talking humans, orcs and The Perfectest People Evar.

 

[Charlaquin]

The 2024 PHB says:

Tieflings are either born in the Lower Planes or have fiendish ancestors who originated there. A tiefling (pronounced TEE-fling) is linked by blood to a devil, a demon, or some other Fiend. This connection to the Lower Planes is the tiefling's fiendish legacy, which comes with the promise of power yet has no effect on the tiefling's moral outlook.

A tiefling chooses whether to embrace or lament their fiendish legacy. The three legacies are described below,..

Yeah, which is a damn sight better than the UA description. It is still a little generic for my tastes, I preferred the 2014 description. But I understand the reason for the change, even if I don’t prefer it. The 2014 description was much longer, and set some worldbuilding expectations that might not mesh with the setting a given group is playing in.

 

[abirdcall]

I think it’s being questioned because the description of Tieflings in the Orins and Species playtest UA completely de-emphasized the reviled outsider angle and presented Tieflings as broadly being recognized as heroes, which was a bizarre choice. The published version toned-down the weird “actually everyone loves Tieflings” angle, but didn’t really bring back the “Tieflings are unjustly persecuted” angle, so it just ends up very milquetoast

Oh I see, I didn't do any of the playtests.

I think they went out of their way to avoid making setting decisions in the PHB 2024.

It does say this:

"A tiefling chooses whether to embrace or lament their fiendish legacy."

That sounds like a suggestion for what people are asking for.

 

[Remathilis]

Yeah, which is a damn sight better than the UA description. It is still a little generic for my tastes, I preferred the 2014 description. But I understand the reason for the change, even if I don’t prefer it. The 2014 description was much longer, and set some worldbuilding expectations that might not mesh with the setting a given group is playing in.

Yeah, all the species descriptions are vague. On the one hand, the fact that D&D species are trying to account for 10 unique worlds worth of lore by not contradicting them is good, but it does lead to "X is a thing." Style writing.

I guess let the setting guides do the heavy lifting...