D&D General D&D Archetypes that spread out to other settings and media

[Tinker Gnome]

What are the D&D Archetypes that spread out to other D&D settings from their original setting or even to other media. I know there are a lot, but the one I am going to mention is of course, Tinker Gnomes. They spread from Dragonlance to Spelljammer, to the Forgotten Realms, Mystara, and even get a nod in the 3.5 Ravenloft line in the Gazetteer Books. Their wackiness got toned down in the Forgotten Realms and the ones in the Realms could be considered what in Dragonlance would be called "Mad" Gnomes or "Thinker" Gnomes. Still, the idea of inventing Gnomes clearly resonated with a lot of people.

As for other media, the first exposure I had to Tinkering Gnomes was actually in Everquest, and I jumped at the chance to read the DL books due to them being the origin of Tinker Gnomes.

 

[Reynard]

What are the D&D Archetypes that spread out to other D&D settings from their original setting or even to other media. I know there are a lot, but the one I am going to mention is of course, Tinker Gnomes. They spread from Dragonlance to Spelljammer, to the Forgotten Realms, Mystara, and even get a nod in the 3.5 Ravenloft line in the Gazetteer Books. Their wackiness got toned down in the Forgotten Realms and the ones in the Realms could be considered what in Dragonlance would be called "Mad" Gnomes or "Thinker" Gnomes. Still, the idea of inventing Gnomes clearly resonated with a lot of people.

As for other media, the first exposure I had to Tinkering Gnomes was actually in Everquest, and I jumped at the chance to read the DL books due to them being the origin of Tinker Gnomes.

Were industrious gnomes first popularized in Dragonlance? I don't even know. Did WoW take them from D&D?

 

[Remathilis]

Where do you start?

The warrior/healer/mage/sneak dynamic of classes. The shape changing druid. Death knights. Color coded elemental dragons. D&D was unique that it was a shameless rip off of so much media but itself became the backbone of adventures gaming (both TT and video) that it's hard to pick just one.

 

[Scribe]

Were industrious gnomes first popularized in Dragonlance? I don't even know. Did WoW take them from D&D?

The DL version predates WoW certainly. Did Blizz lift them from Warhammer, who lifted them from D&D? Hmm.

 

[cbwjm]

I'd say the look of halflings changed to match kender from dragonlance. By 3e they seemed to have dropped the appearance of hobbits from lord of the rings.

Tieflings, aasimar, and genasi moved (I think) from planescape to the FR. I'm not sure if they existed before the 2e planescape setting though so they might have already been in other settings but perhaps not as player characters.

 

[Corinnguard]

Tieflings, aasimar, and genasi moved (I think) from planescape to the FR. I'm not sure if they existed before the 2e planescape setting though so they might have already been in other settings but perhaps not as player characters.

According to Wikipedia, Tieflings (and presumably the Aasimar and the Genasi as well) appeared in 2e. First in 2e Planescape and then in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for 3e.

 

[Remathilis]

Were industrious gnomes first popularized in Dragonlance? I don't even know. Did WoW take them from D&D?

Yeah. Dragonlance predates Warcraft

 

[Corinnguard]

And Warcraft has a Tinker class. Which predated D&D's Artificer class.

 

[J-H]

I think D&D probably popularized green orcs with tusks (more porcine) over Tolkien's monochrome/pale goblins and orcs.
At least, I'm pretty sure D&D had that before Warcraft did.

 

[Clint_L]

I think D&D probably popularized green orcs with tusks (more porcine) over Tolkien's monochrome/pale goblins and orcs.
At least, I'm pretty sure D&D had that before Warcraft did.

D&D still doesn't have green orcs. AD&D orcs were super porcine - like, literal pig-folk.

I think it was Warhammer that basically gave orcs the look most associate with them now; Warcraft was originally designed as a Warhammer game. Warhammer Fantasy came out in 1983; it described orcs as "powerfully-built, with crooked legs and a shambling, ape-like gait. Their arms are long, so that their huge hands almost reach to the ground. Their faces are brutal, with huge teeth and jaws, and their small, piggy eyes peer from underneath ugly overhanging bony ridges. Skin is often greenish or a dark olive brown and is covered in warts, scars, and filth."

Here's a current D&D orc...it's basically a grey, more serious looking Warhammer orc: