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

[Misanthrope Prime]

Here's a very specific 3e one: creatures other than wolves being called "dire". Every so often I'll catch reference to a "dire crow" or "dire capybara".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Here's a very specific 3e one: creatures other than wolves being called "dire". Every so often I'll catch reference to a "dire crow" or "dire capybara".

A capybara is already a dire guinea pig, which is a dire miniature giant space hamster, so that would be a dire dire dire hamster. And have you noticed that capybaras are everywhere all of a sudden?

 

[Corinnguard]

A capybara is already a dire guinea pig, which is a dire miniature giant space hamster, so that would be a dire dire dire hamster. And have you noticed that capybaras are everywhere all of a sudden?

Definitely a dire situation to be addressed in a D&D adventure path.

 

[Koloth]

Uh, I think some of that's Tolkien prior to D&D: Burgler Baggins. Dwarves like Thorin affected by dragon sickness. Bow-using elves come from Legolas. Orcs are just plain evil. And the wizards are old with long beards.

Absolutely, D&D borrowed heavily from many sources, including Tolkien. But fair to say that many folk's first contact with elves, dwarves, hobbits/halflings, orc, dragons, many of the deities and monsters were from playing D&D, not the earlier source/inspirational material. Considering that both The Hobbit book and Snow White movie came out in 1937, pretty sure dwarves were a thing pre Tolkien. Tolkien borrowed a bunch of stuff which D&D later borrowed.

 

[Corinnguard]

The Wesen in the 2011 Grimm TV series as a live action take of the Shifter from the 3e Eberron setting.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Wesen in the 2011 Grimm TV series as a live action take of the Shifter from the 3e Eberron setting.

Not really. It’s just German for “creature” and in the TV show is used to describe a lot of things, only some of which resemble D&D shifters, and are actually inspired by werewolf mythology and related myths.

Also see Wulver in Shetland folk tales.

 

[Corinnguard]

Not really. It’s just German for “creature” and in the TV show is used to describe a lot of things, only some of which resemble D&D shifters, and are actually inspired by werewolf mythology and related myths.

Also see Wulver in Shetland folk tales.

Okay. I had been wondering if there was a connection between the Shifters and the Wesen after watching a couple scenes on YouTube where a Wesen's appearance in Grimm shifted. If this thread hadn't popped up here on EN World, I was going to ask about the Shifters and the Wesen.

 

[Reynard]

It is my recollection that the looks of Warcraft orcs was a pretty distinct evolution of the Warhammer orc rather than the D&D one. If you look at the FR novel covers of the same time, the D&D orc or goblin does not really look like the Warcraft equivalent.

There is, of course, a reciprocal relationship between video game and tabletop game aesthetics, and the Warcraft orc in turn informed further D&D orc design.

 

[Scott Christian]

To answer this question, I think it would take a very deep dive into a lot of different mythos and stories. It seems a lot more reciprocal to me, ideas flowing back and forth, alternating slightly, and then being put back out into the zeitgeist.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It is my recollection that the looks of Warcraft orcs was a pretty distinct evolution of the Warhammer orc rather than the D&D one. If you look at the FR novel covers of the same time, the D&D orc or goblin does not really look like the Warcraft equivalent.

There is, of course, a reciprocal relationship between video game and tabletop game aesthetics, and the Warcraft orc in turn informed further D&D orc design.

I believe D&D orcs were first green in the 2nd edition monster manual 1993. Warcraft came out in 94. However, Warcraft was an unlicensed Warhammer game, and Warhammer had green orcs since the early 80s, and is almost certainly the original source for the green WoW orc look.

There is the slight wrinkle of Star Wars gammorians, also from 1993, who closely resemble 1st edition/Basic orcs and are decidedly green.

There are WWI propaganda posters that depict German soldiers as pig-like and grey skinned, these are likely the original source for the orc look.