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.