D&D General Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings of Color

[Casimir Liber]

yikes

Is sort of a double entendre (mythical-wise) as an alternate old English name for fairies was "farises" or "farisees"

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Practically everything humans consider a spice is a plant toxin evolved to keep mammals from eating it. Flavor is poison.

Dwarves have poison resistance. Dwarf food is amazing, for a dwarf-- everyone else only thinks it's bland because dwarven hospitality is very serious about not killing your houseguests.

In one of my worlds dwarves can digest anything organic, and cannot be poisoned via ingestion, which fits this idea.

 

[Yaarel]

Is sort of a double entendre (mythical-wise) as an alternate old English name for fairies was "farises" or "farisees"

Equating "pharisees" with evil, is reallife Antisemitism, a form of reallife racism.

 

[Yaarel]

But I had forgotten the magic mushrooms! What would that do to Dwarven minds? Minds used to order and practicality. To duty.

Perhaps that’s the secret to their berserker fury…or enhancing it,

There was a scholarly speculation that Norse berserkar used "mushrooms", but this is no longer credible.

Going berserk, or berserkagang, is the result of inducing a trance pertaining to shamanism.

However, because of a recent archeological find, some scholars suggest the hensbane plant might sometimes be a factor, if it was used in some shamanic ceremonies.

All in all, going berserk is probably involves no special plants, and is induced psychologically.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There was a scholarly speculation that Norse berserkar used "mushrooms", but this is no longer credible.

Going berserk, or berserkagang, is the result of inducing a trance pertaining to shamanism.

However, because of a recent archeological find, some scholars suggest the hensbane plant might sometimes be a factor, if it was used in some shamanic ceremonies.

All in all, going berserk is probably involves no special plants, and is induced psychologically.

True of humans, but not necessarily Dwarves. They may be human-like in appearance, but they aren’t humans.

Of course, Dwarven poison resistance has limits. IME, most tables allow Dwarves to get drunk.

 

[Yaarel]

True of humans, but not necessarily Dwarves. They may be human-like in appearance, but they aren’t humans.

Of course, Dwarven poison resistance has limits. IME, most tables allow Dwarves to get drunk.

But taking an incorrect stereotype of an ethnic group, and making a D&D trope out of it, feels problematic.

In my eyes, the Tolkien dwarves of D&D are not Norse in any way, whatsoever. It would be difficult to think of one thing they have in common. (Even being underground is different. The D&D dwarf is in caves and mining complexes, but the Norse dvergar are actually inside solid rock.)

But D&D often puts viking era helmets on dwarves and similar Norse material culture.

Heh. It is almost like there is an effort to disinform with false stereotypes. Similarly with frost giants.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Equating "pharisees" with evil, is reallife Antisemitism, a form of reallife racism.

Hadn't thought of that.

Discussion of Caer Sidi here - dunno if Poul Anderson used the word "pharisee" though.

 

[Casimir Liber]

.

But taking an incorrect stereotype of an ethnic group, and making a D&D trope out of it, feels problematic.

In my eyes, the Tolkien dwarves of D&D are not Norse in any way, whatsoever. It would be difficult to think of one thing they have in common. (Even being underground is different. The D&D dwarf is in caves and mining complexes, but the Norse dvergar are actually inside solid rock.)

But D&D often puts viking era helmets on dwarves and similar Norse material culture.

Heh. It is almost like there is an effort to disinform with false stereotypes. Similarly with frost giants.

......apart from the fact he used many Norse names in naming his dwarves. Also, presumably dvergar somehow tunnel the rock rather than just exisit in it

 

[Yaarel]

......apart from the fact he used many Norse names in naming his dwarves. Also, presumably dvergar somehow tunnel the rock rather than just exisit in it

For both good and bad, Tolkien is an ethnocentric romp thru England.

I like it when the English make an effort to preserve ethnic English traditions and identity. Scot, Welsh, and Irish too.



The ethnocentrism only becomes problematic when one ethnicity oversteps and begins to misrepresent an other ethnicity.

It is important to let each ethnicity speak for themselves about themselves.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

But taking an incorrect stereotype of an ethnic group, and making a D&D trope out of it, feels problematic.

Which stereotype? The Norse one?