D&D General Hive Mind Evil?

[cbwjm]

I wouldn't see the hive mind as evil, just different. That doesn't mean they would be compatible with living with humanoids who they may see as just another food source. Possibly I'd have them set up as N or LN. If they capture and torture or just destroy without need then they might classify as evil.

The queens themselves could also have unique personalities if they are the primary movers of their civilisation. They might be altruistic or aberrant as needed for the plot. So while the drones might N their queens might not be.

 

[ppaladin123]

As pointed out previously, the killing of a few individuals doesn't really register as particularly terrible to a hive mind, because they're disposable parts of a single organism.

But this also means that a hive mind may not comprehend the concept that killing a few (or even a few dozen) individual humanoids would be particularly terrible, because the hive mind doesn't understand the concept of individual sentience - quite possibly doesn't even have the frame of reference to understand it. That's a fairly common trope in fiction that includes hive minds.

Whether the hive mind is acting out of evil or simply ignorance is probably somewhat immaterial to the rulers whose people it is killing.

I don't really understand this trope because it is generally accompanied by the individualized intelligence (e..g some humanoid speciesor humans) very quickly recognizing and pointing that the alien species is apparently a hive mind, very different from us, etc,. etc. Presumably the hive mind would also have the capacity to deduce a difference in the structure of the intelligence it now faces too (especially when the response to the death of what are presumably 'drones" does not fit its expectations).

Could very much imagine a hive mind that is "good" and not comfortable with killing other sentient/irreplacable life forms and looking to descalate whether or not it is in any danger.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Could very much imagine a hive mind that is "good" and not comfortable with killing other sentient/irreplacable life forms and looking to descalate whether or not it is in any danger.

That’s an interesting new idea.

 

[MarkB]

I don't really understand this trope because it is generally accompanied by the individualized intelligence (e..g some humanoid speciesor humans) very quickly recognizing and pointing that the alien species is apparently a hive mind, very different from us, etc,. etc. Presumably the hive mind would also have the capacity to deduce a difference in the structure of the intelligence it now faces too (especially when the response to the death of what are presumably 'drones" does not fit its expectations).

Well, one of the things that differentiates a hive mind from a bunch of individual minds is that a hive mind isn't used to having to deal with a whole range of different points of view, let alone mindsets. So what might seem like an easy leap of logic for us might be a lot more difficult from its perspective.

 

[DemoMonkey]

 

[Krachek]

Insectoid hive mind vs humanoid culture have made clash in a lot of story.
It is beyond good and evil.
hive mind may don’t have any understanding of concept like family, friendship, love, hate, good, evil, or the like.
it is good for hack and slash, or sometime a very high level of philosophical debate.

 

[keynup]

If you want a perspective of a hive mind (and other alien view points) check out the Ender's Game novels. The 1st book doesn't touch much on the alien viewpoints, but the later books do.

 

[Zardnaar]

If you want a perspective of a hive mind (and other alien view points) check out the Ender's Game novels. The 1st book doesn't touch much on the alien viewpoints, but the later books do.

I have that's one take. There's also the Tyranids.

I used an insectoid race few sessions ago but not sure how hivemind they are. Are the one mind or more like a shared psychic memory type hivemind.

Difference with Enders game I might have the hivemind win.

 

[keynup]

The Hive may not directly try and attack, just move into areas and only kill if attacked. Destroy a town to build there, but let people flee.

Idea for after a Hive win.
Once they have taken enough area they settle down and don't over breed (unless threatened), they ignore any small group in their territory. At this point humans could even move in.

 

[Umbran]

Presumably the hive mind would also have the capacity to deduce a difference in the structure of the intelligence it now faces too (especially when the response to the death of what are presumably 'drones" does not fit its expectations).

Hivemind encounters work (by which I mean, have interesting differences of interaction/logic) when the hivemind and non-hivemind creatures have no experience with one another.

Just as we intelligent individuals can conceive of a hivemind, an intelligent hivemind can conceive of intelligent individuals. As soon as the two sides recognize the nature of what they are dealing with, it works out.

So, is it plausible that this hivemind has never met humanoids before? Noting that the hivemind typically lives far longer than any individual, the hive memory may be centuries long - no significant contact in al that time? There needs to be some major barriers to enforce separation for long periods of time.

In Ender's Game, they are from different parts of the galaxy. On a fantasy world planet... it is harder to have this happen.