Humanoids

[Desdichado]

Not to be a downer or anything, but it seems to be that spending a few minutes at pantheon.org, or even on google would be a much mor efficient way to get your answers to these questions than posting them here.

Or for that matter, a few minutes with a dictionary would answer most of these.

 

[Roman]

Not to be a downer or anything, but it seems to be that spending a few minutes at pantheon.org, or even on google would be a much mor efficient way to get your answers to these questions than posting them here.

Or for that matter, a few minutes with a dictionary would answer most of these.

Being a poor student I do not have a dictionary, but the site you linked, which I was unaware of before, seems to be interesting so thanks for that. I will peruse it for all sorts of legend/myth info.

 

[Desdichado]

No prob. Like I said, I wasn't trying to complain; I just think you'd get more bang for your buck looking into a more focused folklore/mythology resource.

 

[Tonguez]

Ettin is the Old english equivalent of Giant
Ogre was another term for large monster/demon/giant - (add stuff about Orcus and Orcs here)
Ogre Mages - derived from Asian concepts of Ogres (demons)
Overall most of the Giants are derived from myth (giants are very common across the world)

Lizardmen - Snakemen were known historically as were those with human heads and reptile bodies. However I beleive Lizardmen were derived from pulp fiction and early facination of dinosaurs and lost worlds
Locathahs - fishheaded people are mentioned in some myths. but the locath specifically I have no idea
Merfolk - common european myths a type of fey, maybe derived from the Greek Sirens
Bugbears - another archaic english (as opposed to old english) word for demon/ogre
Hobgoblins - Hob was a small grotesque fairy that caused mischief. I think Hob originally refered to an unshaped lump of iron ore and the various associations derived from that. NB Tolkien states in his book that Orc is the hobbit word for Hobgoblin.
Blues - a DnD invention a goblin with psionic abilities

 

[Stormrunner]

"Kobolds" are a Germanic mischief-fairy which taunts miners, making mysterious noises, erasing chalk marks or otherwise confusing/hiding the way out, and replacing good silver ore with a metal that in ore form looks identical to silver ore, but is worthless (or rather was worthless back then - nowadays it's valuable). Named for the prankster-spirits, this metal was called "cobalt".

(edit) And since cobalt compounds in pottery glazes make a deep, brilliant blue color, shouldn't it be kobolds, not goblins, who have psionic "blues"?

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Cobalt's metal, hard and shining,
COBOL's wordy and confining,
Kobolds topple when you strike them,
Don't feel bad, it's hard to like them.

 

[Roman]

Ettin is the Old english equivalent of Giant
Ogre was another term for large monster/demon/giant - (add stuff about Orcus and Orcs here)
Ogre Mages - derived from Asian concepts of Ogres (demons)
Overall most of the Giants are derived from myth (giants are very common across the world)

Lizardmen - Snakemen were known historically as were those with human heads and reptile bodies. However I beleive Lizardmen were derived from pulp fiction and early facination of dinosaurs and lost worlds
Locathahs - fishheaded people are mentioned in some myths. but the locath specifically I have no idea
Merfolk - common european myths a type of fey, maybe derived from the Greek Sirens
Bugbears - another archaic english (as opposed to old english) word for demon/ogre
Hobgoblins - Hob was a small grotesque fairy that caused mischief. I think Hob originally refered to an unshaped lump of iron ore and the various associations derived from that. NB Tolkien states in his book that Orc is the hobbit word for Hobgoblin.
Blues - a DnD invention a goblin with psionic abilities

Thanks a lot!

And the pantheon.org is indeed a good website.

BTW: Does somebody know what other as yet unmentioned names were used for these humanoids? Just wondering which such mythical names still have not made it to D&D and thus are still up for the taking...

 

[shilsen]

Cobalt's metal, hard and shining,
COBOL's wordy and confining,
Kobolds topple when you strike them,
Don't feel bad, it's hard to like them.

Kobolds topple when you strike them? You must be new to 3e. IMC, kobolds laugh when you strike them and then cast empowered cone of cold on the party

 

[Roman]

Kobolds topple when you strike them? You must be new to 3e. IMC, kobolds laugh when you strike them and then cast empowered cone of cold on the party

Kobolds seem to be gaining in popularity among many players. They will probably be made into a player race in the next edition of D&D.