D&D 5E Hunting Time:Humans

[Zardnaar]

Generally our morality etc is filtered through the culture we were raised in. Humans have been top dog on Earth for a long time.

I've been watching Aliens vs Predator and had a thought. What if in D&D a "superior" species decided to hunt us.

They have better stats, higher CR, better technology or magic etc. Doesn't matter.

They're sentient and see us as inferior. Not inferior in terms of race or anything but they see us in much the same way we consider farm animals or fish.

They do however have standards. They don't kill pregnant women, children or things they perceive as no threat. They're not out to wipe us out as a species.

Adventurers are totally fair game though along with hunters, soldiers etc. They could possibly communicate with us on a basic level but it's along the lines of us dealing with a dog or cat. Maybe they're telepathic or something. Can't really negotiate much.

So is this species good, evil or just indifferent. They don't need to eat us but are trophy hunting.

Thoughts?

 

[DEFCON 1]

So is this species good, evil or just indifferent. They don't need to eat us but are trophy hunting.

Does it matter? What does assigning an alignment to them give us? It doesn't change what they do or what happens to us. So in my opinion there's no reason to give them a morality based upon our own.

 

[Zardnaar]

Does it matter? What does assigning an alignment to them give us? It doesn't change what they do or what happens to us. So in my opinion there's no reason to give them a morality based upon our own.

Just after a variety of opinions. That's the crux of it though.

 

[HJFudge]

Generally our morality etc is filtered through the culture we were raised in. Humans have been top dog on Earth for a long time.

I've been watching Aliens vs Predator and had a thought. What if in D&D a "superior" species decided to hunt us.

They have better stats, higher CR, better technology or magic etc. Doesn't matter.

They're sentient and see us as inferior. Not inferior in terms of race or anything but they see us in much the same way we consider farm animals or fish.

They do however have standards. They don't kill pregnant women, children or things they perceive as no threat. They're not out to wipe us out as a species.

Adventurers are totally fair game though along with hunters, soldiers etc. They could possibly communicate with us on a basic level but it's along the lines of us dealing with a dog or cat. Maybe they're telepathic or something. Can't really negotiate much.

So is this species good, evil or just indifferent. They don't need to eat us but are trophy hunting.

Thoughts?

Good or evil as a culture? The lack of ability (I assume from what you write it is ability rather than desire) to communicate seems to suggest they are sufficiently alien to Humans that good and evil are meaningless terms to use with them. Either way, they sound like a threat that the adventurers have to be aware of and take into account.

 

[jgsugden]

They kill sentient intelligent creatures for sport. That would be evil.

I ran that campaign 20 years ago with chromatic dragons as the bad guys. I wrapped the campaign up early because the constant "threat" of being hunted began to feel pretty monochrome. When everything is tense, nothing ends up feeling tense.

 

[Zardnaar]

Good or evil as a culture? The lack of ability (I assume from what you write it is ability rather than desire) to communicate seems to suggest they are sufficiently alien to Humans that good and evil are meaningless terms to use with them. Either way, they sound like a threat that the adventurers have to be aware of and take into account.

Inability to communicate is either they cant vocalize stuff or are just so alien in mindset humans talking is like sheep bleating.

They can recognize perhaps we communicate with each other but to them it's inconsequential.

 

[Zardnaar]

They kill sentient intelligent creatures for sport. That would be evil.

I ran that campaign 20 years ago with chromatic dragons as the bad guys. I wrapped the campaign up early because the constant "threat" of being hunted began to feel pretty monochrome. When everything is tense, nothing ends up feeling tense.

We hunt creatures that may or may not be sentient. To us they're not.

They view us the same way same justification.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Evil: They're hunting a sentient species just for sport.

 

[Zardnaar]

Evil: They're hunting a sentient species just for sport.

Any different from Adventurers? Hell Adventurers might be prime targets.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Any different from Adventurers? Hell Adventurers might be prime targets.

If your adventurers are hunting sapient species for sport, they'd be evil too.