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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 5599431" data-attributes="member: 15538">Are balors made of fire and darkness? Do they live in the depths of the world, waiting to be dug up by dwarven miners? Do balrogs explode when they die? Do they teleport? While balors were clearly influenced by balrogs, I disagree with the assertion that a balor is a balrog. A balor is a gargoyle-like giant with similar attributes to Gygax's other demons. There hasn't been a balrog per se since D&D has been in book form.The mixed elf-dwarf-hobbit party is obviously taken from LOTR, and is the principal addition of Tolkien's lore to D&D. In contrast to LOTR, D&D does not have an overarching dualism, and does have discrete immortals and deities. The themes in D&D tend to relate more to eldritch and unknowable things, swashbuckling adventure, and colorful lands, all much more closely related to the Howard-Moorcock-Leiber-Lovecraft side of the family. Where in Tolkien can you find plate mail? What about creatures of Greek mythology? Teeming cities of sin and intrigue? Arcane wizards hunting for puissant spells? Witch doctors? Telepathic aliens?</blockquote>