Satyr - An excuse for rape, or an interesting creature?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Many female gamers have been raped. 1 in 4, apparently.

That figure is very controversial. Let's just leave it at "way too many" and not toss that number around like it's a solid fact.

 

[Vorput]

Do you know something about my beliefs that I don't?

Yes.

You also believe you owe me 20 bucks...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That Wikipedia faun article is kind of lacking on details about the fauns as a species.

 

[Oryan77]

Yes.

You also believe you owe me 20 bucks...

Wait, so you're saying I don't really owe it to you? Whew, I had it in the envelope with a stamp and everything.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As has been mentioned, D&D creatures are not the equivalent of their mythological counterparts. If they were, kobolds would be mischevious house gnomes and bodaks would come down the chimney and steal children away in the night.

The D&D satyr can have a basis in the mythological creature without being a rapist.

I don't think anyone disagrees with that. The question, though, is if there's a counterpart that's almost identical without the whole rape thing as part of its myth and legend, why not use that instead?

Why even flirt with the issue at all, unless that's the explicit intention? (Insert obligatory Book of Erotic Fantasy reference here.)

 

[zen_hydra]

No, I'm pretty positive that I believe a rape is the worst thing to happen to a person. Do you know something about my beliefs that I don't? I honestly don't care what anyone says when comparing rape to anything else and I won't argue pointless comparisons. I believe it's the worst thing to happen to a person and I'm neither a woman nor have I ever been raped. It's just something that strikes a nerve in me and pisses me off more than other atrocities. Telling me I'm wrong is just ignorant and disrespectful to rape victims. I don't really see the point of the debate. :\

I would love an explaination about how my telling you, someone who admittedly has never been raped, that you are wrong is, in any way, disrespectful to rape victims.

 

[Phlebas]

Just chatted to my GF about how she would deal with her PC being raped. Although she understands how some people might get a little freaked, she would regard it as a massive roleplaying hook, something to motivate / change / inspire the character development. (Mainly in terms of vengeance)

The fact that the OP didn't go into detail was probably the best way to handle it. No need really.

Given the amount of murder, robbery and mayhem that goes on in most games, providing a certain amount of tact is used theres no reason for a blanket ban on a satyr "having his way with her"

(As an aside - I've never used anything like this when i've been DM'ing but I would consider it as part of a plot - but only with the PC's consent)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I used a Satyr last year in our game without needing to rape any PCs.

A Satyr doesn't have to rape a PC to prove how sexual he is. My Satyr used his pipes on the male PCs to keep them out of his business so he could woo the 2 female PCs. One of the females also fell victim to his pipes and rather than rape her, he had her sit on a rock next to him while he gave her small kisses on the lips and smooched her neck. The other female PC stood there threatening him to leave her alone. Satyr's think they are irresistible & charming, so he tried to persuade the other female to join the make-out session on her own free will. Instead she attacked him and he ran away.

When they reached the nearest town, they learned this Satyr has a bounty on his head for raping dozens of women. They decided to go back and hunt him down.

I got the point across that he's a hornball without raping any PCs. They then learned he was a rapist and they realized what could have happened to them. So that made them want to capture him even more. I'm not going to pretend rape doesn't exist in my world, but I would never actually rape a character. That's the worst thing to happen to a human being and I'd rather kill off a character than have an NPC rape them.

Pretty good usage of the critter. I like it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Terry Goodkind. Glen Cook. Stephen R. Donaldson. Stephen Erikson. China Mieville. Michael Moorcock.

To name just a handful off the top of my head. The presumption that GRRM is somehow unique in having rape be an element of his setting and of his plots is absurd. In fact, in some of those, it's not even presented as necessarily evil: the protagonist of Moorcock's Gloriana tried the entire book to achieve orgasm, but can't until the ending where she's raped. That's offensive. Der_kluge's situation: not so much.

Thomas Covenant getting away with rape and being hailed as a hero by people who knew he was a rapist was offensive enough to make me stop reading Donaldson.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I used satyrs once in a very successful and fun encounter. They were after booze, however.

The players have defeated their enemies' forest camp, and among the treasures are several bottles of fine brandy. Eight satyrs (far more than the characters could handle in a fight) turn up, with an unerring nose for the drink. The party know that at the slightest excuse, the satyrs will consume the 2,000 gp worth of treasure. What followed was a whole load of bluffing, dancing and singing as the party convinced the satyrs that they'd love to share the drinks some time soon, whilst looking for a way out.

Can't remember how they eventually got away. I believe it involved a treasure hunt game (sacrificing one bottle) with the party beating a hasty retreat in the other direction.

I also dig this. In fact, if I ever use satyrs, I'll probably be yoinking this.