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

[Korgoth]

You know, if we're talking about the Classical world, "rape" means to carry somebody away.

The DM gets to decide how the monster behaves (one of the perks, eh?). Sure the Satyr would like to have sex with... well, everything. But does it physically violate the character? That's up to the DM. Maybe it tosses her over its shoulder and tries to carry her to a secluded glen; when it gets there, it hopes to woo her and win her over with its charms (maybe it's a vain beast as well). Satyrs are typically presented comically in the ancient world. Maybe it thinks it can seduce her merely by displaying its exaggerated 'attribute'.

I can see a scene where the female PC wakes up in a lush, secluded glen with her host setting out copious amounts of wine and fruits. He plays a flourish on his pipes, and then 'presents' himself in full exposure, with a look on his comically ugly face of "So whaddya think, baby?" Then our heroine has to extract herself from the situation without violating the creature's undoubtedly inflated sense of the rules of hospitality. Farcical, but still a little dark... and more tale-worthy, don't you think?

 

[Glyfair]

As far as the Der Kluge Satyr goes, I would say that depends on an individual's game and the gaming group. Obviously many people feel it would not be appropriate in their games. I could use it in my current campaign though and it probably wouldn't even get a raised eyebrow.

I did say above that it should be part of the "gaming contract" the group discusses before play. I feel that if you haven't discussed it then it shouldn't be part of the game.

I feel that should apply to anything the PCs witness directly or indirectly. No raping the PCs cohort, mother, sister, torchbearer. No having the PCs talk to a rape victim. Saying the barbarian horde were raping and pillaging is probably OK.

When asked, my preference would be to leave it out of the game at any direct personal interaction. It happens, but the players shouldn't have to deal with the consequences. I might have a different answer with exactly the right group that I knew really well, but not a group of people I don't know very well.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I admit - the idea of a creature stealing shoes is interesting - but that creature is not a Satyr. Killmoulis maybe, but not a Satyr.

I believe you are thinking of a cluricaune.

 

[an_idol_mind]

I admit - the idea of a creature stealing shoes is interesting - but that creature is not a Satyr. Killmoulis maybe, but not a Satyr.

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.

 

[Rhun]

which is regularly called out as unusual and many people dislike those books for just that sort of reason. One series no matter how rabid its fanboys, does not a change in the genre make.

I could also point out the writings of Katherine Kurtz, Richard Adams, and probably a few others if I took the time to think about it. While perhaps not "mainstream" fantasy like Lord of the Rings, they are all still part of the fantasy genre.

 

[Delta]

IMO, this creature's basis is -sex-. The origins of it are sexual. The mythos, legend, art, and architecture of this creature are sexual in nature, and often deviant at that... Does this creature have a place in D&D?

I think this is very much debatable; your interpretation is the first I've ever heard that Satyrs = Rapists. Here are some debating points:

(a) Most interpretations of Satyrs are not that they are fundamentally rapists. Here's an analysis of the classical use from Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyr ):

The satyr play was a lighthearted follow-up attached to the end of each trilogy of tragedies in Athenian festivals honoring Dionysus. These plays would take a lighthearted approach to the heavier subject matter of the tragedies in the series, featuring heroes speaking in tragic iambic verse and taking their situation seriously as "straight men" to the flippant, irreverent and obscene remarks and antics of the satyrs.

So their classical usage was really "lighthearted" , with irreverent and obscene remarks. They're a horny sitcom character, really. There's all kinds of ways you can play that without making it about rape.

(b) Classical monsters have been significantly D&D-ized over the years. Even if classical satyrs were rapists, that's not in their D&D description, so they may in fact be different. Just like classical Trolls didn't regenerate, and the Medusa wasn't a whole race of beings, and Hydras didn't have dinosaur-like bodies, etc., etc. Once a monster gets in D&D it gets stamped however it best works in D&D, as published in the MM. Asking if this monster doesn't work in D&D is almost inherently nonsensical.

Summary: If the MM doesn't say they're rapists, then they're not rapists in D&D.

(c) My MM says "Satyrs, also known as fauns, are hedonistic creatures...". So remember when talking about D&D Satyrs you're also talking about Fauns (i.e., late-Roman era conception when the two myths merged). So if you have any problems with the Satyr myth, just lean towards favoring the Faun myth instead in your game. They're really the same creature for D&D.

Recommendation: Think about using horny Satyrs as comic relief, like a sitcom character, or a horny teenager comedy. There's lots of ways to do that and make it funny (one example: How much does the DM bend the rules to prevent the horny Satyr from actually getting any? Ha! Classic teen-about-to-get-it and a wandering cop monster barges in at the worst time, etc. etc.) If a target is charmed, be strict about the spell's language that "Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the spell". A Satyr can try to persuade and seduce, but narratively the target has to agree for the act to complete.


Now, I'm actually sympathetic to the OP. I've actually made the same mistake in the past, even... as DM in college 15 years ago I also had a female PC (male player) raped by an evil villain. I also felt compelled that this is what evil power-mad warlords would do. But in retrospect it was a bad error, narratively it just felt totally out of place. Yes, I made the same error, and now I can see where I had my narrative priorities screwed up (i.e., momentarily putting real-world criminal behavior above fantasy heroic context).

 

[kenobi65]

Recommendation: Think about using horny Satyrs as comic relief, like a sitcom character, or a horny teenager comedy.

It would explain why the satyr is trying to get that pie away from the orc.

But, seriously, rape (like torture, or graphic violence) is a topic that I don't feel at all comfortable broaching in the games I run. I have quite a few women in my groups, but even if I didn't, I still wouldn't find it appropriate.

 

[Voadam]

How have you used the Satyr in your game?

Never used one.

 

[Gez]

The Satyr used his pipes, and he failed his save, and no one woke up from their slumber.

As reluctant as I was to do it, I told the female character that the Satyr "had his way with her" without embellishing the point. I hated to do it, really, but to do anything less than that seemed at odds with this creature's nature.

I disagree with that. The Satyr wouldn't be interested in a sleeping mate. Where's the fun in that?

 

[Oryan77]

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.