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

[theredrobedwizard]

Speaking as a male sexual assault victim, I can tell you it's a scary experience. One that I'd like to forget ever happened. It did happen, and living with that is a large part of my life. However, if someone was using rape as a way to describe how debased and evil the baddies were, I wouldn't bat an eyelash. Raping PCs is a bit more extreme, even if the Satyr is 'just playing his character'.

I use the example of Reavers in Joss Whedon's Firefly/Serenity. They're evil, carnal, insane space pirates that go around killing, raping, and making flesh-suits. I've used medieval versions of Reavers in game a few times to good effect. They aren't real.

Back to the topic at hand, Satyrs are stupid monsters. Not stupid in the low Intelligence way, stupid in the 'man, what a lame and played out monster' way. I wouldn't use one in game just because I like my fey to be a bit less musical and a lot more evil-little-creatures-that-steal-babies-and-replace-them-with-replicants.

-TRRW

 

[Vorput]

Many people consider rape to be more invasive than death. Death is permanent (at least in real life), while rape is something someone has to endure and then live with for years afterwards.

I agree... but speaking as someone who had a family member suffer a sexual assault (that thankfully was stopped early on)- I thank God every day that's she's still alive. I'm not condoning the assault, but the alternative would have been much worse :/

Maybe rape is somehow more real to people than death is? ::sighs:: I don't know... I'm not sure we're anywhere near the OPs original post.

 

[JustKim]

1) I didn't compare rape to death, I compared it to torture.

No, you didn't. Here is the line of quotations:

Agreed, but is it any different/worse than killing one of the characters?

Yes. Massively different.

No. Massively the same.

If you were unaware of what you were quoting, I apologize. My reading comprehension is just fine, however.

 

[der_kluge]

Meh, I do not see satyrs going for sleepers. They are chronic horndogs, but I view them wanting more than unconscious lump of warm flesh. He might Sleep the group, carry her of to a secluded place and afetr the sleep wears off, try to seduce using charm, booze or Charm, giving up and heading off after his advances are firmly, but politely turned down.

Rude refusals or threats result in initiative roles since this is D&D.

My apologies - the more I think about the incident, the more I remember about it. As I said, it's been a number of years - at least 5, probably 6.

The female PC in question did get to save vs. charm. She failed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I gave her more than one, because I really wanted her to save, but she failed them all.

 

[der_kluge]

I believe you are thinking of a cluricaune.

Probably not - since I've never even heard of that, until just now.

 

[Desdichado]

Uh, you left off the second clause of Vorputs quote. As well as any other part of the quote that puts it in correct context. No, I didn't compare it to death, yes, I did compare it to torture, and no, your reading comprehension is not just fine.

For that matter, I'm also not really thrilled with your ability to ignore the meat of my post and simply nitpick a trivial statement. Or don't you have any comment on the fact that if there's no dramatic potential in rape, then all the books, movies, and other media that use it as a major plot point are all abject failures?

 

[Huw]

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.

 

[der_kluge]

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.

My scenario was not unlike this - except in mine, everyone kept failing ALL their saves. As I mentioned just above - I remember now that I actually *did* give the female a save. More than one actually - to the point that the "rules lawyer" in the group joked that she was "going to continue to get saves until she finally made one!", and it was at that point that I finally let the encounter run its course.

What would you have done if all the male PCs were incapacitated and the two female PCs both failed their charm saves? By your own account - that Satyr was a rapist. Would you have *not* done the act despite the creature's nature?

 

[frankthedm]

The female PC in question did get to save vs. charm. She failed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I gave her more than one, because I really wanted her to save, but she failed them all.

Charm,. at least in my opinion, does not overided a No, I never would. Charm can overide things like "Not here", "not now", "I don't want others to know", "I don't know you", "I would if not for a social obligation".

 

[der_kluge]

Well, Hell. It looks like Alzrius just covered the same territory. Doh.

The thing is is that these creatures *can* be exactly what they are in mythology. That's the basis for the creature. Ok, so dragons don't go around capturing virgins, but they certainly could. The Satyr - as written - is really not that far off from the mythological counterpart. When adlibing the creature, it seems very natural (to me) to play them in the way they were originally intended.


For that matter - let's not talk about Satyr - let's reverse the coin and talk about the Succubus. This is a creature's whose sole purpose is to rape men and steal their levels. Now, most men haven't been raped. So, most people don't have a problem with this creature. Am I "having a failure of imagination" when I rape a female PC with a cambion demon, or rape a male PC with a Succubus? Isn't the result the same?