Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Attitudes

SHARK

First Post
Greetings!

SEX. Yes, sex is often a volatile and controversial topic--as well as often seemingly trivial, irrelevant, and frivolous. However, it seems to me that--at least in my experience, many mature players that are sincerely interested in the campaign world and the immersion of their characters, possess some level of curiosity and interest in the sexual attitudes, practices, and beliefs of the NPC's around them. Occasionally, especially in campaigns featuring lots of courtly intrigue, socialization, as well as espionage, blackmail, and political scenarios, as well as inspiring many other kinds of adventures, such knowledge of different character's sexual attitudes and practices, history and temperment can be not only interesting, but significant in the adventure as well--in addition to being entertaining and even humorous.

Has Sex been influential in some way in your campaigns? Have you thought about how such character's sexuality affects and can influence their motivations, fears, and goals, as well as affecting various relationships around them that they are involved in? And thus, how might adventures and roleplaying be enhanced by such?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK



SEX

Sex is an important--even critical aspect of life, everywhere. Certainly, as interesting, vital, important, as well as oftentimes controversial and heated topic that sex is within the real world may be--it isn't terribly surprising that the subject develops in various elements of any campaign. Naturally--some prefer more or less detail in the campaign detailing their sexual relationships, escapades and adventures. Of course, modify any such content based on the age, maturity, and preferences of any players participating in the campaign. Generally speaking, I have found that most people in my campaigns, both male and female, typically have enjoyed some attention and thought devoted to their various character's sexual relationships, motivations, preferences and so on. They of course possess certainly some good-natured amusement at their character's sexual relationships, and all seem to generally agree that some attention and detail is important to add a level of detail to their character's motivations, style, personality, social verrisimillitude and so on.

The players sometimes want to learn things about their own friends, lovers, and so on, as to such a character's attitudes, motivations, preferences, history, and so on, for any number of reasons, from merely personal, to determining the character's suitability for marriage, as a romantic interest or lover, and so on, to various inquiries or investigations involving some adventure and such like. Either way, I have come to organize a few things to quickly and succinctly determine such details about any given NPC so that whenever a player wants to know something about an NPC that interests them, I have such intriguing information and detail readily at hand.

Character's Public Sexual Demeanor
The character possesses a certain attitude concerning sex, sensuality, eroticism, and sexuality in public. Obviously, people are generally more reserved about sexual matters and topics in a public setting, and are more cautious and reserved in what they express, and to what detail they provide with others about themselves, or in general. Certainly, various regions and cultures have different ratios of such kinds or degrees of public reservation. The DM should simply adjust and adjudicate a different percentage based on the campaign's particular region or culture that the character comes from when determining the character's public attitudes and demeanor regarding sex, and sexual topics.

Character's Public Attitudes and Demeanor Concerning Sex
01-30% Very Reserved
31-70% Generally Reserved
71-90% Generally Expressive
91-00% Very Expressive

Very Reserved
In a public setting, with casual friends, associates or strangers, the character is very reserved, conservative, and private. The character entirely avoids or refuses to discuss sexual topics in any but the most brief details, if that.

Generally Reserved
In a public setting, with casual friends, associates or strangers, the character is generally reserved, generally conservative, and modesty detailed, and cautiously discreet.

Generally Expressive
In a public setting, with casual friends, associates or strangers, the character is generally expressive, generally liberal, and discreetly explicit and detailed.

Very Expressive
In a public setting, with casual friends, associates or strangers, the character is very expressive, very liberal, and boldly explicit and detailed.

Character's Private Attitudes and Demeanor
Characters possess their own private beliefs and attitudes concerning sex, sexuality, styles, different ideas, as well as their willingness to engage in conversations about such topics when they are in private; typically, when they are alone with their lover or spouse, and or gathered together in a private setting with only the closest and most trusted friends. Character's private attitudes and demeanor may in fact be entirely different from their typical public demeanor, or, it may be very consistent with their known public demeanor.

With the following table, I have assigned roughly 20% for Very Conservative, and 20% for Very Liberal, with the remaining middle 60% being divided equally into 30% each. In my view, most people seem to fall into these two ranges primarily, with those being Very Conservative or Very Liberal being fairly unusual, or at least more uncommon than the other two types.

Character's Private Attitudes and Demeanor Concerning Sex
01-20% Very Conservative
21-50% Generally Conservative
51-80% Generally Liberal
81-00% Very Liberal

Very Conservative
The character is distinctly conservative about most new ideas, styles, and techniques. The character is not particularly adventurous, or enthusiastic about most new or different ideas, styles and topics. The character possesses many strict taboos or reservations concerning sexual practices and activities.

Generally Conservative
The character is generally conservative about most new ideas, styles, and techniques. The character may be cautiously adventurous, and enthusiastic about a few new or different ideas, styles and topics. The character possesses more than a few taboos or reservations concerning sexual practices and activities.

Generally Liberal
The character is generally open-minded about many new ideas, styles, and techniques. The character may be generally adventurous, and enthusiastic about a variety of ideas, styles and topics. The character possesses several taboos or reservations concerning sexual practices and activities.

Very Liberal
The character is explicity open-minded about new ideas, styles, and techniques. The character may be very adventurous, and very enthusiastic about a broad variety of ideas, styles and topics. The character possesses few, if any, taboos or reservations concerning sexual practices and activities.

Character's Sexual Experiences/Relationship History

01-05% Properly Virginal
06-10% Chastely Virtuous
11-50% Cautiously Selective
51-80% Discreetly Adventurous
81-95% Brazenly Promiscuous
96-00% Thoroughly Lascivious

Properly Virginal: The character has remained properly virginal, entirely chaste, and has had no explicit sexual experiences or relationships. The character has primarily engaged in thoroughly innocent, proper platonic relationships. Some, however, may have engaged in intensely emotional and idealistic romantic relationships.

Chastely Virtuous: The character has been thoroughly chaste and virtuous in their sexual and romantic relationships, having engaged in sexual relationships with perhaps 1-3 people, and such relationships have been generally discreet and sincere in every way.

Cautiously Selective: The character has been cautiously selective, engaging in 3-8 (Roll 1d6+2) serious sexual relationships with various romantic lovers, all of which have been genuine and generally sincere. In addition, the character has engaged in 2-5 (Roll 1d4+1) serendipitous flings, wild parties, torrid affairs, manipulative seductions, and secretive laissons.

Discreetly Adventurous: The character has been discreetly adventurous, engaging in 5-10 (Roll 1d6+4) serious sexual relationships, all of which were genuine and generally sincere; as well as 3-8 (1d6+2) serendipitous flings, wild parties, torrid affairs, manipulative seductions, and secretive laissons.

Brazenly Promiscuous: The character has been brazenly promiscuous, and engaged in 7-12 (Roll 1d6+6) serious sexual relationships, most of which have been genuine and generally sincere; as well as 15-30 (Roll 3d6+12) serendipitious flings, wild parties, torrid affairs, manipulative seductions, and secretive laissons.

Thoroughly Lascivious: The character has been thoroughly lascivious, and engaged in 9-14 (Roll 1d6+8) serious sexual relationships, most of which have been genuine and generally sincere; as well as 30-60 (Roll 6d6+24) serendipitous flings, wild parties, torrid affairs, manipulative seductions, and secretive laissons. Naturally, the character may have engaged in many more such relationships--though, in view of the nature of relationships and how they actually develop and work, increasing numbers of lovers tends to devolve into increasingly limited, and emotionally shallow relationships.

Does The Character Have Children?
01-50% Yes
51-00% No

How Many Children?
This table is primarily focused on a human birth-rate, in a largely agricultural environment--or enormous urban environments where birth-control is very limited in either effectiveness or availability. Obviously, fertility rates among different creatures and races of humanoids may be similar, less than, or greater than the birthrates depicted. The DM should simply make reasonable adjustments corresponding to the birthrates of the particular humanoid race in mind.

Children Born/Sired by the Character
01-10% 1-3
11-20% 2-5
21-30% 3-6
31-45% 3-8
46-60% 5-10
61-75% 7-12
76-90% 9-14
91-93% 11-16
94-95% 13-18
96-97% 15-20
98-99% 19-24
00% 25 or more

This table is primarily focused on a human birth-rate, in a largely agricultural environment--or enormous urban environments where birth-control is very limited in either effectiveness or availability.
 
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The most that sexuality has ever been dealt with in game was not in D&D, but Buffy. Overall, my players were very keen to pick up on some of the themes of Buffy, which it in turn gets from the camp horror that it is based on - young people becoming sexual will either put them in danger or be a sign of falling into darkness. A character being sexually active, or having a sexually active past was a sign that they were going toward the 'dark side'. One PC couple started down this slope, getting powers from demons and becoming sexually active. Another was a vampire groupie and sexually active in her past, but had put that behind her.

It certainly has its place.
 

Just the other day I was contemplating stating the Sheila-na-gig as a new hag and the wandering womb (Ancient Greek catch-all malady to explain feminine issues) as a new monster... but decided the world was not quite ready. ;)
 

The most that sexuality has ever been dealt with in game was not in D&D, but Buffy. Overall, my players were very keen to pick up on some of the themes of Buffy, which it in turn gets from the camp horror that it is based on - young people becoming sexual will either put them in danger or be a sign of falling into darkness. A character being sexually active, or having a sexually active past was a sign that they were going toward the 'dark side'. One PC couple started down this slope, getting powers from demons and becoming sexually active. Another was a vampire groupie and sexually active in her past, but had put that behind her.

It certainly has its place.

Greetings!

Hey there Maddman my friend! Indeed, the Buffy Game seems to *drip* with sexuality...and adolescent angst!:)

Sounds like it was fun, and interesting!:lol: Have you run the Buffy Game often? Is it a good system? I've never played the Buffy Game. All those sexy vampires and werewolves running around...what's not to like?;)

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK
 

Just the other day I was contemplating stating the Sheila-na-gig as a new hag and the wandering womb (Ancient Greek catch-all malady to explain feminine issues) as a new monster... but decided the world was not quite ready. ;)

Greetings!

DUDE!:lol: I'm such an ancient history geek--that sounds awesome! I bet it would be fun, and it would rock, my man. Definitely...get to work on that! Once you have it written up, and you can see it all as a whole, say, complete, you know, well--it might then actually inspire some cool plots and adventures. Very cool.

I'd love to see those things statted and presented here, buddy!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK
 

Greetings!

Hey there Maddman my friend! Indeed, the Buffy Game seems to *drip* with sexuality...and adolescent angst!:)

Sounds like it was fun, and interesting!:lol: Have you run the Buffy Game often? Is it a good system? I've never played the Buffy Game. All those sexy vampires and werewolves running around...what's not to like?;)

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

I've ran several Buffy series, and it makes for a good roleplaying setting. They have the Hellmouth, sort of a portal to hell that is mostly sealed, that attracts monsters like flies to honey and Big Bads that want to open it and let demons spill forth. And then you have the teenage angst mixed in as well. Lots of fun. My players were a hoot as well. One of my favorite exchanges

White Hat: So is there any trouble?
Slayer: Heck yeah there's trouble! Simon's been hanging out with that Elizabeth girl all week and she's a total tramp and just going to use him not that I care because he's stupid.
White Hat: No. Monsters. Eating people. Focus.

:D

If you want a light-hearted, action packed monster fighting modern system I don't know of one better. If the teenage thing doesn't do it for you the Angel system might be a better fit, especially with the Magic Box suppliment for Sorcery.
 

Just the other day I was contemplating stating the Sheila-na-gig as a new hag and the wandering womb (Ancient Greek catch-all malady to explain feminine issues) as a new monster... but decided the world was not quite ready. ;)
Aunt Flow the Warlock?
 

Has Sex been influential in some way in your campaigns?

I don't know about any of that Shark but I bet a lot of people click on this link because of the title.

More seriously, it has played a role in reproduction, that is some of my players have developed characters who are descendants of earlier characters who had been killed after marrying and producing offspring.

And sometimes it is used as motivation. For instance there is a Strega (an Italian witch) in my game who when she was young was often sexually raped and abused by some monks. She grew up with an intense hatred of all clergy and vowed revenge, eventually becoming a witch and joining a party or group of individuals who want to wipe out all Paladins, Kavaliers, and Rangers. But her real motivation is revenge against the church and against clergymen. (She has murdered or had ambushed several, even very decent and kind clergymen, including one famous Hermit who was a player character.)

And it has played a more or less overt role with Paladin and Kavalier characters too.
 

I've had sex pop up a few times in games. Not at the table, but:

The first campaign I DMed, the rogue dressed up as a prostitute, hoping to grab their target for interrogation. She accidentally took the wrong John home.

Said rogue also had a torrid affair with a minotaur. She was half dragon, so it wasn't completely absurd.

In that same campaign, the cleric had a relationship with the DMPC I was running.

I've ran a murder mystery twice now, involving a noblewoman killing the lesbian lover of her daughter and framing the father. The reveal that the victim was the daughter's lover surprised both groups, and helped rein them in from more far-flung theories.

Otherwise, the more delicate of subjects are only addressed in sophmoric jokes.
 

I like sex and I like D&D

But I don't like mixing the two, unless there's a really strong horror element involved. Creepy backstories are fine, but I really don't want to watch my middle aged guy friends roleplaying their characters falling in love...or lust!

Ken
 

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