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The Esoteric Warrior (Monk sans Orientalism)+
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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 8706439" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>And this ends up being the hard part of trying to create fantasy narratives using real-world concepts. You are absolutely right, but as a result it also ends up being a roadblock a designer has to find their way around.</p><p></p><p>D&D uses real-world terms to define fantasy concepts that are unique to D&D and its derivatives. D&D paladins aren't like real-world paladins, D&D druids hold none of the traditions of real-world druidicism, and despite using real-world terms like 'ki', the D&D monk isn't like any real-world monk or martial artist with the traditions therein. They are all using real-world terms (for sake of ease and understanding to the gaming populace) to define fantasy D&D tropes and ideas. And we all accept it to a certain extent.</p><p></p><p>And this is where you and others are hitting up against that same wall when you try and design new stuff (especially things that haven't already been grandfathered in from less culturally-sensitive times). Different cultural traditions from southern Asia and southeast Asia might have similarities when you just glaze over them, but they are actually exceedingly different as you say. But when we attempt to incorporate something like those traditions into a D&D fantasy setting... the question becomes how detailed do you actually get? Do you try and represent both traditions as close as possible? Do you do one over the other and the people who want that other one either get annoyed or they just wash over the former with personal houserule takes to give them what they want? Or if all of that is too in the weeds for players who will actually have to use these things, do you instead jump up a few levels to a broader idea like "breath is life" and turn the board-strokes into a relatively invented fantasy concept? A concept that has the barest hints of many different real-world concepts, but isn't any one of them and instead is a D&D trope for itself?</p><p></p><p>Truth be told, I don't think there's any good answer. It's either be respectful of the actual concepts and try to honestly represent them (but which run the risks of making mistakes and/or getting so detailed it overwhelms the D&D itself)... or do you just pull your ideas far enough away from real-world ideas (and maybe only using terms that you attempt to genericize, like 'druid') just so you can have more freedom to actual design workable game rules and ideas? Best of luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 8706439, member: 7006"] And this ends up being the hard part of trying to create fantasy narratives using real-world concepts. You are absolutely right, but as a result it also ends up being a roadblock a designer has to find their way around. D&D uses real-world terms to define fantasy concepts that are unique to D&D and its derivatives. D&D paladins aren't like real-world paladins, D&D druids hold none of the traditions of real-world druidicism, and despite using real-world terms like 'ki', the D&D monk isn't like any real-world monk or martial artist with the traditions therein. They are all using real-world terms (for sake of ease and understanding to the gaming populace) to define fantasy D&D tropes and ideas. And we all accept it to a certain extent. And this is where you and others are hitting up against that same wall when you try and design new stuff (especially things that haven't already been grandfathered in from less culturally-sensitive times). Different cultural traditions from southern Asia and southeast Asia might have similarities when you just glaze over them, but they are actually exceedingly different as you say. But when we attempt to incorporate something like those traditions into a D&D fantasy setting... the question becomes how detailed do you actually get? Do you try and represent both traditions as close as possible? Do you do one over the other and the people who want that other one either get annoyed or they just wash over the former with personal houserule takes to give them what they want? Or if all of that is too in the weeds for players who will actually have to use these things, do you instead jump up a few levels to a broader idea like "breath is life" and turn the board-strokes into a relatively invented fantasy concept? A concept that has the barest hints of many different real-world concepts, but isn't any one of them and instead is a D&D trope for itself? Truth be told, I don't think there's any good answer. It's either be respectful of the actual concepts and try to honestly represent them (but which run the risks of making mistakes and/or getting so detailed it overwhelms the D&D itself)... or do you just pull your ideas far enough away from real-world ideas (and maybe only using terms that you attempt to genericize, like 'druid') just so you can have more freedom to actual design workable game rules and ideas? Best of luck! [/QUOTE]
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