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Two underlying truths: D&D heritage and inclusivity
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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 8022383" data-attributes="member: 6801845"><p>So I went back and (re)read these articles that [USER=6701124]@Cadence[/USER] provided. Yep, human beings and our capacity to demonize and slander the "other" is horrible. So is there a way as the OP asked to be inclusive <em>and</em> maintain heritage?</p><p></p><p>While I don't think that every depiction of evil monsters is wrong, I can see how some cross a line. For example in the current iteration of D&D I can see why people would think a hobgoblin image is a take on Samurai based on armor and the top knot. It was another case of trying to hearken back to old school D&D that may have gone too far.</p><p></p><p>But how do you describe orcs? Looking at the Keith Baker's Eberron description and the first thing I thought was stereotypical depiction of Latinos. Paraphrasing a bit "Emotional, fiery, dedicated to family and ideals but not very industrious." I don't see that as being much better, or even really being much to build off of for a generic orc as a base assumption. </p><p></p><p>What if we came up with a different descriptor? Someone mentioned "monstrous" others have noted that gnolls might be changed to "fiend".</p><p></p><p>Another possibility might be something along the lines of "Godforged". Orcs were literally created for a specific purpose, to wage never-ending war against other races. Depending on your campaign, some orcs can free themselves from their god and be used as a PC race. Orcs aren't inherently less intelligent, but their intellect is actively suppressed by Gruumsh. After all, as an evil god, Gruumsh wants slaves to do his bidding, not children who can grow and develop their own thoughts and ideas.</p><p></p><p>That way for those people that want traditional orcs, they're still there. We clarify why they aren't just another human subspecies while explaining why they have a lower intelligence while giving options for orcs that are just as smart as humans.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 8022383, member: 6801845"] So I went back and (re)read these articles that [USER=6701124]@Cadence[/USER] provided. Yep, human beings and our capacity to demonize and slander the "other" is horrible. So is there a way as the OP asked to be inclusive [I]and[/I] maintain heritage? While I don't think that every depiction of evil monsters is wrong, I can see how some cross a line. For example in the current iteration of D&D I can see why people would think a hobgoblin image is a take on Samurai based on armor and the top knot. It was another case of trying to hearken back to old school D&D that may have gone too far. But how do you describe orcs? Looking at the Keith Baker's Eberron description and the first thing I thought was stereotypical depiction of Latinos. Paraphrasing a bit "Emotional, fiery, dedicated to family and ideals but not very industrious." I don't see that as being much better, or even really being much to build off of for a generic orc as a base assumption. What if we came up with a different descriptor? Someone mentioned "monstrous" others have noted that gnolls might be changed to "fiend". Another possibility might be something along the lines of "Godforged". Orcs were literally created for a specific purpose, to wage never-ending war against other races. Depending on your campaign, some orcs can free themselves from their god and be used as a PC race. Orcs aren't inherently less intelligent, but their intellect is actively suppressed by Gruumsh. After all, as an evil god, Gruumsh wants slaves to do his bidding, not children who can grow and develop their own thoughts and ideas. That way for those people that want traditional orcs, they're still there. We clarify why they aren't just another human subspecies while explaining why they have a lower intelligence while giving options for orcs that are just as smart as humans. [/QUOTE]
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