Why all the fiendish love?

[mhacdebhandia]

In poor taste is still in poor taste, regardless of moral issues.

The only possible reason it could be "in poor taste" is if you had some religious or moral objection to it.

I contend that it's entirely neutral in terms of "taste".

For me, it's not that having fiendish PC races is morally wrong, it's that it's not DND. If I wanted to play Demons and Devils, I'd play that instead.

History disagrees with you.

 

[Aloïsius]

... but I'm still harboring a little dubiousness over their cover choice...

Fify. I don't care about tiefling on the cover, but I don't like this one and his enormous horns. And I don't like the MM cover, neither. It's partly because of WAR, and partly because I think the tiefling design makes them too "half-dragonish". I would like fiends and dragons to be very different, and those 4e tieflings look like half-red dragons.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I also think it's worth pointing out that Merlin, as far back as Geoffrey of Monmouth, was half-demon - begotten on a king's daughter by an incubus. Sure, he doesn't have horns or wings, but his magical powers stem from his demonic heritage.

 

[Flobby]

Yeah I can't imagine the choice was nothing more than that-- they thought it be good for the game, it'd be popular, etc. I personally like the idea of adding a more monsterous race. I don't think it has anything to do with morals, nor should anyone take it as such. (After reading a few posts I was afraid this thread would turn into another religious argument!)
Anyway, anti-D&Ders will find anything to twist around in D&D for their own purpose, so I doubt it would do anything to fuel those fires. Afterall I remember reading some anti-D&D artical by some conservative Xtian group a few months ago, and the thing that seemed to get their goat the most was something in the DMG(?) that said that characters should have gods to worship, (not evil gods or anything mind you!) rather than anthing demonic or devilish.

 

[frankthedm]

Why all the fiendish love?

It is not exactly love, but it does have something to do with that a fiend flies faster than a human runs.

Eeeeee... sorry, the artist may've drawn them with alluring lacey goth-gear, but images of vagina dentata make me say... "no thanks."

Where? I had that picture as a desktop and never noticed anything so delightful in that picture.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In a word, 'Diablo'.

The expansion to the sequel is already six years old.

I'm not sure the hip and cutting edge six year old game is influencing D&D all that much.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Especially since a tiefling is prominently featured on the 4E PHB cover art.

Makes me wonder if WotC might be hoping for a little controversy

I think the real world has really passed D&D by in terms of shock value. D&D will have to do a lot more than stick a tiefling on the cover before it can compete with the likes of Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears.

What was shocking in the 1980s -- remember we had people not get on the Supreme Court because they admitted once smoking marijuana? -- is positively mainstream in the 21st century -- look at how well Weeds does at awards time.

Tieflings are showing up on covers to show that D&D has been shaken up some. It's marketing to an RPG audience, not to bookburners.

 

[Malhost Zormaeril]

Maybe, just maybe, it's because the designers think that fiendish aspects make for a good game, or provide interesting plot hooks, or are fun characters. Or maybe it's because market research suggests that lots of players feel that way.

And if lots of players feel that way, might it reflect a larger trend in society and Wizards' subsequent catering to that trend -- as OP implied?

On the other hand, the "Points of Light" implied setting can logically support an enhanced focus on fiends and their kin. That being said, I'll be sure to excise the fiends-as-PC options from my campaign; my players' PCs are bad enough being plain humans... Personal choice, though.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

Originally Posted by RPG_Tweaker
Eeeeee... sorry, the artist may've drawn them with alluring lacey goth-gear, but images of vagina dentata make me say... "no thanks."

Where? I had that picture as a desktop and never noticed anything so delightful in that picture.

Cunningly hidden under those enticing black panties.

Though, as Nifft pointed out, it might not be canon... but with all the allusions of anime influence in 4E, whose to say a little hentai isn't soon to follow.

 

[KarinsDad]

The only possible reason it could be "in poor taste" is if you had some religious or moral objection to it.

I contend that it's entirely neutral in terms of "taste".

Nope. I don't like half-Orcs either for the same reason.

I find it dumb to create a heroic fantasy game with angst race PCs. The only other reason to have them is to give players some unusual racial powers (such as flight or resistance to fire or some other strange atypical ability).

Just personal preference. "In poor taste" from my POV.

History disagrees with you.

Ok, show me in a previous PHB where a half- "evil outsider" race was a PC choice.