DnD Item

Saw this on the Twitter and thought I would like to share.

Fungal themed forest gnome families at war: The RedCapulets and the Montashrooms.

This seemed fun.

1. Fully down.

2. I have done the lovemaking check but that’s only because the table was all good good friends who I knew would be okay with it.

3. I’m doing a Shakespeare campaign currently so honest to god mandatory.

4. Very frequently.

5. Playing a different gender is totally fine. Playing a different ethnicity is too, although I do I think about it with a bit more hesitation than with playing a different gender. I trust my players to not make ethnicity a joke, and mostly leave it at that.

6. I admit I need to do this more. I don’t mention race when I introduce characters, but there is an unspoken screenwriting rule that if you don’t explicitly state the race of a character, a casting director will assume that they’re white. The same kind of goes for DnD, and I don’t want my worlds to be only white people.

7. I wouldn’t.

8. I haven’t covered physical disabilities beyond pirate hook hands and what not, so I honestly don’t know. Casually I hope.

9. I really don’t.

10. Sexual assault and racism. Fantasy racism is the most tiring idea in the world to me. Political conflicts are fine. Cultural and national prejudices I get. I incorporated racism once and immediately regretted it. Unless the campaign is specifically about racism, I can’t abide it.

Asking Uncomfortable Questions...

So what you’re about to read does contain conversations about certain topics which could be seen as very sensitive to you, the Reader. 

If you feel uncomfortable by anything presented here, I apologise in advance and ask that you click away from this Post and stop reading it entirely.

With that, I shall begin, and I hope that the replies, reblogs, and comments can help out. 

I know this Post is gonna deal with some REALLY AWKWARD topics for some people, but no one seems to seriously talk about them and so no one is seems to be properly informed.

So I want to ask some Questions to the Community and get a general response on how people react.

How do you feel about flirting with your Players as a way to Roleplay?

Do you prefer the “Fade to Black” approach or “Roll a Lovemaking Check” approach to sex in your D&D Game?

What do you feel about LGBTQ+ Representation in your Game? 

How often do you feature LGBTQ+ Characters in your Game, if at all?

What’s your Opinion on a Player wanting to play a Character of a different Gender or Ethnicity than themselves (such as a Male Player wanting to play a Female Character, or a White Player wanting to play a Black Character)?

How often do you feature Characters of varying cultures and ethnicity in your Game, if at all?

How would you represent mental illness and mental disability in your Game?

How would you represent a physical disability in your Game?

How often do you feature Characters with a Mental or Physical Disability in your Game, if at all?

What Topics in your Game do you consider an absolute “No Go” no matter what?

Keep reading

1. How the Goblin Concept of the Afterlife May Influence Goblin Culture

A cursory glance around the 5th edition Monster Manual tells us that the most prevalent Goblin deity is Maglubiyet. Maglubiyet is...

“worshiped not out of adoration but fear. Goblins believe that when they die in battle, their spirits join the ranks of Maglubiyet’s army on the plane of Acheron. This is a privilege that most goblins dread”(Wizards of the Coast 165).

This quote should lead us to believe that Goblins, unlike Hobgoblins and Bugbears that share the Goblinoid category, do not enjoy war. Whereas Hobgoblins see serving Maglubiyet as an honor, Goblins outright fear it. Dying in battle must be avoided. Maglubiyet is a boogeyman to the Goblin people- almost designed to be a parable against engaging in violence. If you die in battle, hell awaits.

This faith system, leads me to believe that any Goblin community that believes in it would be aggressively peaceful. So how could that not be the case?

DnD Item

The Skull of Yorrick

- What is remembered of a man, and by whom? After contemplating suicide with skull in hand, a PC reduced to 0 hit points has their waking conscious instead transferred to the skull until their actual body is revived or dies. Poor Yorrick has a speed of 10. He has five first level spell slots and the spells; hideous laughter, sleep, bane, dissonant whispers, and mage hand.

How Gender Roles Form Out of Survival Strategies

If the goblins greatest asset is numbers, most goblin societies would encourage goblin woman (assuming goblin systems of reproduction are the same as humans) to have as many children as possible in order to keep the tribe safe. Though utilitarian, this idea isn’t so far-fetched, as we have seen something similar play out in human history. Before farming became automated part of the reason couples had so many children so regularly (aside from lack of birth control) was simply because more babies meant more farm hands down the line. Additionally, given that goblins are a constantly preyed upon group, having a lot of children because you know a few will die randomly, while a cut-throat concept, is not an illogical one.

Now, excessive reproduction as a tool for survival can result in a few things. A goddess of fertility could be created to represent an important process in their culture. The standard goblin relationship could be polyamorous, as more sexual partners means more children. Gender roles can be constructed to keep women devoted to rearing children and out of harm’s way.

As we have seen with humans though, these social constructs can be de-constructed. Maybe once goblins discover technology and craft tanks, lasers, and science-y stuff to defend themselves, strength in numbers will no longer be necessary and the average amount of children in a goblin household will shrink. Without the practical application, previously necessary gender roles will be merely tradition, and thus can be challenged.

Horny friends

DnD Item

Pipsy’s Drinking Horn

- A French horn that doubles as a source of infinite Sweet Mead. It’s seen battle and it’s seen parties in equal measure. +3 to performance. Taking a swig from Pipsy’s drinking horn grants Liquid Courage for one hour, which gets you advantage on Strength and Charisma ability checks and disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks.