Amazons or Amazoness

[bookkeeping guy]

Hi people...


So on another forum thread I was gathering data about interests of people in different fantasy races and their family structures...it just so came up that a few people mentioned amazons or amazoness' as an interesting female only race.

I hadn't really thought about using this in campaign material before, whether as allies, or adversaries, but it did pique my interest to want to do a feeler on what perception people would have on this concept.

What would this race be like? I'd like to put together a 2e or 3e build on them or a concept to flesh out and would like some ideas.

Would they be more similar to humans or to half-elves or some other race characteristics?

I'm guessing probably a warrior culture? How big would a tribe of them be?

Are their men slaves or just letting the woman where the pants? And how would how they live together work? If they are the mom but also the hunter, do they live with other amazoness' to share guarding children or how? If the men are slaves that would make it difficult to entrust them with being stay at home dads...so that could be an issue in working out details. Would they have a high percentage of lesbianism or none at all?

How territorial would they be?

Would they be more like hunter gatherers that avoid technology? Maybe have a taboo for technology?

Perhaps they have some magic but only in the form of shamans?

How similar or different are they to humans? Would they live shorter than humans, longer, or the same? Do they ...age similar to humans in how body deteriorates?

To be fair I already checked for a thread about amazoness' and didn't see one.

Ideas welcome. Thanks.

[Satinavian]

Usually those are done as culture for humans, not as a race. So no biological differences and at best feats, traits and classes for D&D rule design purpose.

Descriptions vary in if there are men in the culture, how they interact with neighbors and so on. It is rare that people use the "amputate one breast for better archery" from the ancient greek stories as that is pretty plain stupid. Women can use bows just fine with their anatomy. However "Killing all boy infants or leaving them in the wilderness" is a widespread theme.

[Ravens_cry]

If you want to give a nod to the 'tear off one breast' schtick, it could be something done by certain priestesses within the culture.

[bookkeeping guy]

The amputating one breast and killing the infant boys sounds icky. Unless they are half orcs I don't see why they'd do something like that.


i think we can maybe work a different route than that...

[Vizzerdrix]

The amputating one breast and killing the infant boys sounds icky. Unless they are half orcs I don't see why they'd do something like that.


i think we can maybe work a different route than that...

Okay, how about they return males to the village that sired them instead, and practice breast binding starting at a young age.

As for why, removing a boob made ar hery easier, and the amazons were and all girls club so the boys had to go.

[Crake]

Mongoose publishing released a 3rd party "Slayer's guide to Amazons" book which has a whole bunch of lore/culture about amazons that you can pick and choose from if you wanted?

[Name1]

The amputating one breast and killing the infant boys sounds icky. Unless they are half orcs I don't see why they'd do something like that.


i think we can maybe work a different route than that...

Well, Amazons are basically feminists, right? So at least the second thing doesn't seem too far fetched or abnormal. The amputation of one breast has something to do with the way bows work. If the Amazons you want to use don't use Bows, but have a different ranged weapon of choice, they might not do the amputation thing, since most benefits you can gain by using a bow can be simulated with different weapons (at least in D&D).

[Rebel7284]

Well, Amazons are basically feminists, right?

So wrong I don't even know where to start.

[digiman619]

Well, Amazons are basically feminists, right?

In the same way an Irishman celebrating St. Patrick's Day or a German celebrating Octoberfest is basically white supremacists, yes.

[Name1]

So wrong I don't even know where to start.

...Well, start at the beginning, I got time... though I guess it would be more of a PM thing so we don't derail the thread.

[Inevitability]

Well, Amazons are basically feminists, right?

Trying to claim a modern-day movement and ancient myth are completely equal rarely leads to accurate and constructive stateme...


So at least the second thing doesn't seem too far fetched or abnormal.

Wait what. Just to be absolutely clear, you're referring to the infanticide thing, right?

[Name1]

Trying to claim a modern-day movement and ancient myth are completely equal rarely leads to accurate and constructive stateme...



Wait what. Just to be absolutely clear, you're referring to the infanticide thing, right?

As a matter of fact, I am. Now don't get me wrong: I'm not an expert on the subject (obviously, since so many people here seems to have a better understanding on the topic and seem to have a different view on it), but where I come from feminist circles have expressed that idea to be somethig desirable and have not met any sort of negative response. I mean, I know I live in a very pro-feminism part of my country, so I guess I might just encountered a weird splinter group, but on a lot of blogs I could find on that topic, similar ideas were talked about and considered a good thing. I even got kicked out of class back when I was still in school for expressing my disagreement with that and had to go see the headmaster.

So... yeah, I am? I guess I hit a weird part of the feminism movement there?

[Darrin]

If you can track it down, Diablo II: Diablerie has 3.0 stats for Amazons. Looks mostly like "Archery-based ranger, but more bad-ass."

[MaxiDuRaritry]

As a matter of fact, I am. Now don't get me wrong: I'm not an expert on the subject (obviously, since so many people here seems to have a better understanding on the topic and seem to have a different view on it), but where I come from feminist circles have expressed that idea to be somethig desirable and have not met any sort of negative response. I mean, I know I live in a very pro-feminism part of my country, so I guess I might just encountered a weird splinter group, but on a lot of blogs I could find on that topic, similar ideas were talked about and considered a good thing. I even got kicked out of class back when I was still in school for expressing my disagreement with that and had to go see the headmaster.

So... yeah, I am? I guess I hit a weird part of the feminism movement there?Yeah, those are feminazis (pretty much literally).

Actual feminism. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism)

Those others are basically insane, and are using "feminism" to push their psychopathic ideas. Like Death Eaters, but with boys instead of muggles. And wizards. And everyone else, really.

[Name1]

Yeah, those are feminazis (pretty much literally).

Actual feminism. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism)

Those others are basically insane, and are using "feminism" to push their psychopathic ideas. Like Death Eaters, but with boys instead of muggles. And wizards. And everyone else, really.

Huh... that explains a lot of the things I heard. It doesn't explain everything...
"I’m pretty sure that we’d have loads more healing, psychic, telepathic and other transcendental superpowers were we not crippled from birth by men, and that men have reduced our powers generation after generation of genocide." (https://witchwind.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/more-science-and-essentialism/)... but still a lot of what I've heard from them.

...What exactly is the definition of social rights though? I mean, I get they want all social rights men have, but wouldn't that lead to imbalance if males don't get females social rights (in cases of children and all that)? Or did I get that wrong too?

(Btw., sorry bookkeeping guy, for leading the thread in a different direction for a bit...)

[Arbane]

The Amazons are what you get when the extremely male-chauvinist ancient Greeks tried to imagine what a women-only society would look like. (Last I checked, historians think they may have been inspired by the Scythians, who had women warriors.)

[daremetoidareyo]

I would go with bee people or ant people. They are already all female, often with enslaved drones used only as sex pots. The way you change them from their orderly backgrounds is to make them obligately need to reproduce with demihuman males...who they need to kidnap.

That is scary. Or do you want the sliced breast aspect covered too. Royal jelly makes for a neat cultural tool in that it is a substance that needs to be consumed to become reproductive. So why not make the culture force all warriors to chip off a mandible?

[Âmesang]

All of this and no mention of the drow? :smalltongue:

[Inevitability]

On the 'Feminists want to kill babies!' debate: I hope it's clear by now that the murderous subgroup is just that: a small subgroup. I suggest we stop talking about it now, if only because it's probably against forum rules.


All of this and no mention of the drow? :smalltongue:

He's right! They even have spider-mounts!