CrazyCrab
2016-12-13, 04:33 PM
Hi everyone,
I'm planning to run an occult detective campaign set in an alternative history Earth and I'm in the process of making resources for it - monsters, extra classes, gear choices, etc. My chassis is DnD 5e so there's a lot of adjustments that need to be done, but I'm not complaining. As I'm making them I do my best to make them as readable as possible, eventually turning them into PDFs to put online.
Well, now that the background's out of the way, I've been wondering as of late. My group (and me) are suckers for paranormal fiction - stuff like DC's Constantine, the Preacher and the X-Files definitely flow our boat, but I'm curious, what's the general consensus when it comes to stuff like that in the DnD community?
Well, it may be a bit difficult to understand what I mean by that... let's say, as an example, that the party is searching for loot in an ancient abandoned temple and they find the Shroud of Turin. My group would probably welcome that as a very interesting drop and wonder what to do with it next. Do you feel the same, or do you feel like your ground would get offended by that? Heck, if you're not running an Earth game it can be used just as easily, just call it the Shroud of Tyr and have it do the same thing.
Let's say that instead of, as the DM, saying 'I cast Magic Missile', you mumble something in Babylonian or Assyrian (ancient dictionaries are a thing, surprisingly!). Annoying or potentially fun for roleplaying? You get the idea.
Additionally, how do you feel when it comes to 'sensitive' items and cultures? I'm pretty sure that almost nobody on this planet will get offended if you character is wearing the Cloak of Hades, but let's say that a character is attempting to summon a demon straight out of the Lesser Key of Solomon... heck, I almost feel like the majority of the population will get offended at that. Do you feel like there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed? Ancient mythology is almost always politically correct, while recent (especially Abrahamic) traditions always raise an eyebrow. We all remember the Book of Vile Darkness and how that went down and that was all fictional. Then again, Vertigo comics went way, way further with something like Constantine (I would quote them but I'd rather not get banned for offensive content. Yep.) and it got turned into a TV series. Is there something about roleplaying that just makes it better off without those aspects?
I know this is a bit more loose ended than I originally planned, but I feel like this could be a fun discussion. Thoughts?
I'm planning to run an occult detective campaign set in an alternative history Earth and I'm in the process of making resources for it - monsters, extra classes, gear choices, etc. My chassis is DnD 5e so there's a lot of adjustments that need to be done, but I'm not complaining. As I'm making them I do my best to make them as readable as possible, eventually turning them into PDFs to put online.
Well, now that the background's out of the way, I've been wondering as of late. My group (and me) are suckers for paranormal fiction - stuff like DC's Constantine, the Preacher and the X-Files definitely flow our boat, but I'm curious, what's the general consensus when it comes to stuff like that in the DnD community?
Well, it may be a bit difficult to understand what I mean by that... let's say, as an example, that the party is searching for loot in an ancient abandoned temple and they find the Shroud of Turin. My group would probably welcome that as a very interesting drop and wonder what to do with it next. Do you feel the same, or do you feel like your ground would get offended by that? Heck, if you're not running an Earth game it can be used just as easily, just call it the Shroud of Tyr and have it do the same thing.
Let's say that instead of, as the DM, saying 'I cast Magic Missile', you mumble something in Babylonian or Assyrian (ancient dictionaries are a thing, surprisingly!). Annoying or potentially fun for roleplaying? You get the idea.
Additionally, how do you feel when it comes to 'sensitive' items and cultures? I'm pretty sure that almost nobody on this planet will get offended if you character is wearing the Cloak of Hades, but let's say that a character is attempting to summon a demon straight out of the Lesser Key of Solomon... heck, I almost feel like the majority of the population will get offended at that. Do you feel like there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed? Ancient mythology is almost always politically correct, while recent (especially Abrahamic) traditions always raise an eyebrow. We all remember the Book of Vile Darkness and how that went down and that was all fictional. Then again, Vertigo comics went way, way further with something like Constantine (I would quote them but I'd rather not get banned for offensive content. Yep.) and it got turned into a TV series. Is there something about roleplaying that just makes it better off without those aspects?
I know this is a bit more loose ended than I originally planned, but I feel like this could be a fun discussion. Thoughts?