Do other races have... that time of the month?

[ShadeBlade0]

So, long story short, my campaign got into an argument about how the female anatomy of magical creatures work. Would there be... *ahem* feminine hygiene products for all the different races. Specifically, would fey creatures have more emotional times every month?

Don't judge me, there is literally a book entirely on erotic fantasies.

[Nifft]

Elves have "that time of the century".

They become surly and annoying so their community kicks them out until it passes, which usually takes a few years.

These temporarily exiled elves are known as "adventurers".

[Morcleon]

Depends on the type of fey. IRL, the only known mammals to have a menstrual cycle are primates, some bats, and the elephant shrew. This indicates that the more insectoid fey, such as grigs or gloura, probably wouldn't. As for the more mammalian fey (pixies, for example), might have them, though their magical nature makes this less likely.

[BWR]

Elves have "that time of the century".

They become surly and annoying so their community kicks them out until it passes, which usually takes a few years.

These temporarily exiled elves are known as "adventurers".

Dingdingding, we have a winner.

[NomGarret]

I can't say that I've ever heard a definitive answer on the topic, so I'd put it under DM world-building discretion. Personally, I'd say humanoids and monstrous humanoids do menstruate, though not necessarily at the same pace as humans. Fey, maybe not, and outsiders probably not.

As to the availability of feminine hygiene products, it's probably akin to the availability of any other hygiene product, which isn't something adventurers normally track. That is unless you count rolls of toilet paper on your equipment.

Either way, it strikes me as something best kept off-screen, unless you are playing with a group where there is a high level of trust things can be handled respectfully.

[Cruiser1]

So, long story short, my campaign got into an argument about how the female anatomy of magical creatures work. Would there be... *ahem* feminine hygiene products for all the different races.
Certain outsider fiends have that time of the month (or rather century), or at least they claim they do: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0380.html :smallwink:

[Malimar]

IRL, the only known mammals to have a menstrual cycle are primates, some bats, and the elephant shrew.
While this is very true for menstruation in particular (and thus relevant if OP's question is, like, "will sharks flock to my character if she goes swimming at the wrong time"), most mammals do operate on a variety of estrous cycles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrous_cycle#Horses). So centaurs, for example, probably operate on much the same cycle as horses:

A mare may be 4 to 10 days in heat and about 14 days in diestrus. Thus a cycle may be short, e.g., 3 weeks. Horses mate in spring and summer, autumn is a transition time, and anestrus rules the winter.

Fey, on the other hand, don't necessarily operate on a mammalian cycle at all, and might work more like insects (or, if you believe the Book of Erotic Fantasy, most fey just kind of decide whether or not to become pregnant, IIRC, no cycle of any sort involved).

[atemu1234]

If we use the rules in BoEF, yeah.

[Bayar]

Unless you're running a Slayers game where that time of the month means female spellcasters lose their powers, it shouldn't be a problem to say most humanoids have it and fey don't because they are of a different type.

As for hygene products, most people in vanilla fantasy probably use a rag or extra linen for that. I kinda doubt someone invented extra absorbant butterfly pads or internal tampons.

[Zaq]

That time of the month? Payday? Elves and halflings are traditionally paid by the month so it's just like humans for them, but gnomes are traditionally paid twice a month, so they have the good fortune to experience this sort of thing twice as often! Dwarves, what with their long memories, patient natures, and lawful tendencies, tend to pay their workers every three months—meaning that credit is a big thing in dwarven society. So it's more like a time of a season to look forward to.



. . . You know what, I'll just show myself out.

[atemu1234]

Thank god for the Prestidigitation spell.

[Coidzor]

Most humanoids should have menstrual cycles.

Some of them are indicated to go into heat, though, making an estrous cycle more likely for them, but there could be ways for that to be simulated within a menstrual cycle paradigm.

Something like a dragon would likely be on a completely separate cycle from any known and defined one, but there are a number of those for egg-layers.

[Psyren]

So, long story short, my campaign got into an argument about how the female anatomy of magical creatures work. Would there be... *ahem* feminine hygiene products for all the different races. Specifically, would fey creatures have more emotional times every month?

Don't judge me, there is literally a book entirely on erotic fantasies.

There aren't rules for pooping and nocturnal emissions, why should there be for this?

Also, I'd be wary about introducing an "emotional" component to this, as it affects everyone differently. (Individuals are funny like that.)

[Coidzor]

As for Fey, they can easily have a seasonal motif to their emotions or one tied to the weather. No sexual side necessary to it.

[King of Nowhere]

It depends on the way reproduction works exactly for those other races. As others have said, only a handful of mammals have menstruations, but that's because for most species they have periods when they go into heat, and their ovulation follows a fairly different mechanism. I'd say most humanoids have the same mating mechanics as humans, but some may not. I may want to experiment giving the orcs or goblins that kind of reproductive behavior.

As for feys, they are completely different things than hummans, so I'd say no, they don't. I'm not even sure how they reproduce. That of course depends on the setting.
In my campaign world, I made them sterile and asexual, and whenever there is too much raw magical energy and too little feys, a new fey just pops into existance, keeping their population at equilibrium. At least nymphs and driads, not sure about pixies and grigs.
A potential exception is made for nymphs, who are personifications of beauty; they do not menstruate because it does not mix well with beauty. But! Some few men actually like menstruation. If you put many men with that specific fetish around a nymph, it will cause her to menstruate, and she'll keep at it until she changes company. That's because I gave nymphs a low persistent magic that always keeps them at their most attractive - clean, with their clother ironed, without calluses, that sort of stuff. Incidentally, that makes them great laundresses: just have a nymph don the dirty clothing, and look as the dirt and grime will detach and fall to the ground, the metal shine as if it was just smelted, the stink of years of poor hygiene washed away in a breeze of pleasant floreal scents. But if enough men (or women with at least a generous portion of bisexuality) with peculiar tastes come near them, it may temporarily alter how the magic perceives what "most attractive" means.
I made nymphs (and by extension other feys) asexual because I didn't want them to become too much fanservice material. In the end I'm glad, I think they made more insteresting npcs for that. But I'm digressing here.




Fey, on the other hand, don't necessarily operate on a mammalian cycle at all, and might work more like insects (or, if you believe the Book of Erotic Fantasy, most fey just kind of decide whether or not to become pregnant, IIRC, no cycle of any sort involved).

Wait, does it really exist? Did somebody acctually went and write that? :smalleek:

[atemu1234]

It depends on the way reproduction works exactly for those other races. As others have said, only a handful of mammals have menstruations, but that's because for most species they have periods when they go into heat, and their ovulation follows a fairly different mechanism. I'd say most humanoids have the same mating mechanics as humans, but some may not. I may want to experiment giving the orcs or goblins that kind of reproductive behavior.

As for feys, they are completely different things than hummans, so I'd say no, they don't. I'm not even sure how they reproduce. That of course depends on the setting.
In my campaign world, I made them sterile and asexual, and whenever there is too much raw magical energy and too little feys, a new fey just pops into existance, keeping their population at equilibrium. At least nymphs and driads, not sure about pixies and grigs.
A potential exception is made for nymphs, who are personifications of beauty; they do not menstruate because it does not mix well with beauty. But! Some few men actually like menstruation. If you put many men with that specific fetish around a nymph, it will cause her to menstruate, and she'll keep at it until she changes company. That's because I gave nymphs a low persistent magic that always keeps them at their most attractive - clean, with their clother ironed, without calluses, that sort of stuff. Incidentally, that makes them great laundresses: just have a nymph don the dirty clothing, and look as the dirt and grime will detach and fall to the ground, the metal shine as if it was just smelted, the stink of years of poor hygiene washed away in a breeze of pleasant floreal scents. But if enough men (or women with at least a generous portion of bisexuality) with peculiar tastes come near them, it may temporarily alter how the magic perceives what "most attractive" means.
I made nymphs (and by extension other feys) asexual because I didn't want them to become too much fanservice material. In the end I'm glad, I think they made more insteresting npcs for that. But I'm digressing here.




Wait, does it really exist? Did somebody acctually went and write that? :smalleek:

I mean, it stands to reason from a biochemical standpoint that creatures that are biologically close enough to reproduce (without it being explicitly magical, as with dragons/outsiders/some fey/etc.), they need to have similar cycles of fertility.

[Calthropstu]

Seeing as how humans can apparently copulate with all of the aforementioned races, including fey and dragons apparently, I would assume some component must link them. Could be magical I suppose, but I would assume some sort of ovulation compatible with humans must occur.

[Nifft]

Seeing as how humans can apparently copulate with all of the aforementioned races, including fey and dragons apparently, I would assume some component must link them. Could be magical I suppose, but I would assume some sort of ovulation compatible with humans must occur.

Or perhaps it's because Humans are space-orcs from the suburbs of the Far Realms, and Humans have magical copulation powers that the other races find frankly disturbing.

Only true Dragons can keep up with Humans, and the Dragons only bother because they'd be annoyed to lose at anything, no matter how petty.

[Calthropstu]

Or perhaps it's because Humans are space-orcs from the suburbs of the Far Realms, and Humans have magical copulation powers that the other races find frankly disturbing.

Only true Dragons can keep up with Humans, and the Dragons only bother because they'd be annoyed to lose at anything, no matter how petty.

I am so making this a campaign.

[Coidzor]

Seeing as how humans can apparently copulate with all of the aforementioned races, including fey and dragons apparently, I would assume some component must link them. Could be magical I suppose, but I would assume some sort of ovulation compatible with humans must occur.

All that is necessary is that there is some egg or egg-equivalent to respond to the injection of genetic material from the male or the act of sex or whatever if it doesn't matter what sex the humanoid is and the ability to create a viable embryo and gestate it to bring it to term.

When and how that egg or egg-equivalent is released, if there even is a release rather than a constant state of receptiveness, and whether or not there is uterine lining that is shed regularly is immaterial.

[flappeercraft]

Seeing as how humans can apparently copulate with all of the aforementioned races, including fey and dragons apparently, I would assume some component must link them. Could be magical I suppose, but I would assume some sort of ovulation compatible with humans must occur.

Honestly, wouldn't it be more likely that the dragons just cast Polymorph before doing the deed with humanoids or other species and that the Dragon DNA is just there even after the polymorph, causing the breeding to be possible?

[Mordaedil]

Elves have "that time of the century".

They become surly and annoying so their community kicks them out until it passes, which usually takes a few years.

These temporarily exiled elves are known as "adventurers".

Did you confuse puberty with PMS?

[Zombimode]

So, long story short, my campaign got into an argument about how the female anatomy of magical creatures work. Would there be... *ahem* feminine hygiene products for all the different races. Specifically, would fey creatures have more emotional times every month?

Sure, if you want to humanize fey that way...

Personally, I'm not a fan of treating fey like proper biological beeings. Instead I see them as manifested nature Spirits or aspects of the world. They do resemble biological creatures, but there is no reason to assume that they share particular property based on phenotypical similarities alone.


In general, the Menstruation period is not something that is shared by all species in the Real World. Thus, there is no need to assume it exists for any non-human species.
Saying that a particular species should have a period because they can create ofspring with humans is a false equivalence.

The actual answer was already given by Psyren.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Honestly, wouldn't it be more likely that the dragons just cast Polymorph before doing the deed with humanoids or other species and that the Dragon DNA is just there even after the polymorph, causing the breeding to be possible?

That's one possibility. If the dragon Polymorph's into a Male humanoid, the genetic deposit will 'revert' back to its 'natural state' as per the Polymorph spell (anything that separates from the target's body returns to its natural state). It does produce the odd instance of a Female Dragon and a Female Humanoid having a viable child with a single spell. But strictly speaking not entirely neccessary as well. A Dragon of sufficiently small enough size (if male) could impregnate a Humanoid relatively safely and if not a Regenerate (Or weaker healing spell) could repair the damage. Probably. And realistically a Female Dragon could pair with a humanoid and create a child so long as she was not too small for the partner (though I don't know of any Dragon who is that small and also sexually mature).

[Psyren]

Did you confuse puberty with PMS?

I do believe he did.

[Nifft]

Did you confuse puberty with PMS?
Nope, thanks for asking.

This uniquely elven PMS malady (aka "Pre Murder Spree") may occur several times in an Elf's life.

It also strikes Elves of all different ages and experience levels, as required for the current campaign.

These are two of the conditions which makes it clearly distinct from puberty.


I do believe he did.
Nope but thanks for trying to help.


That's one possibility. If the dragon Polymorph's into a Male humanoid, the genetic deposit will 'revert' back to its 'natural state' as per the Polymorph spell (anything that separates from the target's body returns to its natural state). It does produce the odd instance of a Female Dragon and a Female Humanoid having a viable child with a single spell. But strictly speaking not entirely neccessary as well. A Dragon of sufficiently small enough size (if male) could impregnate a Humanoid relatively safely and if not a Regenerate (Or weaker healing spell) could repair the damage. Probably. And realistically a Female Dragon could pair with a humanoid and create a child so long as she was not too small for the partner (though I don't know of any Dragon who is that small and also sexually mature).
At the end of the day, there's got to be some magic happening for a viable cross-breed between dragons & humans.

Once the magic is in there, it can do a lot of heavy lifting.

For example: is the birth of a half-dragon live, or egg-based?

Canonically, dragons lay eggs, and humans birth live young. If a dragon lays a human, how is the delivery issue resolved?

Honestly in a wide-magic world I'd be pretty inclined to just say that every midwife has a Figurine of Benign Transposition which is a small, smooth fertility idol that can teleport-exchange itself with an infant to expedite delivery (... and it only works on an unconscious target, and all teleportation occurs within a single 5 ft. square so it's tactically useless, and whatever else is necessary to ensure that adventurers don't bother using such things).

[MesiDoomstalker]

Nope, thanks for asking.

This uniquely elven PMS malady (aka "Pre Murder Spree") may occur several times in an Elf's life.

It also strikes Elves of all different ages and experience levels, as required for the current campaign.

These are two of the conditions which makes it clearly distinct from puberty.


Nope but thanks for trying to help.


At the end of the day, there's got to be some magic happening for a viable cross-breed between dragons & humans.

Once the magic is in there, it can do a lot of heavy lifting.

For example: is the birth of a half-dragon live, or egg-based?

Canonically, dragons lay eggs, and humans birth live young. If a dragon lays a human, how is the delivery issue resolved?

Honestly in a wide-magic world I'd be pretty inclined to just say that every midwife has a Figurine of Benign Transposition which is a small, smooth fertility idol that can teleport-exchange itself with an infant to expedite delivery (... and it only works on an unconscious target, and all teleportation occurs within a single 5 ft. square so it's tactically useless, and whatever else is necessary to ensure that adventurers don't bother using such things).

Depends on the mother. A Female dragon will lay an egg and a Female Humanoid would have live birth.

[Coidzor]

Unless the female dragon is like a Song Dragon or something that can just stay in Humanoid or Animal form indefinitely, in which case they could just stay in that form and give live birth or whatever manner of reproduction the form they took uses.

[Segev]

Elves have "that time of the century".

They become surly and annoying so their community kicks them out until it passes, which usually takes a few years.

These temporarily exiled elves are known as "adventurers".

So male elves go through it, too? ...or is this just confirmation of the oft-given theory that elves are all female, and possibly the distaff of the race known as "dwarves?"




More seriously, I would imagine that they do unless there's a good reason for them not to, and that it comes up practically not at all anyway in most games. If you want to design the non-human races with different biology in this respect, you should do so with an eye towards WHY. What purpose does it serve for their race's life cycle? What does it do to their society, if anything? (It's an interesting question what it would do to human society if women didn't have that cycle, but otherwise functioned normally. Would it be noticeably different?)

For alternatives, you might look to other creatures in the real world. How do egg-laying species go about it? What about monotremes? (Drow with kangaroo-pouches just popped into my head, and made me snicker.)

[Nifft]

So male elves go through it, too? ...or is this just confirmation of the oft-given theory that elves are all female, and possibly the distaff of the race known as "dwarves?" Either of those are valid, sure.

Or elves literally have flower parts "down there" and tend to change sex every few seasons.

Or elves have evolved from frogs (which is why Aquatic Elves are the true ancestors), and can change sex based on party composition.


unless there's a good reason for them not to Sure, but "that's mildly amusing" does count as a good reason.

[Segev]

Sure, but "that's mildly amusing" does count as a good reason.

<Doctor> Time travel should only be used for grave emergency, or cheap tricks.

<Me, aside> And a bored Time Lord always counts as a grave emergency.

[Mordaedil]

Nope, thanks for asking.

This uniquely elven PMS malady (aka "Pre Murder Spree") may occur several times in an Elf's life.

It also strikes Elves of all different ages and experience levels, as required for the current campaign.

These are two of the conditions which makes it clearly distinct from puberty.


Trying very hard to save face, not entirely sure why, when this is so clearly better as a puberty joke.

Puberty, unlike PMS, also affects both genders and fit the same kind of change to an elven life-style rather than just a pure blood-letting phase that is unique to women.

[Coidzor]

For alternatives, you might look to other creatures in the real world. How do egg-laying species go about it? What about monotremes? (Drow with kangaroo-pouches just popped into my head, and made me snicker.)

Ahh, even better, now they can really murder one another before they're even properly babies. And the losers are even more readily accessible to being fed to spiders.

[Nifft]

Trying very hard to save face, not entirely sure why, when this is so clearly better as a puberty joke.

Puberty, unlike PMS, also affects both genders and fit the same kind of change to an elven life-style rather than just a pure blood-letting phase that is unique to women.
You think you're saving face? Why bother?

As a theory, puberty doesn't fit the evidence: elves leave home as adults, not at adolescence.

Sorry your "joke" is falling flat, but there's no need to try to force it. You'll do better next time, perhaps by aiming closer to the thread topic.


Ahh, even better, now they can really murder one another before they're even properly babies. And the losers are even more readily accessible to being fed to spiders.

I feel like it's entirely plausible that Drow babies are all forced to fight baby spiders for dominance.

Heh, maybe Drow mommies use Nap Spiders, which have a venom that causes sleep. When the baby develops immunity to that spider (and then murders that spider), it's got the racial trademark sleep poison immunity.

Maybe then Drow mommies switch to using spells ("Power Word: Nap") until the child develops spell resistance.

Ooo, and the reason so many Drow males become Wizards is specifically because Wizards get prestidigitation, and that's the best possible spell for a person assigned to handle diaper duty.

[Psyren]

Trying very hard to save face, not entirely sure why, when this is so clearly better as a puberty joke.

Puberty, unlike PMS, also affects both genders and fit the same kind of change to an elven life-style rather than just a pure blood-letting phase that is unique to women.

Indeed, but I would say him making that joke in the first place tells you all you'd need to know about trying to continue this discussion with him.

[Nifft]

Indeed, but I would say him making that joke in the first place tells you all you'd need to know about trying to continue this discussion with him.

Explain what you mean in a clear way that demonstrates you're not making a personal attack against a forum member.