Mr Manners Guide to Tail Etiquette

[Dhavaer]

Credit goes to HaplessWithDice of the WotC forums. Original posting is found here.

Mr. Manners Guide to Tail Etiquette!

As for stepping over or around. Stepping over someones tail is about as rude as not opening a door for a woman. More annoying and uncooth than plain out rude. If you have space to go around you go around, but if you must pass and have no other way than to step over let the person you step over know your doing it. A polite, or at least smart, Tiefling should at this point pull their tails in curl them up or move them in some way so as to let the person pass. After all getting stepped on HURTS, even if that bar wench is only 110 lbs, that's still 110lbs more than you want standing on a part of your body, espcialy your tail.

Hitting someone with the tail, this is dependent on level of contact. For example if a person bushes another's body with their tail, as accendental contact while moving on, it is considered common contact just something that happens, and may even go unnoticed. Like bumping elbows with another person on the street, as a referance for none tailed readers. Something like a sitting in a bar tail to boot contact (not boot to tail, that is covered above) should be applogised for if you are twitching, or swinging your tail in time to music, or other such activities and being reckless with your tail. Tail to tail contact, if a common bumping of tails occurs it is either a sign of flirtation, or a really dumb accident and if accidental should be applogised for immediately. When one feels a tail brush up against their's it is ok to trace back the contacting tail to it's owner. This can help you determine if it is a flirt, or an accident, or a flirt you would rather pretend was an accident.

Holding hands in public is a cute way to show affection, and many tieflings do it, the entwining of tails likewise shows affection and is considered the same gesture. Tailed races should note that wrapping your tail around your none tailed love interests leg does not show the same affection and is typically considered more a sign of lust than love. When tail wrapping with a none tailed being the waist is considered more fitting, though can be seen as a bit more possessive to those viewing the display of affection.

When handeling an object with ones tail remember the following rules. Food is not ok to be handed to someone other than a lover with your tail, this is was in the old empire a way to show that you wanted to take someone to bed with you. Objects that do not require sanitation are acceptable to be handled with a tail. Consider your prehensile tail a hand that you only wash once a day and is attached to a part of your body the opposite sex stairs at. Be mindful of this as you use it. After all nothing is more embarrassing than realizing that an attractive member of the opposite sex was just staring at your bottom the whole time you were trying to hand them something. When dealing with none tailed peoples remember that your tail is seen as graceful, and an adornment to your bottom. Remember they aren't dumb, they just don't have one of those and are fascinated by it. Doing something like picking up a small object with your tail is very impressive to our none tailed neighbors.

[Chronos]

And here I thought this was going to refer to Reepicheep, not tieflings. Though I imagine much the same etiquette applies in either case.

[kirbsys]

I like it. Should I ever play a tiefling, these are things I will keep in mind.

[Collin152]

I miss my tail so much...

[Ned the undead]

I miss my tail so much...

If you want another I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a back alley surgeon.

[Jayngfet]

What about slapping someone with you're tail?

[Tengu]

The writer apparently forgot that tieflings' tails are non-prehensile when he was writing the last two paragraphs.

Also, it's outrageous that tieflings have tails and dragonborn don't.

[hamishspence]

doesn't need to be prehensile: prehensile means you can grip something, but if tip is rigid, as it looks in some art, it can be pushed through a cup handle.

And the idea of tails being a minor erogenous zone is...interesting.

[Volug]

Too much Tiefling.... Not enough wolf.

We wolves have tails too you know! And they are much more fuzzier

[Xuincherguixe]

I am so getting a machine gun for a tail.

[Glawackus]

I like this. I wish we had more stuff like this and the "kobold victory chart" that Wizards just put out.

[KIDS]

Oh gods, after reading this I was suddenly overwhelmed by a ferocious desire to have a tail of my own and feeling it almost as a phantom; well written and quite funny! :)

[puppyavenger]

Also, it's outrageous that tieflings have tails and dragonborn don't.

but..why? really, dragons are more likely to have tails than demons..

[Sholos]

I like this. I wish we had more stuff like this and the "kobold victory chart" that Wizards just put out.

Where is this?

[LoopyZebra]

Where is this?

In this PDF.

[Leon]

Called Shot: Tail

[Flickerdart]

but..why? really, dragons are more likely to have tails than demons..

Dragon tails are big, fat and ugly. A Dragonborn would have the damn thing sticking out and knocking things over and looking stupid.

[Cuddly]

Ew, sexualizing tails? Not at my table.

[Solo]

Ew, sexualizing tails? Not at my table.

You must construct additional Pylons.

[Grynning]

Tiefling tails may not be prehensile, but I could picture them being mobile and flexible like a cat's, rather than stiff like a dog's. This would permit wrapping around things (as a display of affection), or lashing about (as a sign of irritation) but not handling objects.

Also, the guy that wrote that needs some spelling and grammar lessons. I don't expect perfection, but reading that hurt my brain.

Edit: By the way, I agree that treating the tails as a "minor erogenous zone" is creepy at best and disturbing at worst. Who would ever want to role-play that...wait, please don't answer that...

[DigoDragon]

Ew, sexualizing tails? Not at my table.

I suddenly remember the episode of the TV show "Dinosaurs" discussing the sexual connotations of having tails, especially for the females. It was pretty entertaining.

"Ewww, I touched my sister's tail!"

[Xuincherguixe]

Bah, anything can be sexualized.

Why yes, I have played a few creepy characters. How did you know?