For those of you who do not know what a tengu are, they are creatures from japanese mythology. Anwyays, I am curious on what creature type (ie humanoid) one would be, whether a character or NPC.
That one is really tough it kinda comes down to how they exist in your world as there can be arguments for various creature types depending on what you want.
If you wanted them as a playable choice they would be best to classify as Humanoid just for ease of rules
There can also be arguments for them to be an undead, celestial, fiend, or fey as they are a spirit within mythology.
Tengu definitely aren't undead, as they're neither reanimated corpses or the spirits of the deceased. As they're tricksters who were known for being both benevolent and malevolent as the whim struck them, and for teaching the art of ninjutsu to humans, a good case is made for them to be fey.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
That all depends really. If you consider them to be very, very powerful (like the Shinto lore that named the proto-tengu, Sarutahiko, as being a sun god, and the tengu in general ofsomehow being the same god), then they would be deities and therefore above the notion of “creature types,” or else their creature type would be “deity.”
If they’re not that powerful, then they could either be celestials, fey, or fiends depending on which aspect of the lore you are going with. If you go by the traditional Buddhist concept of them being “disruptive demons and harbingers of war,” then I would suggest going with fiend as their creature type. If on the other hand you ascribe to the concept of them being “protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests,” then I would likely go with fey as their creature type. If on the otherother hand you envision them fitting more inline with the Shugendō associated concept of them, then I would probably go with celestial as their creature type.
Really though, any of those three creature types could theoretically fit more than one of those aspects, particularly as fey, so that might be your safest “catch all” bet to represent all of those concepts in one.
That all depends really. If you consider them to be very, very powerful (like the Shinto lore that named the proto-tengu, Sarutahiko, as being a sun god, and the tengu in general ofsomehow being the same god), then they would be deities and therefore above the notion of “creature types,” or else their creature type would be “deity.”
If they’re not that powerful, then they could either be celestials, fey, or fiends depending on which aspect of the lore you are going with. If you go by the traditional Buddhist concept of them being “disruptive demons and harbingers of war,” then I would suggest going with fiend as their creature type. If on the other hand you ascribe to the concept of them being “protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests,” then I would likely go with fey as their creature type. If on the otherother hand you envision them fitting more inline with the Shugendō associated concept of them, then I would probably go with celestial as their creature type.
Really though, any of those three creature types could theoretically fit more than one of those aspects, particularly as fey, so that might be your safest “catch all” bet to represent all of those concepts in one.
Ok!! That makes logical sense. If I am being perfectly honest, I was kinda basing the tengu based off of the Touhou interpetation of them.
That all depends really. If you consider them to be very, very powerful (like the Shinto lore that named the proto-tengu, Sarutahiko, as being a sun god, and the tengu in general ofsomehow being the same god), then they would be deities and therefore above the notion of “creature types,” or else their creature type would be “deity.”
If they’re not that powerful, then they could either be celestials, fey, or fiends depending on which aspect of the lore you are going with. If you go by the traditional Buddhist concept of them being “disruptive demons and harbingers of war,” then I would suggest going with fiend as their creature type. If on the other hand you ascribe to the concept of them being “protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests,” then I would likely go with fey as their creature type. If on the otherother hand you envision them fitting more inline with the Shugendō associated concept of them, then I would probably go with celestial as their creature type.
Really though, any of those three creature types could theoretically fit more than one of those aspects, particularly as fey, so that might be your safest “catch all” bet to represent all of those concepts in one.
Ok!! That makes logical sense. If I am being perfectly honest, I was kinda basing the tengu based off of the Touhou interpetation of them.
That all depends really. If you consider them to be very, very powerful (like the Shinto lore that named the proto-tengu, Sarutahiko, as being a sun god, and the tengu in general ofsomehow being the same god), then they would be deities and therefore above the notion of “creature types,” or else their creature type would be “deity.”
If they’re not that powerful, then they could either be celestials, fey, or fiends depending on which aspect of the lore you are going with. If you go by the traditional Buddhist concept of them being “disruptive demons and harbingers of war,” then I would suggest going with fiend as their creature type. If on the other hand you ascribe to the concept of them being “protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests,” then I would likely go with fey as their creature type. If on the otherother hand you envision them fitting more inline with the Shugendō associated concept of them, then I would probably go with celestial as their creature type.
Really though, any of those three creature types could theoretically fit more than one of those aspects, particularly as fey, so that might be your safest “catch all” bet to represent all of those concepts in one.
Ok!! That makes logical sense. If I am being perfectly honest, I was kinda basing the tengu based off of the Touhou interpetation of them.
I’m unfamiliar with that. What’s Touhou?
A franchise of bullet hell shooter games, with numerous spinoffs. Known for having a diverse cast of female characters, including demon girls, fairies, and magical girls.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I was just looking at wikipedia page on tengu out of curiosity having seen the thread here. I am familiar with the idea that tengu are humanoid bird like creatures. As a playable race in dnd I would probably go with that as the appearance and consider them avian, though I don't believe there is an avian type in dnd. Here is a link to an image from guild wars 2 wiki https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tengu_Guard#/media/File:Tengu_(blue).jpg. Until I played the original guild wars I had never heard of tengu.
I was just looking at wikipedia page on tengu out of curiosity having seen the thread here. I am familiar with the idea that tengu are humanoid bird like creatures. As a playable race in dnd I would probably go with that as the appearance and consider them avian, though I don't believe there is an avian type in dnd.
We have had both the aarakocra and the kenku for a very long time. Both would be fitting as tengu as player character race options.
I was just looking at wikipedia page on tengu out of curiosity having seen the thread here. I am familiar with the idea that tengu are humanoid bird like creatures. As a playable race in dnd I would probably go with that as the appearance and consider them avian, though I don't believe there is an avian type in dnd.
We have had both the aarakocra and the kenku for a very long time. Both would be fitting as tengu as player character race options.
I should have dug deeper I was looking at existing player races to see if it would fit as a sub type to recommend. I'd be interested in what Princedg5678 comes up with.
They would be either a custom origins character or a kenku who was cursed by the gods to take a human form but kept there wings.
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I shall become the most beautiful Dragon that will ever exist and Lord Ao will notice me, I am a Soul Knife Rogue named Violet Mask and I am a 6'4 Owlin with Deep Purple Feathers that have a starry pattern on the back and two Hypnotic Eye like patterns on the inside. My Eyes that gleam like a Cosmic Amethyst and I work with the Zhentarim.
From what I understand, tengu are the very general equivalents of aasimar. As such, most would be humanoid with some being celestials. Fiend tengu would exist in the same way fiend humans exist, mostly the result of infernal pacts or demonic (oni) possession. Tengu may readily interact with fiendish yokai or live among them, but they would still be celestial or humanoid
I think the Japanese themed creatures would fit more into a sigil type planescape setting than anything, since there isn't really a distinction between good heaven and evil heaven (there is an underworld but its mostly just dead stuff, very similar to norse Hel). Spiritual entities of various types may interact without crossing between worlds except to come to the physical world. As such, fiends and celestials would both come from similar regions in the dnd cosmology. If I was fitting it into a setting I might dete mechanus and slot in a lawful neutral dimension where this category of spirits originate, held tovether by Tao laws that mortals and lesser celestials (such as the tengu) are incapable of deciphering
as for playable race...species...it's clearly just an Aarakocra with an indefinite lifespan (kenku can't fly and may be considered a crone)
Sort of like a Aarakorca scaled down (3ft tall) and based on ugly birds like crows. They existed in 1e and 2e so it should be simple to update the stats
If you're going to shoehorn Japanese creatures into D&D creature types, I would treat most creatures from Shinto myth as fey, as they are generally creatures or spirits of the world, not from some outer plane. In practice it doesn't actually matter very much, as there aren't actually any meaningful differences in 5e between Aberration, Celestial, Fey, and Fiend, the same special abilities work against all of them.
Sort of like a Aarakorca scaled down (3ft tall) and based on ugly birds like crows. They existed in 1e and 2e so it should be simple to update the stats
While I appreciate the crow imagery adoption idea in theory, I don't appreciate them being called "ugly". Just because they're not bright and colorful doesn't mean they're unappealing.
Crows are very smart, get rid of carrion where there are no other birds that can & will, and are notably the only animal other than humans to have a justice system.
Ravens are even smarter, have very beautiful plumage, & can do a lot of things people assume only parrots can, & are even better than them in some aspects.
If anything, corvids deserve more credit.
(Also, Blue Jays are Corvidae, & are traditionally attractive)
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Always study & sharpen philosophical razors. They save a lot of trouble.
If you're going to shoehorn Japanese creatures into D&D creature types, I would treat most creatures from Shinto myth as fey, as they are generally creatures or spirits of the world, not from some outer plane. In practice it doesn't actually matter very much, as there aren't actually any meaningful differences in 5e between Aberration, Celestial, Fey, and Fiend, the same special abilities work against all of them.
Technically the Plane of Air is an inner plane 😁
And while Kenku were very likely based on Tengu, they notably lack flight. So I'm comfortable deviating from the name in this case.
If you're going to shoehorn Japanese creatures into D&D creature types, I would treat most creatures from Shinto myth as fey, as they are generally creatures or spirits of the world, not from some outer plane. In practice it doesn't actually matter very much, as there aren't actually any meaningful differences in 5e between Aberration, Celestial, Fey, and Fiend, the same special abilities work against all of them.
Technically the Plane of Air is an inner plane 😁
And while Kenku were very likely based on Tengu, they notably lack flight. So I'm comfortable deviating from the name in this case.
And while they had wings, and some had beak instead of a nose, they are very notably not bird people.
For those of you who do not know what a tengu are, they are creatures from japanese mythology. Anwyays, I am curious on what creature type (ie humanoid) one would be, whether a character or NPC.
That one is really tough it kinda comes down to how they exist in your world as there can be arguments for various creature types depending on what you want.
If you wanted them as a playable choice they would be best to classify as Humanoid just for ease of rules
There can also be arguments for them to be an undead, celestial, fiend, or fey as they are a spirit within mythology.
Tengu definitely aren't undead, as they're neither reanimated corpses or the spirits of the deceased. As they're tricksters who were known for being both benevolent and malevolent as the whim struck them, and for teaching the art of ninjutsu to humans, a good case is made for them to be fey.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
That all depends really. If you consider them to be very, very powerful (like the Shinto lore that named the proto-tengu, Sarutahiko, as being a sun god, and the tengu in general ofsomehow being the same god), then they would be deities and therefore above the notion of “creature types,” or else their creature type would be “deity.”
If they’re not that powerful, then they could either be celestials, fey, or fiends depending on which aspect of the lore you are going with. If you go by the traditional Buddhist concept of them being “disruptive demons and harbingers of war,” then I would suggest going with fiend as their creature type. If on the other hand you ascribe to the concept of them being “protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests,” then I would likely go with fey as their creature type. If on the otherother hand you envision them fitting more inline with the Shugendō associated concept of them, then I would probably go with celestial as their creature type.
Really though, any of those three creature types could theoretically fit more than one of those aspects, particularly as fey, so that might be your safest “catch all” bet to represent all of those concepts in one.
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Ok!! That makes logical sense. If I am being perfectly honest, I was kinda basing the tengu based off of the Touhou interpetation of them.
I’m unfamiliar with that. What’s Touhou?
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A franchise of bullet hell shooter games, with numerous spinoffs. Known for having a diverse cast of female characters, including demon girls, fairies, and magical girls.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I was just looking at wikipedia page on tengu out of curiosity having seen the thread here. I am familiar with the idea that tengu are humanoid bird like creatures. As a playable race in dnd I would probably go with that as the appearance and consider them avian, though I don't believe there is an avian type in dnd. Here is a link to an image from guild wars 2 wiki https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tengu_Guard#/media/File:Tengu_(blue).jpg. Until I played the original guild wars I had never heard of tengu.
We have had both the aarakocra and the kenku for a very long time. Both would be fitting as tengu as player character race options.
I should have dug deeper I was looking at existing player races to see if it would fit as a sub type to recommend. I'd be interested in what Princedg5678 comes up with.
They would be either a custom origins character or a kenku who was cursed by the gods to take a human form but kept there wings.
I shall become the most beautiful Dragon that will ever exist and Lord Ao will notice me, I am a Soul Knife Rogue named Violet Mask and I am a 6'4 Owlin with Deep Purple Feathers that have a starry pattern on the back and two Hypnotic Eye like patterns on the inside. My Eyes that gleam like a Cosmic Amethyst and I work with the Zhentarim.
From what I understand, tengu are the very general equivalents of aasimar. As such, most would be humanoid with some being celestials. Fiend tengu would exist in the same way fiend humans exist, mostly the result of infernal pacts or demonic (oni) possession. Tengu may readily interact with fiendish yokai or live among them, but they would still be celestial or humanoid
I think the Japanese themed creatures would fit more into a sigil type planescape setting than anything, since there isn't really a distinction between good heaven and evil heaven (there is an underworld but its mostly just dead stuff, very similar to norse Hel). Spiritual entities of various types may interact without crossing between worlds except to come to the physical world. As such, fiends and celestials would both come from similar regions in the dnd cosmology. If I was fitting it into a setting I might dete mechanus and slot in a lawful neutral dimension where this category of spirits originate, held tovether by Tao laws that mortals and lesser celestials (such as the tengu) are incapable of deciphering
as for playable race...species...it's clearly just an Aarakocra with an indefinite lifespan (kenku can't fly and may be considered a crone)
I'd honestly go with Aarakocra - in particular, the "air elemental" versions from the MM24. But new/unique celestial or fey creatures could work too.
Sort of like a Aarakorca scaled down (3ft tall) and based on ugly birds like crows. They existed in 1e and 2e so it should be simple to update the stats
Pretty sure the actual equivalent is Kenku -- the name Kenku comes from Oriental Adventures (AD&D) where it was listed as an alternate name for Tengu.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Tengu#Background
If you're going to shoehorn Japanese creatures into D&D creature types, I would treat most creatures from Shinto myth as fey, as they are generally creatures or spirits of the world, not from some outer plane. In practice it doesn't actually matter very much, as there aren't actually any meaningful differences in 5e between Aberration, Celestial, Fey, and Fiend, the same special abilities work against all of them.
While I appreciate the crow imagery adoption idea in theory, I don't appreciate them being called "ugly". Just because they're not bright and colorful doesn't mean they're unappealing.
Crows are very smart, get rid of carrion where there are no other birds that can & will, and are notably the only animal other than humans to have a justice system.
Ravens are even smarter, have very beautiful plumage, & can do a lot of things people assume only parrots can, & are even better than them in some aspects.
If anything, corvids deserve more credit.
(Also, Blue Jays are Corvidae, & are traditionally attractive)
DM, player & homebrewer(Current homebrew project is an unofficial conversion of SBURB/SGRUB from Homestuck into DND 5e)
Once made Maxwell's Silver Hammer come down upon Strahd's head to make sure he was dead.
Always study & sharpen philosophical razors. They save a lot of trouble.
What blue jays have you been encountering? Then again, maybe the eastern blue jay is less annoying than the steller's jay.
Technically the Plane of Air is an inner plane 😁
And while Kenku were very likely based on Tengu, they notably lack flight. So I'm comfortable deviating from the name in this case.
And while they had wings, and some had beak instead of a nose, they are very notably not bird people.
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Uh... they're most certainly raven-themed bird people. They just can't actually fly.