A. Just because certain correlations exist between SOME species with sexual dimorphism does count as a sound argument for ALL species with relation to sexual dimorphism. When you say "universal" you are talking about observed behavior, primarily amongst mammals of a certain size.
B. There is no causative link between sexual dimorphism and as you put it females expressing aggression to towards members of the same group.
Not aggression. Conflict. There's plenty of posturing and establishing pecking order between lions or elephants. Hell, the very phrase "pecking order" is based on (female) chicken doing it.
where there is plenty of sexual dimorphism where males have pronounced size differences and physical characteristic differences, those very differences are primarily to cope with In-Group aggression around mate guarding, and not nearly as useful against frequent predators of those species. So your attempt at direct correlation is unfounded.
Mate-guarding conflict is very much out-group conflict. Most mating males in the herd or pack came from other herds or packs, mostly by violently forcing their way past those males that came into the group before them. That's kind of the biological point of males - to serve as both DNA transfer between populations and testing field for natural selection weeding out the weak.
Mate-guarding conflict is very much out-group conflict. Most mating males in the herd or pack came from other herds or packs, mostly by violently forcing their way past those males that came into the group before them. That's kind of the biological point of males - to serve as both DNA transfer between populations and testing field for natural selection weeding out the weak.
If that is the case, "in-group" vs. "out-group" is largely a matter of frame of mind. One person's "in-group" is another person's "out-group." Alliances shift all the time, esp. when the species in question has access to cognition, abstract concepts and symbolism, as humanoids do in D&D. Creatures that solely base their affiliation on genetics and the competition for mates have a far more limited ability to be fluid in regards to alliances. This cannot be easily extrapolated to creatures that generally have an INT score in the 6 to 12 range as opposed to the 1 to 3 range.
Also, your point about males violently forcing their way into what you call an "out-group" is also behavior that takes place within your defined "in-group". Young male lions are frequently pre-emptively chased out of their mother's pride by the dominant male lion. By your own definition, this is in-group aggression.
So this entire line of reasoning that somehow the Drow represent some unconscious bias is baloney.
I think you are missing how unconscious bias works. There's no problem with drow being matriarchal. The problem is that they're pretty much the ONLY matriarchal society in the vast majority of games, and the fact that this only example of matriarchal society is evil (and thus not PC friendly) just makes it worse.
Even if unintentionally, this sends a subliminal message that affects how we look at women in reality. Its subtle, but it has a very quantitative impact on modern society. And not a good one.
God, give me a freaking break. The Gynarch of Hardby (which is also in Greyhawk) would like a word. So would Iggwilv the Witch Queen of Perrenland.
You can look to the Witches of Rashemen for a Realmsian matriarchal society.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
I really like the flavour of spider silk spinning for Drow and the suggestion that maybe Drow Elven mail is made from spider silk (did I read once that weight for weight stronger than steel?). Also I do like the idea that the "bad guy" (bad girl for Drow) races can be pretty 2 dimensional. If every Orc/ Goblin/ Drow you meet is evil then for sure, you can go murder hobo on first sight. Much more fun if one interacts with NPCs as people.
I wonder if spider silk could be woven in sheets and then layered - like fibreglass or plywood - to make solid items like shields, flexible items like bows? The limit is your imagination and your characters crafting ability (and what your DM will allow).
Multiple layers of silk could potentially be laminated with thin sheets of would to create shields, glued down on the outside of bows instead of sinew with horn/ bone on the inside to make composite bows ( which you would then have to homebrew to get right anyway), be used as the strings and torsion cables of crossbows and ballistae. Silk shirts were apparently used by the mongols as under armour - supposedly they would catch and cover barbs on arrows allowing them to be pulled back out rather than having to force them on through to remove them. Not quite “bullet proof” armor but better than nothing.keep in mind however that things like “bullet proof” vests are considerably more than a few layers of Kevlar thick (20-50 layers) and that makes it loose it’s flexibility. spider silk is a decent analog for Kevlar but game wise it’s not significantly better than standard gear in most cases. Pretty much anything you want to do is going to be seriously homebrew or is going to just be a variation on standard equipment. Even better than spidersilk for much of this would be cave fisher filaments which actually have an AC and HP (15 AC, 5HP) that could be c nverted when using them for things like this.
Ah yes. I had forgotten the Mongol silk undershirt thing. I think I also read that horse archers would wear a silk cloak so that as they execute a Parthian shot (ie shooting while riding away) any reply arrows could hit the billowing cloak and have the power taken out of them. Fun stuff this. Great for flavour. Maybe great for spider silk full plate for a druid if your dm allows (Maybe at level 18).
In my campaign spidersilk is used for clothing and fabric magic items including the Drow Piwifas (magic cloaks with multiple enchantments - typically elvenkind and protection but some originally had 3 enchantments). For armor I use cave fisher fibers. Like leather (cuir boilli) and modern Kevlar it’s fairly stiff but it would be AC 15 light armor which is as good as half plate.I could easily see the Drow “farming” cave fishers for the fibers just for this.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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Hos about MOST instead of SOME?
Not aggression. Conflict. There's plenty of posturing and establishing pecking order between lions or elephants. Hell, the very phrase "pecking order" is based on (female) chicken doing it.
Mate-guarding conflict is very much out-group conflict. Most mating males in the herd or pack came from other herds or packs, mostly by violently forcing their way past those males that came into the group before them. That's kind of the biological point of males - to serve as both DNA transfer between populations and testing field for natural selection weeding out the weak.
If that is the case, "in-group" vs. "out-group" is largely a matter of frame of mind. One person's "in-group" is another person's "out-group." Alliances shift all the time, esp. when the species in question has access to cognition, abstract concepts and symbolism, as humanoids do in D&D. Creatures that solely base their affiliation on genetics and the competition for mates have a far more limited ability to be fluid in regards to alliances. This cannot be easily extrapolated to creatures that generally have an INT score in the 6 to 12 range as opposed to the 1 to 3 range.
Also, your point about males violently forcing their way into what you call an "out-group" is also behavior that takes place within your defined "in-group". Young male lions are frequently pre-emptively chased out of their mother's pride by the dominant male lion. By your own definition, this is in-group aggression.
You can look to the Witches of Rashemen for a Realmsian matriarchal society.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
I really like the flavour of spider silk spinning for Drow and the suggestion that maybe Drow Elven mail is made from spider silk (did I read once that weight for weight stronger than steel?). Also I do like the idea that the "bad guy" (bad girl for Drow) races can be pretty 2 dimensional. If every Orc/ Goblin/ Drow you meet is evil then for sure, you can go murder hobo on first sight. Much more fun if one interacts with NPCs as people.
I wonder if spider silk could be woven in sheets and then layered - like fibreglass or plywood - to make solid items like shields, flexible items like bows? The limit is your imagination and your characters crafting ability (and what your DM will allow).
Multiple layers of silk could potentially be laminated with thin sheets of would to create shields, glued down on the outside of bows instead of sinew with horn/ bone on the inside to make composite bows ( which you would then have to homebrew to get right anyway), be used as the strings and torsion cables of crossbows and ballistae. Silk shirts were apparently used by the mongols as under armour - supposedly they would catch and cover barbs on arrows allowing them to be pulled back out rather than having to force them on through to remove them. Not quite “bullet proof” armor but better than nothing.keep in mind however that things like “bullet proof” vests are considerably more than a few layers of Kevlar thick (20-50 layers) and that makes it loose it’s flexibility.
spider silk is a decent analog for Kevlar but game wise it’s not significantly better than standard gear in most cases. Pretty much anything you want to do is going to be seriously homebrew or is going to just be a variation on standard equipment.
Even better than spidersilk for much of this would be cave fisher filaments which actually have an AC and HP (15 AC, 5HP) that could be c nverted when using them for things like this.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Ah yes. I had forgotten the Mongol silk undershirt thing. I think I also read that horse archers would wear a silk cloak so that as they execute a Parthian shot (ie shooting while riding away) any reply arrows could hit the billowing cloak and have the power taken out of them. Fun stuff this. Great for flavour. Maybe great for spider silk full plate for a druid if your dm allows (Maybe at level 18).
In my campaign spidersilk is used for clothing and fabric magic items including the Drow Piwifas (magic cloaks with multiple enchantments - typically elvenkind and protection but some originally had 3 enchantments). For armor I use cave fisher fibers. Like leather (cuir boilli) and modern Kevlar it’s fairly stiff but it would be AC 15 light armor which is as good as half plate.I could easily see the Drow “farming” cave fishers for the fibers just for this.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.