| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| varyar |
Posted - 01 Mar 2012 : 19:55:46
Archons, guardinals, (pre-4E) eladrin and so on are celestials, demons, devils, yugoloths and the rest are fiends... but what do you call modrons, inevitables, rilmani and other neutral outsiders? Is there a canon term for them? |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| varyar |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 19:59:03
We should be nicer to dedicated neutrals. They are DEEPLY committed to not taking a stand! |
| Markustay |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 16:38:32
I usually just call them "fence-sitters".
"Lazy Gits" is another I like.  |
| varyar |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 13:32:35
quote:
Originally posted by TBeholder
Why would anyone need such a term?
For completeness? But this strongly affects only Guvners and similar orderly types, and they won't want to pile Slaad and Modrons (or chaos imps with formians) together anyway. 
Completeness and conciseness, really. Those dirty beige neutrals are no less deserving of a category name! I'm leaning towards 'balancers' for them now, |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 06:56:11
Why would anyone need such a term?
For completeness? But this strongly affects only Guvners and similar orderly types, and they won't want to pile Slaad and Modrons (or chaos imps with formians) together anyway. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 04:22:14
"Dirty Boy!"
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| Lord Karsus |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 03:57:38
"What makes a good man go neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality? I hate these filthy neutrals Kif! With enemies you know where they stand but with neutrals? Who knows! It sickens me." |
| Gray Richardson |
Posted - 10 Mar 2012 : 02:33:39
Exemplar is a general term used for the dominant race of each aligned plane of the Great Wheel. The exemplars are the archetypes of their respective alignments.
This term would include modrons, rilmani and slaad as well as archons, devils and demons. Although, inevitables would probably not be considered exemplars, nor would quesars or formians; though powerful in their own right, those races do not "exemplify" their alignments.
The term "exemplar" may have less relevance to the Realms cosmology which is not centered around alignment, although no reason the term cannot still apply.
I have heard some people use the dubious term "concordants" to refer to neutral outsiders. Although this might more properly be restricted to true neutral outsiders, whereas lawful outsiders might better be called "axiomatics" and chaotic outsiders "anarchics".
While celestials of all alignments can identify with their shared goodness, and fiends of all alignments can identify with their shared evil, there is nothing to unite neutral outsiders in their shared neutrality. Neutrality is, afterall, a lack of commitment to an ideal. Slaadi and modrons are as fundamentally opposed to each other as guardinals and yugoloths. Don't forget that their alignments are often called true or pure lawful and true or pure chaotic. Slaadi and modrons are devoted to pure, if not extreme expression of their one true alignment. And the rilmani are just as purely devoted to their centrism. They see alignment of any kind as a corruption. No love there for the modrons or slaadi. In fact, the rilmani are equidistant from all alignments -- and feel no shared purpose or identity with any of them.
All of this is to say that the neutral outsiders are less of a "team" than any other row or column of the big tic-tac-toe board that is the D&D alignment system. I suppose, then, that the term "neutral outsiders" is as appropriate a kenning as any to refer to those guys. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 02 Mar 2012 : 00:57:38
Modrons are just modrons, they require no other title. Their intrinsic focus on order, hierarchy, structure, and law is absolute and makes no real distinctions between non-lawful (alien) concepts like good and evil. I'd expect they cannot easily distinguish between LG justice and LE tyranny, and would have little preference anyhow unless the law imposed by these systems was measured differently.
I think it would be incorrect to apply a label to "Chaotics", since the very nature of chaos defies any constant or uniform categorization.
There are also Outlanders, natives from the Outlands. Although I'm not sure if this is a general term or just used by one particular group in Sigil to refer to another particular group in Sigil ... or if it even applies to "neutral" inhabitants of other planes at all.
Of course, natives of the Realms (and other worlds) refer to "Outsiders", while planars refer to "(clueless) Primes". |
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