| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 12:23:36
|
Let me start off this by saying, I'm really not looking to start any kind of race discussions outside of D&D except as literally involving humans and actual skin tones. The reason why I'm asking is that I literally just rewatched Avatar: the Last Airbender with my fiance' (who had never seen it, and it was interesting to see her get sucked into the story BTW). It got me thinking that I would like to include in the Katashaka / Lopango area ancient human cultures that were "benders" corresponding to the elemental nations. I also found some rules for 5e several years ago on DMs Guild called "Incarnate: Last of the Lacers".
So, I thought to myself that I'm not looking to have these people totally copying the ideas in Incarnate where I'd basically be trying to fit it into Kara-Turan style culture. In fact, for the fire benders, I was wanting to put it into the area known as Lopango, the Land of Fire (a canon name). These humans would eventually become the Kolan humans after centuries,.
Anyway, back to the point, and here goes me trying to be as tactful as I can.... I know this is a game, and I know anyone can look the way I like, but I'd like this to be within normal human skin tones. I don't know WHAT that actually is though. How red of skin were native americans? Are we talking a brown like a new penny? Or did they have skin that was the red like I personally turn when I'm sunburned, but them having that coloration all the time? Google seems to be a rabbit hole on the subject, and possibly some sports teams are being forced to rename themselves right now (which if that is the case, I really don't know and couldn't care less about the game of football).
Also, given the obvious "issues" around the term, what's a better term to use than saying some people are red skinned? Calling them copper skinned? Or will that just get people just as mad?
|
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 13:46:55
|
| By the way, one of the ideas I did have in mind to explain away the color difference was some kind of magical experimentation (not mating) involving efreeti blood somehow being acquired by these people to "forcibly" imbue their children with a latent "tie" to fire. It also doesn't HAVE to be efreeti, and could also be a smaller, more bestial creature that they might be able to acquire that has elemental tendencies (for instance, in another thread I was discussing possibly a "winged spitting firecobra" as being the sources of training... and perhaps they involved the blood and venom of such creatures). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
 |
|
|
Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 15:36:55
|
From the Native Americans I've encountered (an admittedly small number, mostly in the southern midwest area) or seen pictures of, the skintone is darker than what is normal for the average Caucasian, but not red. I couldn't say where the red part of the derogatory term came from.
Now, if I wanted to have someone's skintone reflect some elemental nature... Fire is more yellow and orange, than red, normally. You could also exotic it up somewhat with streaks or gradients.
Don't go the 4E genasi route where they suddenly had distinct lines, but maybe an orange with streaks of yellow or red, or maybe orange that deepens to red. (I'm shying away from yellow because that, too, has been used in a derogatory manner).
Maybe overall a reddish-orange, with steaks of yellow or red across the shoulder and upper torso, or an overall reddish-orange that deepens to a very dark red on their limbs. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 21 Jul 2020 15:39:03 |
|
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 16:40:08
|
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
From the Native Americans I've encountered (an admittedly small number, mostly in the southern midwest area) or seen pictures of, the skintone is darker than what is normal for the average Caucasian, but not red. I couldn't say where the red part of the derogatory term came from.
Now, if I wanted to have someone's skintone reflect some elemental nature... Fire is more yellow and orange, than red, normally. You could also exotic it up somewhat with streaks or gradients.
Don't go the 4E genasi route where they suddenly had distinct lines, but maybe an orange with streaks of yellow or red, or maybe orange that deepens to red. (I'm shying away from yellow because that, too, has been used in a derogatory manner).
Maybe overall a reddish-orange, with steaks of yellow or red across the shoulder and upper torso, or an overall reddish-orange that deepens to a very dark red on their limbs.
Hmmm, thanks for the idea of streaks... I need to think on that.
I do want to be careful though. I do want these to be humans and not genasi. Only some of them will be "benders". I just want them to have a slightly different look as being more red, brown, or dark skinned to resemble the cultures of Katashaka/Lopango/Maztica than the colorations of Kara-Tur. The only reason I was considering having some rituals binding them to elemental creatures was to help explain why different people coming from roughly the same stock in a relatively close area might have significant difference in look.
You know, it also occurs to me that perhaps the "awakening" to bending is something that's part of a "coming of age" test. Maybe they get injected with the venom of a firesnake, etc... and it might "awaken" this ability in some, but not all. If I do do this with the fire folk though, I'd want to do something similar with the other folk as well (it may be environmental with other groups as well, such as making someone swim in icy waters or somesuch). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 20:02:25
|
-Depends on location, to a degree. They aren't/weren't a monolithic group. You have tribes that are/were more Asiatic looking in Canada, tribes that had fair olive-complexions in the northeast, and tribes with much darker skin in the southwest and Latin America/South America.
-In terms of description for your people, ruddy is probably a more polite way to say it? |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
|
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 20:50:27
|
| Ruddy complexion... thanks, yeah, googling that shows the description I'm looking for and the pictures I'm looking at show a lot of either reddish brown folk or shows paler people and points out what I would call sunburned cheeks and says something about "ruddy cheeks". Exactly the colors I wanted it between. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 20:59:44
|
Ruddy was originally a term for white skin with reddish hue from blood, as in apple cheeks and healthy complexion, so outdoorsy Northern European people would be in line with the original meaning.
I've seen a tendency to use it for entirely different colourings in recent years, probably because other terms are denigrated, but it seems more confusing than anything else. We already have 'reddish' and unlike 'ruddy', it doesn't actually mean something else. |
Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!
Forgotten Realms fans, please sign a petition to re-release the FR Interactive Atlas
|
Edited by - Icelander on 21 Jul 2020 21:00:33 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Potentially Controversial Question: Red Skin
