Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gaerfindel 04-26-07, 08:22 PM	So with the publication of the "Creature Catalogue VI" in Dragon 355 (http://paizo.com/dragon/products/issues/2007/355), we finally have a description of the long-lost maedar. But in no less a source but the novel City of Towers it's revealed that there are, in fact, male medusae. So, since we know that the serpent-folk can breed without their maedar counterparts, what role -- assuming maedar even exist in your campaign -- do these creatures play in the propogation of the medusa race?
Alex_ 04-26-07, 08:48 PM	http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/monstrous_humanoid/maedar.htm According to this, Medusa females can reproduce with human males, but a smaller percentage of the young turn out to be Medusas. By mating with Maedar, the chances are significantly higher. In my campaign?... Well there is a species of Whiptail Lizard (cnemidophorus tessellatus), in which the females have the ability to reproduce without males. Of course since they don't have another source of genetic material to combine with their own, their young are identical clones. This is done until a male eventually does show up amongst the population from somewhere else, and finds himself with plenty of females to mate with, thus diversifying the gene pool again. More common in reptiles is the ability for the female to mate once with a male, and retain genetic material for future fertilization so they caontinue laying eggs every season, but essentially never have to mate again. I think I'd go with the latter with Medusas. In my campaign, Maedar would be rare, reclusive, and would seek to mate with as many female Medusas as possible. Once that business is done, a female Medusa is set to have as many babies as she wants for the rest of her life, without ever having to mate again- thus giving the impression that all Medusas are female, and that they don't need males to reproduce.
Belabras 04-26-07, 11:53 PM	I'd just going with them being rarer than medusa, and only showing up in places where lots of medusa already are. Like the city of stone in Droam....
ArcTan 04-29-07, 10:55 PM	So with the publication of the "Creature Catalogue VI" in Dragon 355 (http://paizo.com/dragon/products/issues/2007/355), we finally have a description of the long-lost maedar. But in no less a source but the novel City of Towers it's revealed that there are, in fact, male medusae. So, since we know that the serpent-folk can breed without their maedar counterparts, what role -- assuming maedar even exist in your campaign -- do these creatures play in the propogation of the medusa race? We learn that Dragon articles aren't fully canon, and that novels aren't canon at all, and therefore how you integrate information from those two sources is entirely up to your houseruling.
Twiggly the Gnome 04-30-07, 02:26 AM	I've always had the medusa and minotaur as the female and male of a single race with extreme sexual dimorphism.
gaerfindel 04-30-07, 07:50 AM	We learn that Dragon articles aren't fully canon, and that novels aren't canon at all, and therefore how you integrate information from those two sources is entirely up to your houseruling. Well yes. However, I was more looking for inspiration on how to use the maedar, since, I like the idea that medusae don't need maedar to reproduce. Think of it this way: If the serpentfolk can reproduce on their own--there are males of the species, after all--what purpose do the maedar serve?
BOZ 05-03-07, 12:21 PM	yep, there's the funny thing - i think after writing that one up for submission, someone told me that there are indeed male medusas in 3E. of course, Paizo still wanted the maedar, so who was i to stop them? ;) of course, i like the idea of maedars better than "male medusas", so in the end it's all good for me.
BOZ 05-03-07, 12:23 PM	what purpose do the maedar serve? they de-petrify the medusa's victims so that they can share a meal. plus, they are ass-kickers who can mess up anyone immune to petrification or trying to reflect or avert their eyes from the medusa's gaze.
Alex_ 05-03-07, 01:26 PM	Well yes. However, I was more looking for inspiration on how to use the maedar, since, I like the idea that medusae don't need maedar to reproduce. Think of it this way: If the serpentfolk can reproduce on their own--there are males of the species, after all--what purpose do the maedar serve? They seem to be the result of Medusa breeding with other humanoids, which results in Medusas, Maedar, and "regular' humanoids. Medusa breeding with Maedar seems to produce a higher percentage of Medusas and Maedar. If you don't want Maedar to be involved in reproduction at all, make them the sterile product of crossbreeds, like Hagspawn. But for a Medusa to not need any other creature to reproduce than give birth to a Maedar, which is totally useless in terms of reproduction... Maybe they're the result of a curse? Used as slaves? Perhaps "male" is simply the term used to describe them because they're physically stronger than Medusas (even though they lack genitalia and have no role in reprdoction).