Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Demonic Tutor 02-25-05, 08:57 PM	In the book, The City of Towers, Keith Baker introduces an awesome character (a male Medusa named Kasslak). I, however, am playing in a Forgotten Realms campaign and wondered if it was possible to play a male Medusa in that setting? I am asking this because I do not want to play any stupid combination (and I know that in mythology, Medusa was one of three sisters). I was just wondering what you guys thought.
Diabolic Doppelganger 02-25-05, 08:59 PM	I must say that If I was the DM, I would not allow it. Mythological creatures, though have there place in fantasy, still follow the laws of lessons. Next thing you know, they will have people playing female Satyrs. And while I believe that the whole point is to have fun, this is pushing it.
Aneul 02-25-05, 09:01 PM	In Sharn, City of Towers, there is indeed one, But I agree that Medusas should be soley female creatures- after all, that is how they apear in real myths (theres and oxy moron for you- or maybe not). This does lead to the rather intresting question of their reproduction, however.
Arae'Kol Da'Ato 02-25-05, 09:01 PM	Aren't Fauns either A). Peaceful non-drunk Saytyrs or b).female Saytyrs ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????
Chameleon 02-25-05, 09:03 PM	I agree with doppelganger, I do not believe that it makes sense. But that is just me. I believe that in Forgotten Realms, there are no male Medusas, because all of the books that I have read have refered to them as female, so... In all, by the rule no, but that does not stop you from house ruling something.
Aneul 02-25-05, 09:04 PM	Fauns are the attendants of the God Bachus- they are verry similar to Styrs, and they can be of either gender. For the reccord, the female equivalent of the Styr is the Sylvian (I think).
Demonic Tutor 02-25-05, 09:06 PM	I thought that it might be wierd, perhaps I will play a male nymph instead ;) .
Tealgorthian 02-25-05, 09:19 PM	In Greek Mythology a male nymph is a Satyr ;p In the 2nd ed Monster Manuel there is a male Medusa of sorts, called a Medaur (I probably mispelled that, the book is packed). Their gaze attack was reversed, instead of a flesh to stone, it was stone to flesh. They had a wicked punch attack, and would shatter the statues the Medusa of their tribe made, then turn them back to flesh for food.
primemover003 02-25-05, 09:25 PM	That would be a Maedar. link to 2e stat block (http://www.planetadnd.com/interactive_books/mm00207.php)
Edymnion 02-25-05, 11:50 PM	But I agree that Medusas should be soley female creatures- after all, that is how they apear in real myths (theres and oxy moron for you- or maybe not). This does lead to the rather intresting question of their reproduction, however.Um, no, there was only one real myth about Medusa. The original greek myth, in which Medusa was one of the Gorgon sisters, and she was, essentially, a unique monster. Pretty much everything else about Medusa have come from modern times, and just copied the original gorgon sister. When you're making an entire race out of one unique monster, it typically makes sense that there are both male and female. Heh, and can't you just see a male medusa with his shirt off, a pair of raybans, with his snakes done back in a ponytail? :D
Adrez Nesnsid 02-26-05, 08:11 AM	In Sharn, City of Towers, there is indeed one, But I agree that Medusas should be soley female creatures- after all, that is how they apear in real myths (theres and oxy moron for you- or maybe not). This does lead to the rather intresting question of their reproduction, however. But in real myths there was only one of them.
Olly 02-26-05, 08:23 AM	There are, indeed male medusas in the Forgotten Realms, though they are very rare. They're called maedars, and, as far as I'm aware, they are immortal creatures that do not physically age, though they can be killed by acts of violence. Thus, a single maedar can have over a hundred medusa brides in their lifetimes, allowing the race to continue on without a problem.
Lord Schpungus 02-26-05, 10:36 AM	Um, no, there was only one real myth about Medusa. The original greek myth, in which Medusa was one of the Gorgon sisters, and she was, essentially, a unique monster. Pretty much everything else about Medusa have come from modern times, and just copied the original gorgon sister. When you're making an entire race out of one unique monster, it typically makes sense that there are both male and female. Heh, and can't you just see a male medusa with his shirt off, a pair of raybans, with his snakes done back in a ponytail? :D I had a male medusa character once. Unfortunately that campaign never actually started. I have to agree, it's a race of creatures created out of one unique myth. Why wouldn't there be males?
Ssussunriyh 02-26-05, 01:42 PM	According to the 2E MM, Medusas (which were all female) would infrequently mate with human males (with said male usually dying by petrification soon afterwards, when the Medusa reveals her visage.) The Medusa then lays eggs which hatch into Medusas. The hatchlings resemble baby girls with stubby green tendrils upon their heads. They mature at the same rate as humans, growing snake-hair with a poisonous bite at age two, and gaining the petrifying gaze with the onset of adolescence. The Maedar was an extremely rare male counterart to the Medusa. When a Medusa and a Maedar mate, the resultant eggs hatch into human infants, 25% male and 75% female. 1% of the males born of these matings are actually Maedar. The remaining males and all the females are normal human infants (who then die by petrification upon seeing their mother.) The Maedar does not have a petrifying gaze, although they are immune to the gaze of a Medusa. Instead, their touch turns Stone to Flesh, which the Maedar uses to feed himself and his mate: he smashes her petrified victims, then transforms them into meat. Few Medusas ever find a Maedar spouse, since they are so rare and naturally reclusive. Maedar are monogamists who mate for life, and are fiercely loyal to their mates, willing to go to any length to assist or avenge her. However, in D20 Modern, Medusas can apparently be male or female. And I agree, the image of a bare-chested male Medusa with sunglasses and tied-back snake-hair is pretty cool... Page 140 of the Urban Arcana sourcebook shows a picture of a young female Medusa who appears to be a human girl with dreadlocks or corn-row braids...
VirgilCaine 02-26-05, 02:15 PM	That would be a Maedar. link to 2e stat block (http://www.planetadnd.com/interactive_books/mm00207.php) Link to 3.5e stat block for the Maedar. Boo-yah! (http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/view_c.php?CreatureID=798) The Creature Catalog: Learn it, use it, love it. (http://www.enworld.org/cc/index.php)
Tealgorthian 02-26-05, 02:39 PM	The more I think about it the more I think Medusa was her name, not her race. Gorgan was her race, in the myth. Is that correct, or am I remembering wrong? She may have actully been one of the Greek host of Demi-Gods, hence why she kept her power even after being decapitated. I need to learn ancient Greek so I can read the untranslated myths :|
XunValDorl of HouseKilsek 02-26-05, 02:49 PM	If you want a Male Medusa, look in the 2nd edition Monster Manual and create your own build. Also, there is one in one of the Creature Compendiums by Sword and Sorcery. I will look it up and post it for you.
Korone 02-26-05, 03:39 PM	The more I think about it the more I think Medusa was her name, not her race. Gorgan was her race, in the myth. Is that correct, or am I remembering wrong? You're right, there was 3 gorgon sisters.
Olly 02-26-05, 04:30 PM	Unfortunately, that name is already taken by a rather rubbish, bull-like monster. In my campaign, medusa are known as gorgons, and the ox-like creatures that are known as gorgons simply don't exist.
Slagger the Chuul 02-26-05, 04:31 PM	The other two sisters were Euryale and Sthenno, who (unlike Medusa) were immortal. They were the daughters of Phorcys (a sea god) and Ceto (who was daughter of Gaia, the mother earth and Pontus, who was some kind of sea god/spirit). The gorgons were just one of a variety of monsters spawned by Phorcys and Ceto. According to other accounts, Medusa was a maiden who dared to compare herself to the goddess Minerva and was changed into a monster (this makes no mention of Euryale or Sthenno). Various accounts describe them with brass hands, beards, and wings, in addition to the typical attributes of snake hair and scales. I, too, dislike the D&D "gorgon", due to my preexisting identification of Medua as a gorgon.
Tealgorthian 02-26-05, 05:13 PM	Minerva is the Roman name for... uhhh.. damn. Athena, yes? What powers did the other two sisters have? Did they also have the Stone to Flesh gaze?
Arae'Kol Da'Ato 02-26-05, 08:26 PM	I, too, dislike the D&D "gorgon", due to my preexisting identification of Medua as a gorgon. I hate it too. Gorgons are Medusae. D&D Gorgons are non-existant in Mythology.
cwslyclgh 02-26-05, 09:12 PM	I hate it too. Gorgons are Medusae. D&D Gorgons are non-existant in Mythology. not true at all... D&D gorgons are based upon mythological interpritations of wildabeast brought back to europe... although the mythology surrounding them is undoubtably later historically then the Medusa mythology it does indeed exist... Gorgon actualy ment something fairly generic like "terrible" in ancient greek. here is a LINK (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/oddnotes/topsellgorgon.html) to a site dealing with the mythological creature from which the D&D gorgon (and also the catoblepus) sprang.
Arae'Kol Da'Ato 02-26-05, 09:23 PM	Oh yeah and there was a similar discussion to this 'cept t'was about Minotaurs. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=44847
Nived 02-26-05, 09:49 PM	I loved the male Medusa character in City of Towers. To paraphrase "A medusa!? Wait... you said he?" "Yeah, where did you think all the little medusas came from?" This was one of my favorite exchanges in the book. I think it only makes sense, and at least in Eberron that's how it is. Sounds like in FR it's historically not. Still you have to decide what's more important to you, having fun with a cool concept or cannon.
Slagger the Chuul 02-27-05, 11:12 PM	What powers did the other two sisters have? Did they also have the Stone to Flesh gaze? No idea, I've never heard anything specific about them.
eggplantm 02-28-05, 11:58 AM	I've got no problem with male medusa or for that matter female minotaurs and satyrs. The idea that these creatures mate with humans to propagate their species I find a little distasteful if only for the fact that in the areas they are most prevalent, humans are not. I also don't mind the idea of male nymphs and dryads. Why not? They just might be quite a bit rarer. I really enjoyed when the art for the 3.0 monster manual came out. No longer was the medusa a normal human woman with snakes growing from her head. Medusas were a distinct race that one could easily see as having male and female members. Also, creatures like the manticore were no longer just some human head stuck on a lions body. It was a convenient way to describe them to people who did not know what they were but I much prefered the artist making them look like their own species instead of a messy patchwork of others. My favorite examples of this are the pictured of the minotaur, manticore, gynosphinx, hippogriff and lammasu. I really get irritated anymore when an artist draws a creature from legend and makes it look like cut and paste was used on two or three different pictures.
Ogre4Hire 02-28-05, 01:24 PM	Wow, I guess I'm not the only person who likes his Chimeras to appear like they're "real" creatures and not just a bunch of Photoshopped pictures.
cwslyclgh 02-28-05, 07:35 PM	for the record Maedar (Male medusa) have appeared in forgotten realms products in the past as well... they are certianly not limited to any one setting.
Vatras 02-28-05, 09:56 PM	In my book of classic greek mythology the three sisters Stehno, Euryale and Medusa were turned into monsters with snakes as hair, bronze hands, and fangs, of whom Medusa was said to look the most terrible. Since all of them are called gorgons (in greek means gorgones "rigid stare"), it is safe to assume that all of them have problems with visitors. The reason why they got changed is simple: Medusa, priestess of Athene (=Minerva), slept with her lover Poseidon in her temple. Athene, being a constant enemy/rival of Poseidon since the contest for Athens (he offered them the horse and Athene the olive tree, and the Athens choose her gift and patronage; there was also Odysseus, whom Poseidon wanted to never reach Ithaka again, while Athene made it possible for him), took that desecration personal and removed everything from her which Poseidon cherished (her golden hair, her soft hands, her sweet kiss and her good looks), before banishing her to an island at the ends of the earth. For good measure - probably because her sisters knew about the affair - she punished all three of them. Sometimes later she helped Perseus kill her, too, and got the head as trophy in the end to put it on the aegis shield. This goes to show why you better kept on the good side of the ancient gods :)
Arae'Kol Da'Ato 03-01-05, 05:21 PM	not true at all... D&D gorgons are based upon mythological interpritations of wildabeast brought back to europe... although the mythology surrounding them is undoubtably later historically then the Medusa mythology it does indeed exist... Gorgon actualy ment something fairly generic like "terrible" in ancient greek. here is a LINK (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/oddnotes/topsellgorgon.html) to a site dealing with the mythological creature from which the D&D gorgon (and also the catoblepus) sprang. Pardon my stupidity then. I just assumed that Gorgons in D&D were weak Catoblepi. :doh: