1001 Superstitions and Social Etiquettes [Archive] - Wizards Community

1001 Superstitions and Social Etiquettes [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
yellowdingo
08-03-07, 11:28 PM Superstitions can realy define a game for your players.

"Anyone who drank in it would be sickened, and washed in it would be unclean. The Soul of the water reeked of it's special pollution."

Why? The buried water pipe had been walked over by a woman.
-Piers Antony's Book of Etiquette
navar100
08-03-07, 11:37 PM 2. Never drink from a water fountain in a dungeon.

3. If a unicorn appears, expect trouble.

4. If a demon or devil is trapped, do not release it for any reason.

5. The one time you don't keep watch, you should have kept watch, so always keep watch.

6. Don't speculate out loud why a particular magic item exists. It was just random treasure that you'd give the DM ideas to make your character live through "interesting times".

7. "I cast Maaaagic Missssile", "I attack the darkness", and "Where's the Mountain Dew" have now jumped the shark.
EvanFrostheart
08-04-07, 02:28 AM You may use a salad fork instead of a fish fork if a fish fork was not provided. It is rude to ask for another fork, but if salad is served before fish, the host is subject so Kingston's rule.
Malcaor
08-04-07, 02:31 AM Never mess with another guy's dice before asking permission first.

This is for wargames: never roll the dice your opponent hands you, it's major bad luck.
JulesCARV
08-04-07, 02:46 AM 10. Those with good alignments who know it (from, for instance, getting an alignment test from an adept) should not mention their alignment unless directly asked, and even there demurring might be considered better form ("I can't remember my alignment," or "Why does it really matter anyway?"); mentioning one's good alignment without being directly prompted by someone else is often considered a form of bragging or gloating. (Those with neutral and evil alignments are given more leeway to mention their alignment in conversations when the topic comes up, since it's not considered to be bragging -- although some people do take inordinate pride in whatever non-good alignment they have, something considered even more distasteful than bragging about one's good alignment.)

11. You are expected to insincerely proposition anyone you've just met/been introduced to for sex. The other person is expected to politely decline and make a lame excuse regarding being too busy or the like. Likewise, if someone whom you don't know well propositions you, you are expected to decline. Failing to proposition is sometimes interpretted as meaning "I think you're unattractive." Failing to reject someone else's insincere proposition, of course, puts the other person in a mildly awkward position, since the other person probably isn't particularly interested in sex with you (yet, if at all). (This is not actually a particularly sexually permissive (or repressive, for that matter) culture, and they don't have (much) sex with strangers -- they just have a funny little custom)
stargate525
08-04-07, 02:49 AM I assume you're talking about ingame...

It is the epitomy of rudeness to knock on one's door. You may instead knock on the frame, or clap your hands.

The home is considered safe ground among assassins. The front stoop does not count as your house.
Saurus33
08-04-07, 06:48 AM 14. Another wargame one: don't call things like missile launchers by their name. Instead call them "Rocket Launchers". The word Missile contains the word miss, and so mentioning it is bad luck.
TalonofTiamat
08-04-07, 11:47 AM 4. If a demon or devil is trapped, do not release it for any reason.
That's not so much a superstition as it is common sense.
Drausktanchache
08-04-07, 12:14 PM Pressing buttons for science is a bad idea...
Grumman
08-04-07, 12:24 PM 10. Those with good alignments who know it (from, for instance, getting an alignment test from an adept) should not mention their alignment unless directly asked, and even there demurring might be considered better form ("I can't remember my alignment," or "Why does it really matter anyway?"); mentioning one's good alignment without being directly prompted by someone else is often considered a form of bragging or gloating. (Those with neutral and evil alignments are given more leeway to mention their alignment in conversations when the topic comes up, since it's not considered to be bragging -- although some people do take inordinate pride in whatever non-good alignment they have, something considered even more distasteful than bragging about one's good alignment.)
10a. Mentioning your evil alignment is typically seen as the mark of a try-hard novice rather than an individual worthy of respect. Demonstrating your disregard for sporting behaviour, such as by teleporting your foes into orbit or drowning them in a sea of molten rock, is less likely to carry this stigma.
Prator_the_Legendary
08-04-07, 12:26 PM Uhhh... 16?
Orcs of the Smellyhide tribe believe that any form of bathing causes madness. In fact, even getting wet with water from rain or the like means that the dampened orc must immediately retreat from the water source and coat any wet places with mud in order purify him/herself. Tribal wars have sometimes been delayed for weeks on account of rain; in fact legends tell of a dreadful famine that almost decimated the tribe during one year when it rained nonstop for weeks. On the plus side, there was plenty of food for the survivors.

This tradition first began when One-fang, one of the tribe's greatest chieftans, killed a water elemental in orrder to defend the tribe at the cost of his own life.
s4ndm4n
08-07-07, 10:53 AM :heehee
Orchomenos
08-07-07, 11:06 AM 17) The people in this area consider Gazebos as sacred animals. Attacking one in front of witness is passible of capital sentence. If Gazebo remains are found, the head shaman of this population is able to summon 2d6 Augmented Inevitable via the Planar Ally spell, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites, to hunt down the culprit. As long as the Inevitables are not successful, it's not a good idea to touch the Gazebo remains, since anyone touching it is considered to have desecrated it. Only whence the Inevitables are successful is the head shaman allowed to repair the Gazebo, and only in front of 12 witness randomly chosen amonsgt the population.

18) In this locality, every sentient (INT 3+) creature is expected to wear a mask. It is considered really obscene to show one's face. Smaller masks displaying the chin or eyebrows are considered provocative, but are allowed.

19) The members of this selective guilds greet themselves by using a secret gesture, almost impossible to detect by non-initiated.
Violet Typhoon
08-07-07, 11:47 AM 19) It is considered most polite to speak only in the passive voice when referring to one's self, such as saying "the dutchess was seen by me on the street" or "hunger is felt by me." Beginning a sentence with "I did/am (whatever)" is only reserved for important individuals like elected officials, royalty, or the elderly (in family settings), and is considered somewhat arrogant and self-centered when done by others.

20) When traveling in a public space, it is customary for the youngest individual in a group to always walk in front. This comes from a tradition of having children kick the rocks out of the path of their parents so that they don't trip. In groups where there are no obvious age distinctions (such as a group of adventurers all in their early 20s), following this custom is not necessary. If someone looks like a younger person at first glance (i.e. halflings, gnomes, etc.), it might be good to have them walk in front in order to fit in. It isn't rude to not put the youngest person in front, but it may get you some strange looks and will definitely mark your party as outsiders.
_Jayne_Cobb_
08-07-07, 01:39 PM Keep your elbows off the table while dining cos otherwise you can't get to your sword fast enough when a fight breaks out.

Trivia: this is actual real-world origin of the "no elbows of the table" mannerism.
Xandria
08-07-07, 02:18 PM Hehehe. "...The Hero of Canton, the man we call Jayne..."

22) Keep your hands on the table in dangerous situations or else the other person will think you're reaching for a weapon and take appropriate action.
MrCustomer
08-07-07, 02:28 PM Add omens into the game, particularly those related to their class or skills. Sometimes give them bonus's or penelties for these things to really drill the superstition home.

-Seeing a Unicorn in the forest could be considered good fortune, give the player a +1 luck bonus to his rolls for the day.

-A Black Raven cricles them, a bad omen, DM rolls for another random encounter.

-Tempting Fortune is bad luck. "With this plan we will surround the Orcs and easily defeat them, I'm going to buy a new sword with that treasure" saying that is bad luck because it assumes you will win and likely will cause something to go wrong, if they don't emmediately touch wood the DM should have something unforseen happen to mess up their plans.

-Calling Deities by their name is bad luck if you aren't a priest, Cleric or Paladin and even then you should only utter their name in the proper context and preferably in the temple not a public place. (A Paladin would never say "Pellor Bless this Meal" in a seedy tavern.) Doing so will make people fearful, even hostile in the case of the Rogue saying something like, "Oh thank Pellor I got an ace in this hand" Gods should be addressed by their title, in some places this superstition may even be considered a serious crime, punishable by the authorities.

-Whenever you drink from a stream, fountain or well you should pour out a cup for the spirits of the water. or else it may get offended and dry up. this is generally done as thanks (you would fill your cup and drink it, then fill it again and pour it back in) People seeing you fail to do this would think you rude. You may even draw the anger of a Druid in the forest who is secretly watching you disrespect the land he cares for.

-It is rude to say no when asked for something, and people should take everymeans possible to not say it, even giving lame excuses, telling outright obvious lies, even bolting away is considered polite. One villager once killed a friend who asked a favor rather then say no, and even though murder is normally punished with execution the judges gave him a life sentence instead, this is how extreme this taboo is.

-Talking to a woman in public places (stores, the streets, taverns etc) is extremely taboo, akin to commiting adultary publically. Men and Women only talk together in private places (in homes, private courtyards and the parks and outside of town etc they talk freely) It's been known for familys to force young couples who have talked publically, even a short sentence when they bumped into each other by accident like "excuse me" to get married. This makes for an interesting event when the female bard in the party starts asking around for information as men go pale with shock when she talks to them and even start fleeing when she sings on the stage in the tavern.
TunnHarr
08-07-07, 03:18 PM Build a town based on the disposition that the left side of anything is sinister. People travel and take care of the right side of roads, while the left goes unkempt, and entire sections of the city go to slums simply because they are on the wrong side of a main road. Anyone performing a public or formal action with a left hand will draw gasps and heckling, perhaps being driven out of town. Stepping through a doorway or turning a knob with the left hand or foot is even considered uncouth. Even the King or Duke of an area may have cut off his left hand as a sign of purity.
Dragoon
08-08-07, 02:25 AM (?) 31. Before entering any domain, one must announce himself by knocking. This applies even to tents and campsites. This is to announce that you wish to enter the area, and that you come in peace. For this reason alone, members of the Seelin desert tribe always carry a small block of wood. Before entering any area, they pull out their block of wood and knock on it.

It is often mistaken by outsiders of the Seelin tribe to mean "May bad luck be warded from your home." Apparently this mistranslation stems from the "Knock on wood" saying in some areas.

Remembers, always knock before you enter the camp.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
yellowdingo 08-03-07, 11:28 PM	Superstitions can realy define a game for your players. "Anyone who drank in it would be sickened, and washed in it would be unclean. The Soul of the water reeked of it's special pollution." Why? The buried water pipe had been walked over by a woman. -Piers Antony's Book of Etiquette
navar100 08-03-07, 11:37 PM	2. Never drink from a water fountain in a dungeon. 3. If a unicorn appears, expect trouble. 4. If a demon or devil is trapped, do not release it for any reason. 5. The one time you don't keep watch, you should have kept watch, so always keep watch. 6. Don't speculate out loud why a particular magic item exists. It was just random treasure that you'd give the DM ideas to make your character live through "interesting times". 7. "I cast Maaaagic Missssile", "I attack the darkness", and "Where's the Mountain Dew" have now jumped the shark.
EvanFrostheart 08-04-07, 02:28 AM	You may use a salad fork instead of a fish fork if a fish fork was not provided. It is rude to ask for another fork, but if salad is served before fish, the host is subject so Kingston's rule.
Malcaor 08-04-07, 02:31 AM	Never mess with another guy's dice before asking permission first. This is for wargames: never roll the dice your opponent hands you, it's major bad luck.
JulesCARV 08-04-07, 02:46 AM	10. Those with good alignments who know it (from, for instance, getting an alignment test from an adept) should not mention their alignment unless directly asked, and even there demurring might be considered better form ("I can't remember my alignment," or "Why does it really matter anyway?"); mentioning one's good alignment without being directly prompted by someone else is often considered a form of bragging or gloating. (Those with neutral and evil alignments are given more leeway to mention their alignment in conversations when the topic comes up, since it's not considered to be bragging -- although some people do take inordinate pride in whatever non-good alignment they have, something considered even more distasteful than bragging about one's good alignment.) 11. You are expected to insincerely proposition anyone you've just met/been introduced to for sex. The other person is expected to politely decline and make a lame excuse regarding being too busy or the like. Likewise, if someone whom you don't know well propositions you, you are expected to decline. Failing to proposition is sometimes interpretted as meaning "I think you're unattractive." Failing to reject someone else's insincere proposition, of course, puts the other person in a mildly awkward position, since the other person probably isn't particularly interested in sex with you (yet, if at all). (This is not actually a particularly sexually permissive (or repressive, for that matter) culture, and they don't have (much) sex with strangers -- they just have a funny little custom)
stargate525 08-04-07, 02:49 AM	I assume you're talking about ingame... It is the epitomy of rudeness to knock on one's door. You may instead knock on the frame, or clap your hands. The home is considered safe ground among assassins. The front stoop does not count as your house.
Saurus33 08-04-07, 06:48 AM	14. Another wargame one: don't call things like missile launchers by their name. Instead call them "Rocket Launchers". The word Missile contains the word miss, and so mentioning it is bad luck.
TalonofTiamat 08-04-07, 11:47 AM	4. If a demon or devil is trapped, do not release it for any reason. That's not so much a superstition as it is common sense.
Drausktanchache 08-04-07, 12:14 PM	Pressing buttons for science is a bad idea...
Grumman 08-04-07, 12:24 PM	10. Those with good alignments who know it (from, for instance, getting an alignment test from an adept) should not mention their alignment unless directly asked, and even there demurring might be considered better form ("I can't remember my alignment," or "Why does it really matter anyway?"); mentioning one's good alignment without being directly prompted by someone else is often considered a form of bragging or gloating. (Those with neutral and evil alignments are given more leeway to mention their alignment in conversations when the topic comes up, since it's not considered to be bragging -- although some people do take inordinate pride in whatever non-good alignment they have, something considered even more distasteful than bragging about one's good alignment.) 10a. Mentioning your evil alignment is typically seen as the mark of a try-hard novice rather than an individual worthy of respect. Demonstrating your disregard for sporting behaviour, such as by teleporting your foes into orbit or drowning them in a sea of molten rock, is less likely to carry this stigma.
Prator_the_Legendary 08-04-07, 12:26 PM	Uhhh... 16? Orcs of the Smellyhide tribe believe that any form of bathing causes madness. In fact, even getting wet with water from rain or the like means that the dampened orc must immediately retreat from the water source and coat any wet places with mud in order purify him/herself. Tribal wars have sometimes been delayed for weeks on account of rain; in fact legends tell of a dreadful famine that almost decimated the tribe during one year when it rained nonstop for weeks. On the plus side, there was plenty of food for the survivors. This tradition first began when One-fang, one of the tribe's greatest chieftans, killed a water elemental in orrder to defend the tribe at the cost of his own life.
s4ndm4n 08-07-07, 10:53 AM	:heehee
Orchomenos 08-07-07, 11:06 AM	17) The people in this area consider Gazebos as sacred animals. Attacking one in front of witness is passible of capital sentence. If Gazebo remains are found, the head shaman of this population is able to summon 2d6 Augmented Inevitable via the Planar Ally spell, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites, to hunt down the culprit. As long as the Inevitables are not successful, it's not a good idea to touch the Gazebo remains, since anyone touching it is considered to have desecrated it. Only whence the Inevitables are successful is the head shaman allowed to repair the Gazebo, and only in front of 12 witness randomly chosen amonsgt the population. 18) In this locality, every sentient (INT 3+) creature is expected to wear a mask. It is considered really obscene to show one's face. Smaller masks displaying the chin or eyebrows are considered provocative, but are allowed. 19) The members of this selective guilds greet themselves by using a secret gesture, almost impossible to detect by non-initiated.
Violet Typhoon 08-07-07, 11:47 AM	19) It is considered most polite to speak only in the passive voice when referring to one's self, such as saying "the dutchess was seen by me on the street" or "hunger is felt by me." Beginning a sentence with "I did/am (whatever)" is only reserved for important individuals like elected officials, royalty, or the elderly (in family settings), and is considered somewhat arrogant and self-centered when done by others. 20) When traveling in a public space, it is customary for the youngest individual in a group to always walk in front. This comes from a tradition of having children kick the rocks out of the path of their parents so that they don't trip. In groups where there are no obvious age distinctions (such as a group of adventurers all in their early 20s), following this custom is not necessary. If someone looks like a younger person at first glance (i.e. halflings, gnomes, etc.), it might be good to have them walk in front in order to fit in. It isn't rude to not put the youngest person in front, but it may get you some strange looks and will definitely mark your party as outsiders.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 08-07-07, 01:39 PM	Keep your elbows off the table while dining cos otherwise you can't get to your sword fast enough when a fight breaks out. Trivia: this is actual real-world origin of the "no elbows of the table" mannerism.
Xandria 08-07-07, 02:18 PM	Hehehe. "...The Hero of Canton, the man we call Jayne..." 22) Keep your hands on the table in dangerous situations or else the other person will think you're reaching for a weapon and take appropriate action.
MrCustomer 08-07-07, 02:28 PM	Add omens into the game, particularly those related to their class or skills. Sometimes give them bonus's or penelties for these things to really drill the superstition home. -Seeing a Unicorn in the forest could be considered good fortune, give the player a +1 luck bonus to his rolls for the day. -A Black Raven cricles them, a bad omen, DM rolls for another random encounter. -Tempting Fortune is bad luck. "With this plan we will surround the Orcs and easily defeat them, I'm going to buy a new sword with that treasure" saying that is bad luck because it assumes you will win and likely will cause something to go wrong, if they don't emmediately touch wood the DM should have something unforseen happen to mess up their plans. -Calling Deities by their name is bad luck if you aren't a priest, Cleric or Paladin and even then you should only utter their name in the proper context and preferably in the temple not a public place. (A Paladin would never say "Pellor Bless this Meal" in a seedy tavern.) Doing so will make people fearful, even hostile in the case of the Rogue saying something like, "Oh thank Pellor I got an ace in this hand" Gods should be addressed by their title, in some places this superstition may even be considered a serious crime, punishable by the authorities. -Whenever you drink from a stream, fountain or well you should pour out a cup for the spirits of the water. or else it may get offended and dry up. this is generally done as thanks (you would fill your cup and drink it, then fill it again and pour it back in) People seeing you fail to do this would think you rude. You may even draw the anger of a Druid in the forest who is secretly watching you disrespect the land he cares for. -It is rude to say no when asked for something, and people should take everymeans possible to not say it, even giving lame excuses, telling outright obvious lies, even bolting away is considered polite. One villager once killed a friend who asked a favor rather then say no, and even though murder is normally punished with execution the judges gave him a life sentence instead, this is how extreme this taboo is. -Talking to a woman in public places (stores, the streets, taverns etc) is extremely taboo, akin to commiting adultary publically. Men and Women only talk together in private places (in homes, private courtyards and the parks and outside of town etc they talk freely) It's been known for familys to force young couples who have talked publically, even a short sentence when they bumped into each other by accident like "excuse me" to get married. This makes for an interesting event when the female bard in the party starts asking around for information as men go pale with shock when she talks to them and even start fleeing when she sings on the stage in the tavern.
TunnHarr 08-07-07, 03:18 PM	Build a town based on the disposition that the left side of anything is sinister. People travel and take care of the right side of roads, while the left goes unkempt, and entire sections of the city go to slums simply because they are on the wrong side of a main road. Anyone performing a public or formal action with a left hand will draw gasps and heckling, perhaps being driven out of town. Stepping through a doorway or turning a knob with the left hand or foot is even considered uncouth. Even the King or Duke of an area may have cut off his left hand as a sign of purity.
Dragoon 08-08-07, 02:25 AM	(?) 31. Before entering any domain, one must announce himself by knocking. This applies even to tents and campsites. This is to announce that you wish to enter the area, and that you come in peace. For this reason alone, members of the Seelin desert tribe always carry a small block of wood. Before entering any area, they pull out their block of wood and knock on it. It is often mistaken by outsiders of the Seelin tribe to mean "May bad luck be warded from your home." Apparently this mistranslation stems from the "Knock on wood" saying in some areas. Remembers, always knock before you enter the camp.