Using Medusa

[AlexanderHowl]

In Banestorm, Medusa are presented as a powerful female monstrous PC race, but Yrth is a rather limited setting, so I was wondering if anyone used such a race in other campaign settings. If so, what role did Medusa play? Were they monsters? Guardians? Lovers?

In my own games, I once had an entire nation of Medusa whose territory covered a massive mountain range. With control over the half dozen passes that connected two empires in trade, they served an important international role by preventing the two from engaging in all out war. In addition to the tolls that they charged (10% of the cargo), they required every adult male traveller to mate with any Medusa who requested his company, which allowed for the evolution of an important class of female merchants in both empires. The petrified battalions on the borders of both empires served as a permanent reminder of the reasons why they did not invade the mountains.

On occasion, human men would find themselves hired to spend time among the Medusa, where they would be used for breeding purposes. While the Medusa did not often travel to human lands, they hired human women factors to find suitable human men. The men would find themselves pampered by the Medusa as long as they performed their job without any fuss. Men who betrayed the Medusa would be petrified and used to decorate their towns.

[vicky_molokh]

I haven't yet, but I do intend to add a Medusa expy if I am to to run a low-tech-ish fantasy. Maybe even if not low-tech-ish too. I want to make them fully playable, but probably downplay that stone-turning powers for balance reasons.

[DemiBenson]

Not in Banestorm itself, but I have a game world where Medusa’s are one of many beings from other worlds. In that game world, they’re just another sapient species, although they are a One Gender Race (warning: TVTropes).

My take is that there are very few species that are both “monstrous” and “sapient” - most species are just different from humans, and their biological and cultural differences mean that humans find them occasionally very strange or frightening... hence the uneducated, rural peasants calling them “monstrous”.

[RyanW]

I would be unlikely to use them as is, except in a game that took Greek mythology directly, where I could use the Medusa. I had considered putting her in an urban fantasy game, where she would be a sympathetic (and incredibly lonely) potential ally. I don't think I ever got around to including her, though.