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D&D familiar tropers! I need assistance with obscure lore...

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techmasterglitch Since: Oct, 2010
#1: Sep 16th 2012 at 10:46:08 AM

So, ahwile back, I had read some information about Sphinxes in D&D that, when I was walking home late one night, became the basis of a proto-adventure I worked out in my head. I didn't write it down, because by the time I got home, my mind had already moved onto other things (as it always does).

So, just now, I found myself trying to reconstruct that adventure I came up with from memory so I -could- write it down. In aid of this, I started digging through all the 3.5 books I have looking for mention of Sphinxes, because I had vauge memory of a few passages I remembered reading and was looking for those. I didn't find what I remembered reading in any of my books, so I started googlesearching for "D&D sphinx" and other related search terms, still couldn't find what I remembered reading. As a last-ditch effort, I retyped an entire sentance from memory: "A gynosphinx will pay handsomely for the location of an androsphinx." to see if anything would come up.

Bam, there it is. What I remembered reading awhile back was, in fact, our entry on sphinxes in the Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism page, and it was that entry that was the basis of the adventure I came up with. And so I'm looking at it, and I -like- it and intend to use it, but my question is; where did the information in that entry -come- from? The bits about what the offspring between Sphinxes will be isn't in their entries in MMI, nor is the tidbit about androsphinxes not caring much about mating. If nothing else, I could just declare this particular fluff as my own campaign canon, but if at all possible, I'd love to see the original context. So, anyone know where it's from? another edition of D&D? Some books I don't have? (I only have the 'generic' 3.5e books, the only campaign setting books I have are Eberron, maybe this came from Forgotten Realms?) Or was this fascinating information just the invention of some random troper?

edited 16th Sep '12 12:18:51 PM by techmasterglitch

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#2: Sep 16th 2012 at 12:14:27 PM

Huh. I could have sworn it was in the primary 3.5 MM. I do remember reading it, and not on this site.

I'm not in a position to go tracking just now, but if no-one else has an answer I'll do some digging later and see what I can find.

Aldheim Since: Sep, 2010
#3: Sep 16th 2012 at 3:13:42 PM

The 1E Monster Manual mentions that gynosphinxes "will only help humans if they are paid - although they will sometimes accept payment in the form of riddles, poetry, prose, knowledge, or the location of an androsphinx." My guess is that's the source of the idea, though that's just about the gynosphinx being willing to be paid with such knowledge, not being willing to pay for it herself.

I guess they got rid of sphinx sexual dimorphism in 4E. Now they're all just sphinxes. (4E has no patience for your sexual politics.)

techmasterglitch Since: Oct, 2010
#4: Sep 16th 2012 at 3:49:00 PM

Yeah, don't need to worry about the 4e lore, can disregard that. Just interested as to the origin of the lore presented in the Dimorphism page. Though, the conclusions drawn in that article are -still- rather far reaching to come from -only- that information you say is in 1E...so back to square one, either it was expanded in another book or the troper who wrote the entry was making stuff up.

Aldheim Since: Sep, 2010
#5: Sep 16th 2012 at 9:06:54 PM

The 2E Monstrous Manual says the same thing as 1E in a little more detail - a gynosphinx will pick a spot to live where adventurers are likely to end up, hoping they can tell her where an androsphinx is, but no mention of paying them for it. I guess it's a reasonable logical conclusion, though.

techmasterglitch Since: Oct, 2010
#6: Sep 16th 2012 at 9:13:17 PM

That bit is a logical conclusion, I suppose, but there are the other details still with an unknown source; namely, the layout of what the offspring of the sphinx-pairings will be. Where'd -that- come from?

Aldheim Since: Sep, 2010
#7: Sep 16th 2012 at 9:22:57 PM

Oh! That's actually in the 2E Monstrous Manual, too. (The Monstrous Manual seems to have had a much bigger emphasis on lore and whatnot than the other editions' manuals have had. It might be fun to go through it and see what other weird things pop up...)

Gynosphinxes are, of course, the only female sphinx, so all mating possibilities require a gynosphinx.

•Gyno + Andro = Gyno or Andro (50% of either)

•Gyno + Crio = Crio (100%)

•Gyno + Hieraco = Hieraco (100%)

Gynosphinxes only seek out Andosphinxes intentionally, though Androsphinxes are all, "Ugh, sex, please. Leave me alone, woman, I have contemplating to do." Criosphinxes have to beg and plead and offer shiny things to Gynosphinxes for ages before the Gynosphinx will agree to mate with him. Hieracosphinxes essentially mate by rape.

edited 16th Sep '12 9:28:14 PM by Aldheim

techmasterglitch Since: Oct, 2010
#8: Sep 16th 2012 at 9:52:11 PM

Ohooo. Alright then, I guess that accounts for all the information present in the BSD entry. Guess I should get my hands on a 2e Monstrous Manual for full context, then.

EDIT: Hrm, I found myself an "AD&D Monster Manual" (which to my knowledge is basically the second edition), and it doesn't really say anything about any of that information...did I miss something, or do I have the wrong book?

edited 16th Sep '12 10:04:48 PM by techmasterglitch

Aldheim Since: Sep, 2010
#9: Sep 17th 2012 at 5:02:13 AM

No, the AD&D Monster Manual is from 1st edition AD&D. The one I was looking at was the AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual. It's the only core monster book that was called that instead of Monster Manual.

I also keeping accidentally typing "Monstrous Manuel," who is a pretty scary member of a Mexican drug cartel.

techmasterglitch Since: Oct, 2010
#10: Sep 17th 2012 at 10:24:40 AM

Aha, alright, finally found it. I'm good now. Thanks for the help!

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