Talk:Medusa

"Despite those features, from large distances they could easily be mistaken by ordinary human women" there is a male medusa - Yashar in City of Spider Queen - https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Yashar Merlin wszech (talk) 11:27, 30 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I recently wondered if all male medusae are considered maedar, or are they just a sub-species that all happen to be male? Marlos Urnrayle is also a male individual that is listed as a medusa.


 * Considering the text in question is from the generic D&D Monstrous Manual, perhaps the FR inclusion of male medusae takes precedence. Any thoughts on the matter Sirwhiteout? Ruf (talk) 13:24, 30 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Funny, I am currently editing this very passage in the article.


 * There are indeed at least 2 instances of male medusae in the Realms, and the 5e Monster Manual does mention that people of either sex could be cursed into becoming medusae. There is also a maedar in an FR-relevant adventure (Vulkaran from Under the Dark Fist), so both types of creature exist.


 * Now, the Monstrous Manual says that medusae reproducing naturally either produce female offspring or (in 1% of the cases) a maedar male. But it doesn't say anything about people being cursed into becoming medusae. Conversely, the 5e Monster Manual doesn't say anything about the reproduction cycle of medusae, so I think we have a canon loophole that can explain the existence of both maedar and male medusae. Namely:


 * People cursed into becoming a medusa can be either male or female, in which case a regular medusa of that sex is the result.
 * When reproducing, the offspring of medusae can either be a female medusa or (rarely) a male maedar. There are other possibilities, but they're not relevant for this discussion.


 * These two claims are not in conflict with each other, so that's what I am currently reconciling in the article. Any thoughts? ― Sirwhiteout (talk) 17:02, 30 January 2021 (UTC)