American animal-rights activist organisation PETA has published a small supplement for the latest edition of Dungeons and Dragons, with three new subclasses focused on protecting animals. It’s a rather tame publicity stunt by the standards of the controversy-courting not-for-profit, adding new options for players to create Druid, Paladin, or Ranger characters.
Fittingly, the new subclasses make each of these DnD classes more focused around protecting animals. The Druid can join the Circle of Empathy, with a “focus on educating others about the natural world and fostering a deep empathy for all sentient beings”; the Oath of Animal Liberation Paladin “strives to establish protections for all sentient beings”; while Warden of the Wild Rangers “specialize in tracking and taking down those who misuse their abilities to harm or control animals”.
The abilities granted by these subclasses are really tailored towards DnD campaigns with a heavy focus on animals. For example, the Warden of the Wild has a level seven ability that allows them to create a sanctuary 100’ in radius, within which any creature that intends to harm an animal must pass a Willpower save before they can take any hostile actions. Violence against any of the humanoid DnD races, monsters, elementals, and so on is permitted by the spell.
The subclasses’ abilities follow a fixed set of values about what does, and does not, constitute a moral or caring relationship with animals. For example, the Oath of Animal Liberation Paladin has a level seven ability called ‘Unburden the Beasts’ that “creates an aura of empathy and understanding”, which makes it impossible for humanoids to “use animals for riding, carrying loads, or engaging in combat”.
As it’s written, this implies that humanoids would only ever use animals for those tasks because of a failure of empathy and understanding. This doesn’t acknowledge practical or moral concerns that might take precedence over empathy – for example, refugees fleeing from violence in an ox-drawn cart. It also assumes that animals never participate willingly in labour that benefits humans, which some animal keepers (particularly dog trainers) may dispute.
PETA has flirted with tabletop games in its marketing before: in 2017, PETA called on Games Workshop and asked it to ban fur from the Space Wolves range (Warhammer 40k‘s Space vikings) because of the immorality of the real world fur trade. Games Workshop did not.
When the Dungeon Masters Guide finally appears on the DnD release schedule, perhaps there’ll be guidance for players who want to run an eco-themed campaign. If you want to jump right into one now, we can recommend ’90s tabletop RPG ‘Werewolf the Apocalypse’, which has an admirable clarity of purpose – you play as werewolf eco-terrorists fighting to preserve the spirit of the earth in the modern day.
If you’re an animal lover, make sure you check out this tale of a heroic DnD player who spent 1,500 gold crafting a custom magic item for their character’s pet chicken.
Source: Wargamer
