Question About Kender - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Question About Kender

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Dec 13, 2005 19:13:06 The only Kender you really come into contact with (at least through Chronicles) is Tas. And we all know Tas does the regular "oh you must have dropped this" or some variation. My question is, does any kender actually realize what he/she is doing? I remember reading or hearing somewhere that kender society doesn't really view stealing as wrong, that objects change possession regularly. But do they ALL play it off as "so and so must have dropped this, i'll return it to that person as soon as possible", or is it more "yeah I took it and there's nothing wrong with that. If they're stupid enough to let me lift it, they can't complain at losing it." And if their attitude is the later, then the "you must have dropped this" routine is simply a personality quirk of Tas in particular.
#2
CzarGarrett
Dec 14, 2005 9:40:15 My impression is more of that Tas is kinda normal in that respect.

Perhaps not that they will 'keep it safe' for someone, but a 'Oooh, this looks interesting. I'm going to look at it for a while and put it back later (note- later is often forgotten)"
#3
zombiegleemax
Dec 14, 2005 12:24:36 Afflicted Kender know what there doing. They don't borrow, they steal.
#4
jonesy
Dec 14, 2005 12:41:25 Kender are to kender just as different as humans are to humans. In Spirit of the Wind Riverwind travels to Kendermore, walks through crowds of kender and doesn't appear to lose anything to them. It's the best book anyway if you are seeking information on kender on the whole. Makes them seem a lot less Tas'esque. I like Tas, but people model their kender a bit too much after him.
#5
zombiegleemax
Dec 14, 2005 17:42:13 I think it would depend on what kind of kender you are playing. The regular kender would just take things and probably forget 2 seconds later. The affected kender would take something in order to take it and try to hurt the owner with it, if they had to.
#6
kipper_snifferdoo_02
Dec 14, 2005 18:51:43
The only Kender you really come into contact with (at least through Chronicles) is Tas. And we all know Tas does the regular "oh you must have dropped this" or some variation. My question is, does any kender actually realize what he/she is doing? I remember reading or hearing somewhere that kender society doesn't really view stealing as wrong, that objects change possession regularly. But do they ALL play it off as "so and so must have dropped this, i'll return it to that person as soon as possible", or is it more "yeah I took it and there's nothing wrong with that. If they're stupid enough to let me lift it, they can't complain at losing it." And if their attitude is the later, then the "you must have dropped this" routine is simply a personality quirk of Tas in particular.

Well, True Kender do realize that they are picking things up and sneaking peaks into pouches and pockets and bags and chests and places most other people would consider “private”. But private is a relative term to Kender. It doesn’t mean the same thing to them as it does other races. In their society if someone is not directly using some possession then it must be alright to “Handle” it.

Kender are blessed (cursed) with an over-abundance of curiosity. They simply can’t stop themselves from looking behind closed doors, opening things that are closed (and locked), and picking things up and examining them. They are not trying to be devious, most don’t know how, it’s just not in their nature. Plus kender have a notoriously short attention span and tend to forget things easily. Therefore, when they offer an excuse they are not trying to get out of trouble for being caught they are just spitting out the first logical explanation for why the item might have come into their possession.

Now of course there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule. So I would say there are kender that realize what they are doing is not considered acceptable by other cultures/societies. But they may not be able to help themselves. There may be a few that even feel like if people are stupid enough to be careless with their items then they deserve to lose them. But those kender would be rare in my opinion.
#7
kipper_snifferdoo_02
Dec 14, 2005 19:00:24
Kender are to kender just as different as humans are to humans. In Spirit of the Wind Riverwind travels to Kendermore, walks through crowds of kender and doesn't appear to lose anything to them.

"That wasn't the worst of it, though. Kender being kender, for everyone that was content simply to stand and gawk at Riverwind, Brightdawn and Swiftraven, there were three that just had to find out what was insidethe Plainsfolk's purses. The human's quickly discovered they had to carry their pouches - along with swordbelts, quivers, and anything else they wanted to hold on to - above their heads, where the kender's reaching, grasping hands could not get near them. Even so, the Plainsfolk lost the buckles off their boots and most of the beads of the fringes of their buckskin tunics." Page 202-203 Spirit of the Wind.

It's the best book anyway if you are seeking information on kender on the whole. Makes them seem a lot less Tas'esque. I like Tas, but people model their kender a bit too much after him.

Yup, I have to agree it's one of the best kender books to portray kender with different personalities and still make them kender-like.
#8
zombiegleemax
Dec 15, 2005 19:06:24 I have always viewed the Kender "handling" similar to those of a small child, pure innocent curiosity. Though a deeper look into all the available information on Kender does hint to Kender sometimes taking things of importance at the time, i.e. guard’s keys. As far as lock picking, is it not a common Kender thought if a door is locked it must be hiding something interesting. Hence in my realm a few Kenderwise merchants put up signs, at Kender height, "Boring stuff inside enter freely!" In my realm Kender, like children, are always more interested in what they are told not have or where their told not to go. That of course would be as other have pointed out a typical Kender. There are always exceptions to the rule. As for Tas, at the end of one of the books, did he not say that he had spoken to some other Kenders and they did not quite seem the same to him? I believe that Tas was not a typical Kender, after he learned fear, not for himself but for those he cared for. I have always recommended players to model their Kender PC's after a Kender in almost any other book, such as the one with the dwarf orphan and the magic helmet, I think is was Stormblade by Varian Berberick. It shows what I consider a much more typical Kender.
As far as theft, one has to believe in personal property for theft to even be considered, one player in realm made a Kender PC who grew up with the "It takes a village" for a childhood, as a child she was "taken home" by "aunts", "uncles", and other relatives. After all don't all Kender find some way to prove that they are all family? And one cannot steal from family, hence a typical Kender does not steal, only find or "recover lost items".
#9
jonesy
Dec 16, 2005 4:54:09
Even so, the Plainsfolk lost the buckles off their boots and most of the beads of the fringes of their buckskin tunics." Page 202-203 Spirit of the Wind.

Yeah, I just knew when commenting on it that I should have added "didn't lose anything important". ;)
#10
wolf72
Dec 16, 2005 11:59:47
Tas'esque.

AHHHHHHH .... it's a 40 ft tall Kaiju-Kender ... RUN!!!!!!! :D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Dec 13, 2005 19:13:06	The only Kender you really come into contact with (at least through Chronicles) is Tas. And we all know Tas does the regular "oh you must have dropped this" or some variation. My question is, does any kender actually realize what he/she is doing? I remember reading or hearing somewhere that kender society doesn't really view stealing as wrong, that objects change possession regularly. But do they ALL play it off as "so and so must have dropped this, i'll return it to that person as soon as possible", or is it more "yeah I took it and there's nothing wrong with that. If they're stupid enough to let me lift it, they can't complain at losing it." And if their attitude is the later, then the "you must have dropped this" routine is simply a personality quirk of Tas in particular.
#2 CzarGarrett Dec 14, 2005 9:40:15	My impression is more of that Tas is kinda normal in that respect. Perhaps not that they will 'keep it safe' for someone, but a 'Oooh, this looks interesting. I'm going to look at it for a while and put it back later (note- later is often forgotten)"
#3 zombiegleemax Dec 14, 2005 12:24:36	Afflicted Kender know what there doing. They don't borrow, they steal.
#4 jonesy Dec 14, 2005 12:41:25	Kender are to kender just as different as humans are to humans. In Spirit of the Wind Riverwind travels to Kendermore, walks through crowds of kender and doesn't appear to lose anything to them. It's the best book anyway if you are seeking information on kender on the whole. Makes them seem a lot less Tas'esque. I like Tas, but people model their kender a bit too much after him.
#5 zombiegleemax Dec 14, 2005 17:42:13	I think it would depend on what kind of kender you are playing. The regular kender would just take things and probably forget 2 seconds later. The affected kender would take something in order to take it and try to hurt the owner with it, if they had to.
#6 kipper_snifferdoo_02 Dec 14, 2005 18:51:43	The only Kender you really come into contact with (at least through Chronicles) is Tas. And we all know Tas does the regular "oh you must have dropped this" or some variation. My question is, does any kender actually realize what he/she is doing? I remember reading or hearing somewhere that kender society doesn't really view stealing as wrong, that objects change possession regularly. But do they ALL play it off as "so and so must have dropped this, i'll return it to that person as soon as possible", or is it more "yeah I took it and there's nothing wrong with that. If they're stupid enough to let me lift it, they can't complain at losing it." And if their attitude is the later, then the "you must have dropped this" routine is simply a personality quirk of Tas in particular. Well, True Kender do realize that they are picking things up and sneaking peaks into pouches and pockets and bags and chests and places most other people would consider “private”. But private is a relative term to Kender. It doesn’t mean the same thing to them as it does other races. In their society if someone is not directly using some possession then it must be alright to “Handle” it. Kender are blessed (cursed) with an over-abundance of curiosity. They simply can’t stop themselves from looking behind closed doors, opening things that are closed (and locked), and picking things up and examining them. They are not trying to be devious, most don’t know how, it’s just not in their nature. Plus kender have a notoriously short attention span and tend to forget things easily. Therefore, when they offer an excuse they are not trying to get out of trouble for being caught they are just spitting out the first logical explanation for why the item might have come into their possession. Now of course there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule. So I would say there are kender that realize what they are doing is not considered acceptable by other cultures/societies. But they may not be able to help themselves. There may be a few that even feel like if people are stupid enough to be careless with their items then they deserve to lose them. But those kender would be rare in my opinion.
#7 kipper_snifferdoo_02 Dec 14, 2005 19:00:24	Kender are to kender just as different as humans are to humans. In Spirit of the Wind Riverwind travels to Kendermore, walks through crowds of kender and doesn't appear to lose anything to them. "That wasn't the worst of it, though. Kender being kender, for everyone that was content simply to stand and gawk at Riverwind, Brightdawn and Swiftraven, there were three that just had to find out what was insidethe Plainsfolk's purses. The human's quickly discovered they had to carry their pouches - along with swordbelts, quivers, and anything else they wanted to hold on to - above their heads, where the kender's reaching, grasping hands could not get near them. Even so, the Plainsfolk lost the buckles off their boots and most of the beads of the fringes of their buckskin tunics." Page 202-203 Spirit of the Wind. It's the best book anyway if you are seeking information on kender on the whole. Makes them seem a lot less Tas'esque. I like Tas, but people model their kender a bit too much after him. Yup, I have to agree it's one of the best kender books to portray kender with different personalities and still make them kender-like.
#8 zombiegleemax Dec 15, 2005 19:06:24	I have always viewed the Kender "handling" similar to those of a small child, pure innocent curiosity. Though a deeper look into all the available information on Kender does hint to Kender sometimes taking things of importance at the time, i.e. guard’s keys. As far as lock picking, is it not a common Kender thought if a door is locked it must be hiding something interesting. Hence in my realm a few Kenderwise merchants put up signs, at Kender height, "Boring stuff inside enter freely!" In my realm Kender, like children, are always more interested in what they are told not have or where their told not to go. That of course would be as other have pointed out a typical Kender. There are always exceptions to the rule. As for Tas, at the end of one of the books, did he not say that he had spoken to some other Kenders and they did not quite seem the same to him? I believe that Tas was not a typical Kender, after he learned fear, not for himself but for those he cared for. I have always recommended players to model their Kender PC's after a Kender in almost any other book, such as the one with the dwarf orphan and the magic helmet, I think is was Stormblade by Varian Berberick. It shows what I consider a much more typical Kender. As far as theft, one has to believe in personal property for theft to even be considered, one player in realm made a Kender PC who grew up with the "It takes a village" for a childhood, as a child she was "taken home" by "aunts", "uncles", and other relatives. After all don't all Kender find some way to prove that they are all family? And one cannot steal from family, hence a typical Kender does not steal, only find or "recover lost items".
#9 jonesy Dec 16, 2005 4:54:09	Even so, the Plainsfolk lost the buckles off their boots and most of the beads of the fringes of their buckskin tunics." Page 202-203 Spirit of the Wind. Yeah, I just knew when commenting on it that I should have added "didn't lose anything important". ;)
#10 wolf72 Dec 16, 2005 11:59:47	Tas'esque. AHHHHHHH .... it's a 40 ft tall Kaiju-Kender ... RUN!!!!!!! :D