Roma: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"In Romani, there is the saying that ''kon mangel te kerel tumendar roburen chi shocha phenela tumen o chachimos pa tumare perintonde'', 'he who wants to enslave you will never tell you the truth about your forefathers.'"''|'''Ian Hancock''', Romani scholar}}

 

 

First, gypsies are usually shown as dishonest: thieves, pickpockets, [[Con Man|con-men]], trespassers, and all-around [[Tricksters]] who wouldn't think twice about taking everything you own that isn't nailed down, and a few things that are. The danger of children being kidnapped by gypsies was a common old wive's tale. The stereotype for dishonesty is where the term "gypped" probably comes from. While the rampant poverty in some Romani populations does lead to a high level of crime, this is also true of the poverty-stricken sections of every other race.

** [[Ravenloft]] had the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120124115505/http://ravenloftsd.wikispaces.com/Vistani Vistani], whose writers (thankfully), go out their way to avoid stereotypes about the Roma-they're mysterious and mystical and apt to throw curses, but they aren't inherently better or worse than any other person. Too bad the ''other'' citizens of Ravenloft haven't gotten the memo-much like real gypsies, they get a lot of bad press (which isn't to say some don't deserve it, but the vast majority of them don't). This depiction might be less offensive than in other media, since nearly EVERYone in the D&D world has access to mystic powers and has magic users living among them. Third edition's ''Expedition to Castle Ravenloft'' transforms the Vistani from an ethnic group into simply a communal subculture by including halfling as well as human Vistani.

*** The Vistani ''do'' seem to have some inborn magical talents that few humans in Ravenloft do, but that probably seemed more startling before 3rd edition [[Dungeons & Dragons]] introduced the Sorcerer class.

** [[Spelljammer]] had the Aperusa. Usually in roles of harmless entertainers, salvage scavengers, petty thieves or scammers, or at most not-too-brave [[Lovable Rogue]]. They even travel on unarmed (and patchwork) ships. On the exotic side, they're slightly magic-resistant and immune to mind-reading, but can't have [[Psychic Powers]].

** [[Forgotten Realms]] has Valantra, nomadic folk which also gave name to "spellsingers" -- very powerful (not bound by [[Vancian Magic|Vancian]] rules) but non-combat (slow) spellcasting tradition introduced in ''[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2461 Wizards and Rogues of the Realms]''. Just to remove possible doubts, the artwork shows [[Hot Gypsy Woman|a fine dark-haired lady clad in wind-friendly clothes]] and ''lots'' of bracers, dancing with a tambourine.