Hieronymus Bosch's demons are fairly Far Realm to me, not unlike D&D obyriths like the sibriex, ekolid, or Obox-ob. Compared to the typical devils and demons of D&D, yes, they are scarier, and I think it's because of HOW the monster/human/inanimate shapes are combined: Not scary: keeping all the human regions (face, arms, legs, torso) in about the same positions they are on a human. Scary: thwart that familiar lay-out. Give it a human face, but put it in places that shouldn't...
View full commentHieronymus Bosch's demons are fairly Far Realm to me, not unlike D&D obyriths like the sibriex, ekolid, or Obox-ob. Compared to the typical devils and demons of D&D, yes, they are scarier, and I think it's because of HOW the monster/human/inanimate shapes are combined:
Not scary: keeping all the human regions (face, arms, legs, torso) in about the same positions they are on a human.
Scary: thwart that familiar lay-out. Give it a human face, but put it in places that shouldn't have any, or an inanimate object where a head should be, give it a silhouette that mocks expected proportions and bestiality: a human head wearing an ornate crown on an emu's body with 6 legs isn't a human or a bird, and it sounds bestial, but wearing an ornate crown hints at culture and relative intelligence.
Not scary: keeping all the human regions (face, arms, legs, torso) in about the same positions they are on a human.
Scary: thwart that familiar lay-out. Give it a human face, but put it in places that shouldn't...
View full comment