Natural Twenty Podcast

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian finally give in to the pressure and we cover Dragons: The Second Big D in D&D. They are big scaly, scary, and literally everywhere.  And it's time now for the SCIENCE! Turns out, while the great winged forces of nature might not be real, humans sure love to call things "dragon-". On top of that, we did eventually find a big lizard with the temperament and resiliency to live up to that name, so at least one of the many Earth "dragons" is close enough to earn the title. Stick around for Part 2 of Dragons!  Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Fizban's Treasury of Dragons https://a-z-animals.com/blog/9-incredible-lizards-that-look-like-dragons/ https://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/tl/tl08.htm https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/dragons-in-the-bible/ https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/30/dragons/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-breathing_monster https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chimera-Greek-mythology https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/science/dragons-a-brief-history-long-in-miles.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian finally give in to the pressure and we cover Dragons: The Second Big D in D&D. They are big scaly, scary, and literally everywhere. Pick a plane, there's a dragon. Mark a multiverse, you'll highlight a dragon. Have an ecological niche in your game? Shove a dragon in there. Now there will be two dragons in that niche, we can nearly guarantee there was already one there. Buckle in for Part 1, as we examine the folklore and game history of Dragons! Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Fizban's Treasury of Dragons https://a-z-animals.com/blog/9-incredible-lizards-that-look-like-dragons/ https://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/tl/tl08.htm https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/dragons-in-the-bible/ https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/30/dragons/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-breathing_monster https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chimera-Greek-mythology https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/science/dragons-a-brief-history-long-in-miles.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian fail their Sense and Perception checks and fall headlong into our favorite oozes, discovering that, in or out, never touch the pudding in a dungeon! We covered a fair amount of ground and cleaned it of all the moss we could and really dug into the nooks and crannies. This one gets slimy folks, so strap in for Oozes and Friends with our star: Gelatinous Cube! Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Out of the Abyss (5th Edition) Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_jelly#Examples https://www.aqua-calc.com/page/density-table/substance/cork-coma-and-blank-solid Slime Molds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/slime-molds.htm https://www.britannica.com/science/slime-mold https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/slime-molds/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-sublime-slime-mold https://www.usu.edu/herbarium/education/fun-facts-about-fungi/slime-molds https://www.fungimag.com/winter-2010-articles/slime_molds.pdf Jelly Fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/jellyfish https://www.britannica.com/animal/jellyfish https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/jellyfish.html https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-jellyfish-4102061 Siphonophores: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siphonophore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_man_o%27_war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonophorae http://www.siphonophores.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praya_dubia

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian complete the full circle of lycanthropy, from science back to folklore, and curse your failed men to itchy balldom forever. Gather round once more for "Horny Werewolf Hour", part deux! Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrichosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_lycanthropy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercalia

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian delve into werewolves (and assorted lycanthropes) to discover if there is truly a "Horny Werewolf Day" or if you need to keep your self-flagellating nudist parties restricted to Ancient Rome. Join us once more for the obscure mysteries of the past and how easy it is to copy and paste a monster between editions. Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrichosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_lycanthropy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercalia

Rachelle, Ethan, and Christian are back at the mimic colony to look at the science surrounding mimics, and where you can use them in your game. After asking Mother Nature, the list of places you couldn't use a mimic might be shorter... Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium 1st Edition Monster Manual Tasha's Cauldron of Everything https://www.britannica.com/science/mimicry

Rachelle and Ethan are joined full-time by Christian Vinetas (@ActionEconomist on Twitter) as we examine exactly what your furniture was doing the night of April 17th, 1987. Trust no object and listen in on your preferred device (if it truly is that device) as we look at the original crypt-bros: mimics! Submit any questions, comments, or corrections, by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium 1st Edition Monster Manual Tasha's Cauldron of Everything https://www.britannica.com/science/mimicry

Rachelle and Ethan are joined again this month by Christian Vinetas (@ActionEconomist on Twitter) for adventures in Spider town. It's the spider finale! We've realized an eight part mini-series would have been more on brand, but it's too late, because it's GAME TIME! That's right we're jamming your campaign chock-a-block with spiders. Really though, we did nothing extra. They were already there. Waiting.    Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Mythic Odysseys of Theros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_spiders Spider the Artist - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Rachelle and Ethan are joined again this month by Christian Vinetas (@ActionEconomist on Twitter) for adventures in Spider town. We're working on a new format, so bear with us as this is part two of three! It's Biology time! We dig deep into the reference jar and the jumble of organs that are Spiders! Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Mythic Odysseys of Theros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_spiders Spider the Artist - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Rachelle and Ethan are joined again this month by Christian Vinetas (@ActionEconomist on Twitter) for adventures in Spider town. We're working on a new format, so bear with us as this is part one of three! More content for your dungeon! Additional spiders for your dragons! Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual Mythic Odysseys of Theros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_spiders Spider the Artist - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Rachelle and Ethan are joined this month by Christian Vinetas (@ActionEconomist on Twitter) as the Shambling Mound creeps closer! Buckle in, this is a long one, as we dig deep into the squishing earth to unveil our beast! Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratea_exorrhiza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/plants/Saw_palmetto/index.html  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu http://drmgoeswild.com/top-0-plant-families/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc29FA9us1Y https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/density https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2633903/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24393374/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5QNEsvVnUU http://www.biologyreference.com/Bl-Ce/C4-and-CAM-Plants.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZcKoTxp5mc https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60421-8    

Rachelle and Ethan are joined this month by Darwhin (@Shadowdun on Twitter) and we delve deep into the lair of the Kobold! Will there be more discussions about teeth? Can they find a new band name before the end of the episode? Tune in and find out! Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tars_Tarkas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/asexual-lizards/ https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-makes-lizards-change-sex-2015-7 https://www.treehugger.com/animals-can-change-their-sex-4869361 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiman https://ourblueplanet.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=incredible-sex-changing-fish-from-blue-planet https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/04/12/trans-gender-bending-animals-change-sex/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_caiman https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-temperature-sex-determination-reptiles/ https://www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-scales/sex-determination-in-reptiles/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature-dependent_sex_determination    

We're back! Rachelle and Ethan try their best to keep their eyes on the Displacer Beast and open the portal to the Tentacle Hour. Let's just say, it's going to be a bit weird, and there will be lots of cephalopods.  Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 2 and Monster Vault 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141212-quest-for-the-real-life-kraken https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_squid https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/animals/2003/04/squid-sea-monsters-new-zealand-animals https://www.thoughtco.com/how-the-human-eye-works-4155646

In part 2 of this multi-part discussion, Rachelle and Ethan try something a bit different: Battlelords of the 23rd Century reached out to discuss their playable races and hostile alien lifeforms with us! We are joined by Game Designers Anthony Oliveira and David Soruco from 23rd Century Productions to discuss their 7th edition currently in print.  Boasting a 30 year history and 7 editions, Battlelords has released new content and updated rules to allow for sci-fi mercenary combat in the comfort of your own quarantine pajamas. Battlelords of the 23rd Century is a science-fiction tabletop roleplaying game where players can assume the role of mercenaries, misfits, soldiers, spies, pirates, and heroes adventuring in a war-torn universe.   Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to 23rd Century Productions for reaching out to a small podcast like ours and sharing their stories with us! Sources include: Battlelords of the 23rd Century 7th Edition (Kickstarter Edition) http://www.23rdcentury.net/  

In part 1 of this multi-part discussion, Rachelle and Ethan try something a bit different: Battlelords of the 23rd Century reached out to discuss their playable races and hostile alien lifeforms with us! We are joined by Game Designers Anthony Oliveira and David Soruco from 23rd Century Productions to discuss their 7th edition currently in print.  Boasting a 30 year history and 7 editions, Battlelords has released new content and updated rules to allow for sci-fi mercenary combat in the comfort of your own quarantine pajamas. Battlelords of the 23rd Century is a science-fiction tabletop roleplaying game where players can assume the role of mercenaries, misfits, soldiers, spies, pirates, and heroes adventuring in a war-torn universe.   Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to 23rd Century Productions for reaching out to a small podcast like ours and sharing their stories with us! Sources include: Battlelords of the 23rd Century 7th Edition (Kickstarter Edition) http://www.23rdcentury.net/  

Content Warning: Discussion of the negative impacts of "race science" and alignment with regards to race and species. We are two white Midwesterners and are doing our best to discuss with care, but if we have spoken poorly or incorrectly absolutely let us know.  In part 2 of this two-part discussion, Rachelle and Ethan do a deep dive into the tangled history of goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears as well as the history and biology of humans and other human-like species on earth. We review intelligence of species and the issues of alignment with these "monster races". As well, we talk about the impacts of epigenetics and what happens when you give a goblin a kitten.   Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 2 and Monster Vault 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://www.britannica.com/topic/Neanderthal https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homo-erectus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_heidelbergensis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis https://www.livescience.com/65201-newfound-ancient-human-relative-homo-luzonensis.html https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution/Hominin-habitats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recent_African_origin_of_modern_humans https://www.britannica.com/story/just-how-old-is-homo-sapiens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation Alie Ward's Ologies  Episode 107: Osteology and Body Farms  https://www.alieward.com/ologies/osteology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/epigenetic-influences-and-disease-895/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology

In part 1 of this two-part discussion, Rachelle and Ethan do a deep dive into the tangled history of goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears as well as the history and biology of humans and other human-like species on earth. Why are crabs in the title? Are we not, but infinite crabs?   Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 2 and Monster Vault 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://www.britannica.com/topic/Neanderthal https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homo-erectus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_heidelbergensis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis https://www.livescience.com/65201-newfound-ancient-human-relative-homo-luzonensis.html https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution/Hominin-habitats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recent_African_origin_of_modern_humans https://www.britannica.com/story/just-how-old-is-homo-sapiens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation

Rachelle and Ethan analyze the third member of the original "small plastic horror" D&D trinity, the curious Rust Monster. Keep your tools, weapons, and armor close! Submit any questions, comments, corrections, and creature stories for our "Creature Feature" by Tweeting @NatTwentyPod or emailing naturaltwentypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and TSR for their wonderful game that we all enjoy.  Sources include: 5th Edition Monster Manual 4th Edition Monster Manual 2 and Monster Vault 3.5 Edition Monster Manual 1st Edition Monster Manual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304386X84900458 https://www.livescience.com/61804-bacteria-poops-gold.html https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/363/14/fnw146/2570312 https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/deep-sea/microbes-keep-hydrothermal-vents-pumping https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/true-bugs https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/science/metal-plants-farm.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracken https://bugguide.net/node/view/48816

Rachelle and Ethan analyze the second member of the original "small plastic horror" D&D trinity, the ever ravenous Bulette or Land Shark. You never know when the ground may also be a mouth. This episode was initially published in partnership with Insight Check, a Dungeons and Dragons advice and comedy podcast. Go check them out at https://insightcheck.podbean.com/ and on Twitter @insightcheckpod.

Join Dr. Rachelle Lapham the Drunk Phytologist (Twitter: @DrunkPhyto) and Ethan Lapham (Twitter: @takkun363) as they discuss the lore, history, and biology of one of the original "soft plastic horrors". This episode was initially published in partnership with Insight Check, a Dungeons and Dragons advice and comedy podcast. Go check them out at https://insightcheck.podbean.com/ and on Twitter @insightcheckpod.