So called political correctness can be taken too far. I am bald, so I can talk about that without insulting other people (Well, it’s the internet, so probably not.).
Bald has been called follically challenged. Short has been called vertically challenged. Many so-called politically correct terms are so ridiculous as to avoid calling a spade a shovel. Often one has no idea what someone is talking about.
Monster, should be “life form”, “being”, “entity”, or “creature”. To call something monstrous is a value judgement.
For example, a rust monster should be referred to as an oxidation enhancing creature.
Undead should be called life challenged.
Vampires should be called hemoglobin deficient.
This is a good exercise to get the creative juices flowing. Try to do it without a dictionary, thesaurus, or the internet, just the terms that pop into your head. While such new names for creatures may not be used in play, it gives an added description or new way of looking at them, perhaps a way to understand the motivations of the creatures that are not mentally challenged.
Skeletons and zombies in D&D are the robots of the fantasy world, constructs that don’t know or care. Similar constructs without a will of their own, won’t know or care, their only motivation is their last command. Low or non-intelligent creatures’ motivations may only be food, shelter, and procreation. But just because they don’t have language, doesn’t mean you can’t give them a neutral and unoffensive name.
Have fun with it and be creative, please share your best ones.
