Are Races Unique Enough?

[Mixster]

You've never had a player forget what race another player was? Interesting.

The guys I'm playing with usually let their race shine very much through in their roleplaying.

Some of the half-elves are just half-elves because they want to be closer to elves.
 
But when somebody is playing something further out, like a warforged, a shifter or even just an elf or a dwarf, they let it be seen, albeit it is mostly done through stereotypes. The dwarf always seem grumpy, and the elf always seems clever. The warforged never fits in to human emotions and the shifter gets angry a lot. I usually do it another way though.

[SneeR]

What other way do you mean, Mixster? Defying stereotypes?

[SorO_Lost]

What other way do you mean, Mixster? Defying stereotypes?

Defying stereotypes?

Like

(click to show/hide)

• Small penis, builds robots and publishes the oddest porn.
• Normal penis, is the real minority and gets into trouble if pointing out big penis has their own grants/colleges.
• Big penis, raps about drugs and gets killed first in moving pictures.
• Tanned penis, isn't a self entitled brat and mucks the stables for whatever price he can get.
• Metal penis, does everything faster and cheaper than you without complaining or asking for a raise.

You're at work and reading about pensis? Shame on you!

[SneeR]

I do regret getting that metal penis grafted in place of my normal one. People seem to think that I'll work for minimum wage, now!

[Lycanthromancer]

I do regret getting that metal penis grafted in place of my normal one. People seem to think that I'll work for minimum wage, now!

You actually REPLACED yours?

Dude, now I feel like a BAMF for getting the four EXTRA ones...

[DavidWL]

Do you forget when a companion is a Warforged?  Or a Dvati?  Or a Raptoran?

I think the problem is that races are just people with pointy ears. 

I disagree that it is just role-playing.  The mechanical differences encourage you to think of elves as people with pointy ears.  And, when the mechanical differences are large, you don't forget. 

I also support the statement that if NPCs notice, PCs will also notice.

Best,
David

[SneeR]

Do you forget when a companion is a Warforged?  Or a Dvati?  Or a Raptoran?

I think the problem is that races are just people with pointy ears. 

I disagree that it is just role-playing.  The mechanical differences encourage you to think of elves as people with pointy ears.  And, when the mechanical differences are large, you don't forget. 

Oh, thank you! THIS!

The minor differences might as well say "They're like human, but..."
I want races to say, "The only way they are like  humans is..."

[caelic]

Do you forget when a companion is a Warforged?  Or a Dvati?  Or a Raptoran?

...or an anthropomorphic half-troll whale?  If the character is played poorly, yes.

I can go you one better: I've seen players forget their own race.  They take a stack of templates for the bonuses, and then forget exactly which templates they used.

It all comes down to why the player is taking the race.  Are they taking it because it gives the most plusses, or because they actually want to play a creature of that race?

On the other hand, I've seen players who will play an elf--and you will never forget that the character is an elf.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

hmm ... Deep Space 9 had a couple of interesting races.

They had a baby Jem'Hadar that grew up in a week.
They tried to play nice-nice with it for a few days,
before it started tearing up the station. They weren't Vorta.
It wanted to fight, period.
Abishi Devils perhaps.


The Breen just make noise. They "look" anthropomorphic
because actors and dogs occupy different brain strands in director's minds.
Could be possessed objects or mechanus gear sprites.
Or Warforged + Far Realms stuff.
Or ...

[DavidWL]

Do you forget when a companion is a Warforged?  Or a Dvati?  Or a Raptoran?

It all comes down to why the player is taking the race.  Are they taking it because it gives the most plusses, or because they actually want to play a creature of that race?

On the other hand, I've seen players who will play an elf--and you will never forget that the character is an elf.

Frankly, I think that elves, dwarves, etc., are just versions of particularly tall people.  Or skinny.  Or yellow-skinned.

I could (mechanically) make a character who was a race=human, specify that he was short, squat and spoke dwarvish.  I'd argue that there is no reason that this shouldn't fly.

I could not do the same if I wanted to play a Wyrmling dragon...

If I played a human being, who was 7' tall, we wouldn't be having this discussion.  But it's really the same.  The fact that I'm playing a very tall skinny human is RP, not mechanics.

I'd argue the same about playing an elf ... that this is more about RP, and less about mechanics.

However, in some cases, it's only about RP, but also about mechanics.  I'd argue that in those cases you should have separate races.  Otherwise, why bother?

Best,
David

[caelic]

However, in some cases, it's only about RP, but also about mechanics.  I'd argue that in those cases you should have separate races.  Otherwise, why bother?

...because not everything's about mechanics, and drastic mechanical differences aren't needed to make races different.

[DavidWL]

However, in some cases, it's only about RP, but also about mechanics.  I'd argue that in those cases you should have separate races.  Otherwise, why bother?

...because not everything's about mechanics, and drastic mechanical differences aren't needed to make races different.

I was actually arguing the reverse ... if the races are mechanically similar, then there should be no mechanical differences, and only RP.

Best,
David

[veekie]

^^
But the races aren't mechanically similar to the suggested degree.

[DavidWL]

^^
But the races aren't mechanically similar to the suggested degree.

New Feat:  Hmm ... you're sorta different ...

Background:  You are somehow different from the vanilla human. You may have a bit of demon stock in you, you may be a dwarf, or half-elf, you may just be amazingly tall.  All that matters is that you're different.

You may pick some number of the below (4?):
+2 to things that don't matter that much (saving vs. 1 status effect, little-used skills, etc.)
+1 to Hit or AC vs. a specific monster or group
proficiency with a few martial weapons, and even a couple exotic weapons that aren't too good
etc.

You may pick 2 of the below
You may have +2 to one stat and -2 to another stat
+2 to saves vs. spells and spell-like abilities
darkvision '60 or low-light vision
+2 to 2 skills that are quite good (not UMD)

Partly, I'm against more rules when you can get away with less.  Not to say that this is the perfect solution.  It's just that if I take a race, I feel like it should make a significant mechanical difference, or none at all.  (Actually, I feel the same thing about feats, classes, etc.).  If not, then if I want to RP something, I can, but it certainly isn't necessary.

Frankly, if someone want's to play a dwarf as a human with a talent for things of the earth, I'm ok with that.  Or vice-a-versa.  Only that it should be clear.

Best
David

[veekie]

Well, yes, you can refluff them, races are not so rigid as all that, but to stretch that same claim to mean that the races are indistinguishable is a bit too much.

[DavidWL]

Well, yes, you can refluff them, races are not so rigid as all that, but to stretch that same claim to mean that the races are indistinguishable is a bit too much.

You're right - it was too much.

My point was that the differences were "small" ... and in general, if I am going to choose an option(s), it should be an option I can get excited about.  Be it a feat, a race, a class, etc.

Best,
David

[Bastian]

proficiency with a few martial weapons, and even a couple exotic weapons that aren't too good
etc.

Actually, the exotic weapon proficiencies are quite good (or at least the gnome's is) since Complete Warrior has a rule that allows one to change out a race's exotic weapon proficiency for any other exotic weapon that is associated with your race.

[Jackinthegreen]

proficiency with a few martial weapons, and even a couple exotic weapons that aren't too good
etc.

Actually, the exotic weapon proficiencies are quite good (or at least the gnome's is) since Complete Warrior has a rule that allows one to change out a race's exotic weapon proficiency for any other exotic weapon that is associated with your race.

In short, Gnomish Quickrazor and Iaijutsu Focus spam. \o/