D&D 5E Kender are a core race?

[Aramax]

Look up "psychotic kleptomaniac" in the dictionary. You'll see a picture of a kender right next to it. It's the defining feature of the race.

OMG YES!

 

[willvr]

I've played a kender in Dragonlance. Yes the advice is game-destroying. But.... you don't have to follow the advice.

You don't have to let players play a character like that and say "I'm just following the instructions."

Players that do that; will tend to play a destructive character no matter what, and are leaping on this as a justification. Players that don't want to ruin others fun, will find a reason for their kender -not- to be like this.

I like kender. The mechanics are cool. In the books their personality works; but note how over time, Tasslehoff tended to steal from his friends, and even those who they were dealing with, less. He bonded with Flint; he wanted to impress Flint.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I've played a kender in Dragonlance. Yes the advice is game-destroying. But.... you don't have to follow the advice.

You don't have to let players play a character like that and say "I'm just following the instructions."

my problem is that you shouldn't have game destroying advice...

Players that do that; will tend to play a destructive character no matter what, and are leaping on this as a justification. Players that don't want to ruin others fun, will find a reason for their kender -not- to be like this.

I've seen both... I can list people who play messed up game recking characters with or without kenders... but I have also seen good role-players who never before or sense made these types of monster characters...who thought it was just good RP to follow bad advice.

I like kender. The mechanics are cool. In the books their personality works; but note how over time, Tasslehoff tended to steal from his friends, and even those who they were dealing with, less. He bonded with Flint; he wanted to impress Flint.

I love tasselhoff, and still to this day would reread any story with him in it and love it... but he doesn't work as a PC...

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I've played a kender in Dragonlance. Yes the advice is game-destroying. But.... you don't have to follow the advice.

You don't, but then you aren't playing a Kender properly. I think the entire point of Kender were that they were kleptomaniacs with no sense of property or ownership.

I've seen many a good player who would not think about attempting to ruin a game for their fellow players play a Kender and ruin the game for their fellow players. They did it because they felt that the point of the game was to accurately portray their character. The point of their character was that he was a Kender.

Players that do that; will tend to play a destructive character no matter what, and are leaping on this as a justification. Players that don't want to ruin others fun, will find a reason for their kender -not- to be like this.

I could not find a way to justify being a kender who didn't steal constantly. So, I never chose to play a Kender and I hate them.

I like kender. The mechanics are cool. In the books their personality works; but note how over time, Tasslehoff tended to steal from his friends, and even those who they were dealing with, less. He bonded with Flint; he wanted to impress Flint.

He started stealing from them less mainly for the same reasons that it isn't a good idea to do it in a RPG either, which is that it gets annoying and frustrating after the first couple of times.

If the book was nothing but constant arguments between the characters over why Tasslehoff stole stuff from them yet again, it would be boring. So instead, they focused on other parts of the story once the reader got the basic idea of Tass's character: He steals stuff from people.

Though, even within the book they point out that Tass was odd for a Kender. He seemed to begin to understand that some things were not to be stolen after a LONG time adventuring with humans. The implication I got from the book was that most other Kender would never learn this lesson.

 

[willvr]

Isn't part of the point of PCs that they're somewhat atypical? That's why in 3.x they started getting maximum HP per die; and why majority of GMs I knew from earlier editions had already been houseruling this.

I'm also going to throw any book out the window that tells me I can't play -my- character in a particular way; just because it goes against racial/class stereotypes. And there are exceptions, but the majority of people who will put 'how to play the character right' ahead of in-game harmony (different from in-character); is the sort of troublemaker that's going to cause problems no matter what they play.

 

[Nellisir]

You don't, but then you aren't playing a Kender properly. I think the entire point of Kender were that they were kleptomaniacs with no sense of property or ownership.

Whereas I think the entire point of kender is that they are innocents with no sense of fear, concern, greed, or selfishness. Kender don't understand stealing because they can't be stolen from. Asking presumes the possibility of denial. A kender wouldn't deny someone what they need, so they don't realize other people would.

Also, the right way to play a kender is whatever is interesting and enjoyable. You run the game; the game doesn't run you.

 

[steeldragons]

[No message]

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's why in 3.x they started getting maximum HP per die; and why majority of GMs I knew from earlier editions had already been houseruling this.

Who did what now?

 

[willvr]

... okay clarifying that. Maximum HP at first level.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think answers intended for another thread are landing here. This isn't a hit point thread.