D&D 5E MTOF: Elves are gender-swapping reincarnates and I am on board with it

[Sacrosanct]

I find it exceedingly easy to ignore gender-changing elves.

If that were a problem for me, which it isn't.

To me it's obvious WotC is choosing inclusivity. If a few gamers quit in disgurst over having to face that their fantasy world is now more like the real world, that's an easy price to pay.

If CapnZapp and I agree on something, then that should tell you something about how much of a "problem" this topic really is

 

[Parmandur]

If you only recognize WotC customers as "people", then you and I have radically different views of humanity. There are EN World discussions on games other than D&D; so far as I'm concerned, those EN World subscribers are people.



Yet again, you and I have deeply divergent world views. You write as if you see every event in human history as absolutely, objectively "desirable" or "undesirable".

As I see things, "desirable" not an absolute; it is only meaningful insofar as someone has that desire. Whether a checkmate is "desirable" depends on whether you're the player who wins or loses as the outcome of that checkmate. (Or a third party with a bet on the game, or anyone else with an interest in the outcome.)

Either that, or you're intentionally trying to frame my point differently than I meant it. As if that were, somehow, useful for communication. If you're so interested in my ideas, that you want me to explain, then *stop misrepresenting my ideas* and instead ask a sincere question. Otherwise, I do not see how you or I can benefit from further exchange. Good luck!

OK, you asked why D&D doesn't follow the path of setting-beutral systems: the answer is "People (who pay money for D&D) don't want that, so they don't make it."

 

[Eltab]

Impossible to play without running into gods.

Bards, Barbarians, Fighters, Monks, Rogues, Rangers, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks all suggest that tunnel vision is what tied your shoelaces together.

 

[Aldarc]

That legal for home play, but its against the AL rules so its against the rules of organized play. Clerics and those who take the Acolyte Feat has to choose a deity from either the PHB FR and Monster Deity lists, SCAG, MTOFs. Its right in the Adventurer's League Players Guide v7 except for the mention of MTOFs which has its own rules document at least umtil they update the ALPG to v8.

This just means that this is not a 5e rules problem but an AL problem which does not seem applicable for someone who homebrews.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I don't recall ever seeing an AL DM demand a player insert religion into their roleplaying of their cleric. Players either did, or didn't based on their own style. And frankly, if you want to play a class without having ties to religion, try choosing a class that doesn't literally mean "religious leader". There are lots to choose from.

 

[Aguirre Melchiors]

It’s 2018 is not an argument.
It is super cringe

 

[gyor]

This just means that this is not a 5e rules problem but an AL problem which does not seem applicable for someone who homebrews.

I don't consider it a problem at, in fact I'd make it a requirement for all Divine Spellcasters, including divine spell casting subclasses like Divine Soul, period if it was up to me, there is no Divine Spelling casting with you know, the divine. Sadly they only made that a requirement for clerics and the Acolyte Feat. What is the point in playing a religious class without the religion, go play a Bard or Wizard as far as I'm concerned. That is just my opinion and you can disregard it as you chose.

 

[Cyrinishad]

Strictly illegal. By the way, illegal in AL.

Too many references to gods everywhere else in the Players Handbook and other core rules.

Impossible to play without running into gods.

Yet, I was able to play D&D for twenty years with joy. Sadly, 5e changed the game.

*sigh*

Just for the sake of total clarity on the actual & official 5e rules of the game... I am going to quote page #56 of the 5e PHB, under the entry entitled "Creating a Cleric", the last sentence of the very first paragraph states unequivocally: "Check with your DM to learn which deities are in your campaign."

So, upon checking with the DM, hopefully they will have read the actual rules, and can helpfully quote page #10 of the 5e DMG, under the entry entitled "Gods of your World", the very first paragraph states unequivocally: "As far as the games rules are concerned, it doesn't matter if your world has hundreds of deities or a church devoted to a single god. In rules terms, clerics choose domains, not deities..."

Regarding the AL, the so-called deities of the Forgotten Realms are simply intermediaries for imbuing clerics with spells. The cleric is required to choose a "deity", it does not articulate any requirements regarding the character's relationship to that entity, nor does it even require the cleric to actually worship the "deity"... The cleric could be a devout Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, etc... that flat-out rejects the Forgotten Realms "deities"... How? It's easy! Just keep reading page #56 of the 5e PHB, since it goes on to state: "Once you've chosen a deity, consider your cleric's relationship to that god. Did you enter this service willingly? Or did the god choose you, impelling you into service with no regard for your wishes?"

There you go... the Forgotten Realms "deities" can grant you spells, thereby enabling you to be a Cleric, but they can't require you to worship them!
Sounds like a great character idea to me!

...I'll circle back to the MTOF Elves in a subsequent post. (Spoiler Alert: It's all good.)

 

[Satyrn]

The 5E Cleric rules, as written, make fewer polytheistic assumptions than the 3E rules do.

And the DMG even offers the DM a way to create a monotheistic setting that uses the cleric as written.

 

[Satyrn]

How is it illegal? Now, to be fair, it does say choose a domain related to your diety, but, let's be honest, that's typically how most campaigns are set up. But, stripping out the diety wouldn't be much of a challenge. Now, I suppose you could make a stronger argument for the Divine Intervention power, but, then again, it's not really very different. Unless your D&D includes absolutely no extraplanar beings, then well, Divine Intervention works.

And again, the DMG offers the DM a way to use forces or philosophies in place of or alongside deities, while still using the cleric as written.