races of destiny --has D&D 3.5 jumped the shark?

[Turjan]

You only know about D&D for 3 reasons:
1. You played in 1974
2. You played in when it was popular (mid-80's early-90's)
3. A older relitive introduced you to the game
so we mature gamers don't like guys with letters floating around there heads its dumb. P.S. Raptorans are not a new race they are winged elves elves with a makeover they came out in 2ed.

Well, I won't comment on the "we mature gamers"...

I can think of many other ways to get to know D&D, even besides just seeing the books in a shop. Don't forget the influence of CRPG's like the Baldur's Gate series or Neverwinter Nights.

 

[warlord]

If you have a better idea instead of "mature gamers" I'd be happy to hear it. And none of the people I know who only play the D&D crpgs know D&D is a pen & paper game.

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

Whoa!! they brought back ecology of X feature. (Takes Eric Mona of WoTC employees I hate list) Anyways the way to solve are problem is get rid of the guy who made Races of destiny. I mean guys with letters floating around there heads is cool to 5 year olds not adults and ECL 2 half-ogres! the Complete Book of Humanoids had ECL 0 half-ogres. A little advice Wizards I know your a subsidary of Hasbro but little kids don't like your game. You only know about D&D for 3 reasons:
1. You played in 1974
2. You played in when it was popular (mid-80's early-90's)
3. A older relitive introduced you to the game
so we mature gamers don't like guys with letters floating around there heads its dumb. P.S. Raptorans are not a new race they are winged elves elves with a makeover they came out in 2ed.

So, judging by this post, I'll assume you believe the following things:

1) Neither adults nor ECL 2 half-ogres like "guys with letter floating around there (sic) heads."

2) The jury is, however, out on if ECL 0 half-ogres like floating alphabets.

3) Wizards only knows about D&D because a "relitive" introduced it to them in 1974, and then they played it again in the late 80's.

4) Mature gamers are part of a hive mind, and collectively calculate that which is permitted to be liked. Again, floating letters are bad - I assume now that Alphabits cereal is right out. Possibly also skywriting.

5) Raptorans are siamese elves. Also, they apparently "came out" during 2nd edition, for which I can only applaud their courage.

6) The first sign of maturity is dislike of floating letters. The second is non-euclidian grammar.

Our industry will be all the stronger for having been exposed to these crucial issues.

Patrick Y.

 

[kilamanjaro]

I'm 32 years old and I like the Illumians. They're certainly as interesting a concept as the rune children from AU and there was no outcry about them.

 

[Aaron L]

Non-Euclidian grammar. I love it.

 

[Turjan]

If you have a better idea instead of "mature gamers" I'd be happy to hear it.

Don't worry, I just loved the combination "we mature gamers" . I bet on Pluralis Majestatis .

And none of the people I know who only play the D&D crpgs know D&D is a pen & paper game.

That's intriguing! We should tell WotC to cease these expensive surveys. They can just ask you .

 

[rounser]

Yeah, it's a good thing we have stats for the archer bush, the flail snail, and the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing again.

This is a different kind of lame though - these three are lame in a cartoony sense (because they could be considered silly and therefore not welcome in a "serious" campaign). I'm quite happy to have these on a wandering encounter table, alongside other whimsical Fiend Folio entries such as adherers and al-mi-raj, because my vision of D&D has a lot of room for whimsy, and being bushwacked by bushes which shoot thorns and horned bunnies and skulls on muscular springs and fanged electric furballs is great fun if you dig that vibe.

I draw the line at singing fungi and faerie whose main attack is swinging on a beard, though...everyone's got to have standards.

Destrachan, digester and yrthak are lame in a totally different way - they're not cartoony, they're just alien and weird, and lacking in a theme, which makes them more or less arbitrary with no "cool factor" to compensate for that (which is unsurprisingly, because they're only in there for their attack forms). I know some people dig that in their D&D though, and it can be done right - the moonbeast, mooncalf and those brainiac rats from MM2 are way cool ways to play that card, in my book.

 

[MerricB]

Destrachan, digester and yrthak are lame in a totally different way - they're not cartoony, they're just alien and weird, and lacking in a theme, which makes them more or less arbitrary with no "cool factor" to compensate for that (which is unsurprisingly, because they're only in there for their attack forms).

My love for the Destrachan has gone up considerably since it appeared as a miniature in D&D Miniatures (Aberrations), and an uncommon one at that!

Four Destrachans so far, and I plan to use them on my PCs Real Soon Now.

Cheers!

 

[hong]

If you have a better idea instead of "mature gamers" I'd be happy to hear it.

"Fossilised reactionaries" works for me.

 

[Werther von G]

What puzzles me is the presence of both doppelgangers and "mostly human" races in the book, and yet absolutely no mention of changelings or shifters. I know they're going to get an in-depth treatment in Races of Eberron, but a little support wouldn't hurt.