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Unearthed Arcana October 2017: Fiendish Options
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<blockquote data-quote="Hawk Diesel" data-source="post: 7726107" data-attributes="member: 59848"><p>Professionals are paid to do a job. When their performance is such that it could be achieved or replicated easily by a non-professional not being paid for their work, it is fair to call them out for it. When a kicker on a professional football team is paid to kick a ball and they start to miss from the 30 yard line, they are gonna get reamed for that performance and rightly so because they are paid to perform with a certain expected level of sophistication and ability.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>1) Even though they wrap each of these "subraces" up in a themed package, there is a clear and easy equation for how they did this. You may not see this as a la cart, but it is only half a degree of separation from it. </p><p></p><p>2) There is a difference between simple and lazy. Advantage and disadvantage as a mechanic is simple. But it's elegant and interesting. Prior to 5e, I had not seen anything like it in any splat or homebrew. It's one of those things that after someone says it suddenly seems dumb not to have considered yourself. Something can be simple and still be interesting and good design. This tiefling garbage is not such an example. The eladrin and gith presented last time didn't grab my interest, but at least they tried something new and interesting with that race and subrace.</p><p></p><p>3) UA is a place specifically for new and experimental design. This is the tool WotC designers use to shoot for the moon and see what works and what people like. So forgive us if we expect more from a paid professional then what anyone on these boards could just as easily have proposed or previously did at our own tables. Why would I trust someone to make mechanics I would pay for if they present mechanics I could come up with?</p><p></p><p>4) The tiefling "subraces" breaks the design philosophy and trends that exist within 5e. This is different from experimental mechanics. Each race previously created has subraces that are in some way distinct. There is at least one or two abilities that separate them in meaningful ways. Rather than follow this previously established trend, the designers substitute spell-like abilities and attempt to pass them off as thematic and meaningful changes by using the fluff around the named diabolic being the tiefling subrace is linked to. And yet, each one of their named demon/devil lords is so much more than spell-like abilities in their differences, capabilities, and influences. Each of those figures has a rich history, powers, look, and style that they could have drawn influence from. Instead of looking at each as unique and using that to influence the design of their subrace, they boiled tiefling subraces to their lowest common denominator and created an illusion of separation between a tiefling of Asmodeus and a tiefling of Levistus. </p><p></p><p>You can like it. It can work for you. But that doesn't change the fact that there are a million ways these paid, professional game designers could have went, and they went in the easiest possible direction. That is laziness defined.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hawk Diesel, post: 7726107, member: 59848"] Professionals are paid to do a job. When their performance is such that it could be achieved or replicated easily by a non-professional not being paid for their work, it is fair to call them out for it. When a kicker on a professional football team is paid to kick a ball and they start to miss from the 30 yard line, they are gonna get reamed for that performance and rightly so because they are paid to perform with a certain expected level of sophistication and ability. 1) Even though they wrap each of these "subraces" up in a themed package, there is a clear and easy equation for how they did this. You may not see this as a la cart, but it is only half a degree of separation from it. 2) There is a difference between simple and lazy. Advantage and disadvantage as a mechanic is simple. But it's elegant and interesting. Prior to 5e, I had not seen anything like it in any splat or homebrew. It's one of those things that after someone says it suddenly seems dumb not to have considered yourself. Something can be simple and still be interesting and good design. This tiefling garbage is not such an example. The eladrin and gith presented last time didn't grab my interest, but at least they tried something new and interesting with that race and subrace. 3) UA is a place specifically for new and experimental design. This is the tool WotC designers use to shoot for the moon and see what works and what people like. So forgive us if we expect more from a paid professional then what anyone on these boards could just as easily have proposed or previously did at our own tables. Why would I trust someone to make mechanics I would pay for if they present mechanics I could come up with? 4) The tiefling "subraces" breaks the design philosophy and trends that exist within 5e. This is different from experimental mechanics. Each race previously created has subraces that are in some way distinct. There is at least one or two abilities that separate them in meaningful ways. Rather than follow this previously established trend, the designers substitute spell-like abilities and attempt to pass them off as thematic and meaningful changes by using the fluff around the named diabolic being the tiefling subrace is linked to. And yet, each one of their named demon/devil lords is so much more than spell-like abilities in their differences, capabilities, and influences. Each of those figures has a rich history, powers, look, and style that they could have drawn influence from. Instead of looking at each as unique and using that to influence the design of their subrace, they boiled tiefling subraces to their lowest common denominator and created an illusion of separation between a tiefling of Asmodeus and a tiefling of Levistus. You can like it. It can work for you. But that doesn't change the fact that there are a million ways these paid, professional game designers could have went, and they went in the easiest possible direction. That is laziness defined. [/QUOTE]
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