What Creatures "Break" A Fantasy Game World For You?
Arkhandus
First Post
Pretty much nothing would, for me.
Short of, y'know, high-tech stuff when there's no precedent for it in the setting, unless the group has come to an understanding beforehand (like when playing in a homebrew or other setting they're not as familiar with).
But I'd have no problem with that kinda stuff if playing in a standard setting, where I could expect such things to have potentially come to the plane via spelljammers, time-traveling illithids or aboleths or whatnot.
If I'm playing in Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms or Eberron, I'm not going to care if firearms show up. Uzis and RPGs and tanks might rattle me when playing in such a setting, but American Civil War era style firearms and cannons won't. And I'm not likely to quit over it (unless the DM is being a total arse, expecting low-level PCs to survive against main battle tanks and machine gunners and such).
Dinosaurs, space aliens, robot ninjas, any of that stuff, bring it on.
Short of, y'know, high-tech stuff when there's no precedent for it in the setting, unless the group has come to an understanding beforehand (like when playing in a homebrew or other setting they're not as familiar with).
But I'd have no problem with that kinda stuff if playing in a standard setting, where I could expect such things to have potentially come to the plane via spelljammers, time-traveling illithids or aboleths or whatnot.
If I'm playing in Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms or Eberron, I'm not going to care if firearms show up. Uzis and RPGs and tanks might rattle me when playing in such a setting, but American Civil War era style firearms and cannons won't. And I'm not likely to quit over it (unless the DM is being a total arse, expecting low-level PCs to survive against main battle tanks and machine gunners and such).
Dinosaurs, space aliens, robot ninjas, any of that stuff, bring it on.
Dragonbait
Explorer
After reading many things about genra and game-breakers on the internet, I've found that I have a high tolerance to that sort of thing. Who wants to play an intelligent slime? So we are fighting transformers? Ok. Their god is Azatoth? Sure. Humans are the only PC race? I can roll with that. Pokemon are this settings wildlife? Interesting. Freakishly high tolerance.
Getting up and leaving a game because a player has a dinosaur animal companion? Well, I suppose the player felt that the rules they set down in their head and expected the rest of the world to follow was more important than anything else. More power to them. I hope they didn't go as far as to declare "It's the druid and dino player, or me." While it's probably unnerving to have a player leave like that, it was probably only a matter of time if they were that kind of person to begin with.
Getting up and leaving a game because a player has a dinosaur animal companion? Well, I suppose the player felt that the rules they set down in their head and expected the rest of the world to follow was more important than anything else. More power to them. I hope they didn't go as far as to declare "It's the druid and dino player, or me." While it's probably unnerving to have a player leave like that, it was probably only a matter of time if they were that kind of person to begin with.
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Haffrung Helleyes
First Post
well
I wouldn't quit a game over any monster, but I'm not a big fan of celestials.
Ken
I wouldn't quit a game over any monster, but I'm not a big fan of celestials.
Ken
Brother MacLaren
Explorer
Really depends on the setting. If a setting has a clearly-defined flavor, I'll be leery of anything that throws off that flavor. Especially if it is introduced late in the campaign. Mecha in what I was envisioning as an Arthurian setting? Bubbly 16-year-old girls with pink hair and silly names in Ravenloft? Illithids in Middle-Earth? Characters with my 21st-century liberal's view of democracy and human rights in a Conan game? No thanks.
On the other hand, I've run games in Mystara and Spelljammer, where pretty much anything goes. Some settings need to be restrictive to preserve their feel; others do not.
And the other thing is that certain creatures bring a whole lot of "flavor" baggage with them. By their introduction, they change the tone of a game. Dragonlance races (Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Tinker Gnomes) add a great deal of silliness. Warforged and half-golems add a pulp sci-fi flavor. Athasian halflings add their own flavor (tastes like people), and a "living vampire" or "vampire with a soul" from one accessory or another would add a different flavor (er, again, tastes like people). And, yes, dinosaurs do carry a fair amount of "flavor baggage" in my view.
On the other hand, I've run games in Mystara and Spelljammer, where pretty much anything goes. Some settings need to be restrictive to preserve their feel; others do not.
And the other thing is that certain creatures bring a whole lot of "flavor" baggage with them. By their introduction, they change the tone of a game. Dragonlance races (Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Tinker Gnomes) add a great deal of silliness. Warforged and half-golems add a pulp sci-fi flavor. Athasian halflings add their own flavor (tastes like people), and a "living vampire" or "vampire with a soul" from one accessory or another would add a different flavor (er, again, tastes like people). And, yes, dinosaurs do carry a fair amount of "flavor baggage" in my view.
jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
It depends on the region, really. Dinosaurs would be wildly out of place in a pseudo-European land that existed outside of a tropical climate zone. A dinosaur animal companion in such an area -- that would strain my own suspension of disbelief to the breaking point, easily. OTOH, dinosaurs would be right at home in the wilds of Xen'drik or other jungle wilderness settings with a firmly established tropical climate. Therein, dinosaurs as companions wouldn't seem out of place at all.
InVinoVeritas
Adventurer
I think pretty much anything goes, as long as it's known about ahead of time. Say at the start that this game has velociraptor mounts, and hey, they're my steed of choice. But introduce them suddenly without any indication that they've been around, and I worry.
Personally, I like the animal type getting used for more non-Earth creatures. Why should any critter that's non-magical and not particularly smart be anything other than an animal? A fish with fur? Sure. Reptilian camels? Why not? I would rather not have "it's real" be the reason a particular animal exists as an animal. That would stop giant and dire animals, for example. So bring on the dinosaurs, the platypi, land octopi, and exotic birds. Let's stat some isopods.
Personally, I like the animal type getting used for more non-Earth creatures. Why should any critter that's non-magical and not particularly smart be anything other than an animal? A fish with fur? Sure. Reptilian camels? Why not? I would rather not have "it's real" be the reason a particular animal exists as an animal. That would stop giant and dire animals, for example. So bring on the dinosaurs, the platypi, land octopi, and exotic birds. Let's stat some isopods.
EvilMountainDew
First Post
Personally, I don't enjoy Dinosaurs, but, in the same way, I don't like undead.
Dinosaurs would pretty much set me back a little. I think that getting up and walkinga way from the game for that reason, or really any other small reason is dumb.
Dinosaurs would pretty much set me back a little. I think that getting up and walkinga way from the game for that reason, or really any other small reason is dumb.
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