"Your Class is Not Your Character": Is this a real problem?

[Aldarc]

I had to look that up. I didn't really go all that far with math. Are you saying that the various aspects of the fluff are the data points and the mechanics is the drawn line?

In my original context, I would say that the fluff is the line-of-best-fit, a generalization meant to encompass the available data points present: i.e., the various barbarian characters, both player character barbarians and barbarians in media. So barbarian player characters will naturally vary in distance to the "fluff line-of-best-fit."

 

[Maxperson]

In my original context, I would say that the fluff is the line-of-best-fit, a generalization meant to encompass the available data points present: i.e., the various barbarian characters, both player character barbarians and barbarians in media. So barbarian player characters will naturally vary in distance to the "fluff line-of-best-fit."

One thing with the line-of-best-fit is that even though people can pick different data points when they draw the line and all be "right," they will all be fairly close together. That fits what I have been saying about the changes to the fluff being okay as long as they fit the general theme of the class, so in that context I agree that line-of-best-fit works.

Can a gnome be tribal? Yes. Can they be wild and uncivilized? Yes. Are the mountains outdoors like the other terrains mentioned? Yes. Gnome barbarians are fine as they can fit the general theme of the barbarian class. A cultured knight who has a bad temper does not fit the general barbarian theme and the line-of-best-fit would not apply to that. Again, that's not to say that such a character is bad or wrong. It's just not the barbarian class, even if it uses the barbarian class mechanics.

 

[Aldarc]

One thing with the line-of-best-fit is that even though people can pick different data points when they draw the line and all be "right," they will all be fairly close together. That fits what I have been saying about the changes to the fluff being okay as long as they fit the general theme of the class, so in that context I agree that line-of-best-fit works.

Can a gnome be tribal? Yes. Can they be wild and uncivilized? Yes. Are the mountains outdoors like the other terrains mentioned? Yes. Gnome barbarians are fine as they can fit the general theme of the barbarian class. A cultured knight who has a bad temper does not fit the general barbarian theme and the line-of-best-fit would not apply to that. Again, that's not to say that such a character is bad or wrong. It's just not the barbarian class, even if it uses the barbarian class mechanics.

Unless I am mistaken you are missing the point of a line-of-best-fit: The very nature of a line-of-best-fit means that not everything will fit or conform to the line drawn (i.e., the fluff), but you are complaining that the dots aren't hugging the line, which misses the point.

 

[Maxperson]

Unless I am mistaken you are missing the point of a line-of-best-fit: The very nature of a line-of-best-fit means that not everything will fit or conform to the line drawn (i.e., the fluff), but you are complaining that the dots aren't hugging the line, which misses the point.

From what I read of the best-in-line-fit, the lines all fall withing a fairly small variance. Not large ones. Again, I had to look it up since the first I heard of it was yesterday, but that's what I saw.

 

[Fenris-77]

.It's just not the barbarian class, even if it uses the barbarian class mechanics.

This is the heart of our disagreement. You obviously care about the color text as definitional for the class. I don't. We can now proceed on our merry ways.