D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Umbran]

Firstly, I'll care when it stops being so common that it happens at a rate of about 1 page in 5 in most threads.

I expect folks will care if we start handing out warning points for it, or turn it off entirely. Won't that be fun?

Second, this particular case wasn't mocking.

Perhaps, but clearly, it came across as if it was mocking anyway. Given that, do you think that a plain flat denial, without so much as a "Oh, sorry about that," is apt to be convincing or constructive?

 

[Umbran]

And, just to toss in my 2cp to the centaur climbing, actually, if they could have a rope climb like that, there'd be pretty much no reason they wouldn't climb 60's batman style. That's a pretty reasonable way for a larger creature like a centaur, with it's odd center of balance, to climb up a wall.

A medium-sized centaur, sure. A (large) horse-sized centaur is then holding half a ton of weight on just its (medium-sized person) arms. I am not sure the large-sized creature lift capacity increase is really intended to work like that.

 

[loverdrive]

I don't think that's appropriate. The DC should be static for everyone. If you want to make it harder for the centaur(as opposed to just saying it's not possible), then you can impose disadvantage, give penalties or both and make it more difficult that way.

Hm, a penalty is pretty much the same as increasing DC, but simpler.

 

[Maxperson]

Hm, a penalty is pretty much the same as increasing DC, but simpler.

Yeah, but it also keeps things on the proper sides. The inherent difficulty of an action is constant. It's the various factors with PCs that can make things easier or harder, including declared actions. I've had situations where what the players tell me that their PC is doing to overcome a challenge would just not have a chance of failure, so no roll ever even happened. Conversely, there are times where an action would have no chance of success, so no roll happened. I believe that modifiers are the way to go when representing something being easier or harder for a particular PC.

 

[Maxperson]

A medium-sized centaur, sure. A (large) horse-sized centaur is then holding half a ton of weight on just its (medium-sized person) arms. I am not sure the large-sized creature lift capacity increase is really intended to work like that.

The medium centaurs weigh 602-840 pounds, which is still beyond that sort of climbing ability.

 

[MGibster]

Heh. Just came across this: Archaeology news: Medieval Chinese coin discovered in Hampshire 'genuinely ancient'

Which does tie nicely into the thread. Just because the dm believes something to be true certainly doesn’t make it so.

So you folks who insist that the dm have last say - how do you feel when the dm is legitimately shown to be wrong?

I'm not quite sure what this proves. I can fully recognize that travelers from exotic places like China, Japan, or Scandinavia were present thousands of miles from where they came from. It doesn't mean I'm wrong to disallow a samurai character in my 17th century swashbuckling campaign set in France or a Norse viking character in my 9th century Celtic game. If it doesn't fit the aesthetics of the game I don't think I'm wrong for excluding it.

That said, when I'm wrong I typically admit it and make some changes. My Trail of Cthulhu campaign was set in New York of the 1930s and I had assumed there were no laws regarding the purchase of dynamite. After a little research I was shown to be wrong and from then on it was a little more difficult for characters to get their hands on it though certainly not impossible. When it comes to rules, when we realize we're doing something wrong we'll usually continue using the rule incorrectly for the rest of the session and starting the next session use it correctly.

 

[Umbran]

The medium centaurs weigh 602-840 pounds, which is still beyond that sort of climbing ability.

Meh. I'd be willing to stretch the increased lift and carry capacity for the medium critter. If dragon-sized critters can fly and breathe fire, I'll let a medium centaur climb with a rope.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Bud, I sincerely believe you missed the joke.

If it was a joke, I don't really think it befits the thread, given how similar it was to actual arguments made.

Since I'm not going to allow centaurs in my campaign, it doesn't matter to me. I'm just relating that in 4E when centaurs became a playable race several people at the table openly questioned how it would work. Different people draw the line at what's plausible unless magic is explicitly in use.

There never were (official) 4e centaurs, so I'm...curious as to how this conversation occurred.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I expect folks will care if we start handing out warning points for it, or turn it off entirely. Won't that be fun?

I mean, if it only meant to be used when someone is intentionally being funny, and is instead being used whenever someone finds a post amusing, maybe it just isn’t a useful tool?

Perhaps, but clearly, it came across as if it was mocking anyway. Given that, do you think that a plain flat denial, without so much as a "Oh, sorry about that," is apt to be convincing or constructive?

Perhaps you’re right. I find the other poster very frustrating to interact with in any context, I could have just walked away earlier.

 

[Oofta]

There never were (official) 4e centaurs, so I'm...curious as to how this conversation occurred.

You expect me to remember details of a conversation that happened 7 years ago? I can barely remember what I had for breakfast.

Or was it 3.5? It would have been the same gaming group. In any case, I remember talking about centaurs and climbing cliffs/ladders with the group and the questions about how things would be physically responsible.

But even if I just dreamt it (which would be why Little Jeff had a unicorn head*) this thread should be evidence that verisimilitude/believability would be an issue for some people.

I mean, unless you're just calling me a liar.

*I kid of course. But we did have Big Jeff, Middle Jeff and Little Jeff as part of our gaming group for public gaming. Mind you "Little Jeff" was probably closing in on 6', we just had an overabundance of Jeffs and the others were well over 6'.