D&D General All Dead Generations: "Classic Vs. The Aesthetic"

[Crimson Longinus]

I do not believe Vulcan's are as one-dimensional as it may seem at first.

As you pointed out, there's a lot more to Vulcans (both mechanically and culturally) than just ears. They have a reason to exist in that story.

I do think Vulcans are also a good example because they showcase how a species might be used as a critique or a caricature of humanity without being offensive. At first glance they are used to point out the failings of humans as illogical and misguided creatures, but they are sometimes also used as a contrast to highlight why the highs and lows of the human emotional experience is important.

I think Vulcans are a great example of how to do a non-human species well. They have coherently distinct and recognisable mentality that leads to interesting narratives, yet they're not incomprehensibly alien. This is is exactly the sort of thing I want to see in fantasy as well.

 

[AtomicPope]

Reminds me of Britta Perry playing D&D.

 

[TwoSix]

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

[Yora]

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thanks. That's very enlightening and clearly up much of the confusion here.

 

[Marc_C]

Congrats! 501 threads about alignement and orcs on EnWorld!

I think I'm gonna stick to non-D&D topics from now on.

Too much repetition in the D&D section.

 

[Yora]

We can go back to argue whether the paladin should fall?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

We can go back to argue whether the paladin should fall?

It only matters at the lower levels though. The fall damage in 5e is so low that any fall is easily survivable for a high level paladin.

 

[Helpful NPC Thom]

How can dnd (or the wider rpg community) qualify and create a game more attuned to this "something else" playstyle?

Easiest method is to (a) play a different system, and/or (b) create modules that support this "something else" playstyle. Using the second option to introduce setting-specific elements and variant rules that serve the genre you desire to cultivate can provide a play experience more aligned with a classic fantasy aesthetic, but still the expectations will headbutt the rules of hit points, spell slots, rest mechanics, and so on.

As an example of how I might structure option (b) in a classic fantasy experience where you're rescuing damsels from dragons.

1. Characters don't die. If they are reduced to 0 hit points, they're defeated and have to return home. The damsel sighs and says, "When will a hero come rescue me?" and you pick a new hero to rescue her from the dragon's lair.

2. Non-combat conflict resolution is huge. Cleverness, trickery, and diplomacy reign supreme over attack rolls and saving throws. The module explicitly provides rules guiding non-violent resolution methods. Gandalf is better to trick the trolls into arguing until sunup than blasting them with a fireball (because that's lame).

3. Resting doesn't involve hours, it involves the players opting to take a rest, which is a few minutes at most. What happens then? There's a countdown. Every rest brings the heroes closer to the moment when the dragon wakes up and flies off with the princess. They have, say, ten ticks before the dragon overcomes them. A short rest is 1 tick, a long rest is 3 ticks. At 10 ticks, it's game over, try again.

D&D does what it does. Trying to square peg a broad fantasy genre into its round hole of D&D is doomed to failure and frustration. If you want to play King Arthur and his loyal knights, you're best served by playing Pendragon. If you want to play Tolkien, play Burning Wheel. If you want to play a semi-crunchy fantasy game that allows for heroics, play Savage Worlds (but I always recommend Savage Worlds).

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

It only matters at the lower levels though. The fall damage in 5e is so low that any fall is easily survivable for a high level paladin.

Well, if you are really playing old school, you take the original Gygaxian intent- 1d6 per per 10', per 10', which causes cumulative damage (so a 30' fall is 3d6 + 2d6 + 1d6).

Which just goes to show that it was that much worse for a Paladin to fall under the original rules......

 

[TwoSix]

Well, if you are really playing old school, you take the original Gygaxian intent- 1d6 per per 10', per 10', which causes cumulative damage (so a 30' fall is 3d6 + 2d6 + 1d6).

Which just goes to show that it was that much worse for a Paladin to fall under the original rules......

And yet a paladin's fall isn't nearly as satisfying as pushing the elven bard off a cliff.