D&D General Race Has No Mechanics. What do you play?

[Voadam]

The youngest character I've ever seen played was 11 years old. Fully adult for its species (almost-full-blooded Orc), however, which had a normal maximum lifespan about half that of a Human. Our tables allow you to start as young as about Human-equivalent 17, and yes our system still has age affecting stats (which in many ways is a very sensible rule, if imperfectly implemented in 1e).

Our roll-up tables don't allow a character to start beyond about (Human-equivalent) 40-ish years old, but get unlucky against a Ghost and you can very soon be playing someone in their 80s.

The two youngest I've seen were in my current 5e Iron Gods high tech spaceship crashed in D&D game.

One was two years old. He was a Werewolf the Apocalypse lupus werewolf concept though (reskinned human druid), so the two-year old wolf with tons of lore instincts and racial memories looked like a teenager when in human form.

The youngest though was the robot (reskinned warforged artificer) who got activated in session 1 by a technomancer using cobbled together parts from multiple robots. So literally started off at newborn age.

 

[Lanefan]

Isn't the point of the thread that there are no mechanics?

No, the point is that there's no species-affected mechanics. I assume the premise to be that all other parts of the game work as normal.

It's a hypothetical question isn't it? Also, wouldn't it be the spell affecting the mechanics and not your species?

What spell? If you can innately change form without needing a spell to do so, I'm confused. (or maybe you're replying to someone who has me blocked?)

 

[Lanefan]

For the 5e PH races the biggest mechanical distinction that would be lost narratively would probably be dragonborn breath weapons. Nobody having darkvision would be a minor but probably more common change.

As @Vaalingrade already noted, Halfling luck would also have to go.

 

[Laurefindel]

It'd have to be a flightless Aaracokra, though, so as not to have any built-in mechanical benefits.

That's why it's the last Aaracokra...

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

It'd have to be a flightless Aaracokra, though, so as not to have any built-in mechanical benefits.

His wings were clipped, of course

 

[Reynard]

His wings were clipped, of course

Probably by jealous kenku.

 

[Voadam]

As @Vaalingrade already noted, Halfling luck would also have to go.

Narratively whether they have that or not is invisible. Dragonborn breath weapons are narratively visible.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Except the minute any form of social mechanics come into play, either that narrative advantage starts having mechanical effect or that narrative advantage is a lie.

You can choose to impose mechanical benefits or penalties if you want but it’s not mandatory. You could just say that an NPc starts with a positive attitude. You don’t have to give advantage. That’s totally up to the DM and it’s already in the game.

You are getting narrative and mechanics mixed up.

 

[KYRON45]

No, the point is that there's no species-affected mechanics. I assume the premise to be that all other parts of the game work as normal.

What spell? If you can innately change form without needing a spell to do so, I'm confused. (or maybe you're replying to someone who has me blocked?)

If I changed myself into an elf but didn’t know anything about elf culture….does the spell offer any benefits to that scenario? Looking like an elf doesn’t grant me any of the mechanical benefits of being an elf.

 

[CreamCloud0]

If I changed myself into an elf but didn’t know anything about elf culture….does the spell offer any benefits to that scenario? Looking like an elf doesn’t grant me any of the mechanical benefits of being an elf.

the elves also don't have any mechanical traits in this scenario which means that flaw is a meaningless one.