D&D General Playstyle vs Mechanics

[Mort]

I agree, but this is my point. People have said that introducing additional variables into the background traits - such as yes you get an audience but they are unwelcoming, or yes they'll give you shelter but they want a favour in return - is somehow not allowed. You must either let them work completely and always, or almost never. I don't think that's right.

I think if you look at the people saying this (it's a long thread), they're the ones who don't actually want the feature. It's an add on to make the feature SOUND more extreme and unreasonable and therefore easier to argue against.

 

[mamba]

Except for the rules which players use and NPC's don't, such as classes, levels, death saves, inspiration, etc.

any NPC could be a PC, there is no in world difference between the two, it's just that one got 'possessed by a player' and the other did not. They are not the ones that Fate keeps an eye on or the chosen of the gods, they are people like any other. You can certainly play that differently, but it is not baked in

Have you ever had a PC roll to see if they fall when walking down the inn stars out of combat?

no, neither do I do that for NPCs

You're already filtering the world through a dramatic and heroic lens. They don't have to roll to see if there are important events taking place near the PC's.

the events are taking place near the NPCs as well.... and if the PCs do nothing about it, then maybe someone else will

 

[mamba]

I'd be 100% down for that, but good luck with the rest of the playerbase hah!

I do not really need a WotC sized player base

 

[mamba]

Heh sounds like your favourite mode of play is level-0 funnel mode in Dungeon Crawl Classics

not quite, but I get where you are coming from with that. I am fine with the PCs being the heroes of the story and obviously they are, but they are not special within the setting, there is nothing that distinguishes the cobbler from the PC in the setting, other than one of the two decided to leave their boring job behind

 

[mamba]

Except they don't have classes or levels anymore in 5E.

so they have CRs, it's not like that is not equivalent to levels, even if not identical

 

[mamba]

Yes, and the reason the cobbler didn't do it is because he's not a PC. He's an NPC. The game's not about him.

no, it is because the player decided to start out as a blacksmith not as a cobbler, other than that there is no in world difference

I get the urge to consider them the same in the setting... that "no one's special". But that idea simply does not extend to the game itself. With the game, we are focused on the exploits of the PCs.

sure, but just because I am watching an Ironman movie does not mean that Spiderman is not doing anything off screen at the same time

 

[Micah Sweet]

I do not really need a WotC sized player base

No one does, really. Not even WotC.

 

[Maxperson]

What I said that was most relevant here, I think, was this:

and also possibly this:

Do you really think I'm entirely agreeing with you?

Absolutely. I've never advocated the DM just saying "Nope." There should be an explanation for why it's an exception for it not to work.

 

[Mort]

Absolutely. I've never advocated the DM just saying "Nope." There should be an explanation for why it's an exception for it not to work.

If the answer is always or even often no to seemingly reasonable requests there is no functional difference. A DM can always find some reason to say no.

 

[Maxperson]

If the answer is always or even often no to seemingly reasonable requests there is no functional difference. A DM can always find some reason to say no.

Nobody is saying that.