D&D General Wildly Diverse "Circus Troupe" Adventuring Parties

[Mind of tempest]

no.

by this logic any beast, humanoid, giant, or monstrosity is actually a dragon because dragons can interbreed with them (see the half dragon template). is this what we're doing? seriously?

have you considered the half dragon template is the problem.

As an aside, I do find it amusing how many people in TTRPG communities insist that humans are BORING when literally other media we consume is about humans or made up by humans, including the races, gods and myths we've made up over millenia.

Humans are so booooring. My blue skinned, scaly, winged tiefling (who acts like a human, lives like a human, has the same biological needs as a human) is so much more compelling LOL

Humans are boring only from the lingering earth background radiation as we do not live in any of the desirable qualities of reality.
a tiefling is mostly human just with a cooler aesthetic

yeah, it's like, oh? so you think indiana jones was boring? gone with the wind? hercule poirot? you're saying those stories are dull because they don't include elves, tieflings, goliaths.

boring, no immoral yeah, the people in gone with the wind suck.

 

[el-remmen]

and the other picked a Human!

 

[Remathilis]

boring, no immoral yeah, the people in gone with the wind suck.

Gone with the Wind would have been infinitely more interesting with tieflings in it.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Gone with the Wind would have been infinitely more interesting with tieflings in it.

it would have been more honest if they all just worshipped Asmodius, now interesting I do not know nor care

 

[Scribe]

The bedrock upon which 99% of Fantasy sits, is composed FULLY of human (us) tropes. Our hopes, fears, doubts, and ambitions.

The humanizing of the various species has done nothing but reinforce this.

 

[Mind of tempest]

The bedrock upon which 99% of Fantasy sits, is composed FULLY of human (us) tropes. Our hopes, fears, doubts, and ambitions.

The humanizing of the various species has done nothing but reinforce this.

given we are all humans and only have ourselves as true examples, humanisation it inevitable, I fail to see the problem

 

[W'rkncacnter]

have you considered the half dragon template is the problem.

have you considered the half orc and half elf are the problem? like, seriously, what are we doing here? are we actually gonna pretend like orcs and humans are the same species despite all evidence pointing otherwise including literally being labeled different species by the game itself, or are we gonna acknowledge that maybe - just maybe - interbreeding between different species works a little differently in dnd then in real life and move on?

 

[Scott Christian]

his is actually part of the reason why dislike the more modern acceptance of a gonzo party as the default state of D&D. When I roleplay non-humans, I want to explore the differences in being a non-human race. Not the humanity of one.

Forgive me, But I have a hard time understanding this. So, may I ask what might be perceived as a naive question? How do you plan to explore this?

We are talking D&D, right? I get the DM may throw a small bone your way regarding your heritage, lineage, and culture. But, how do you plan on exploring it while running Rime of the Frostmaiden or Ghosts of Saltmarsh? What exactly is it you are doing as a a character that allows you to explore a non-human race?

PS - Thanks for answering a naive question.

 

[Scribe]

given we are all humans and only have ourselves as true examples, humanisation it inevitable, I fail to see the problem

Nope. They could lean into the tropes that used to define the other species instead of reduce them all to funny hats.

 

[Hussar]

So, the game itself rejects your "just doesn't work".

By your own words, no it doesn't. I said that coming to the table with a "fully formed character" doesn't work. You point to the Phase Trio which specifically tells you not to have a fully formed character before you start. Thus, no, there's no rejection.

Hey, fair enough. You want to come to the table with fully formed characters with zero connection to each other. That's great. I was pretty clear that I'm only talking about myself. And, it's fine to have a sort of vague idea of a concept. I'm not really against that.

But this thread is all about the problem with everyone coming to the table with fully formed characters and then expecting the DM to mold the campaign to "make it work". I'm just so tired of that. Asking the players to spend an hour or two working collaboratively to create a group, rather than four or five completely formed characters with zero connections to each other is not, IMO a big ask.