D&D General The Monsters Know What They're Doing ... Are Unsure on 5e24

[Maxperson]

Tabaxi is the new Tortle?

The clear and obvious answer is no you cannot play a Tabaxi, because its not in the list of approved books. How is this difficult...

My only problem with Tabaxi is the name. I'm seriously considering having the party enter a city and then see a bunch of them pulling rickshaws and advertising their tabaxi cab company.

 

[Maxperson]

Am I missing anything?

The DM should sacrifice his fun so the player can have a tortle.

 

[Zardnaar]

It depends on what reason/explanation the player has to want to play a tabaxi, and what reason/explanation the GM has to not allow them. All of your questions require an instant answer but the point isn't that players or GMs should always get their way. The point is that you start with an assumption of good faith on both sides and explore whether a compromise can be made. The point is that this should be a conversation not a snap response.

DMs discretion is the real answer.

Its all subjective and throwing a tantrum on ENworld wont change a thing.

" How many divisions does ENworld have".

Reality. The great online equalizer of opinions.

 

[Zardnaar]

The DM should sacrifice his fun so the player can have a tortle.

I would ban a tortle on Darksun.

 

[soviet]

I would ban a turtle on Darksun.

The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that, Leon?

 

[Thomas Shey]

I tried to compromise. Every aspect of the tortle short of physical appearance.

Yes. And physical element was the core bit I was referring to. So how does that contradict my statement? Their core element and yours was the same, so no compromise was possible. In what way is that statement wrong?

So where exactly is this "both sides" coming from? Give me a single example where someone gives up a single thing on the tortle side. Saying "Here's an idea of how I can play a tortle" because that's not giving an inch. I you can find a single post I'll print out this response in very small print and eat it.

I saw people perfectly willing to let the cultural or mechanical benefits go. Do you really need me to search for those? Or do they "not count" for some reason?

 

[soviet]

I tried to compromise. Every aspect of the tortle short of physical appearance.

Wasn't it a human just cosplaying as a turtle?

Nobody ever once gave a single counter proposal other than "I want to play a tortle." Nobody ever gave me a reason it wasn't good enough other than "I want to play a tortle."

So where exactly is this "both sides" coming from? Give me a single example where someone gives up a single thing on the tortle side. Saying "Here's an idea of how I can play a tortle" because that's not giving an inch. I you can find a single post I'll print out this response in very small print and eat it.

The suggested compromises were along the lines of 'I'm the result of a magical experiment', 'I'm the last of my kind', 'I'm a visitor from another plane'. If your position is that 'there are no turtlemen on my world', then these are real compromises - the player can still play one, but they're a one-off with no societal or familial support and the wider world is largely unchanged. If your position is instead 'no-one can ever play a turtleman under any circumstances' then yeah, no compromise is possible.

 

[AlViking]

Yes. And physical element was the core bit I was referring to. So how does that contradict my statement? Their core element and yours was the same, so no compromise was possible. In what way is that statement wrong?

As I said Only a tortle will do.

I saw people perfectly willing to let the cultural or mechanical benefits go. Do you really need me to search for those? Or do they "not count" for some reason?

Do tortles have any significant culture to speak of? Won't that potentially change from campaign to campaign? I never saw anyone proposing getting rid of the mechanical benefits other than saying the mechanical benefits were not the primary reason they wanted to play a tortle.

Edit - if literally all you care about is the physical appearance, play an accepted species and get a hat of disguise. NPCs will likely think you're a nut job, but have at it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

As I said Only a tortle will do.

Only if you view the visuals as the only thing that defines a tortle. That may be your take on it, but I don't think its asking much to suggest that's not the take everyone is going to have.

Do tortles have any significant culture to speak of? Won't that potentially change from campaign to campaign? I never saw anyone proposing getting rid of the mechanical benefits other than saying the mechanical benefits were not the primary reason they wanted to play a tortle.

I saw people who said they didn't care about that and would let it go. It might take me a while with search to find it given the size of this thread. As to the culture, I gather so; since I'm not a 5e person I have no idea personally.

 

[AlViking]

Only if you view the visuals as the only thing that defines a tortle. That may be your take on it, but I don't think its asking much to suggest that's not the take everyone is going to have.

My compromise was everything a tortle had except for physical appearance. I wouldn't stop them from getting a hat of disguise I suppose.

I saw people who said they didn't care about that and would let it go. It might take me a while with search to find it given the size of this thread. As to the culture, I gather so; since I'm not a 5e person I have no idea personally.

The cultural aspects of tortles as stated in Monsters of the Multiverse

Tortles have a saying: “We wear our homes on our backs.” These turtle folk live on many worlds, most often journeying up and down coasts, along waterways, and across the sea. Tortles don’t have a unified story of how they were created, but they all have a sense of being mystically connected to the natural world. Carrying their shelter on their backs gives tortles a special feeling of security wherever they go, for even if they visit a far, unknown country, they have a place to lay their heads.​

​

Basically nothing concrete.

Meanwhile the people who said tortle or nothing still occasionally frequent this thread. If anyone wants to discuss an actual compromise we can start again.