I did put "zen state" in quotes by the way, since it was merely an analogy.
D&D General Do people like re-skinning?
I hate it. I do it, but I still hate it. There are games where the mechanics are abstract and need to be skinned, like Mutants & Masterminds or Savage Worlds, and I like skinning mechanics in those games. It works really well because those games are designed for a lots of flexibility in how the mechanics are interpreted.
But everything in D&D already has a rich layer of flavor on it already. That's kind of the point -- D&D is what Vincent Baker calls a "color-first" game. So I suffer a lot of cognitive dissonance when I try to ignore that and replace it with something else.
But everything in D&D already has a rich layer of flavor on it already. That's kind of the point -- D&D is what Vincent Baker calls a "color-first" game. So I suffer a lot of cognitive dissonance when I try to ignore that and replace it with something else.
Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
And that's the most important thing. Fun. My group would skin me if I tried that, though.
JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
Maybe, like in a fighting videogame, the enhanced attack state is a once per battle thing and only lasts as long as you keep your "combo chain" going. Fits for me.
Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
That's not Zen, though.
FitzTheRuke
Legend
I think it's the absolute best. D&D is not a very deep simulator, and the mechanics are often vague enough that they could mean a lot of different things, so why limit them to one example?
4e was particularly easy (almost necessary) to refluff - one's enjoyment and ability to do so might have made all the difference in their assessment of that edition.
4e was particularly easy (almost necessary) to refluff - one's enjoyment and ability to do so might have made all the difference in their assessment of that edition.
MarkB
Legend
I find it a useful tool in the toolkit, though I try to avoid using anything too iconic, at least without significant modification - if the mask is too skin-deep and obvious, it can mess with players' sense of immersion.
In particular, I don't think I've built more than 2-3 NPCs from scratch in the time that I've been DMing D&D. Almost all the humanoid NPC characters that I've used in combat have been drawn from the NPCs provided in the Monster Manual and Volo's Guide to Monsters, with or without minor modifications.
In particular, I don't think I've built more than 2-3 NPCs from scratch in the time that I've been DMing D&D. Almost all the humanoid NPC characters that I've used in combat have been drawn from the NPCs provided in the Monster Manual and Volo's Guide to Monsters, with or without minor modifications.
I'm with @TwoSix - I don't think I could play D&D without reskinning. I do it constantly with just about anything you can imagine. I'm very much a concept guy when it comes to character building though, and the classes from the books are just the raw material I have to work with. Classes, spells, abilities, items, whatever, it's all grist for the mill.
It's great for things that are supposed to be unique in the campaign world. For things that resemble organizations or populations, it's lazy and clumsy.
Similar Threads
