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Depending on the system, there can be other tradeoffs as well. A dagger is much easier to smuggle under clothing than a sword. A rapier might have a parry bonus from being a fencing weapon. Different types of damage may have wounding modifiers.

Artificer Alchemist 10 Artificer Armorer 22 Artificer Artillerist 18 Artificer Battle Smith 22 Barbarian Path of the Beast 20 Bard College of Creation 18 Bard College of Eloquence 18 Cleric Order Domain 22 Cleric Peace Domain 20 Cleric Twilight Domain 22 Druid Circle of Spores 12 Druid Circle of...

Something I sometimes struggle with is trying to make sense of having both Orcs and Hobgoblins. The differences in D&D tend to boil down to "chaotic evil" green-skinned guys versus "lawful evil" greenish-skinned guys. In a setting where there's more nuance and some orcs can be "civilized," I'm...

That's cool. I handle dwarves in my homebrew differently too. I have Stone Dwarves, which are based on Grecco-Roman themes, ancestor worship from Dragon Age Dwarves, and a little bit of Catholicism. Currently, I still have Moradin (from D&D) as their overall deity because that's familiar to...

Another question I have: Is there a point to still having Orcs (and Elves)? If they're (for good or for ill) being used as a stand-in for some version of humans, would it be better to simply represent more human cultures? Though I think that then also makes it seem a little weird that humans...

I completely agree that basing a (for lack of better words) "evil" version of humans on a real-world culture is bad. So, for me (from a design perspective,) I'm curious to hear ideas concerning how illustrate something which is identifiably a branch of humanity, but without having it resemble...

In theory, I've always been of the impression that Orcs and Elves are thematically intended to be different mirrors of humans: with Orcs being an embodiment of our baser instincts and Elves being some idealized version of what we could be. (In D&D, that's become more blurred over time.)...

I understand what you're (I think) saying. I do agree that there should be reasons for choosing to include (or not include something) in a story. That being said, I'll again say that I think it's weird to imagine a world which is built upon completely different aspects of reality and/or...

FWIW, I lean toward believing the Thermian Argument being something very different than how people typically use the term. In the real world, I sometimes encounter people who are making decisions based upon some version of "alternative facts" and buying into some fiction they've based their...

To some extent I agree. At the same time, some of these discussions get to a point where I feel myself questioning why the fiction exists if it is to serve no tangible purpose. Certainly, as I've said previously, I do not believe game design is a curtain behind which prejudiced producers of...

Tieflings contain demonic blood. It's still frowned upon by many to say townsfolk would view them suspiciously. So, it would appear that there is some question concerning where nature ends and nurture begins. Likewise, depending upon setting, orcs are said to be the progeny of an inherently...

Nothing I've said has been rhetorical. (And let's be honest, we're on a message board, so whatever attempt is being made to seem tough is laughable.) So, with that in mind, I'll ask what I've said elsewhere: how does the construction of the fantasy world intersect with trying to adhere to...

I'm asking to clarify because I do not want to conflate your position with that of others. In your mind, is it logically valid (when discussing the game world) to take into consideration how things are established to work in-game/in-fiction?

I might agree that was true before. However, it appears as though the contemporary view on the game is changing.

I disagree. I believe it is relevant because it looks at what we consider to be validly sentient and how we, as a society, choose to apply negative bias based upon how much something looks or lives like us.

Evil from the point of view of the dominant society. Perhaps the orcs have a very good reason for raiding the settlement.

That's somewhat arguable. There are cases of Angels "falling" and a case of a Succubus Paladin in D&D lore. This would seem to imply there is some possibility that any D&D creature could be "good." Which isn't to say that I think you're wrong. I'm simply attempting to explore the mental space...

I agree with much of what you're saying. At the same time, I'll ask what I've asked elsewhere: if approaching game design from the perspective that all sentient beings should be respected, how is that reconciled with a game which often centers around killing said beings and taking their stuff...

I had thought Drow coloration was intended to be a palette swap of High Elves. (I based this upon how they were described in the 3rd Edition books.) Note: Some of what follows includes descriptions which are stereotypical in nature. I am not in any way endorsing said stereotypes. My intent is...

I enjoyed Winter Soldier in that it examines the psychological/ideological struggle that a soldier faces upon returning home and realizing that the country for which you fought is controlled by a government which adheres to very different ideals. Being a patriot and supporting a regime may be at...