Cloaks, rings, robes, hats, bucklers, and codpieces.

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Having read the Cape post, I suddenly realised that the players in my game pay very little attention to clothing unless they are charisma types anyway.


I wonder. Realistically, everyone wants to look good despite telling themselves they don't care what others think. A three-piece suit makes you not only look cool - it makes you feel cool.

In your games does fashion play even a small part? Does anyone care about what their characters wear?

 

[tetsujin28]

Being a veteran of games like Lace & Steel and 7th Sea, dress is very important for our characters. Heck, dressing poorly can make you lose status in both those games. I've been trying to come up with a game where if you look better, you fight better

 

[danzig138]

No, realistically, not everyone wants to look good. I happily settle for not smelling bad. A 3-piece suit? I don't even remember the last time I wore pants that went past my knees, or boots that were held together with duct tape. Looking "good" in some part is so you can impress others. I don't know about you, but I don't have anyone I need to impress. Even when I was single, I didn't put much effort into appearance. If you knew the people I know, you could ask about my buttless BDU shorts. . .
In my games, no, most don't worry about what they're wearing, and it comes and bits them on the rear end sometimes. I do take into account what they're wearing, and how they look in general when the interact with NPCs. They recently came running back to Hommlett and couldn't figure out why people were being very. . .stand-offish until I pointed out to them that, with resting and all, they had just spent a freaking month in the Temple with no bathing, no clothes cleaning, and poor latrine facilities. Then they decided to go bath.
Very rarely does any of my players come up with a character concept that has any need for high or quality fashion. I have had a few characters who were concerned with appearance, but not many.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

In my games, no, most don't worry about what they're wearing, and it comes and bits them on the rear end sometimes. I do take into account what they're wearing, and how they look in general when the interact with NPCs. They recently came running back to Hommlett and couldn't figure out why people were being very. . .stand-offish until I pointed out to them that, with resting and all, they had just spent a freaking month in the Temple with no bathing, no clothes cleaning, and poor latrine facilities. Then they decided to go bath.

It's pretty much the same in my games. Mostly the players don't give it much mind. Sometimes, if it's minorly significant, I'll ask them what they're wearing. For instance, I did this when the party was entering a high-class dance club, since I knew some of the characters didn't have the proper attire, and others wouldn't care to buy it either. Their choices affected how they were received later in the adventure. Other than that, it's not a major issue.

Very rarely does any of my players come up with a character concept that has any need for high or quality fashion. I have had a few characters who were concerned with appearance, but not many.

I had one character, the son of a noble vintner, who took great pains to be well-dressed. The player who created the PC did a fantastic job of never losing sight of that character trait. Often, it would come up at times when I wasn't thinking of clothing at all, but the character was, and the player was aware of it. Fantastic roleplaying.

But he's the only PC I've ever seen who made appearance a significant part of his personality, or had a player with the panache to pull it off.

 

[Hand of Evil]

at one time in my games...

Appearance reflect social station and doors open to those that dress well, I try to keep it simple CHR plus/minus social station adjustment (best term I have for it); Adjustment are -2 to checks for under social station. 0 for being equal to, +2 for above.

Now what is social station in game? Mine I keep simple, Adventures, workers, and aristocratic. So in game terms, adventures get a +2 when dealing with farmers, slaves, dock workers but a -2 when dealing with nobles or political people.

I think it went something like that.

 

[philreed]

I think clothes can add a lot of personality to a character but since the issue gets such a bland treatment in the PHB most players just ignore it. If the PHB had presented just two pages of clothing options you'd see more players taking an interest in selecting their character's wardrobe. After all, look at the use of clothing/outfits in online RPGs.

 

[Turjan]

I think the problem with clothes in D&D is that they usually become forgotten immediately after the game itself starts. You may lovingly choose your outfit during character creation, but when the action goes on, who addresses his own outfit or can tell what any of the other players' characters are wearing? In MMORPGs, it's obvious what everyone wears. With tabletop RPGs, clothes usually take a backseat.

 

[cmanos]

...you could ask about my buttless BDU shorts. . .

Pictures please....

 

[cmanos]

With tabletop RPGs, clothes usually take a backseat.

Oh I have been in a couple LARPS where clothes take the backseat too......

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

In the D&D game I used to play in, my character paid close attention to her clothing. Over the course of the campaign, her armor changed quite a bit and I had miniatures to represent each change (sometimes, the only thing that changed was the color of the armor).

Additionally, we had several encounters that happened in the palace where we stayed during our "off time." A couple were at night (when we were in only our under-clothes), and a couple were during times when it just wouldn't have made sense for us to be fully equipped (fighting equipment-less is *quite* the challenge!).

Maybe the close attention to clothing has to do with being a girl (and a girly-girl at that).

In our current game (d20 modern, set in the 1870's) - clothes have come into play several times. From the skirts that the couple of women with good heal checks have to the need to replace my Chinese acrobat's bright red costume. It's not a *huge* part of the game, but it does come up at least once per adventure, I'd say (if only in passing).