D&D 5E D&D Peoples/Species change ideas

[doctorbadwolf]

As long as 5E classifies all PC races as Medium creature, then no, they should all be average. If you want your Goliaths that are working on the loading docks to be stronger to show that, then give them a boost in strength. But the average Goliath walking down the street, who is an unstatted NPC, should be just as average in stats as a human or dwarf or halfling.

Lol what!?

Please extrapolate your reasoning, because there is no obvious link from “both medium sized humanoids” to “same basic musculature, skeletal structure, etc”.

Humans, chimps, and gorillas, are all medium humanoids, too. Definitely a difference in average strength.

 

[Chaosmancer]

While I don't agree with @Enevhar Aldarion 's details on his point, I will say that in the end, I agree with the end result. Which is that NPC stats should not matter.

At the end of the day, if you use the Commoner stats and slap Goliath on them, they have, what 180 lbs of carrying capacity? Double that to 360 for the Powerful Build? Sure, that is impressive. But it isn't really something I can show. Maybe have them pick a human up? But that is something I might have a street tough or blacksmith do as well, and honestly, why do I need to show that these massive, muscely mountain people are strong? I literally just accomplished the same thing with the description. They are are massive and rippling with muscles. Who cares what their stats are, they are scene dressing.


But, the stats matter for the PCs, and they matter most for the effectiveness of play. So, I do worry about that.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

While I don't agree with @Enevhar Aldarion 's details on his point, I will say that in the end, I agree with the end result. Which is that NPC stats should not matter.

At the end of the day, if you use the Commoner stats and slap Goliath on them, they have, what 180 lbs of carrying capacity? Double that to 360 for the Powerful Build? Sure, that is impressive. But it isn't really something I can show. Maybe have them pick a human up? But that is something I might have a street tough or blacksmith do as well, and honestly, why do I need to show that these massive, muscely mountain people are strong? I literally just accomplished the same thing with the description. They are are massive and rippling with muscles. Who cares what their stats are, they are scene dressing.


But, the stats matter for the PCs, and they matter most for the effectiveness of play. So, I do worry about that.

I...think that there is a split in the people in this thread and others that just cannot be bridged effectively.

But also like...the human street tough doesn't have the ability to comfortably lift a 250lb grown man in plate armor without strain, while the Goliath does. It's...a really big difference. There has got to be some kind of major difference in how we describe scenes, and to what degree or in what ways we flesh out NPCs in a scene. There is something in your post that is just plainly antithetical to how I experience the game.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Anyone think we should mention to him that this is in-fact NOT the case?

Yeah, it should have said none larger than Medium, despite all the whining that some races should be Large instead.

 

[ccs]

Yeah, it should have said none larger than Medium, despite all the whining that some races should be Large instead.

Maybe some should be large.
I think it'd be less disruptive to the game to have large sized PCs than to pander to the desire to play the xp yielding monsters as characters.
The former merely takes up more space on the battle mat, might have reach, & might have to spend more on equipment. Oh, and they can reach things on higher shelves easier (something humans already do better than my 1/2ling ).
The latter? You get all this nonsense & drama about how the monsters are people too.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Maybe some should be large.
I think it'd be less disruptive to the game to have large sized PCs than to pander to the desire to play the xp yielding monsters as characters.
The former merely takes up more space on the battle mat, might have reach, & might have to spend more on equipment. Oh, and they can reach things on higher shelves easier (something humans already do better than my 1/2ling ).
The latter? You get all this nonsense & drama about how the monsters are people too.

I can't imagine how you could possibly think that having minotaurs and goliaths in the game is why people don't like fantasy racism or fantasy writing that reflects racist tropes from the real world. d

 

[ccs]

I can't imagine how you could possibly think that having minotaurs and goliaths in the game is why people don't like fantasy racism or fantasy writing that reflects racist tropes from the real world. d

I don't.
I think it's a mistake to promote the monsters to PC status.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I don't.
I think it's a mistake to promote the monsters to PC status.

Goliaths aren’t monsters and this idea of monsters “promoting” to pc is wholly tangential.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't.
I think it's a mistake to promote the monsters to PC status.

What races would be considered monsters in this philosophy?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

What races would be considered monsters in this philosophy?

Gnomes.