D&D General Do people like re-skinning?

[Weiley31]

Now I want to make Snilloc's Fireball Swarm.

DO IT!!!!

 

[dave2008]

That's not Zen, though.

Neither is speed and accuracy.

 

[Fenris-77]

Sure, characters can change flavor-text/special effects without permission but I'd still like there to be consultation. Especially when it comes to character stuff, or anything else that starts to brush up against worldbuilding, I'll work with them to fit something in, but I want to know what's being added to my world. It's not about saying no, it's about finding a way to say yes that fits the world (or at least a part of it).

Oh yeah, sure, but there's a difference between consultation and oversight. Refluffing for concept needs the first but not the second. Rules changes is where I was suggesting oversight would be necessary, but which I was suggesting more DM involvement. I wasn't suggesting that players change stuff willy-nilly without telling anyone.

 

[dave2008]

So I suffer a lot of cognitive dissonance when I try to ignore that and replace it with something else.

I had a similar problem with that when we started 4e, fortunately that edition allowed me to get over that hump (mostly) and there is only a mild tingle in the back of my mind when I do it now.

 

[Maxperson]

What? How is "Zen" any more associated with speed and accuracy over strength? As far as I can tell there is nothing in Zen teachings (not that I am an expert) that emphasize speed over strength. Zen:

"emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice, insight into the nature of mind, and nature of things, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others."

This seems equally applicable to strength as it is speed or accuracy. Heck, I watch a lot of anime and the strength based monk is a classic trope in the genre.

Zen's No Though and Zero Time and Zero Space has been typically represented in RPGs as allowing quick speed. At least the speed kinda sorta fits. Strength does not fit the peaceful meditation of Zen at all.

 

[prabe]

Oh yeah, sure, but there's a difference between consultation and oversight. Refluffing for concept needs the first but not the second. Rules changes is where I was suggesting oversight would be necessary, but which I was suggesting more DM involvement. I wasn't suggesting that players change stuff willy-nilly without telling anyone.

I may have sounded as though I was disagreeing or misunderstanding. I was intending more in the way of expansion/clarification. I'm probably a little touchy because I like the world I'm running in/building, and I occasionally grumble when players try to shoehorn things into it. Then I find a blank space and write their stuff in.

 

[dave2008]

Hold up. I think we might have different ideas of what reskinning means. In my book, a fireball that does cold damage isn’t a reskin, because fireball does fire damage.

To me that is re-skinning. You are re-skinning the fireball into a new spell, the frostball or whatever.

 

[Maxperson]

To me that is re-skinning. You are re-skinning the fireball into a new spell, the frostball or whatever.

to me, re-skinning fireball would be something like the creation of a firewave in the dimensions of a fireball at the point of origin. Same spell, different look. Making a iceball is an alteration of mechanics, so it's basically a new spell based on fireball. Not a re-skin. My two cents.

 

[Fenris-77]

I may have sounded as though I was disagreeing or misunderstanding. I was intending more in the way of expansion/clarification. I'm probably a little touchy because I like the world I'm running in/building, and I occasionally grumble when players try to shoehorn things into it. Then I find a blank space and write their stuff in.

Hmm, yeah, I feel ya. You want to run a low-magic Dark Ages feeling campaign, and the first player question you field is about reskinning the Warlock into a steampunk Aethermage. Yeesh. I'm with you though, I always discuss any changes with my players and I only allow stuff that fits the concept. I'm pretty permissive within those boundaries. Making concepts work is mostly fun.

 

[dave2008]

Zen's No Though and Zero Time and Zero Space has been typically represented in RPGs as allowing quick speed. At least the speed kinda sorta fits. Strength does not fit the peaceful meditation of Zen at all.

Why not? Quiet strength is a trope of many genres and that feels very "zen" to me. I think you are hung up on what you feel it should be, not what it could be, and what others already believe it to be. As I already stated the "zen" monk of great strength is already a thing in a lot of fiction.

To be clear, I don't think the person you originally quoted was using the word zen correctly (but neither are you). It was just being used as trance-like state. And for that, speed, or strength, or endurance, or accuracy applies.