D&D General Do people like re-skinning?

[dave2008]

In the context of what I was talking about changing the abilities was removing the point. The idea was can you get away with using a wholly different stat block for a monster. That challenge or argument doesn't exist if you are not using the stat block.

I worry this thread will end up in some kind of definition battle. When I made this thread, I was thinking of reskinning as using the same mechanics but changing the fluff. However, it looks like a good number of people think a reskin involves changing the mechanics with the fluff.

Yes, these will get into definition battles. If you want to avoid that, provide your definitions in the OP. To be clear, I think what you are suggesting is re-skinning, but I don't believe re-skinning is just limited to that. If it were me, I would call what your suggesting "re-fluffing" or "re-flavoring", which is a part of re-skinning IMO.

 

[dave2008]

In the context of what I was talking about changing the abilities was removing the point. The idea was can you get away with using a wholly different stat block for a monster. That challenge or argument doesn't exist if you are not using the stat block.

To clarify are you talking about making no mechanical changes at all? Like you can't change weapons or damage types? Just curious how strictly your defining it.

Regardless, I think you can do that, but then it would need to be pretty similar or you would end up making some changes. But there are a lot of humanoid monsters that have very similar stat blocks. Additionally, the NPC stat blocks in the DMG are intended to be re-flavored to be any race you want.

 

[aco175]

I'm a bit confused with the terms changing and how we are using them. Not that it really maters if it works for you, and I think we are generally agreeing on the concept.

Say I take the Toyota Corolla chassis and I add some looks changes and call it a Yaris or Prius. This just changes the looks and to me it is just shape and form. Now if I take the same chassis and add all wheel drive and call it a RAV4. I changed the shape and powers.

I see reskinning as taking the bones or chassis or a monster and adding a new skin weather or not it changes form and its powers. Kind of like Pokemon where your monster advances and has some elements of the base monster, but got more stuff now. I see fluff as more just taking a monster and calling it something else, leaving the rest as is.

I'm not sure where the new monster begins and the skinning leaves off though.

 

[Umbran]

Say I take the Toyota Corolla chassis and I add some looks changes and call it a Yaris or Prius. This just changes the looks and to me it is just shape and form.

But, the Prius has a hybrid engine, and except for one model starting this year, the Yaris is traditional internal combustion. The "chassis" in this case is a frame, but not what makes the thing go. I put it to you that while changing a few functions may be okay, swapping out the actual engine is not covered by "reskinning".

Long ago, before I was born, my Dad had a friend in Chicago. He had a VW Microbus... and he swapped it's engine out for a Porsche industrial engine. This was neither a reskinning of a microbus, or of a Porsche work machine - this was a homebrew monstrosity that behaved rather differently from either of its progenitors.

 

[Fenris-77]

But, the Prius has a hybrid engine, and except for one model starting this year, the Yaris is traditional internal combustion. The "chassis" in this case is a frame, but not what makes the thing go. I put it to you that while changing a few functions may be okay, swapping out the actual engine is not covered by "reskinning".

This sounds correct to me. The issue at hand is really balance I think. Small changes, like swapping fire for cold damage say, aren't tipping the balance of the game. The more changes you make to something, especially when that includes bespoke abilities and mechanics, the more attention the final product might need in terms of testing and balancing.

 

[Weiley31]

Reskinning can also help out with minor things as well such as figuring out more "exotic" damage types.

Want a sword that has a blade of moonlight and damage things with Moonlight Energy? It's technically Radiant damage. At least Courts of the Shadow Fey does moonlight like that. Rappan Athuk does it the same IIRC, but spices it up by having it that in dim light/darkness, Moonlight does Necrotic and Radiant in full light.

Fey Flames? It's fire and ice damage.
Balefire is Fire and Necrotic.

Brilliant Energy is fire/lightning even though I think Radiant would be better.

 

[Weiley31]

Oh and Sorrow/Despair damage is reflavored Psychic and Shadow is Radiant and Necrotic.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the thing I am gonna take from this thread is:

Refluffing = Changing the story of a mechanic without touching the mechanic. (Fun!)
Reskinning = Changing the story of a mechanic with some appropriate mechanical tweaks to correct anywhere it might not fit perfectly, or to push the new skin a little further from where it started.
Light Homebrew = Building new things using existing things as a base, but mix/matching liberally.
Full Homebrew = Building new things from the ground up

Obviously, the scale slides all the way between the four, I would think.

 

[Weiley31]

Here's an interesting article I just found recently while trying to find CR 7 rating Elementals, for my Solo Druid's game, to Elemental Wildshape into. Allowing the perk due to it being a solo game.
The article goes over how reflavoring spells can be done as summons.

The Sorcery Stop: Slime (Is On Your Side)

Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to...

koboldpress.com

 

[prabe]

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the thing I am gonna take from this thread is:

Refluffing = Changing the story of a mechanic without touching the mechanic. (Fun!)
Reskinning = Changing the story of a mechanic with some appropriate mechanical tweaks to correct anywhere it might not fit perfectly, or to push the new skin a little further from where it started.
Light Homebrew = Building new things using existing things as a base, but mix/matching liberally.
Full Homebrew = Building new things from the ground up

Obviously, the scale slides all the way between the four, I would think.

Might not have been the terms I would have used, but those definitely seem like about the right increments.