D&D General Do people like re-skinning?

[nomotog]

None of these questions are important to me. But I'll ask again. If I reskinned a goblin into an automaton how have I treated you unfairly? How would you even know what I did?



I've got a lot of experience DMing and I've been reskinning for at least half of that. Based on my personal experience it pretty much plays out how I expected, Well, you know, save for the randomness of die rolls and whatever crazy crap my players decide to pull.

Goblins and automation are so far apart from them wise why even call them automation if they aren't going to act like automation? It's going to feel unfair like the players have lost their ability to direct how things play out. Like a player will see of we are fighting a clockwork automation and they will be like let's use the anti clockwork spell, but it won't work because they are actually fighting a goblin.

 

[Maxperson]

Goblins and automation are so far apart from them wise why even call them automation if they aren't going to act like automation? It's going to feel unfair like the players have lost their ability to direct how things play out. Like a player will see of we are fighting a clockwork automation and they will be like let's use the anti clockwork spell, but it won't work because they are actually fighting a goblin.

What is the low level anti-clockwork spell?

 

[nomotog]

What is the low level anti-clockwork spell?

I was pondering something like acid damage because it would make sense for automation to be weak to it or less resistant to it, but it was just a hypothetical. Basically players aren't able to affect the world unless the world has some kind of logic to it.

I actually doubt most DMs would do something like using goblin stats for a clockwork automaton in real play though. Such a bad match.

 

[MGibster]

Goblins and automation are so far apart from them wise why even call them automation if they aren't going to act like automation? It's going to feel unfair like the players have lost their ability to direct how things play out. Like a player will see of we are fighting a clockwork automation and they will be like let's use the anti clockwork spell, but it won't work because they are actually fighting a goblin.

I've never seen the anti-clockwork spell. If they cast it I'd let it work.

 

[nomotog]

I've never seen the anti-clockwork spell. If they cast it I'd let it work.

Then like are they still goblins, or did you just use goblins as a template then modify them to be more clockwork automaton?

To back things up a bit @Saelorn pointed out all the ways goblins don't work like automation and basically said it would be unfair to fight a monster that didn't act as it looked. Do you think that it would be unfair or a player to be shown a monster and then have that monster not act how it looks?

 

[MGibster]

Then like are they still goblins, or did you just use goblins as a template then modify them to be more clockwork automaton?

To back things up a bit @Saelorn pointed out all the ways goblins don't work like automation and basically said it would be unfair to fight a monster that didn't act as it looked. Do you think that it would be unfair or a player to be shown a monster and then have that monster not act how it looks?

I've never seen a clockwork automaton in real life. Please tell me how I should expect it to work.

 

[nomotog]

I've never seen a clockwork automaton in real life. Please tell me how I should expect it to work.

I am thinking construct with all the resistance and immunities that implies. Higher than average hp and AC lower dex and speed. Maybe some kind of magic effect because of that if common with constructs.

Ok and now you answer my question.

 

[cbwjm]

Reskinning is great, it's probably already been mentioned but it is one of the best tools for a GM. Imagine having an encounter that is meant to be social, the players encounter some barbarians but things turn sour for some reason. Now all of a sudden you need stats for some barbarians in an encounter that you never expected to turn to combat. You have stats for orcs though, so why not use them. The barbarians might be human the stats might be orcs but your players won't know that. They'll just know that they fought some barbarians.

 

[MGibster]

I am thinking construct with all the resistance and immunities that implies. Higher than average hp and AC lower dex and speed. Maybe some kind of magic effect because of that if common with constructs.

Ok and now you answer my question.

When I reskin something I'm not above making some minor changes. If the players automatically expect it to have higher HP and AC that's on them. I'd describe the automatons as darting about very quickly so hopefully they'll understand that these things won't move so slow. No, I don't think doing this is unfair in the least.

 

[Asisreo]

I won't be having a good time if I can't trust the DM, and apparently I can't trust the majority of DMs in this thread. That's skin off my nose.

My main point of interest is where you find the line between a reskin and an inspired homebrew. I can see how changing a dragon turtle into a giant fire worm with zero changes could be misleading because it would certainly give off incorrect cues if you describe it as a fire cloaked serpentine beast but it has a steam breath and can swim/breathe underwater and speaks aquan but not Ignan. That could certainly screw up a player's immersion and intuition and can be a dishonest move from the DM.

But what If I just take the Fire Giant's statblock, give it a flaming rock attack that splits bludgeoning and fire damage, change it's typing from Giant to Elemental, and change it's name to Lava Tosser? Maybe the significance is lore-wise where it'd make no sense for the fire giants to be located in an isolated volcano in herds in your world but Fire Tossers seem more natural.

I assume there must be some line to cross.