Ecology of The Genasai

[Dire Bare]

3E/2E fluff has room for the 4E appearance and background of both Tiefling and Genasi. 4E fluff however doesn't have room for the 3E/2E fluff, it's much more rigid and limited.

No offense to the author, but I do not see why I would limit myself that way.

4e is only as rigid and limiting as you make it. You are right that the 4e tiefling fits in well with 3e cosmology, but I don't agree that your other assumptions are true.

If I run a 4e Planescape game and include Tieflings similar to how they were portrayed in the 2e Planescape line . . . . how does this go "against" 4e cosmology? Simple it doesn't. It expands 4e cosmology and is easy to do.

The only real limits on 4e are in your imagination and attitude, be creative and stretch those so called limitations.

Oh, and this goes for genasi too. And aasimar/devas.

 

[Fenes]

4e is only as rigid and limiting as you make it. You are right that the 4e tiefling fits in well with 3e cosmology, but I don't agree that your other assumptions are true.

If I run a 4e Planescape game and include Tieflings similar to how they were portrayed in the 2e Planescape line . . . . how does this go "against" 4e cosmology? Simple it doesn't. It expands 4e cosmology and is easy to do.

The only real limits on 4e are in your imagination and attitude, be creative and stretch those so called limitations.

Oh, and this goes for genasi too. And aasimar/devas.

The 4E Tiefling has a set appearance - a limit already. Same for the Genasi's elemental lines.

The 4E Tiefling has a set background and origin - a limit again.

I know it's easy to replace the 4E parts, and add more stuff, and vary the appearances, but those are house rules. Please don't try to tell me the 4E Tiefling and Genasi are not limited in appearance and background compared to the 3E and 2E versions. That's simply not true - unless someone pasted "and Tieflings can have a lot of different appearances, horns or no horns, tails or no tails, hooves, scales..." into the PHB while I wasn't looking.

 

[Drakhar]

"and Tieflings can have a lot of different appearances, horns or no horns, tails or no tails, hooves, scales..."

Make a Dragonborn/Tiefling halfbreed then.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

In the Vor Kragal Dragon article actually it shows Tieflings that look quite different, right on the second page of the article.

 

[Penguinised]

The article is a very sound one to me and I for one like the imposed "restrictions" 4E has placed on the look of genasi and tiefling. They are distinct races, not just a slightly different flavour of human, and so I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to have a unique look rather than just "they appear as a human and can sometimes have horns, tails, scales, wavy lines on their skin, bony ridges on their brow" etc.

The big gripe I have with the article is that it is once again poorly edited. I really hope they fix it this time before it's all bundled together. Have another look at the bottom of the second column of the History section. The paragraph starts like this:

Yet another tale tells of a brave band of human warriors, their names and identities long lost in the annals of time...

which is cool. It paints a nice picture. But then just a few sentences later:

Their names have become common names in genasi society...

So make up your mind! I know it's being a bit anal but honestly if you're getting paid to find errors in pieces of writing you should be able to find blatant contradictions like this one.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

The article is a very sound one to me and I for one like the imposed "restrictions" 4E has placed on the look of genasi and tiefling. They are distinct races, not just a slightly different flavour of human, and so I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to have a unique look rather than just "they appear as a human and can sometimes have horns, tails, scales, wavy lines on their skin, bony ridges on their brow" etc.

The big gripe I have with the article is that it is once again poorly edited. I really hope they fix it this time before it's all bundled together. Have another look at the bottom of the second column of the History section. The paragraph starts like this:



which is cool. It paints a nice picture. But then just a few sentences later:



So make up your mind! I know it's being a bit anal but honestly if you're getting paid to find errors in pieces of writing you should be able to find blatant contradictions like this one.

Sadly, this isn't even really surprising. Wizards' online stuff is near legendary in it's poor quality. Remember the "HOW TO DUAL-CLASS A WARRIOR AND WIZARD!" article that gave an impossible set up because the person who wrote it clearly didn't bother checking to see what any feats actually did or required to take?

 

[I'm A Banana]

If I run a 4e Planescape game and include Tieflings similar to how they were portrayed in the 2e Planescape line . . . . how does this go "against" 4e cosmology? Simple it doesn't. It expands 4e cosmology and is easy to do.

It kind of does.

4e Tieflings = Ancient empire who sold their souls to devils for some sort of power maybe but now everything is forgiven unless you want wangst.

2e/3e Tieflings = Low-class orphan social rejects who could be cast off from anywhere that have washed up on the shores of a society that spits on them.

2e/3e tieflings give you a big meaty dose of "sympathetic" with your character. You have a pre-packaged motive and drive ready to go, and you have the mystery and openness of your questionable ancestry to agree with it.

4e tieflings are kind of like when the villain joins the heroes' team. Usually it's just lame.

 

[Xris Robin]

4e tieflings are kind of like when the villain joins the heroes' team. Usually it's just lame.

Magus disagrees. And if you discount the time travel (and the fact he's 10x cooler than any Tiefling) he even has a similar background.

 

[Penhall]

Out of curiosity, has anyone seen a phonetic pronunciation of Genasi? I've heard it a few ways and was curious as to the original intent. Thanks.

 

[Victim]

I don't see how the new tieflings are villains who decide to join the hero team. People a thousand years ago sold their souls... Modern tieflings were just born (generally). It's like holding something against Italians because of the Roman Empire.