D&D 5E Favoured Soul: Do you want Wings or Divine Purity?

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I voted for Divine Purity, because I don't like the automatic conflation of angels and demons with divine beings.

 

[gyor]

The big thing for me, aside from the whole re-skinning thing, is just that's overtly fantastic. It might be fine in Sigil or Waterdeep, but if you're trying for anything remotely low-fantasy in tone, the big glowy wings are working heavily against that.

I know, it's a fantasy setting and there are elves and wizards and stuff, but wings are a step beyond that. Elves and dwarves, or even dragonborn, are more like fantasy-world substitutes for foreign cultures; just having them present doesn't cause the world to play out in a fantastic manner. Even wizards and clerics are just normal people, who are otherwise indistinguishable from anyone else during the 98% of the time when they aren't in the middle of casting a spell.

Having wings is like playing as a dragon, or a talking dog. It's very clearly a high-fantasy thing.

The wings have an off switch as it were, you can reaborb them into your body when you wish to fit in more.

 

[gyor]

Just to be clear, I know you didn't-hence the quotes. Probably should have use a wink emoticon instead of the big smile.

But as to pseudo-medievalism, I hope you know winged divine servitors isn't the exclusive purview of the West. They exist in Hindu iconography, as well as Assyrian and other eastern cultural/faith traditions as well.

Good to know.

 

[Lord Twig]

At any level, even epic. Without getting too deep, because they are goofy. Also, because I don't like playing up the inhuman aspect of Sorcerers that much. A class is a class and a race is a race; the lines between the two shouldn't be blurred too much.

Also, what [MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION] said.

To turn it around, why would you want them?

Thanks for the answer. I'm not looking for agreement or to try to convince anyone. I just want some understanding.

As for why I like them, it seems like it is almost the opposite reason for why you dislike them. I like the idea of the celestial or fiendish blood manifesting itself as wings for the Favored Soul. I also think it is great for use in RP. At high levels when the characters show up in a town or city they make an impression. The fighter is in gleaming magical armor. The wizard has things floating around him or glowing with an obvious magical power. Likewise wings on a character displays that this is no ordinary being, eliciting either awe or fear (or both) from the common populous.

So no, this is not a low-power LotR or Conan ability. But when the Fighter draws his flaming sword, the Druid shapechanges into a bear and the Monk steps into a shadow, having wings sprout from the Sorcerer's back fits right in.

 

[Bacon Bits]

If I were a player I'd choose Wings. At level 14, immunity to poison and disease is virtually a non-ability.

If I were a game designer, I'd eliminate the choice of wings. In many campaigns flight is an ability that typically requires magic. Giving players things that DMs hate is a good way to ensure your content isn't used.

 

[cmad1977]

I don't even know the difference between the two but the answer is wings. Always.


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[Sunseeker]

Waiting till level 14 to get a 2nd-4th level spell as a permanent buff is no matter which way you cut it, pretty underwhelming. I voted wings, because at least perma-flight and the ability to look really impressive at a party is better than poison/disease immunity.

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

The other one, not the wings.

I'm all for players gaining flight. I really don't like wings being stuck on things and that being used to explain how something flies. The wings are obviously fantastical, which gets me thinking, ''Well, if they are magical things, then what governs their dimensions? Size, shape and so on?''. And how is the character powering them? Ah yes, magic muscles/power! But they're.. not magical and.. argh.''


If they're a spell effect - great, fine. The wings can be the manifestation of whatever cliche divine mojo is making them do their thing. But as some natural system for conveying flight? Gah.. no thank you. I've already throw out the 6-limbed body pattern for dragons in the campaign and Pixies keep me up at night with worry. Granted, from a class POV, flying is generally more powerful than immunity to poison and disease.

But wings? Gah. Cliche. Overused. Not internally consistent.

Just my irrational 2p.

And how many sets of lungs DOES a centaur have?!?!?!?!

[sblock] Saying all this, Engel was an interesting system, where the players took on the roles of angelic agents, sent by the church after the fall of civilization to do.. church.. stuff. They applied a semblance of real-world thinking to how a human with a 6 limbed body pattern could work. I believe they decided on the characters being (or having the morphology of) 11-12 year olds (or around that number), very thin, with lighter bones. The wings were rather large as I recall as well. Really interesting take on angelic/winged humanoids, with some lovely charcoal artwork.[/sblock]

 

[Herobizkit]

Wizards can Fly at 5th.

Some races can fly at level 1.

14th isn't so bad.

Wings. All day. Erry day.

 

[gyor]

The wings are enchanted of course, just like a dragons, so you have the natural force generated by muscles, enhanced by the magical power within the wings, increasing the lift, and possibly reducing your weight magically.

We know their magic because you can magically summonn and dismiss them at will.