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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6790320" data-attributes="member: 2067">The thing is, a gnome that thinks the balance is a farce or a dragonborn who wants to tear down the Wall of the Faithless IS playing with the setting. It's playing with racial concepts specific to the world (gnomes are a force of disruptive creation; dragonborn are refugees mistrustful of gods). It's playing with cosmological aspects specific to the world (the Balance; the Wall). It's harmonious with those who fight the established enemies int he world (the Dragonarmies; or the Cult of the Dragon). These are not characters that could occur in any other setting. The same was true of a druid who wanted to bring rain back to Athas.This is not a character who doesn't fit, it's a character who fits in a particular way, with a particular target, and a particular mission. It EMBRACES the setting. I could not be a gnome wild mage with the same meaning in FR (Balance doesn't matter), nor would a dragonborn atheist carry the same meaning in Planescape (belief in gods is basically only one way to be powerful). What both of those characters are doing is choosing as antagonists something BIG. That's meaty. That can sustain a character for 20+ levels. That's a character who will dramatically change the setting when they're done, if allowed to pursue their desire. Their happy endings change everything. That's what I want. If I'm playing Star Wars, I want characters who want to destroy the Empire and restore balance to the Force. Saying the setting is a galaxy ruled by an evil empire and getting a bunch of stormtroopers interested in putting down rebellions might be interesting, but it's not the transformative narrative arc that "Lets change that!" can be. Rather than having these character elements ignored, the idea is to lean into them. Got a walking diamond in Dark Sun? EXPECT thieves. Got a kobold bard in the party? EXPECT other kobolds. Got a Wall-challenging dragonborn in FR? EXPECT the gods to challenge that. They've got ready-made antagonists. Give them the chance to be what they are.A DM who doesn't isn't following the players' lead here. That's fine, but it also makes the characters rather irrelevant. A Cylon in Star Wars is ignoring the setting.A druid who wants to bring rain back to Athas or a dragonborn who wants to tear down the Wall is in the setting, with a ready-made goal and ready-made antagonists, creating dramatic change. Just as a princess who wants to overthrow the evil Empire is in the Star Wars setting, creating dramatic change.A gnome who hates the Balance can't occur anywhere but in Dragonlance. A guy whose home was eradicated by Bad Guys that he then wants to join the Good Guys to fight isn't exactly unique there.</blockquote>

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