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I am sympathetic.even if it 'makes sense' giving small species penalties with heavy weapons, carrying capacity and suchlike i think it is a very unfun piece of realism to implement into this fantasy game especially considering it also contains things like giants and dragons that violate the square-cube law without so much as a glance at their impossiblity, if they have the requisite STR i don't see why a halfling or a goblin couldn't swing around a greatsword bigger than they are with ease, it fits perfectly into the kind of fantasy DnD is.
I'm a strong believer in the mechanics reflecting the flavour, and vise versa. It usually leads to a strong sense of verisimilitude.
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If the mechanics and the flavour don't match then it just feels jarring, and can take you out of the game.
There is no such thing as a "tradition" without a cultural institution.
A family tradition might prioritize mutual support and spending quality time together,...
The main point is, the effort to transmit a value to future generations involves some kind of cultural institution.This is going to be very pedantic, but surely you are showing here that there are traditions that are limited to the scope of a family, a couple, a friendship, or even an individual that do not rise to the level of "cultural". Which means it is possible that traditions can originate at a small scale before an institution is established.
I'm not sure if this is relevant to anything.
The species flavor can be more about how an Orc tends to express high Charisma.I agree with this, but for me it's less more about the the inherent strength of interweaving of mechanics and story. I'm a big fan of crunch on RPGs, and I believe that the math (and especially limitations) should be a big part of what drives the story. Saying "half-orcs are rarely sorcerers" is a very bland description that is overwritten the first time you see a half-orc sorcerer. Just saying it is meaningless. But if half-orcs have a -2 Cha, it means that half-orc sorcerer who is throwing dangerous fireballs really is a rarity. That's interesting to both the math and the story.
The species flavor can be more about how an Orc tends to express high Charisma.
Obviously this depends on culture.
In the context of "biology", the Orc experiences frequent and intense surges of "adrenaline". If comparable to human health, this means the Orc must be frequently physically active. Otherwise, the stress would be unhealthy and literally kill the Orc. The activity can be anything from leisurely hikes to strenuous sports. There is a need to "burn off" this adrenaline, so to speak. A tradition of calmness and meditation can also make sense as part of an Orc culture.
There are probably traditions where the Orc is both charismatic and physically active. Athlete celebrities, daredevils, intimidators, artistic dancers, are some ideas that come to mind.
An Orc Sorcerer might focus on physical and mobility magic.
Here is an example of what a culture (in this case, the Eladrin culture) looks like in Level Up:Maybe I'm missing something here, but this sounds like a lot of ways to talk around the issue I was discussing rather than addressing it. Unless you back this stuff with game mechanics somehow, it's just meaningless fluff that is still unsupported by the math/crunch.
Also, it's worth noting that was attempting to look at this issue in a way that didn't bring the "biology" issue into play.
In 2024, Background is the meaningful mechanics.Maybe I'm missing something here, but this sounds like a lot of ways to talk around the issue I was discussing rather than addressing it. Unless you back this stuff with game mechanics somehow, it's just meaningless fluff that is still unsupported by the math/crunch.
Also, it's worth noting that was attempting to look at this issue in a way that didn't bring the "biology" issue into play.
background might be where the design space for community traits currently is but i wouldn't say that's where community design space should be, as it's a fundamentally different concept to your background is.In 2024, Background is the meaningful mechanics.
• Score Improvement: +2 one, +1 other
• 3 Languages
• 2 Skills
• 1 Tool
• FEAT
Background is where the design space is to build a community concept.
As you know, I view it impossible to separate culture from background.background might be where the design space for community traits currently is but i wouldn't say that's where community design space should be, as it's a fundamentally different concept to your background is.
give us character creation with:
species
class
culture
background
1. Dragonborn- Chromatic, Essence, Gem or Metallic?background might be where the design space for community traits currently is but i wouldn't say that's where community design space should be, as it's a fundamentally different concept to your background is.
give us character creation with:
species
class
culture
background
so i can make a dragonborn sorcerer, raised in halfling culture who has the skills of a merchant.