BookTenTiger
He / Him
Let's say you sit down to play D&D, and the DM has introduced a house rule... There are no mechanical differences between the species. Whether you choose to play an Elf, a Human, or a Tortle, you gain no mechanical benefits. (Let's ignore flying races for right now and say this DM has come up with a way to boost character stats and powers in another way.)
What species would you play?
How would that house rule impact the choice you make?
I have an untested theory that lots of players would still choose to play the same species they would have with the mechanical benefits. In other words, if you wanted to play a Dwarf Fighter, you would choose Dwarf whether there was a mechanical benefit or not.
This is because, in my opinion, the choice of species has more to do with the story a player wants to tell (or experience), and less to do with mechanical benefits. A player who wants to be an elf is going to play as an elf whether they receive a +2 to Dexterity or not. A player who wants to be an Ooze is going to play as a Plasmoid even if they don't have explicit rules about sliding under doors.
Now I think mechanical benefits can help tell that story too. But I really do wonder if they are secondary to the narrative power of the species.
What do you think? Do you think players are more motivated by the mechanical benefits of a species, or by the story potential? What kind of choice would you make in the given scenario?
What species would you play?
How would that house rule impact the choice you make?
I have an untested theory that lots of players would still choose to play the same species they would have with the mechanical benefits. In other words, if you wanted to play a Dwarf Fighter, you would choose Dwarf whether there was a mechanical benefit or not.
This is because, in my opinion, the choice of species has more to do with the story a player wants to tell (or experience), and less to do with mechanical benefits. A player who wants to be an elf is going to play as an elf whether they receive a +2 to Dexterity or not. A player who wants to be an Ooze is going to play as a Plasmoid even if they don't have explicit rules about sliding under doors.
Now I think mechanical benefits can help tell that story too. But I really do wonder if they are secondary to the narrative power of the species.
What do you think? Do you think players are more motivated by the mechanical benefits of a species, or by the story potential? What kind of choice would you make in the given scenario?