Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 5031647" data-attributes="member: 51942">Gaining 14 levels is not a mechanically neutral choice.  Neither is upgrading a minion to a solo.  If that's what you call reskinning, well, that sort of reskinning is obviously not fair or balanced.  However, given a certain build, reskinning to something thematically appropriate (and of similar power level) is perfectly fine, balance wise.  That's what were talking about.An "orc" ranger with a power that's mechanically identical to fey step could be perfectly balanced - but to be thematically appropriate, you'll need to think of some fluff as to why the "orc" (being an eladrin under the covers) has that ability.Perhaps it's a shadow orc, member of clan stranded on the plane of shadow generations ago.  They wasted away, their strength being no match for the ravages of the plane, becoming what they are now - a clan of scrawny orcs that have adapted to being weaker and needing to survive by being faster and smarter.  Perhaps they feel shame in having been powerless to stop their own transformation, or perhaps they have disdain for the animals they descended from.  In any case, the plane of shadow is part of them, and grants them the power to step through shadows, instantly appearing in a nearby location.In any case, reskinning is only acceptable as a tool to bend fluff into a more personalized, pleasing shape.  It's not acceptable as a tool to gain a mechanical edge.  So, for instance, if you claim shadow heritage rather than fey, this may have mechanical repercussions - and that'd need to be OK'd by the DM so they exchange is balanced (as long as you pick feats as if eladrin, it probably matters elsewhere).</blockquote>

Verification