D&D (2024) (+) New Edition Changes for Inclusivity (discuss possibilities)

[Sadras]

I have no problem with the class as it stands. The raging Barbarian archetype is a pretty clear one in fantasy fiction - Conan, Khal Drogo, Fafhrd, Red Sonja, Logen Nine-fingers, Ghengis Cohen (shoft lavatory paper), He-man, heroquest, etc etc.

That is fair.

The mistake is applying a very specific type of character to a Native American and then wondering why this is not complementary. Don’t ascribe it incorrectly and then you won’t be disappointed.

Out of interest - what class could we apply to Native Americans (north, meso and south) or for that matter the African tribes (mid and south) or the native Australasians? An answer could be - that the class has not been created as yet.

 

[TheSword]

That is fair.



Out of interest - what class could we apply to Native Americans (north, meso and south) or for that matter the African tribes (mid and south) or the native Australasians? An answer could be - that the class has not been created as yet.

Ranger, Fighter, Rogue, Druid, Warlock, Bard, Monk, off the top of my head. I’m sure others can think of other relevant classes.

If someone wanted to play a warrior possessed by some rage or trance then a barbarian could work. I wouldn’t call it a natural fit.

 

[Sadras]

Ranger, Fighter, Rogue, Druid, Warlock, Bard, Monk, off the top of my head. I’m sure others can think of other relevant classes.

Yeah none of that really works for me. There are combinations that work, proficiencies need to be swapped out, skills need to be adopted. Anyways.

 

[jasper]

The name has been used to describe all sorts of "uncivilized" people, especially in Africa, Asia, and South America.

People who drink unsweet tea. People who are not fans of American Football. People who talk in the movies. People who are snarky in threads. People who put catsup on steak.

 

[jasper]

Classes, Racial Abilities, Racial Bonus/Penalties, are features of the game. Some races being suboptimal for a class is a feature of the game.
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Okay. When did Steampunk become so rigid that they are excluding people from their club. Steampunk has always been a little bit of mad science, magic, Victoriana/Old West/Not medieval or 20th century setting. Aka if they aren’t medieval and Isn’t modern+ it is steam punk.

 

[jmartkdr2]

No, what I read from the post in question is that it's stupid to have a class that's clearly modeled on the Norse berserker archetype also be a stand-in for other cultures that got labled at "barbarians".

Seriously, the barbarian class should never have been built around the rage/berseker concept (and left it squarely in the hands of a subclass) so that it could cover a broader array of cultural identities. Even the 1e barbarian class (horrible as it was) never had a rage feature and included a handful of options to customize it to fit different cultures.

Okay, that's fair.

I'd say that the rage feature is distinct enough to warrant it's own class, but that class should probably be called 'berzerker.' Among my reasons is it's an easy change and makes the label fit the product better.

Then we can find a better word for warriors who don't use metal armor and make those playable. Probably not their own class so much as an alternative feature for fighters et al.

 

[Maxperson]

Woah... that was my 1,000th post. I feel like I should celebrate.

 

[Maxperson]

Out of interest - what class could we apply to Native Americans (north, meso and south) or for that matter the African tribes (mid and south) or the native Australasians? An answer could be - that the class has not been created as yet.

It would depend on the class that they took. Not all members of Barbarian tribes in D&D are Barbarians the class. Some are Rangers, others Clerics, yet others Druids or sometimes Druid-Shaman, etc.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

The game would become more inclusive if the Game Master were renamed "Game Manager" and if monsters were called "creatures".

 

[Coroc]

The nice thing is if WotC does make changes people don't like, we can always house-rule it back.

...casts "Protection from diversity" and "Detect normalized"