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Message: <blockquote data-quote="francisca" data-source="post: 1524792" data-attributes="member: 9734">I'll take a shot at this.  I don't believe in change just for the hell of it.  I don't know why, nor really care, why the designers decided to change the Orc's alignment.  In the big picture, it does not alter how I play the game.  Now the change in the Gnome's preferred class does make a tangible difference, as it affects the class choices for players and DMs (when making NPCs).  Some of us who came up through previous editions are used to (if not like) gnome illusionists, and it bothered us.  Sure you can house rule it, like I did.  But, I had to tell the players, "Hey, I'm making a change to the core rules."  The Orcish alignment issue can largley be ignored, with obvious exceptions like aligned weapons, etc..  I still have yet to see a good reason for the change in the Gnome's preferred class, so I think they should have followed tradition (whatever that really means).Another big change was Clerics.  I welcome the lifting of weapon restrictions.  I like the idea that evil clerics can use blades.  Especially Clerics of Nerull, with their big, nasty Scythes.  That was a tradition that was glad to see go.  And as a DM, I have plenty of leeway.  Playing a Cleric of St. Cuthbert?  Better be using that mace, sonny.Now if they would have done something like, I dunno, make Red Dragons breathe Lightning, or all of the dragons breathe fire, I would have been scratching my head wondering what they were smoking.  (BTW, all dragons in my homebrew breathe fire, they're basically all red, but I sure wouldn't want the others taken out of the game.)All of the above examples pale in comparison to the changes in mechanics.So where do I come down on tradition vs. change?  Well for flavor issues, at least have changes make sense, please.  Leave the core game alone as much as possible, as there is a certain amount of expectation.  DMs have plenty of leeway to alter things as they see fit.  The D&D police are unlikely to kick in my door and haul me away for playing LG Fire Giants.So, don't let the change in Orc alignment ruin the fun for you.  I didn't.</blockquote>

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