Reskinning PCs

[Mouseferatu]

Does that seem narrow minded? Suppose you were running a serious game of D&D and one of your players wanted to re-skin their PC into a Smurf. In that case, the groups fun takes precedence over one player's poetic license.

I'd assert that this is a problem with the specific reskin chosen, not the reskinning concept in general. A disruptive player will be disruptive no matter what house rules are or aren't in place.

 

[Thasmodious]

Actually, I found a 2 weapon Ranger to make for a better monk so far, with the 2 weapon attack powers and hunters quary, it lives up to things pretty well. You can also use your fists as improvised weapons, or buy weapon gauntlets of some sort.

Yeah, ranger is definitely the best choice. I had a player want to make a monk and we came up with a reskin of the ranger and a feat to let him gain proficiency with unarmed strikes (+3 prof. bonus) and improvised weapons (+2 bonus). He planned to carry no weapons and use the environment a lot. In the end, he went with another character choice, but I built this guy anyway just to tinker around with the idea and I liked the result.

I don't think there's anything wrong with adding a little mechanical love to suit reskinning as needed either. That's more of a group call, though. My group has no problem with small rules that apply only to a single character or something like that.

 

[Pbartender]

For the group I am in, a complete re-skin (flavor only) was too distracting to maintain suspension of disbelief. I guess that is a fancy way of saying, "your group may not like it". And since everyone is there to have fun, then that could be one reason not to allow it.

Does that seem narrow minded? Suppose you were running a serious game of D&D and one of your players wanted to re-skin their PC into a Smurf. In that case, the groups fun takes precedence over one player's poetic license.

That's where the "as long as it fits the game" bit comes in.

But one player's folly is no reason to outlaw it for everyone all the time... That's reason to outlaw that single instance.

For example, simply reskinning shuriken as throwing knives for a non-oriental based game could be perfectly appropriate, no matter how serious the tone. Or reskinning a Warlord's powers from tactical leadership into inspirational battle-singing to make a skjald-like warrior poet. Or a Wizard who wants his fireball-like spells to be triggered by his opening teeny-tiny portals into hottest portions of the Elemental Chaos. Any of those suggestions could be perfectly suitable for a "serious" game.

On the other hand, if a Warlock in the same game wanted his Eldritch Blast to be a squirting gag flower and his Eyebite power to be an arcane pie-in-the-face, then he should be shut down... hard.

 

[Wik]

For example, simply reskinning shuriken as throwing knives for a non-oriental based game could be perfectly appropriate, no matter how serious the tone.

Yyup. Been doing that since I first read the 4e books. Don't know if anyone uses throwing knives, though.

I've also reskinned a few races, but this is from a DM's perspective. As for PC reskins...

I want to have a Beastmaster Ranger with a Pseudodragon companion - and simply reskin the Raptor companion as a pseudodragon, and spend a feat to allow the companion to speak to other PCs.

 

[Rechan]

As for the 'dwarf rogue', I think just taking 'ruthless ruffian' and allowing hammers instead of maces could do the trick.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I would say this is a brilliant and worthwhile ideal, so long as you remain consistent.

What I mean is, if your Dwarf rogue uses a "rapier" in terms of stats but it looks like a hammer, then you need to make it clear as a DM that any future magic hammers will have the same rapier stats, to avoid this character getting hold of hammer-based weapon powers when he's not, technically, allowed to use them.

I saw something in another thread about a Wizard that had a cloud of icons floating around them. When losing hitpoints, they would describe the icons being struck and dimming, until the final strike would break through the cloud and hit the Wizard to kill them.

 

[jensun]

I do this. The paladin in my group wanted a decent one handed hammer (before AV) as it fit his concept more appropriately so we reskinned the bastard sword to a hammer.

It still cost him a feat and the change required was minimal.

 

[pawsplay]

Somehow, I am reminded of a scene in one of Lawrence Watt-Evans's books where a young wizard casts a Jar-Opening Spell he finds in a book, as a good beginner's lesson. Basically, the spell summons a gigantic pit fiend, who then opens the jar and leaves.

 

[Rechan]

Back in August I started a campaign where the Warlord wanted to basically be Captain America; fight with a fist and shield. So I reskinned the longsword to work as a gauntlet. It's potent, but he still misses even with the +3 proficiency. I also made him take a feat for it, though.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I've been doing just that sort of "reskinning" since I was playing first edition (I never played 2nd) back in '86 or '87.

The fact that 4th makes it so much easier is very very nice.

The fact that my wife and I (we game solo with D&D) have been playing Champions/Hero, which has the idea of the player coming up with the look and feel of the power (i.e. skinning it) as one of the foundational concepts of the game since it's inception in '81, made it that much easier.