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RPG Evolution: The Trouble with Halflings
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<blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 8827461" data-attributes="member: 6801228"><p>IQ is a horrendous measure of intelligence. But, you are missing the point. Neither the person with the 170 or the 175 could be considered the "smart one" of the pair, because they are both smart. </p><p></p><p>You have Lebron James and Michael Jordan in a room together. Which one is the "Great Basketball player"? They both are. Claiming one is and the other isn't just derides the acheivements of whichever one you don't pick.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Superhumanly strong" is a measure compared to "humanly strong". Of course Spider-Man is superhumanly strong, he is stronger than a human, who cannot lift 10 tons. </p><p></p><p>However, what is the equivalent of lifting 10 tons compared to lifting 100 tons in terms of Bravery? What are Bravery Units? Can we decide which brave actions are braver than others? Of course not. We don't measure bravery this way. We don't look at a man who runs into a burning building and compare him to a woman who dove into a rushing river and decide that one action was worth more "bravery" than the other. </p><p></p><p>The question is absurd. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And that is bad, because of how we depict bravery, what bravery means, and the integrity of a player's concept of their character. Making a "brave" race is just as terrible as making a "kind" race or any other binary state of being. The most you can hope for in states for bravery is "Brave -> Neutral -> Cowardly" you can't measure it beyond that in any meaningful way. And so you can't make it so that someone is "braver" than someone else without shoving them down the scale towards Neutral.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And Gnome Cunning is a fine ability. It is a resistance to mental compulsion effects of all kinds. It doesn't give a personality trait. (Though I did rename it Crystalline Mind for reasons)</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And you realize that that ability was so loudly decried that Kobolds lost it nearly immediately, right? Because people found the idea of the entire race being cowardly off-putting and they didn't like it. Sure, some people want their Kobolds cowardly, but many instead preferred the brash and over-confident kobold. Those who would be... ya know... brave, even to the point of foolishness. </p><p></p><p>It may have taken a couple of years, I know the book was published in 2016 and the Draconic options wasn't until 2021, but five years with how slow 5e publishing was and them rarely doing errata? When we are discussing patterns where people think 30 years is moving too fast? And I know not a single table I played at kept the ability, we all reflavored it. I'm pretty sure the outcry over it was immediate on this forum too.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Chaosmancer, post: 8827461, member: 6801228"] IQ is a horrendous measure of intelligence. But, you are missing the point. Neither the person with the 170 or the 175 could be considered the "smart one" of the pair, because they are both smart. You have Lebron James and Michael Jordan in a room together. Which one is the "Great Basketball player"? They both are. Claiming one is and the other isn't just derides the acheivements of whichever one you don't pick. "Superhumanly strong" is a measure compared to "humanly strong". Of course Spider-Man is superhumanly strong, he is stronger than a human, who cannot lift 10 tons. However, what is the equivalent of lifting 10 tons compared to lifting 100 tons in terms of Bravery? What are Bravery Units? Can we decide which brave actions are braver than others? Of course not. We don't measure bravery this way. We don't look at a man who runs into a burning building and compare him to a woman who dove into a rushing river and decide that one action was worth more "bravery" than the other. The question is absurd. And that is bad, because of how we depict bravery, what bravery means, and the integrity of a player's concept of their character. Making a "brave" race is just as terrible as making a "kind" race or any other binary state of being. The most you can hope for in states for bravery is "Brave -> Neutral -> Cowardly" you can't measure it beyond that in any meaningful way. And so you can't make it so that someone is "braver" than someone else without shoving them down the scale towards Neutral. And Gnome Cunning is a fine ability. It is a resistance to mental compulsion effects of all kinds. It doesn't give a personality trait. (Though I did rename it Crystalline Mind for reasons) And you realize that that ability was so loudly decried that Kobolds lost it nearly immediately, right? Because people found the idea of the entire race being cowardly off-putting and they didn't like it. Sure, some people want their Kobolds cowardly, but many instead preferred the brash and over-confident kobold. Those who would be... ya know... brave, even to the point of foolishness. It may have taken a couple of years, I know the book was published in 2016 and the Draconic options wasn't until 2021, but five years with how slow 5e publishing was and them rarely doing errata? When we are discussing patterns where people think 30 years is moving too fast? And I know not a single table I played at kept the ability, we all reflavored it. I'm pretty sure the outcry over it was immediate on this forum too. [/QUOTE]
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