D&D 4E The D&D 4E - Star Trek TOS Connection

[dmccoy1693]

I was just watching the Gnome and Tiefling cartoon again (what can I say, I liked the gnome) when I realized why the Tiefling looks so familiar: it gets its inspiration from Star Trek: The Original Series. The Aliens in that series were just human with a forehead appliance (or different colored face or pointy ears or similar). The Tiefling looks like a human with pointy ears (vulcan) and a forehead appliance for horns.

Am I all alone on this or anyone else think so? So does this mean that Regdar will get "A Piece of the Action?" Maybe Dragonborn will have their own neck pinch? Who gets the cloaking magic item?

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I was just watching the Gnome and Tiefling cartoon again (what can I say, I liked the gnome) when I realized why the Tiefling looks so familiar: it gets its inspiration from Star Trek: The Original Series. The Aliens in that series were just human with a forehead appliance (or different colored face or pointy ears or similar). The Tiefling looks like a human with pointy ears (vulcan) and a forehead appliance for horns.

Well, duh. All the near-humanoids in D&D are, in appearance, essentially stretched or squashed people with some latex prosthetics on the face.

Before 3.e, things were even worse, as there was no attempt to create and maintain distinct looks for the then-demihumans. Look at all the Elmore elves: human women with '80s hair and pointy ears.

Edit: D'oh! Somehow, I missed both the humor tag and the humorous tone of the original post.

 

[Zimri]

Maybe Dragonborn will have their own neck pinch? Who gets the cloaking magic item?

I dunno how useful an "of cloaking" magic item would be. Can not power up weapons while cloaked. So yeah good for espionage but not being able to draw a weapon or cast a spell hmmmm like I said I dunno. I would certainly like one but my views tend not to be that of the vocal majority

Dragonborn neck pinch gets released in PHB2 as a racial feat Dragonborn monks can take.

 

[PeterWeller]

Why would Dragonborn get the neck pinch if Vulcans were space Elves?

 

[dmccoy1693]

Why would Dragonborn get the neck pinch if Vulcans were space Elves?

If they give elves a neck pinch, then somone will cry that WotC has no imagination. Giving the Dragonborn the neck pinch silences them.

 

[kunadam]

Considering that tieflings are humans corrupted by outsiders, the resemblance is not that surprising.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If they give elves a neck pinch, then somone will cry that WotC has no imagination. Giving the Dragonborn the neck pinch silences them.

But giving them the nerve pinch _and_ Bat'leths would be to much of cool for one race. We have to split.

And in the spirit of Startrek TOS, humans need a +2 bonus to Charisma and a +2 bonus on Persuasion checks against persons of the opposite gender.

 

[Horacio]

And in the spirit of Startrek TOS, humans need a +2 bonus to Charisma and a +2 bonus on Persuasion checks against persons of the opposite gender.

Only if they take the Officer prestige class.

And if they choose the Red Shirt class, they get only 1 hp by level...

 

[Zimri]

And in the spirit of Startrek TOS, humans need a +2 bonus to Charisma and a +2 bonus on Persuasion checks against persons of the opposite gender.

Except they moved seduction from an opposed roll to a roll against a static defense. The monster manual and the racial write-ups will note everyone gets a -2 on this defensive skill against human male space galactic space captains. Let's face it, no one else on that ship was as "convincing" as the captain even the other human males.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Only if they take the Officer prestige class.

And if they choose the Red Shirt class, they get only 1 hp by level...

Clearly an example of the Minion rules applied to NPCs.