D&D General The Monsters Know What They're Doing ... Are Unsure on 5e24

[AlViking]

But that's not why I would want to be a Tortle. You are assigning me a motivation I don't have. If you think it's just about the AC, you have absolutely missed the point. I want the aesthetics of the species. The mechanics is second. To say "play a dwarf in plate" is to basically say "be a human and pretend your a Dragonborn".

What about the aesthetics appeal to you?

 

[Scott Christian]

But that's not why I would want to be a Tortle. You are assigning me a motivation I don't have. If you think it's just about the AC, you have absolutely missed the point. I want the aesthetics of the species. The mechanics is second. To say "play a dwarf in plate" is to basically say "be a human and pretend your a Dragonborn".

Then what is your reason? State it simply and clearly. What is your reason for playing a tortle in a game where tortles don't exist?

 

[Minigiant]

I never heard of Tortles until they popped as a short supplement for purchase on DDB and I have been running D&D since 1993.

Calling them a legacy playable race is a stretch no matter when they were first referenced.

The legacy is

 

[Bae'zel]

Why does D&D always have to assume that every campaign is set in a kitchen-sink fantasy world?

As long as Tortles have been around, D&D has also had restrictive settings (eg the historical green books).

DMs having narrow, power hungry vision? i’m running a film-noir lovecraftian campaign set in a big city. Your concept of a Tortle Ninja-flying monk spoils the mood. I don’t find it fun to accommodate a concept that clashes with the tropes that I want to run. If you are obstinate about your desires, you can run your own campaign buddy.

 

[Remathilis]

I dont think it fully works, as depending on what is happening, the whole party could be impacted by the player playing that race, and other players may not be happy about it.

I ran a Dragonlance campaign recently, I said based on the world, there are the common races that are native to the world, but any race available in 5e is playable, they would just be outsiders visiting Krynn, and depending on the race may get quite a bit of attention, possibly unwanted, by npcs around them because of their unusual appearance.

I also said that Dragonborn are a step further, as due to the emergence of Draconians, many may be suspicious of another dragon looking creature, and so would make some interactions harder, and some potential routes / opportunities may get close off as a result , though campaign will still be doable.

If a player did choose to be a Dragonborn, then it would impact on the whole party for being associated with that character. In this instance, it may not have concerned the DM so much, but may have made other players unhappy, and in that instance, who takes precedence?

I don't think in all the years of D&D I've really seen a player become upset with another players character like that. Because the character was a jerk maybe, but not because the character was a specific species. And not to the point the player is affected. I've seen racist PCs (dwarves who hate elves) but not player whose fun is ruined. That's the equivalent of someone getting upset there's a kosher dish at the party to the point that they think it being there taints the whole party.

What if the same player objected to an allowed option? Someone who won't adventure with an assassin or necromancer or warlock? Does the offending player have to lose his character because the other players fun is ruined?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The legacy is

View attachment 426235

There are also more recent inspirations:

 

[AlViking]

No, player and DM work together to find a good solution for the idea they had. I think that's inevitable, because you do this every time. Sometimes it's easier, sometimes it's harder. Before the player created his Knight character that lost the love of his life to an assassin's guild in a capital city, the guild, the knighthood and the love of his life didn't exist in your campaign. The player decides these are options that must exist your campaign, but you never included "assassin's guild active in capital city" or "knighthood in capital city". Maybe it fits right in, but maybe it does not.

Cities exist, we just have to decide which one. Assassins exist, whether there's an actual guild just for assassins is open for debate. There are certainly groups that employ assassins so I just have to decide if I have a group that fits or if I have to create one. We'd also probably have to dig into the whys and wherefores to flesh it out. But it's all going to fit with existing lore.

A better analogy would be someone who wants to play a gunslinger because they're a big fan of Percival from Critical Role. Except guns don't exist in my campaign world so it's not happening.

 

[Minigiant]

There are also more recent inspirations:

Krogan

The krogan are a species of large reptilian bipeds native to the planet Tuchanka, a world known for its harsh environments, scarce resources, and overabundance of vicious predators. The krogan managed to not only survive on their unforgiving homeworld, but actually thrived in the extreme...

masseffect.fandom.com

I think the core base of this thread is that the target audience is now the 45 and under. Millennial and Gen z. The older folk are outside and target customer base and their preferred aspects are being diminished.

 

[Remathilis]

Then what is your reason? State it simply and clearly. What is your reason for playing a tortle in a game where tortles don't exist?

The primary reason I can think of is that I got the idea for a wise old turtle druid and I don't know when, if ever, I will get to play him. Maybe I saw a character from a movie who inspired me. Maybe I found a cool mini or picture online. Maybe I really like turtles and I'm bored or elves and dwarves. That's true for a lot of players who only play in one game or with one DM (and who rarely even switch worlds to give different options). If that DM is the only DM I play with and that's the only setting he ever runs, I will never get the chance to play that character.

I think my flaw on this thinking is assuming that I need to be DM shopping to play the character I want. That just because I want to try something new, I need to abandon my current group and find a new one and hope that DM is more permissive while also adjusting to a new group and DM who will have different quirks. Hell, I may need to leave a group of friends to game with strangers just to try out my idea. (Then again, if my group would rather I leave then play a Tortle, I'm pretty sure they weren't friends)

 

[tetrasodium]

I think the core base of this thread is that the target audience is now the 45 and under. Millennial and Gen z. The older folk are outside and target customer base and their preferred aspects are being diminished.

Riddle me this... count how many dozens of pages have been dedicated to discussing a tie in race linked to an edgy early 80s comic/mid 80s cartoon and get back to me.