D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Umbran]

This was good old 2e; rules were all over the place and that was the OFFICIAL stats, courtesy of the Complete Book of Humanoids (and later reprinted in Skills & Powers).

I meant this more from the simple point that lizards don't need to stay wet. That is, in fact, the major point of being a reptile, rather than an amphibian - waterproof skin that doesn't need to stay wet.

 

[Remathilis]

I meant this more from the simple point that lizards don't need to stay wet. That is, in fact, the major point of being a reptile, rather than an amphibian - waterproof skin that doesn't need to stay wet.

Agreed, but that era of TSR wasn't exactly known for its research or mechanical balance. They probably saw lizard man lives in swamps = needs to be wet and ran with it.

 

[Umbran]

And simulationism is a box that increases or decreases depending on the table. I have players that would insist the centaur roll. Because the player chose to play a centaur.

Which, as I said, seems petty.

 

[Zsong]

Drow were first given stats in UA (1e). Dragonborn as a full-blooded race is 4e, but half-dragons go back as far as 2e. Tieflings were 2e. Centaurs were playable in 2e. However, age isn't the issue: they were all niche races either buried under racial penalties to discourage their play, in obscure supplements, or tied to specific settings so a lot of DMs could ignore them very easily.

Centaur go back to becmi, tall tales of the wee folk.

 

[Remathilis]

Centaur go back to becmi, tall tales of the wee folk.

True, if we count Basic into the equation, a number of monstrous, fey, and aquatic races get similarly long lineages.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Mmm, I have been avoiding the centaur battle. But this seems like rules here. Difficult terrain can be both: movement reduction and a skill challenge. Think of ice. The DM can declare a DC check (I think 10 in the DMG) and make it difficult terrain. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Not directed at you specifically (since as you said, you have mostly stayed out of the centaur argument), but to emphasize the other side of this, would a centaur get advantage on a check to avoid slipping on ice due to being a quadruped and having a lower centre of gravity?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Kudos. I hope you find it as fun as I do. There are times I am itching to jump in their games, but refrain. From my experience, the game really grows on youth when it is a youth activity, not an adult led activity. But it is still fun to watch. (And occasionally laugh at their shenanigan's.)

My influence is I sit there and listen to them play. Smile. And when they ask about a rule, generally like falling or jumping, I explain it to them. I have also handed them the books, including some APs. That's it.

Are they collaborative? Yes. More so than adults? I haven't seen it. They play exactly like I have seen all starting players play: they make characters. Anything goes. Until the DM comes up with an idea - and anything doesn't go. My example was specific and truly showed how they play. The DM wanted to run a war torn world and the players would be half-orc military captives that start on a boat. None of the players needed to be something different. They accepted the DM would take them on a ride, and they were willing to board.

As far as bad calls, they accept them so much that even I have a hard time not looking up with a questioning face. They, look at the DM like they do a teacher, because that is what they are exposed to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I don't reinforce this as you implied. They do it because I have them read the first few pages of the PHB.

I assure you, no kid I’ve ever met does so when removed from the school environment. That may play a major role in creating a different environment.

And of course, different groups will always be noticeably different, whether we can find a specific explanation for the difference or not.

My point is simply, there is nothing inherent about the playstyle you describe, and the fact that your group of anecdotal teens play that way doesn’t suggest otherwise, because other anecdotal groups play very, very, differently.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Tiefling PC: Ok, I go to the tavern.
DM: Ok, make a dex check?
Tiefling PC: WHY? rolls Ugh, a 3!
DM: your tail gets caught in the door as pass through. You take 1 point of bludegoning damage.
Tiefling PC: What? That's unfair! I would know how to get through doors with a tail!
DM: Yeah, well, you chose to be a tiefling. Maybe you should have been an elf if you want a speedier game!

Nah, in that case you have to make a Dex check or your ears get caught in the door. Best play a human just to be safe.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not directed at you specifically (since as you said, you have mostly stayed out of the centaur argument), but to emphasize the other side of this, would a centaur get advantage on a check to avoid slipping on ice due to being a quadruped and having a lower centre of gravity?

Would depend, for me, on whether I decide as the dm that the horses awkwardness on ice is partly mental (ie not understanding what I’ve is and how to walk differently to counter it) or so physical that there is no way around it, and then my determination of whether ice has been an obstruction for centaurs in this world fairly often, or not.
If it has been, I simply assume they’ve advanced horseshoe technology to compensate, and ask the player if they think they’d have packed winter related accoutrements in their pack. Maybe an action to attack ice shoes to their hooves, which go around the normal shoe and simply stabilize their tread on ice.

or, if no one else at the table cares, I just ignore the question and don’t modify the check at all.

 

[Scott Christian]

I assure you, no kid I’ve ever met does so when removed from the school environment. That may play a major role in creating a different environment.

And of course, different groups will always be noticeably different, whether we can find a specific explanation for the difference or not.

My point is simply, there is nothing inherent about the playstyle you describe, and the fact that your group of anecdotal teens play that way doesn’t suggest otherwise, because other anecdotal groups play very, very, differently.

I couldn't agree more. Which is why different tables play differently. Not one type of youth table is better than another youth table. One has a DM that wants them to play half-orcs and they do. Another never mentions any parameters, and they play whatever they want. There is no better. The simple fact that they, beginners, can fluidly shift between the two table types says a lot.