D&D 5E When lore and PC options collide…

[GMforPowergamers]

How do you define creativity in this context?

in my experience i mean coming up with answers and actions i didn't expect. Useing spells features or abilities in a way other then intended, sometimes just peacing together something an using it to there advantage....

 

[Lanefan]

Depends on the era.

By the Time of the Targeryen invasion, all full casters would be absent and most half casters would be rare.

During the times of any of the books or shows, it would be human only, barbarian, fighter, monk, rogue. Only northerners and freefolk could be rangers. Only people from Essos.could be paladins and warlocks.

If Brienne of Tarth isn't a (non-religious) Paladin, what is she?

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

The fact that a published DL novel has a half-orc antagonist strongly suggests that allowing half-orcs in Krynn is not a big deal.

Or sometimes the left-hand doesn't know what the right-hand is doing.

 

[Voadam]

If Brienne of Tarth isn't a (non-religious) Paladin, what is she?

A LG fighter?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Thanks, it turns out I had read it, I read all six of the preludes, but I have no real memories of it specifically other than thinking the preludes in general were not particularly good.

your welcome, not withstanding teh crazy arguments I think we should all strive to show each other the curtusy of such answers....

Looking Kendermore up on Wikipedia under continuity errors it also mentions mislabeling Fint as a mountain dwarf instead of a hill dwarf, and including a werewolf even though lycanthropes are not a Krynn thing.

yeah I think that the half orc and the lycanthrope are both great examples of "they said it wasn't here, but there isn't a lore reason it's just cause"

Dragonlance Adventures 1987, page 49. "There are no halflings or half-orcs in Krynn. Halflings who enter this world are considered kender and gain the special abilities (and obnoxious personalities) of kender in this world. Half-orcs would be considered magical freaks or aberrations as there are no orcs in Krynn."

I think a bunch of their adjustments of people going in and out of Krynn are pretty nonsensical, but I feel that it was established in the setting book that the setting does not have half-orcs or orcs so the one novel including them is the outlier mistake.

yes we all understand the book from 35 years ago said that... we also know (another now locked thread) the reason for it.

And orcs in Dragonlance stand out for many.

and if they do for you that is fine. If they don't for you that's fine... I just keep saying if you are coming down (and make no mistake from name calling to insisting to yelling this and other threads are full of coming down) on the "it would ruin the setting' I think needs more explanation.

TSR also put out DL16 World of Krynn which contains four adventures, including one that goes nuts with drow, lycanthropes, and the tarasque in Lord Soth's castle.

I see rare one off canon mistakes squeaking through the process as par for the course with TSR's broad mostly consistent Dragonlance portfolio.

again, but those canon mistakes are the proof I am brining that a small change to the canon is NOT the worst thing that can happen.



I played in a 4e darksun game back when... and we were the DM described the caravan every single time as horses and wagons... It made me a little miffed, I noticed it. In-between games I sent a pic of teh big stone beasts of caravans to the DM... the next session he continued with horses and wagons... and I just said 'okay his DS is different then mine' and kept going.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

redacted

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Or sometimes the left-hand doesn't know what the right-hand is doing.

View attachment 266321

man I want that O-ring... it's not like we didn't have the fridge, slaughter and others.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

If Brienne of Tarth isn't a (non-religious) Paladin, what is she?

the very fact that her sword is OATHKEEPER and she is called out as not only being skilled but fueled by her oath makes me say yeah that is the best fit

 

[overgeeked]

in my experience i mean coming up with answers and actions i didn't expect. Useing spells features or abilities in a way other then intended, sometimes just peacing together something an using it to there advantage....

Yeah. I'd agree. That's creativity in this context. That's exactly what I don't see from any of my new to D&D with 5E players. I've been running 5E since the playtest. Mostly the players just line up and swing until the other side dies, finding and pressing buttons on their character sheet over and over. Give them interesting magic items with odd powers, they go unused or get sold or traded. Give them dynamic fights with interesting terrain and obstacles, they ignore the terrain, line up, and button smash. Give them timers and deadlines, they ignore them and let the NPCs do whatever so the PCs don't ever have to enter a fight with anything less than 100% full resources. With my old school players it's night and day. They don't need any encouragement, they just go nuts. Which I love. I have tried mixed groups to show the newer players the shenanigans you can get up to with D&D, but nope. Line up, smash. Line up, smash.

 

[Lanefan]

If you're going to ban something because you dislike it, be honest enough with your players to just tell them that. "I just think dragonborn are the stupidest thing ever written, [...]

Done.

I ban things because I don't like them and I'm not going to equivocate if asked about it. I'll also include things in/add things to my game just because I like them.

and cannot conceive of a situation where I would enjoy running a game that has even a single dragonborn in it" is a position I rather strenuously disagree with for a variety of reasons. But if you're at least honest enough to say that up front, hey, at least you're clearly and obviously displaying it. I'd still consider it a red flag, or perhaps a yellow one.

That's your prerogative, of course; and I agree it's best that the DM be up-front with these things.

At the same time, it's the DM's prerogative to do what she likes with the game she's running. All I ask is that it be internally consistent week to week and year to year.