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5 months ago ::
Jan 14, 2013 - 6:25PM
#21
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Date Joined:
May 24, 2012
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For mechanic game effects, the most popular mixture blood are separated PC races.
Other thing would be the no canon mixture blood, for example gremlin = kobold + goblin (= ape with scales?), elfling (it was canon in Dark Sun, and main character of trilogy Tribe or one was elfing).
And don´t forget the bloodline feats like dhampires.
I have got a doubt about templates:
Warforged (or sharmind)+ half-golem template.
Dragonborn + half-dragon.
Aasimar + half-celestial
Tiefling + half-infernal
Shifter + feral (savage species).
Vryloka (heroes of shadow) + half-vampire (from Libris Mortis) (and dhampire bloodline).
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Posdata and off-topic:
I have thought about ushabti like a PC race, the deathless* version of warforged. They would like little brother of mummies, a mixture of mummies and revenrant PC race from "Heroes of Shadow". (* Deathless is a monster type from "Book of Exalted Deeds" like undead).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushabti
I'm still fighting for making the so-called templates "racial baseplates" which can be expanded through templates and whatnot. That way a half-dragon becomes a dragonborn and a half-elf can be sandwiched with a half-orc to create a orc-elf hyrbid that SHOULD NOT BE!
Disgruntled ghost of the Knights of W.T.F.
(Keep D&D alive, end the edition wars!)
"And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Disclaimer: Most of my posts are based on opinions (and are sometimes humorous, other times inspirational)
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5 months ago ::
Jan 14, 2013 - 6:27PM
#22
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A hybrid system would require races to be purposely built for the hybrid system to work.
The current races lack any uniformity to make hybrids.
In addition, it would do so at the expense of making non-hybrid characters more complicated to make. A brand-new D&D player may become confused by the additional terminology and formatting required.
The solution, therefore, is to push racial design in a direction that anticipates hybridization, but keeps the "seams" hidden. Then, in a later publication that focuses on races and racial abilities, introduce the PHB races in "halves," so they can be spliced together as the player sees fit.
It would require much greater uniformity of racial abilities and formatting than we have now, but it's totally doable.
An advantage to this system would be that it standardizes the racial mods and abilities so they are balanced and uniform. It would create a template for later races and prevent power drift.
It's virtually impossible to balance racial mods. This becomes all the more true when classes grow to include virtually every stat as primary stats for at least one class. Is Str a more valuable stat than Cha? For a fighter, sure, but not for a Cha-based caster.
Why Mechanics-Alignment Integration is Bad
Show
so why even play a fighter if you can play the paladin the exact same way behaviorally and get added power to boot. "Paladin" is about accepting better game-enhancing mechanics at the price of more rigid in game behavior.
Really? So it goes something like this?
Fighter: "I want to be a paladin."
NPC: "Really?"
Fighter: "Yes."
NPC: "Very well." Starts reading from a holy book while still in-character "Do you accept having to choose and stick to the lawful good alignment, eventhough neither of us actually knows that it exists or what it is?"
Fighter: "I do."
NPC: "Do you reject good game balance because you accidentally rolled a high Charisma?"
Fighter: "What?"
NPC: "I don't know what it means either."
Fighter: "Oh. Umm, ok I do."
NPC: "In the name of all that is metagamey and broken, accept these better game enhancing mechanics."
Fighter: "These what?"
NPC: "Just get out there and try to fulfill a million different people's notion of good while not violating and part of any of them."
So the system is designed such that every single hit needs to be described to avoid confusion? Here's a scenario. The players are nudists, everybody in the world are nudists, it's not weird, it's totally normal in this land. They are naked and they fight drakes taking damage throughout, but healing up with surges. Later they meet the guy who raised the drakes.
Part 1: I didn't describe any of the hits. What does he see?
Part 2: Lets say I described the drakes as biting the players, yet they healed up. What does he see?
D20 Modern Toon PC Race.
Mecha Pilot's Skill Challenge Emporium.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 14, 2013 - 6:37PM
#23
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Date Joined:
Jun 22, 2008
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A hybrid system would require races to be purposely built for the hybrid system to work.
The current races lack any uniformity to make hybrids.
In addition, it would do so at the expense of making non-hybrid characters more complicated to make. A brand-new D&D player may become confused by the additional terminology and formatting required.
The solution, therefore, is to push racial design in a direction that anticipates hybridization, but keeps the "seams" hidden. Then, in a later publication that focuses on races and racial abilities, introduce the PHB races in "halves," so they can be spliced together as the player sees fit.
It would require much greater uniformity of racial abilities and formatting than we have now, but it's totally doable.
An advantage to this system would be that it standardizes the racial mods and abilities so they are balanced and uniform. It would create a template for later races and prevent power drift.
It's virtually impossible to balance racial mods. This becomes all the more true when classes grow to include virtually every stat as primary stats for at least one class. Is Str a more valuable stat than Cha? For a fighter, sure, but not for a Cha-based caster.
By Racial modifiers, I didn't mean ability score modifiers. I meant any modifiers to skills, weapons, etc. I am not a big proponent of ability score mods. I don't even think class should receive an ability score modifier. It is unnecessary since players naturally put their highest ability score in the one most valuable to that class. Building the ability score into the original determination system is simpler. Saves a step.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 14, 2013 - 6:38PM
#24
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A hybrid system would require races to be purposely built for the hybrid system to work.
The current races lack any uniformity to make hybrids.
In addition, it would do so at the expense of making non-hybrid characters more complicated to make. A brand-new D&D player may become confused by the additional terminology and formatting required.
The solution, therefore, is to push racial design in a direction that anticipates hybridization, but keeps the "seams" hidden. Then, in a later publication that focuses on races and racial abilities, introduce the PHB races in "halves," so they can be spliced together as the player sees fit.
It would require much greater uniformity of racial abilities and formatting than we have now, but it's totally doable.
An advantage to this system would be that it standardizes the racial mods and abilities so they are balanced and uniform. It would create a template for later races and prevent power drift.
It's virtually impossible to balance racial mods. This becomes all the more true when classes grow to include virtually every stat as primary stats for at least one class. Is Str a more valuable stat than Cha? For a fighter, sure, but not for a Cha-based caster.
By Racial modifiers, I didn't mean ability score modifiers. I meant any modifiers to skills, weapons, etc. I am not a big proponent of ability score mods. I don't even think class should receive an ability score modifier. It is unnecessary since players naturally put their highest ability score in the one most valuable to that class. Building the ability score into the original determination system is simpler. Saves a step.
Ah, ok. I get you now.
Why Mechanics-Alignment Integration is Bad
Show
so why even play a fighter if you can play the paladin the exact same way behaviorally and get added power to boot. "Paladin" is about accepting better game-enhancing mechanics at the price of more rigid in game behavior.
Really? So it goes something like this?
Fighter: "I want to be a paladin."
NPC: "Really?"
Fighter: "Yes."
NPC: "Very well." Starts reading from a holy book while still in-character "Do you accept having to choose and stick to the lawful good alignment, eventhough neither of us actually knows that it exists or what it is?"
Fighter: "I do."
NPC: "Do you reject good game balance because you accidentally rolled a high Charisma?"
Fighter: "What?"
NPC: "I don't know what it means either."
Fighter: "Oh. Umm, ok I do."
NPC: "In the name of all that is metagamey and broken, accept these better game enhancing mechanics."
Fighter: "These what?"
NPC: "Just get out there and try to fulfill a million different people's notion of good while not violating and part of any of them."
So the system is designed such that every single hit needs to be described to avoid confusion? Here's a scenario. The players are nudists, everybody in the world are nudists, it's not weird, it's totally normal in this land. They are naked and they fight drakes taking damage throughout, but healing up with surges. Later they meet the guy who raised the drakes.
Part 1: I didn't describe any of the hits. What does he see?
Part 2: Lets say I described the drakes as biting the players, yet they healed up. What does he see?
D20 Modern Toon PC Race.
Mecha Pilot's Skill Challenge Emporium.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 14, 2013 - 8:36PM
#25
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Date Joined:
Nov 21, 2012
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If they release a "Bastards & Bloodlines" supplement for this edition, a system for creating new hybrid races should be a definite thing to include.
I don't often play weird races, but I've run into problems when I have, like if I want to be a half-dragon, half-orc. Obviously I am not half-human, half-orc, but the listing for a half-orc assumes that I am half-human.
Templates should, however, exist for things like vampires and lycanthropes that are not your bloodline but still act like a race.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 15, 2013 - 4:00AM
#26
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
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Let´s imagine a love-hate relation between a (straight) metrosexual (cute femboy) half-elf ranger and a tomboy (but hot) half-orc shaman. A night they are too drunk... and nine months later...
The child would be a human with two bloodlines, elf and orc.
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)
Book 13 Anaclet 23
Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
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5 months ago ::
Jan 15, 2013 - 5:20AM
#27
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2007
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if a half race breads true and has it's own culture they should be a seperate entry.
if not they shuld be a subheader under another race for example, if half orcs don't bread true and live in human cociety they should be a sub header of the human race.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 15, 2013 - 7:49AM
#28
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2007
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Certainly true, but a lot of the traditional half-races in D&D don't have their own culture. Half-Elves don't in most settings. Ditto for Half-Orcs. Each member of the "race" is presented as an island unto themselves, as Half-Orc communities are rare.
Usually you're presented with a character who tries to fit in with another culture.
This is why making a Half-Elf "race" with standardized "culture" traits is illogical, even ridiculous.
"You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies." -The Doctor, Remembrance of the Daleks
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5 months ago ::
Jan 15, 2013 - 8:10AM
#29
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I'm fine with the core treating all hybrids as one race or the other for the sake of mechanical benefits, with specific hybrid rules released separately as optional content.
Humans are deliberately given a nonspecific racial advantage to represent the tremendous amount of variation in the species compared to others, and I think they're mechanically flexible enough to stand in for most combinations. If, on the other hand, the player wants the character to favor a specific parent race, they can use the racials for the other parent.
That also puts WotC on the hook for releasing orcs as a race, and I'm all about optional rules for monster races as player characters.
"When Friday comes, we'll all call rats fish."
D&D Outsider
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