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  1. #21
    In my game i have offered the optional class features, and no one has needed to create a new character yet but the classes would be available if they needed to
    i have not offered the optional race/heritage rules. but this is because if a player when creating the character before these rules existed could justify the reasoning for a change i would have probably have allowed it or found a way to meet halfway. so race/heritage modifying rules will always be for full discussion to make fit the world

    in terms of dwarves i see the constitution bonus / poison resistance being from essentially growing a specially cultured beard that acts as a HEPA filter removing airborne poisons and dusts. if a dwarf hadnt grown up in mining caves but more of the city, they might have naturally only gained a +1 to con and a +1 elsewhere.

    In the next campaign i run Elves will not be available as a player race, as they are banished to the fey lands due to cultural lore. (with the exception of a slightly modified drow) and half elf's are heavily shunned by the world for their link to full elves.

    Vision is dependant on family tree in my games for what might be available, humans if they have a bit of another race somewhere back in the ancestry can roll a d% and possibly gain special vision properties, tieflings can try a d% roll and possibly gain devils sight, the d% roll for vision changes is super low between 2 & 5 % but it gives a chance
    Last edited by Marquis_de_Taigeis; April 11th, 2021 at 16:59.

  2. #22
    All in my humble opinion:
    The things that make a dwarf a dwarf are not the stats. Carrot is a dwarf, though physically a human (Terry Pratchet). In the end, stats are but stats. Some are born strong/smart/etc. and some are not. PCs are not the average member of a race. I rather have a player choose a race because of the fluff than because of the stats. A civilized bugbear as a PC would cause me more issues in fitting in society than a +2 INT dwarf. The rules are but tools and abstractions. I do fear too much munchkinning though. In the end, I'll handle this case by case.

    [OFFTOPIC]
    Quote Originally Posted by feelej25 View Post
    Vision is dependant on family tree in my games for what might be available, humans if they have a bit of another race somewhere back in the ancestry can roll a d% and possibly gain special vision properties, tieflings can try a d% roll and possibly gain devils sight, the d% roll for vision changes is super low between 2 & 5 % but it gives a chance
    I personally don't like rolling for hitpoints, vision, etc. If two players make the same choices, they should end up with the same character. Some characters will be played for years. Things could turn out very unfair, and I prefer the PCs to be on equal footing with each other. But that's like liking cats or dogs, cats or trains, everyone has his/her own preferences.
    [/OFFTOPIC]
    Last edited by Milmoor; April 12th, 2021 at 07:34.

  3. #23
    I agree with some of the changes, I was always against racial ability score bonuses ever since I first started playing, it just never made sense to me. Why is an orc who has never lifted a single weight or exercised once in his life got a bonus to strength? Why has the elf that grew up in the wilderness with not a single book around and no one else to talk to got a bonus to intelligence?

    Sure I understand the idea that some species might have inherent capacity to be greater in a specifc attribute. Orcs might generally have a higher capacity for strength than a halfling, but that isn't the case, an orc and a halfling have the same capacity for strength, they are both capped at 20, it's just that the orc starts with a higher bonus. So it's like the worst of both worlds.

    For a while, I just said everyone can add +2 to one ability score and +1 to another, and had done for years, but then about a year ago I remade the ability score bonuses for all the races in my world to increase the ability score *Cap* rather than have it be a bonus. So orcs don't start with a +2 to strength, they can just get to 22 strength instead. An elf doesn't start with higher dex, they can just get a total of 22. Humans get one static change depending on their region and then can choose the other stat they have their cap increased in. This seems fairly balanced to me so far because most classes generally have to give up a feat to get that 22.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by SoloJoke View Post
    ...but then about a year ago I remade the ability score bonuses for all the races in my world to increase the ability score *Cap* rather than have it be a bonus. So orcs don't start with a +2 to strength, they can just get to 22 strength instead. An elf doesn't start with higher dex, they can just get a total of 22. Humans get one static change depending on their region and then can choose the other stat they have their cap increased in. This seems fairly balanced to me so far because most classes generally have to give up a feat to get that 22.
    This sounds interesting, I only see a potential balance issue with Humans but I need to think about it.

    Generally I totally understand the issue Tasha is trying to alleviate. I have never liked the most common way PCs are built:
    1. Choose a class
    2. Create a build for level 10 - 20 (regardless of campaign, so even if the campaign is for levels 3 - 5)
    3. Choose Race and Background which help creating the build
    4. Create some real background and personality for the created bag of game mechanics

    This is not a problem if RPG means dungeon grinding or D&D chess to you but for me it is a huge problem as to me the #1 thing about RPG is the first word "Roleplaying". So in my opinion the steps of creating a PC should be roughly:
    1. Create the person you want to roleplay
    2. Create the background for this person
    3. Choose the game mechanical Race, Class, Background which are closest to what you already chose narratively for your PC

    Freeing stuff like ASI from Race help in this but it also feels a bit wrong as D&D Races, which are real life language species, definitely affects the character's capabilities in the fictional world and it is in my opinion fun and interesting if this difference shows in the mechanics as well. D&D is just poor at implementing this. I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do with this kind of content in Tasha (maybe I will create my own solution like SoloJoke), but in my next campaign I definitely do want to support roleplay based character creation more than the basic rules do.

    For the rest, I'm happy to give my players more options and don't see making the PCs stronger any problem at all. I am the GM, I can do *anything* to ramp up the challenge. Usually having more powerful and customized PC enhances the player experience, so I'm all for any changes that does just that.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maetco View Post
    This sounds interesting, I only see a potential balance issue with Humans but I need to think about it.

    Generally I totally understand the issue Tasha is trying to alleviate. I have never liked the most common way PCs are built:
    1. Choose a class
    2. Create a build for level 10 - 20 (regardless of campaign, so even if the campaign is for levels 3 - 5)
    3. Choose Race and Background which help creating the build
    4. Create some real background and personality for the created bag of game mechanics
    Ive never created a character with levelling in mind.
    My character has to survive the current level first.
    My preference is in fact to play a character Ive had no hand in building.

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by damned View Post
    Ive never created a character with levelling in mind.
    My character has to survive the current level first.
    My preference is in fact to play a character Ive had no hand in building.
    This...

    Before I build my character I think about who he/she/they/them are before the campaign starts. Then I build the character to fit that backstory. From then on, it is what has happened or happening to shape their life and guide the level ups. There is no road map.

    Once I start leveling I look at it from my character's point of view. What worked, what didn't, and try to fix it with choosing archetypes, feats, ability increases.
    I let the adventures and environment dictate how my character will progress. There is no end goal but to survive and be there for the big bad finale at the end of the campaign.
    Current
    Player - Homebrew Campaign
    Dungeon Master - Storm King's Thunder
    Completed
    Player - Curse of Strahd, Princes of the Apocalypse, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
    Dungeon Master - Lost Mines of Phandelver; Sunless Citadel (TYP), Forge of Fury (TYP),The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (TYP), Princes of the Apocalypse

  7. #27
    There is a chance Humans may be unbalanced in some way, though, even if they are, it would only be a small advantage due to the fact that ASI's are still rather infrequent for most Classes, so it's not like the Cap increase is a bonus, it's just a new option for players. For example, if you are an Orc Wizard, you may not have the Intelligence cap increase that a human could have, but if the human spends his ASI to reach 22 in Int, then the Orc can get a feat with that same ASI, or boost another stat to be more rounded.

  8. #28
    I enjoy these rules. As a DM using a homebrew world inspired by an existing video games lore (League) it really gives my players agency when it come to living out their fantasy. I never enjoyed having to choose an optimal race for particular classes, sometimes people just want to roleplay as a Bugbear Bard without being absolutely useless throughout an entire campaign. It also makes it easier for DM's to build balanced encounters since most players will be closer in strength rather than your "for fun" roleplay enthusiasts often being weaker.

  9. #29
    I think that they are useful for a DM creating/running a home brew world. It helps with creating a world with a different feel to the races. How much a DM allows players to use them could well be based on the world setting.

    A DM who uses them should be prepared to have some cultural differences at least at the concept level to explain any differences from the books if asked. They could also create some plot hooks for a really good DM.

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