D&D General Race Has No Mechanics. What do you play?

[KYRON45]

yes, that is what happens, the conversation branches off from the original topic into to other topics,

but the question WE have been asking is if narrative of a species can effect gameplay at what point does that 'narrative' influence things enough to become 'mechanic'?

that's the point, the narrative of the triton is that they're a fishman who lives underwater, the mechanics say standard creatures cannot breathe underwater, so if no species mechanics exist how do you square that circle? other than with a fishman who can drown.

As the narrative of the original question changes, so do the mechanics of it. See what i did there?

 

[CreamCloud0]

As the narrative of the original question changes, so do the mechanics of it. See what i did there?

not give a straight answer?

 

[Reynard]

Define what you mean by mechanics then please. Do humans get any?

We know what mechanics are, right? They are the game system tools for interacting with the fiction. So what I am saying is there would be no difference in the way the elf PC and the human PC interact with the fiction (where, as it is, there are a number of differences in how those characters interact with the fiction, from stat modifiers to vision to rests).

 

[KYRON45]

not give a straight answer?

My bad; i got lost in the lights.

When the narrative of the thing changes enough to become mechanical...it is no longer "just narrative". Vise versa, when the mechanical bonuses are rendered useless , now they are just narrative.

When aquaman is in Gotham with Batman beating up bad guys...his mechanical ability to breath water is worthless and therefor only narrative. When Batman is underwater doing whatever it is that Aquaman does (i don't know anything about comics at all) his martial arts benefits become narrative but his SCUBA gear is mechanical.

I think in short any given situation determines what is valuable and how.

 

[jmartkdr2]

i think the question is meant to be would you pick them over a basic human if all three play exactly the same having no impact on play? everything is the same medium creature with no traits just a different skin.

I kind of wish this was a survey, because I'd bet even here more people would play a non-human in that case than a human. People who comment might not see the point, but for a lot of us the aesthetics is enough.

 

[CreamCloud0]

My bad; i got lost in the lights.

When the narrative of the thing changes enough to become mechanical...it is no longer "just narrative". Vise versa, when the mechanical bonuses are rendered useless , now they are just narrative.

When aquaman is in Gotham with Batman beating up bad guys...his mechanical ability to breath water is worthless and therefor only narrative. When Batman is underwater doing whatever it is that Aquaman does (i don't know anything about comics at all) his martial arts benefits become narrative but his SCUBA gear is mechanical.

I think in short any given situation determines what is valuable and how.

okay, i fundamentally disagree that just because something is not being used that it therefore ceases to matter, i think that's just another way (less intentional but still equally guilty of doing so) of dodging the question of 'when narrative traits start affecting what can happen in gameplay how much can they do so before they become mechanical traits?', as i stated upthread i would say 'at all'

 

[jmartkdr2]

yes, that is what happens, the conversation branches off from the original topic into to other topics,

but the question WE have been asking is if narrative of a species can effect gameplay at what point does that 'narrative' influence things enough to become 'mechanic'?

that's the point, the narrative of the triton is that they're a fishman who lives underwater, the mechanics say standard creatures cannot breathe underwater, so if no species mechanics exist how do you square that circle? other than with a fishman who can drown.

You're basically stuck with "gain water-breathing as a class feature" or "explain why your fishman can't breathe underwater."

(I suppose if you have starting feats those would count as class features as well, even though I suspect a lot of players would want to use them to cover the racial feature gap.)

 

[KYRON45]

okay, i fundamentally disagree that just because something is not being used that it therefore ceases to matter, i think that's just another way (less intentional but still equally guilty of doing so) of dodging the question of 'when narrative traits start affecting what can happen in gameplay how much can they do so before they become mechanical traits?', as i stated upthread i would say 'at all'

You are free to disagree of course.
I think it's pretty clear that when your ability to breath under water isn't being used while you're in midtown that is has no mechanical value to an encounter. Later on when you dive into the sewer to save a sack of drowning kittens there is no ability more useful than being able to breath during that rescue.

But if i'm wrong then....ok.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Define what you mean by mechanics then please. Do humans get any?

I was working on the assumption that they meant the mechanics granted by your choice of race - so all the bullet points in the race description like ability score changes, darkvision bonus proficiencies, bonus feats, special attacks, movement, et al.

Of course, you'd have to give some kind of movement, so assume you get a 30' walking speed regardless of race. And you can be medium or small with no other changes.

In other words, a human paladin an elf paladin, a centaur paladin, and a gnome paladin at first level (if they pick the same ability scores) all have the same numbers on their character sheet.

 

[CreamCloud0]

You are free to disagree of course.
I think it's pretty clear that when your ability to breath under water isn't being used while you're in midtown that is has no mechanical value to an encounter. Later on when you dive into the sewer to save a sack of drowning kittens there is no ability more useful than being able to breath during that rescue.

But if i'm wrong then....ok.

the point isn't anything being useful in any given encounter, it's the point of if it ever has the capacity to be useful, if it's ever useful then it ceases to exist purely as a narrative ability and failed the premise of the thread, the species' narrative became mechanical impact.