A level 1 elvish spear fighter and a level 1 Halfling Knifefighter (ie Belkar) will play pretty differently in the game even thought they are pretty similar mechanically.
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A level 1 elvish spear fighter and a level 1 Halfling Knifefighter (ie Belkar) will play pretty differently in the…
A level 1 elvish spear fighter and a level 1 Halfling Knifefighter (ie Belkar) will play pretty differently in the…
I feel a human axe fighter and a human sword fighter are very different as well, even though an axe is mechanically indistinguishable from a sword.
My experience is that it’s the mental picture of the character that carries the most weight, not his race, unless the race is an important part of that mental picture. Weapon of choice is important here as well.
To me, race is culture, culture defines the way a character behaves in every given moment.
So, yes, the elf and the halfling will be different. Different to see from the outside, and maybe even have little mechanical differences: the spear has longer range, the elf surely has an ancient and elegant fightnig style, but maybe when the halfling is lurking in the shadows or attacking with the knife while grappling with a bigger creature he deals damage without even being in danger… who knows, one should see them both playing.
Nikitas Thlimmenos Also, daggers would have “hand” range, which is a much greater benefit when you get +1 to all defy danger rolls where you make use of your size.
there it goes your mechanical difference.
And, if we’re talking about fighters, their weapons should be different too, mechanically and of course aesthetically
Race should never be equivalent to nor shorthand for culture.
I’m talking about fantasy. Of course. And I was trying to be brief.
Michael R I’m inclined to agree with you, but a major stereotype in many roleplaying campaigns make this assumption,
“Race X lives i here and behave like this, race Y live there and behaves like that…”
It’s not wrong, just a bit boring. Most often the stereotypical representation of a race highlights positive traits.
I really liked the “points of light” meta-setting presented in D&D4e because it to some extend made a race less of a geographical descriptor.
I do agree… mh, let me rephrase. I meant to set fictional examples of what would “culturally” mean the two different racial moves of the halfling fighter and of the elf fighter. Sounds better?
A level 1 elvish spear fighter and a level 1 elvish spear fighter will play pretty differently in the game even thought they are pretty similar mechanically.
I think Vasiliy Shapovalov pretty much raised the ante here. 😉