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Justicar
2011-07-21, 05:12 PM
Everyone has tales of players not properly RPing the race of their characters. Those stories are almost dime a dozen. But have you ever seen the dice themselves proclaim that a character would fail at every attempt to do something that their race excels at and succeed at things they're supposed to be weak at?

In our 4e campaign, we have a dwarf we're trying to convince to 'come out of the cave' and admit he is really an elf. We've even checked his beard to make certain there weren't wires holding it to his ears.

In every Stealth check we make in the forest, he always succeeds, even with his heavy armor or at times when the Bard/Ranger/Paladin/Seeker fails her roll. If we're underground, he'll be the ONLY character to fail their Dungeoneering check ("The stone is very cunning here..."). Despite being able to make two saving throws because of his warden ability and having a +5 bonus to poison checks, he is unable to make a check against ongoing poison damage if he is dazed as well, as if he has to consciously think about the fact that dwarves are hardy enough to survive most poisonings.

We're constantly poking fun at him about learning to stand up straight and taking pride in his heritage. He still denies it though...

Loki_42
2011-07-21, 06:12 PM
It's one of the reason's I usually play human. I don't like having my character concepts hurt by years of fluff for a race. I'll take another race if it helps my story, or doesn't hurt it and offers a decent mechanical benefits, but my default is Human, so I can play what I want.

hobbitkniver
2011-07-21, 06:18 PM
I'm not really feeling angry at him for Min/Maxing. I mean unless the rest of you are purposely making your characters crappy to fit racial sterotypes, I don't think you have much room to talk.

The Dark Fiddler
2011-07-21, 06:41 PM
I'm not really feeling angry at him for Min/Maxing.

Neither is anybody else; I think you're the first person to mention it :smallconfused:

BillyBobJoe
2011-07-21, 06:47 PM
I'm not really feeling angry at him for Min/Maxing. I mean unless the rest of you are purposely making your characters crappy to fit racial sterotypes, I don't think you have much room to talk.

There was nothing mentioned about min-maxing? :smallconfused: They were joking about how his dice rolls made him good at the things elves stereotypically do, and making him bad at the things dwarves normally do. Therefore, it has become a joke about how he is secretly an elf.

The Dark Fiddler
2011-07-21, 06:49 PM
There was nothing mentioned about min-maxing? :smallconfused: They were joking about how his dice rolls made him good at the things elves stereotypically do, and making him bad at the things dwarves normally do. Therefore, it has become a joke about how he is secretly an elf.

Yeah, the dice. As in, his rolls, not the skill ranks he took or whatever.

And that still wouldn't be min-maxing, even if I misunderstood and it was because of his character build :smallconfused:

Edit: Herp derp you had the same position I did. Sorry.

Justicar
2011-07-21, 07:11 PM
Yeah, the dice. As in, his rolls, not the skill ranks he took or whatever.

And that still wouldn't be min-maxing, even if I misunderstood and it was because of his character build :smallconfused:

Exactly, I wasn't talking about min-maxing. Or for characters whose concepts are actively against the stereotypes, like Driz'zt-esque Drow. My first AD&D character 17 years ago was a halfling fighter, despite everyone telling that because I was a halfling I HAD to be a thief.

So purposefully playing against stereotypes has never been something that I case about. No, I was talking about the dice or other circumstances causing you to fail at something a race is 'traditionally' good at or succeed at things they'd normally fail to do.

JonRG
2011-07-21, 08:14 PM
In a one shot, I played a changeling paladin of the Silver Flame. He had an untrained +6 to Bluff, but could not tell a lie. :smallyuk:

Icedaemon
2011-07-22, 02:59 AM
A character does not have to conform to any racial standards the player does not intend them to. One of my most liked characters was a dwarven rogue who was intent on becoming a master spy (it was Pathfinder). He was a far better rider than the oafish human fighter by virtue of 18 dexterity, disliked humans in general and considered an elven sorcerer his closest friend among the party members, but still considered himself a proper dwarf who respected and somewhat looked up to the dwarven cleric.

Sorcerer Blob
2011-07-24, 10:55 AM
It can be a lot of fun playing against pre-supposed fantasy racial stereotypes. Just for fun (a potential cohort in Pathfinder) I built a level 5 Gnome Barbarian. Yes, a Gnome Barbarian. His rage was fueled by his height (or lack thereof) and he was hilarious and fun to play as (and while not super optimized, still not bad and could hold his own.)

Morithias
2011-07-24, 10:13 PM
The aasimar blackguard is a favored of my group.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-24, 10:51 PM
It can be a lot of fun playing against pre-supposed fantasy racial stereotypes. Just for fun (a potential cohort in Pathfinder) I built a level 5 Gnome Barbarian. Yes, a Gnome Barbarian. His rage was fueled by his height (or lack thereof) and he was hilarious and fun to play as (and while not super optimized, still not bad and could hold his own.)

"I'm a bawbarian, rar!"

Best. Line. Ever.

3.5 gnomes make decent barbarians, their rage lasts an extra round.

Prime32
2011-07-25, 03:13 PM
One of my current characters is a member of a race with a racial Str bonus and the highest Str score in the party. On the two occasions I've had to roll a Strength check so far, I rolled a 1 and a 2. The first of these times, for story reasons I actually had to lift a heavy object in order to join the party. :smalleek: ...The DM let me reroll.

Then there's the player whose familiar keeps rolling better than him. When his character died, he started playing a powered-up version of the familiar.

Justicar
2011-07-25, 04:19 PM
One of my current characters is a member of a race with a racial Str bonus and the highest Str score in the party. On the two occasions I've had to roll a Strength check so far, I rolled a 1 and a 2. The first of these times, for story reasons I actually had to lift a heavy object in order to join the party. :smalleek: ...The DM let me reroll.

Kinda reminds me of the first Gamers movie. The fighter kept failing his Strength rolls to lift things and then the frail wizard would easily succeed where the fighter had failed.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-25, 04:31 PM
Kinda reminds me of the first Gamers movie. The fighter kept failing his Strength rolls to lift things and then the frail wizard would easily succeed where the fighter had failed.

If you're gonna reference stuff, at least remember correctly! :smallannoyed:

The first time, it was a stamina check he had a 90% chance of succeeding with his 18 stamina. The second timel it was a strength check he had a 95% chance of succeeding with his 19 strength, and the party ranger who successfully did it had 6 strength.

Justicar
2011-07-25, 05:38 PM
If you're gonna reference stuff, at least remember correctly! :smallannoyed:

The first time, it was a stamina check he had a 90% chance of succeeding with his 18 stamina. The second timel it was a strength check he had a 95% chance of succeeding with his 19 strength, and the party ranger who successfully did it had 6 strength.

I apologize. It's been three years since I've watched movie and that was also the first time I'd watched it. You're lucky I at least got the fighter part correct...

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-25, 05:41 PM
I apologize. It's been three years since I've watched movie and that was also the first time I'd watched it. You're lucky I at least got the fighter part correct...

Actualy it was the barbarian.

Justicar
2011-07-25, 05:42 PM
Actualy it was the barbarian.

I thought the barbarian was the absentee player.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-25, 05:48 PM
I thought the barbarian was the absentee player.

No, that was the berserker. "Mark the Red" was the missing berserker. "Rogar the Bararian" was the one who failed the rolls.

Obligatory link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiTEHqAeanw&feature=youtube_gdata_player).

Justicar
2011-07-25, 05:55 PM
No, that was the berserker. "Mark the Red" was the missing berserker. "Rogar the Bararian" was the one who failed the rolls.

Obligatory link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiTEHqAeanw&feature=youtube_gdata_player).

*sigh* Okay. Mark this day on your calendar. I am no longer allowed to make pop culture references, since I will most likely get them completely twisted and incorrect. You can smack me upside my head if I do.

McStabbington
2011-07-25, 06:27 PM
My personal favorite so far was a halfling 3/8 paladin rogue. We had started at a high level, so the DM allowed me to play a former thug and enforcer that had recently undergone a "Road to Damascus"-type religious conversion into the service of Yondalla. In keeping with his conversion, Yondalla had gifted him with a sword worthy of a halfling of his strength: a medium-sized +1 holy greatsword. So he was quiet and spiritual, but to everyone else just looked like a halfling carrying a claymore with a blade longer than he was.

The rest of the group hated him for being the trifecta of a little person, the dude with the overcompensating big honking weapon and the paladin. At least until I saved the team bard from an illithid with wizard caster levels. Despite having buffed prior to the fight, he rolled low and caught a Phantasmal killer full in the face. Cue him begging the group to see if there's any buff we have that he's not counting.

Him: "I'm three short on my save? Do any of you guys have a spell effect up that we're not considering?"
Me (looking over my sheet): "Is Phantasmal killer a fear effect?"
Rest of group: *Pause*. "It says so in the PHB."
Me: "Is the bard within 30 feet of the paladin?"
DM: ". . .Yes."
Me: "Then he makes his save."
Rest of group: *cheers the paladin*

Serenity
2011-07-25, 07:19 PM
Not so much accidentally playing against race, specifically, but in my Curse of the Crimson Throne game, one of the party members was a halfling rogue who had grown up on the streets as a pickpocket for a nasty Fagin-esque crook. After escaping that life, he eventually became a butler.

He proceeded to fail every Knowledge: Local check the campaign threw at him.

BadJuJu
2011-07-25, 08:15 PM
I had a wizard that was honestly very well built. Transmuter specialist, very solid. No effect ever worked. Lots of natural twenties rolled against me, lots of ones by me. Rolled so poorly that my spellbook was ruined, a thief stole my magic items, I was dominated by vampires, finally beat to death by a generic sword and board fighter cause I botched a defensive casting on a fly. Was awful. I don't run wizards anymore, cause I killed them.

holywhippet
2011-07-25, 08:34 PM
Him: "I'm three short on my save? Do any of you guys have a spell effect up that we're not considering?"
Me (looking over my sheet): "Is Phantasmal killer a fear effect?"
Rest of group: *Pause*. "It says so in the PHB."
Me: "Is the bard within 30 feet of the paladin?"
DM: ". . .Yes."
Me: "Then he makes his save."
Rest of group: *cheers the paladin*

Was this being boosted by a feat or something? In 3.5 Aura of Courage only extends out for 10 feet.

Greenish
2011-07-25, 10:40 PM
It's one of the reason's I usually play human. I don't like having my character concepts hurt by years of fluff for a race.I'm pretty sure humans have fluff, too, in most settings. :smallamused:

Fiery Diamond
2011-07-26, 10:36 AM
I'm pretty sure humans have fluff, too, in most settings. :smallamused:

:smallconfused: "Default" human fluff is "can do whatever." If you're being setting specific, well... that's your fault for playing in a restrictive setting.

Mixt
2011-07-26, 10:48 AM
Elf: "EXTERMINATE. ALL. INFERIOR. LIFEFORMS!" *Commits genocide*

DM: What the hell man?

Elf: I'm an elf, obviously i am superior to everyone else which means that i have the right to do whatever i want, and i want to exterminate all inferior lifeforms to ensure elven dominance! *Commits more genocide*

DM: :smallfurious:


To top it all of, the elf character was named Vaarsuvius (Facepalm)

Ekul
2011-07-26, 01:21 PM
Elf: "EXTERMINATE. ALL. INFERIOR. LIFEFORMS!" *Commits genocide*

DM: What the hell man?

Elf: I'm an elf, obviously i am superior to everyone else which means that i have the right to do whatever i want, and i want to exterminate all inferior lifeforms to ensure elven dominance! *Commits more genocide*

DM: :smallfurious:


To top it all of, the elf character was named Vaarsuvius (Facepalm)

I played a lawful evil Warblade Fire Elf, who was addicted to sharp things and whose training method was to go into a town that considered him a war criminal, turn himself in to the authorities then break out of jail. The guy one shotted dragons and other such creatures and, with the help of a vampire he rescued, collapsed a castle using a gate as a battering ram.

He's not exactly stereotypical elf material.


In a more 'correct' response to the OP, I had a fighter goliath who rolled low on his jump and climb checks and attack rolls, and the one freaking time he got a nat 20 was on a sarcastic bluff check that I killed some treasure to save a dragon. (I had collapsed a mountain on a dragon whose Frightful Prescence DC I failed to overcome on three separate occasions, costing me the rest of my traveling companions across all three of those times)