Refluffing, what would you do here?

[Inevitability]

Refluffing is generally seen as something that can be used freely. However, there are some corner cases.

What would you do if the following occured? You have written a campaign setting where tieflings are seen as abominations of nature that need to be destroyed at all costs. One of the players asks you if he can play an tiefling, refluffed as human.

Would you allow this, and if you did, what would the world's reaction to this character be?


I'd love to hear other's opinions on this.

[Gavran]

Presumably you didn't write your setting in that way to create a mechanical challenge of not playing a tiefling so... I'd have no problem with it at all.

That said, I'd perhaps encourage the player to consider playing a Tiefling that was less red demon guy and more "human with demon blood/heritage/taint" because it a) provides a handy fluff for various tiefling mechanics and b) can be really fun to roleplay something reviled. I wouldn't try to force them to do it, though.

[Tegu8788]

I see three options.

A) You let him play his mechanical Tiefling as a Human fluff, with nothing else. Hold him to it, once he starts he never gets in game Tiefling effects. Sure, he takes Tiefling feats, but no one treats him like a Tiefling. You come off as a good guy GM.

2) You flat out say no, if he's a Tiefling he's a Tiefling, and every single NPC will try to murder him. You come off as a jerk.

II) You let him play as a concealed Tiefling. The sunburnt skin tone, no horns, maybe a tail that goes down his pants leg. Or just secret demon juice in his veins. This allows him to pass off as human the vast majority of the time, but still allows for some plot guys. You come off as a bit controlling, but interesting and cooperative GM.


The real question is, are your desires more important that the player's? He wants Tiefling mechanics without being slaughtered on sight. You want to murder Tieflings, because they aren't normal in this world. Refluffing here is obvious and easy to me, but maybe that's because I'm currently playing a Tiefling in a Drow only campaign, that saw too much and so makes fire instead of clouds, and has to take drugs to sleep instead of trance.

[Inevitability]

For clarity: this is a purely hypothetical situation. I have not made such a campaign setting, and neither have I had issues with players who wanted things going against the world's fluff. It is solely curiosity as to how other GM's would handle this.

[Laserlight]

For clarity: this is a purely hypothetical situation. I have not made such a campaign setting, and neither have I had issues with players who wanted things going against the world's fluff. It is solely curiosity as to how other GM's would handle this.

I'd say "what is it about Tiefling that you're trying to get / do / be, that another race can't do?"

[Grey_Wolf_c]

I don't remember tieflings enough to answer directly, but if I shift the example to dragonborns (same conditions), I would refluff the dragonborn to be a human circus performer: fire-swallower, acrobatic jumps, etc. In essence, give alternative explanations for the racial powers. That, after all, is what refluffing is all about. The character would be a human in every other respect, while mechanically a dragonborn (so he can't take human feats).

Grey Wolf

[Jakodee]

You need an explaination for hellish rebuke.

[Tegu8788]

Why? What does the Warlock at-will have to do with refluffing a race?

[GPuzzle]

I think he meant Infernal Wrath, but we have to check.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

You need an explaination for hellish rebuke.

"I carry around a ballon filled with flammable gas. First enemy to get close enough to punch me, gets it in the face. I prepare a new one after every fight"

GW

[Jakodee]

Why? What does the Warlock at-will have to do with refluffing a race?

Oh. Crap. Sorry. I forgot the name of the tiefling racial power.

[Dimers]

I'd say "what is it about Tiefling that you're trying to get / do / be, that another race can't do?"

+1 to that. Then if the answer boils down to "follow handbook guidelines for cookie-cutter optimization" I won't be inclined to help out. But if there's some clear interest in expressing a particular character concept or style that's simple with tiefling and annoying with human, sure, we can do some refluffing, and I'll probably be interested enough to offer mechanical help in the form of homebrew or removing prerequisites or something.

[georgie_leech]

"I carry around a ballon filled with flammable gas. First enemy to get close enough to punch me, gets it in the face. I prepare a new one after every fight"

GW

"I learned this nifty magical trick that lets me throw a mini fireball. However, it moves slowly, and I really need to wait for an enemy to expose themselves attacking me if I have any chance of actually hitting someone.

[Vorandril]

"I learned this nifty magical trick that lets me throw a mini fireball. However, it moves slowly, and I really need to wait for an enemy to expose themselves attacking me if I have any chance of actually hitting someone.

That would be a good way to handle the racial power. Feats specific to race can be reflavored easily enough. My main concern would be the tail. Either you would have to reskin the PC as another race that happens to have a tail (I'm looking at you Son Wukong... I mean Goku) or simply deny them the tail if they want to be "human". I can't think of any other tail solutions right now but I'll jump back if I come up with something.

[Sartharina]

...what tail?

[Tegu8788]

If they want to be a human, then they don't have a tail. Tail feats, well, they are just very quick with their hands.