What's your favorite instance of refluffing?

[SangoProduction]

We hear a lot about people refluffing stuff to fit their campaigns. But it's not so often that we hear of specific instances of it happening.

So, I'll start with mine.

We were playing in a psuedo-modern D&D campaign, based in an academy. "OK, then, I'd like to make a tinkerer; that would fit the setting quite decently. Hmm...artificer is a cop out, and I don't really like it anyway." So, instead, I took the Psion.

The power points were just representations of the tools and devices he's built. He was suited up in full plate (fluffed as a steampunk style contraption that he lives in). Energy ray was literally just shooting gas at the enemies. Grease was an oil spill...and Minor Creation was a 3D Printer.

[Quertus]

Honestly, I don't generally like refluffing. And not many players at my tables seem to, either.

But, I did try it out, and refluffed "troll-blooded" as demon blooded once.

I know, not very exciting. :smalltongue:

[Vizzerdrix]

Last time I tried to refluff anything, I made winged haflings a thing. Wrote a bunch of stuff on how they fit into the DMs world (it was supposed to be a very lethal setting) and even had his okay on it. Right up untill I played one. Turns out flight at level ten was too much for him. Got in a big fight over it. Long story short, I dont refluff any more.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Last time I tried to refluff anything, I made winged haflings a thing. Wrote a bunch of stuff on how they fit into the DMs world (it was supposed to be a very lethal setting) and even had his okay on it. Right up untill I played one. Turns out flight at level ten was too much for him. Got in a big fight over it. Long story short, I dont refluff any more.Err... The game comes with flight as early as level 3, easy. Alter self grants you flight for 10 min/lvl, and there's even a feat for it that's available at level 3 (Dragon Wings). And it's not even terribly difficult to get it at level 1.

There's something seriously wrong with that guy as a DM if he can't handle flight halfway to epic levels.

[Toilet Cobra]

During an Iron Gods game, had a player who wanted to be an android obsessed with improving himself into a technological marvel; mechanically, he wanted to blow things up at range with missiles and things.

We compromised on an Air-focused Elementalist. Ditched all connection to the elemental planes from the fluff. His lightning bolts were just "focused ionic discharge" and his air-blasts were "force blasts" (a la Iron Man). Flying? Obviously that was an anti-gravity device he'd perfected as he grew in knowledge.

It ended up being a pretty painless refluff, and my player was happy.

[GreatDane]

It's a little mundane, but I love refluffing "dark and spooky" into "holy and good." I have a warlock playing in my current game whose powers are all light-themed, and she herself is an aasmiar. She fires a sunbeam instead of an eldritch blast, vitriolic blast makes it a white, clinging light, etc.

Hexblade is another good one; their curse becomes a measure of awe inspired in their enemies by their sheer divinity.

[BowStreetRunner]

All-day one-shot run by a pair of DMs who put a ton of work into designing the scenario. There were about a dozen PCs and all were from different worlds. One set came from a fantasy setting, another from a steampunk setting, a third from a sci-fi setting. We all woke up in what seemed like some sort of prison, although it was more like a menagerie or zoo in fact. We escaped our enclosures and ended up working with the other two groups to each find our way back home.

Here's where it got really convoluted however. Each group saw the world just as their own world appeared. So when the wizard pulls out a wand of magic missiles the others see either a black powder repeating pistol or a hand held laser gun. Absolutely everything was fluffed three different ways and you only saw one depending on your point of view.

In the end, the solution required all three points of view to escape. You couldn't actually recognize all of the clues with only a single point of view.

It was a bit clunky, and the DMs were overworked trying to keep re-describing everything three times. But for a one-shot it was interesting and fun. I imagine the prep work, especially designing the puzzles, had to be incredibly time-consuming.

[Vizzerdrix]

[QUOTE=MaxiDuRaritry;21269297
There's something seriously wrong with that guy as a DM if he can't handle flight halfway to epic levels.[/QUOTE]

This was the group that made give up table top for a good long time. Ended up giving away all my 3.x books. It was a toxic group and Im glad it disbanded. And if you think the flight thing is silly, try this one on. Horses before 4th level where considdered to be quite the munchkin move. One day Ill have to post up some of the junk that group put me through again for laughs.

Now the group agter that one was fun in a bun! Thinking back on it, I may have refluffed a rifts character in that second group. I remember playing a geneticaly enhanced dog.

[Segev]

I had a druid once who started with a wolf companion, and later upgraded to a fleshraker. However, I wanted it to be the same creature, so I refluffed the fleshraker into just being the same wolf, but bigger, with more exaggerated claws and a vicious pounce. And (if I am recalling fleshraker stats correctly) venomous saliva.

[Grey Watcher]

All-day one-shot run by a pair of DMs who put a ton of work into designing the scenario. There were about a dozen PCs and all were from different worlds. One set came from a fantasy setting, another from a steampunk setting, a third from a sci-fi setting. We all woke up in what seemed like some sort of prison, although it was more like a menagerie or zoo in fact. We escaped our enclosures and ended up working with the other two groups to each find our way back home.

Here's where it got really convoluted however. Each group saw the world just as their own world appeared. So when the wizard pulls out a wand of magic missiles the others see either a black powder repeating pistol or a hand held laser gun. Absolutely everything was fluffed three different ways and you only saw one depending on your point of view.

In the end, the solution required all three points of view to escape. You couldn't actually recognize all of the clues with only a single point of view.

It was a bit clunky, and the DMs were overworked trying to keep re-describing everything three times. But for a one-shot it was interesting and fun. I imagine the prep work, especially designing the puzzles, had to be incredibly time-consuming.

That... wow. That is impressive!

Anyway, my favorite example of reskinning wasn't a player, it was written into the adventure: in a fantasy-steampunk setting, using Pathfinder's Summoner (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/summoner) class to represent an inventor and her battle-bot.

[Mehangel]

I once had a player who re-fluffed the wizard class to be a fighter. His somatic components were swinging or drawing his weapon, and his verbal components were challenges or insults. He took feats that let him cast spells in armor. Despite having a lower BAB and HD, he was a more powerful fighter than the actual fighter in the party (but that might be because the refluffed wizard used melee-touch spells as melee-weapons, and ranged-touch spells as ranged-spells).

[SangoProduction]

I once had a player who re-fluffed the wizard class to be a fighter. His somatic components were swinging or drawing his weapon, and his verbal components were challenges or insults. He took feats that let him cast spells in armor. Despite having a lower BAB and HD, he was a more powerful fighter than the actual fighter in the party (but that might be because the refluffed wizard used melee-touch spells as melee-weapons, and ranged-touch spells as ranged-spells).

Yeah. Spells tend to be better than "I swing my sword."

[Mehangel]

Yeah. Spells tend to be better than "I swing my sword."

The character, despite having 'all wizard spells available to him' only chose spells that he felt were thematically appropriate. In addition, whenever he ran-out of spells, he RP'd it as being exhausted from combat, thus significantly weaker. His character also RP'd as being a weapon and armor smith and crafted magical weapons and armor for the rest of the party in his spare time.

[Velaryon]

All-day one-shot run by a pair of DMs who put a ton of work into designing the scenario. There were about a dozen PCs and all were from different worlds. One set came from a fantasy setting, another from a steampunk setting, a third from a sci-fi setting. We all woke up in what seemed like some sort of prison, although it was more like a menagerie or zoo in fact. We escaped our enclosures and ended up working with the other two groups to each find our way back home.

Here's where it got really convoluted however. Each group saw the world just as their own world appeared. So when the wizard pulls out a wand of magic missiles the others see either a black powder repeating pistol or a hand held laser gun. Absolutely everything was fluffed three different ways and you only saw one depending on your point of view.

In the end, the solution required all three points of view to escape. You couldn't actually recognize all of the clues with only a single point of view.

It was a bit clunky, and the DMs were overworked trying to keep re-describing everything three times. But for a one-shot it was interesting and fun. I imagine the prep work, especially designing the puzzles, had to be incredibly time-consuming.

Just out of curiosity, how did this work in terms of PCs talking to each other? Surely the wizard would at some point have cause to mention to one of the people from another world that he's a wizard. Is his speech translated to "I use guns/bombs/whatever devices" to the people for whom that would be a normal explanation, or do they hear him say he's a wizard and just think he's crazy?

I love this idea, I'm just curious how it interacts with people talking.

[BowStreetRunner]

Just out of curiosity, how did this work in terms of PCs talking to each other? Surely the wizard would at some point have cause to mention to one of the people from another world that he's a wizard. Is his speech translated to "I use guns/bombs/whatever devices" to the people for whom that would be a normal explanation, or do they hear him say he's a wizard and just think he's crazy?

I love this idea, I'm just curious how it interacts with people talking.

Speech worked normally. So at first the people started to think some of the others were a bit off. But when 2/3 of the PCs don't see the world the same way that you do, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that something is going on. (Although you could probably chalk some of it up to a bit of meta-gaming influence too.) In this particular party, the fantasy and sci-fi characters accepted fairly readily that there was some phenomenon responsible for this. The steampunk group were the ones that resisted the most - they remained skeptics through much of the session.

[jessy]

Hi the post was good, Can someone provide me with the HP printer support toll free number, I try to connect to HP customer support and it take more time get connected with the support officer. End of the day the issue is not resolved

[digiman619]

I like monks, but the Monk class sucks, so I once refluffed a Barbarian into a monk by making the rage be a state of focus for "being in sync with the rhythm of the battle" and ditched the chaotic only requirement (which I usually do anyway). I also had an unarmed Magus be a monk by using unarmed strikes as his primary weapon, taking an archetype that made him a spontaneous caster, and only choosing spells that seem like something a shonen hero could do.

[Braininthejar2]

During my Baldur's Gate campaign, the player was preparing to raid the vampire-infested crypts.

Jansen was with her, and he had the infusion prepared to make arrows of slaying - so I had him modify his quickloading custom crossbow into a repeater stake launcher.

Made for a cool descriptions when he put three in a single round through the enemy wizard (she didn't make three saves in a row :smallcool: )

[SangoProduction]

I am currently playing an Ardent, and refluffed the abilities to be manifestations of his draconic ancestry.

[Thealtruistorc]

Something that I am doing in an upcoming game is rewriting the variant magic systems as different forms of technology. Magic is still magic, but psionics and akasha are forms of technology from different eras and civilizations (some alien, some futuristic).

Psionics in another game was rewritten as "fatewarping," a source of power that is built upon how illogical your backstory is and how you should not reasonably exist in the setting (for example, one character was psionic because she watched her innocent parents die at the hands of a legendary hero, thus wonking out fate enough to charge her). This effectively killed two birds with one stone, implementing psionics while also explaining kooky character concepts.

[Segev]

A player in an X-Crawl game (D&D mechanics in a Roman-reflavored modern but magical world) played a mad scientist. The character was a warlock by class, but all her invocations and eldrich blast stuff were gadgets she'd built. Which only she knew how to operate properly.

[Afgncaap5]

Once I had a DM starting up a campaign and I had a really specific concept in mind for how it worked. I wanted an elf, but one that had a lot of "humanized" sensibilities and options. I struggled for about fourteen seconds trying to come up with an exact way of phrasing everything I wanted, until I settled on "Can I just play a human with pointy ears?"

He said "Done", and the "City Elves" actually became a vibrant part of that campaign's story arc.

[Telonius]

I have not used it yet, but my favorite one: Warlock, refluffed as an archer. Eldritch blast shoots out from a bow made of arcane energy.

[Rijan_Sai]

Current game has an Artificer with an iron defender. Considering that it's only attack is a bite, she has "refluffed" it's look to go from this:
http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/54941/IronDefender.jpg
to this:
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/3/38/Popup_bio_mouser.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/185?cb=20140430232047

(And later, after some advancement, something like this:)
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/b/bf/HugeLivingMouserAlienWithWings..jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130516114534

*Also just realized that there are ways to get that first one onto a Gazebo Jones (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9823824)//bard gestalt build, as Ravage to the build's Soundwave. Add expeditious messenger as Lazerbeak, just need something to act as Rumble and I will be much happy!!

[Exocist]

My DM doesn't like the idea of Divination and/or similar spells that let you ask the Gods for information about the future.

So he refluffed it in this way - There are Gods that know the future, because they view time non-linearly. They also communicate in ways that the average mortal could not understand. Get where I'm going with this?

Basically, "Divination" for the future now amounts to a 1-week ritual in which you get to contact the cosmic force of your choice, if they're even willing to help you (maybe you amuse them, who knows?). From there, you have to actually be able to understand what they're saying to you (DM pretty much just describes them sending you images and feelings, rather than actual words) without going insane preferably.

Divination for past and present still work fine though...

[danzibr]

All-day one-shot run by a pair of DMs who put a ton of work into designing the scenario. There were about a dozen PCs and all were from different worlds. One set came from a fantasy setting, another from a steampunk setting, a third from a sci-fi setting. We all woke up in what seemed like some sort of prison, although it was more like a menagerie or zoo in fact. We escaped our enclosures and ended up working with the other two groups to each find our way back home.

Here's where it got really convoluted however. Each group saw the world just as their own world appeared. So when the wizard pulls out a wand of magic missiles the others see either a black powder repeating pistol or a hand held laser gun. Absolutely everything was fluffed three different ways and you only saw one depending on your point of view.

In the end, the solution required all three points of view to escape. You couldn't actually recognize all of the clues with only a single point of view.

It was a bit clunky, and the DMs were overworked trying to keep re-describing everything three times. But for a one-shot it was interesting and fun. I imagine the prep work, especially designing the puzzles, had to be incredibly time-consuming.

That... wow. That is impressive!
Totally. I love this idea, if in the distant future I have the opportunity to DM again, I'll totally do something like this.

[Bucky]

I once played a Pathfinder Android who was the only martial initiator in the setting, so I refluffed the class abilities as innate. He called his maneuvers "combat routines" and his stances "modes". He would verbally call his attacks and stance changes by refluffed names. ("e.g. Entering pursuit mode." "Double Strike!")

[Vogie]

My DM doesn't like the idea of Divination and/or similar spells that let you ask the Gods for information about the future.

So he refluffed it in this way - There are Gods that know the future, because they view time non-linearly. They also communicate in ways that the average mortal could not understand. Get where I'm going with this?

Basically, "Divination" for the future now amounts to a 1-week ritual in which you get to contact the cosmic force of your choice, if they're even willing to help you (maybe you amuse them, who knows?). From there, you have to actually be able to understand what they're saying to you (DM pretty much just describes them sending you images and feelings, rather than actual words) without going insane preferably.

Divination for past and present still work fine though...

Don't ever get this DM a copy of the game Mysterium, otherwise they'll use the incredibly trippy art cards to give you "visions".

I say this because I have a copy, and if I do get to DM in the future, I would totally do that.

[Exocist]

Don't ever get this DM a copy of the game Mysterium, otherwise they'll use the incredibly trippy art cards to give you "visions".

I say this because I have a copy, and if I do get to DM in the future, I would totally do that.

What do these "trippy art cards" do?

Asking for my DM, of course :P

[Vogie]

What do these "trippy art cards" do?

Asking for my DM, of course :P

No, that's it. The schtick of that game is all but one of the players are mediums and the last is a ghost who is trying to show the mediums who killed them, where and with what... using a whole of "vision"s. To do that, it comes with a TON of trippy abstract art cards:

https://opinionatedgamers.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/vision-cards.jpeg