Fair, but -technically speaking - don't a lot of PrCs have a little 'how much you know about this PrC by making a knowledge check' table next to them? I'm not convinced that every PC being molded for their future has rolled on that table to even have heard of it! I know it's nitpicking, but defending many of the more silly-broken builds that we've all no doubt experienced as roleplaying choices with a straight face is also pretty absurd.Not exactly. In-character you think "Oh, if I want to join X group, I'll need to do Y, Z and C!", while on the sheet you get skills and spells/feats/whatever necessary for the PrC.
I think that we're all grown up to admit that RoDr is a book filled with a lot of blag that the writer never really thought about, let alone decided to balance in-line with other stuff. I think the line of thinking went: 'Dragownz are grate! My stuffz should be betta' or something similar.You should be thankful that RoD made such a concept viable. What does that say about "rollplaying", when it actually increases the variety of character archetypes available.
I'd like to cite some of her previously stellar work for the prosecution!
Because race/region X gives a better build?If you want to play a cleric with worship of a particular god (for Domains presumably) why are you not a cleric of the people who worship that god???
There's a pretty good correlation between people insisting on being the best in the group - even at the expense of the enjoyment of their friends - and bad roleplaying though. Your experiences may differ.There is ZERO causal connection between Role-playing and Roll-playing.
^This. Kobolds have always been the runt of the litter, and laughable foes. But that was the -for some- the fun of playing them. RoDr pretty much redefined their place in the world and changed them.I actually played a Kobold PC once, with all the **** stats and all. It was quite fun.
So when twenty posts a week ask 'what the best X I can build for my upcoming campaign', those people are only kidding. Phew: That's a reliefI think you mean theoretical optimization, the kind that's not meant to be played. Yes, it wouldn't make sense in a real game because that isn't it's purpose.
I look at numbers, you look at numbers. It doesn't preclude roleplaying. But please don't tell me with a straight face that the majority of people jumping through creative hoops and fielding fully optimised T1 characters are doing it for roleplay reasons. Because we know that to be a fiction. I really like Wee Jas as a deity, but I have too much respect for my co-players and GMs to turn up at the table with a RKV; let alone trying to blag RKV PrC for some other deity (...one with -say- Planning and Luck, maybe) for 'roleplay reasons'