Roleplaying Restrictions

Jimstrom

To get a little more variation and a more immersive game, i like to put restrictions on races and classes.

for an exampel

Humans may use any equipment

(they are the universal class, with the most choices, however no saving throw bonuses or ability bonuses)

Halfings are restricted to chainmail as heaviest armor, and may only use bucklers and small shields, they are also restricted in weapons, and may only use dagger, shortsword, club, mace, quarter staff, spear, axe, flail, shortbow, light crossbow, darts, and sling.

Gnomes are restricted to Splintmail as heaviest armor, and may use medium shields, they can also use heavy crossbows and morningstars as well as the halfling weapons.

Elfs are restricted to splintmail and may use medium shields, they also have longbows and longswords and scimitars

Half-Elfs are restricted to platemail but may use large shields and bastard swords and two-handed swords aswell as any weapon a elf may use.

Dwarf can wear any armor and any shield, and can use every weapon a gnome can, with the addition of warhammer and halberd

My problem is the half-orc, i can't think of any restrictions to make it interesting. Since they are the strongest race, it should be ovious they can use any armor and any shield, so that leaves weapon restrictions but i don't know what weapons to restrict?

Anyone have any ideas?

semiticgoddess

Here's an alignment restriction I've thought about before: good or non-evil alignments would avoid using painful damage types like fire and acid and painful spells like Contagion.

Jimstrom

Thats a good one, i think it's really out of character for Aerie to hurl acid arrows and summoning undead or demons. do you have anymore restrictions?

Kamigoroshi

The big, bulky hands of half-orcs could be somewhat of an hindrance for wielding tiny weapons (daggers, darts, ects). Similarly, they may run into problems for finding correctly sized fullplate armors. Given that the majority would either be human-sized or of dwarven forge.

Also: Dwarves, half-orcs and especially drow should avoid casting spells which do produce bright light. Their eyes are especially sensitive of being blinded by it.

Also, also: Humans really should be limited in their options, cultural wise. For instance, only people from Kara-Tur should be able to use katana, ninjato and wakizashi since no other Faerunian human ethnic group are really familiar in their proficiency.

Balrog99

Restrict half-orcs to 2-handed weapons and maybe longsword, bastard sword, axe and morningstar/flail. I guess club would be ok since anybody should be able to swing a hunk of wood. Out of curiosity, why is it that a club is 1-6 damage and a quarterstaff is also 1-6? It seems like staff should at least be 2-7 just for using the extra hand...

Zaghoul

You could always go with orc tribal weapons from PnP books (even though they are H/O): Battle axe, crossbow, flail, hand axe, spear, bow, polearms, swords.

Club/great club regardless though, cause:

Balrog99

semiticgod said:

Here's an alignment restriction I've thought about before: good or non-evil alignments would avoid using painful damage types like fire and acid and painful spells like Contagion.

Because 'good' people would never inflict pain in a medieval setting.
**cough** inquisition...
***cough*** witch trials...

semiticgoddess

Balrog99 said:

semiticgod said:

Here's an alignment restriction I've thought about before: good or non-evil alignments would avoid using painful damage types like fire and acid and painful spells like Contagion.

Because 'good' people would never inflict pain in a medieval setting.
**cough** inquisition...
***cough*** witch trials...

Good point. Clerics and paladins with low Intelligence should periodically execute random innocents for witchcraft.

Balrog99

semiticgod said:

Balrog99 said:

semiticgod said:

Here's an alignment restriction I've thought about before: good or non-evil alignments would avoid using painful damage types like fire and acid and painful spells like Contagion.

Because 'good' people would never inflict pain in a medieval setting.
**cough** inquisition...
***cough*** witch trials...

Good point. Clerics and paladins with low Intelligence should periodically execute random innocents for witchcraft.

I'm going to pass on what they do with the altar boys..

These types of people still called themselves 'good'. They might even be good compared to others of their era..

ThacoBell

Balrog99 said:

semiticgod said:

Here's an alignment restriction I've thought about before: good or non-evil alignments would avoid using painful damage types like fire and acid and painful spells like Contagion.

Because 'good' people would never inflict pain in a medieval setting.
**cough** inquisition...
***cough*** witch trials...

Oh, you mean lawful evil.

Jimstrom

Well a big thanks to all of you. I think i will go with the bulky hands, the no fullplate armor, and the tribal weapons.