Question about reflavor

[mrumsey]

But then, again, I'm the type of DM (and player) who believes that if you want to look cool but your character can't pull it off, that you need to live with the consequences of that.

Honest questions:

Would you be OK with magic refluffed as crow-magic (Magic Missile = Crows attacking, Fireball, Portal to Crow-town and they peck the **** out of everyone..etc).

Would you be OK with said crow-magus fluffing his carried quarterstaff attacks to be crows attacking his enemies (magic crows from the staff)?

[Mikal]

Honest questions:

Would you be OK with magic refluffed as crow-magic (Magic Missile = Crows attacking, Fireball, Portal to Crow-town and they peck the **** out of everyone..etc).

Would you be OK with said crow-magus fluffing his carried quarterstaff attacks to be crows attacking his enemies (magic crows from the staff)?

At first pass yes, with regards to magic missile.
I'd be cool with the magic missiles being crow shaped, but I'd probably draw the line at summoning actual crows to do it. That wouldn't really cause any differences in the spell itself or its abilities.
But, I'd also be fine with a magic user inventing such a spell if they wanted to have it be actual physical ravens. Instead of evocation it would be conjuration. It may or may not require a crow feather as a material component, and it may or may not work exactly like magic missile (piercing vs. force damage, something like that). Would also need to figure out how damage boosting abilities interact with it, if at all.

For a wizard, spell research is obvious. As a sorcerer, it's a little harder, but if they roleplayed the aspects well enough, including potentially hiring a wizard to help with spell research and manipulation, I'd probably allow it, perhaps with a ritual to help "teach" the sorcerer the spell (at a level when said sorcerer would be allowed to learn a new spell known). For a warlock, I'd probably make it a bonus spell for the Raven Queen.

I'd have to consider it a little more, but from a first impression perspective yes to magic missiles that are raven shaped, and a strong likely to actually creating a spell for physical raven attacks.

Granted- This is for magic missile only. Other spells would have to be on a case by case basis. A wizard with a crow fetish will need to have some deep pockets, as would the sorcerer.

Missed your fireball example. That... not so much. Making it a portal would be an entirely different school of magic. You'd have to create a new spell to do so with the proper spell research. I also wouldn't make the fireball "crow" shaped either, since that would be more like a firebird than fireball, which can cause issues with shapes and AoE.

[Dankus Memakus]

{scrubbed}

[Dankus Memakus]

{scrubbed}

[JNAProductions]

Ah, but allowing a Wizard to fluff his magic missiles as crows is far more mechanically effective than letting them stay as bolts of force! After all, crows are the scariest bird!

[Mikal]

Ah, but allowing a Wizard to fluff his magic missiles as crows is far more mechanically effective than letting them stay as bolts of force! After all, crows are the scariest bird!

That's nice. I didn't say the wizard could fluff magic missiles as crows. I said he could make magic missiles crow shaped. They're still magic missiles. They don't have feathers, they don't actually become birds. They're the same color as the standard magic missile, and do exactly the same thing. They aren't called "crow bombs" or "raven rampage".
No one considers it a different spell from magic missile.

Just like- gasp- I'm also ok with someone modifying their handaxe to look like a mini battle axe, even though it's still called a handaxe!

If they wanted them to be actual crows, it'd be a conjuration spell and would require research.

{scrubbed}

[JNAProductions]

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There's pretty much no benefit to having them be fluffed as crows, or, to be more precise and pedantic, crow-SHAPED.

Likewise, there's no mechanical benefit to having a sword-shaped handaxe. You've yet to explain the mechanical benefit of what I posted earlier, by the way.

{scrubbed}

[Dankus Memakus]

{scrubbed}

[alchahest]

I played a goliath barbarian who used a dire elk's shinbone as a Maul, despite it looking like a greatclub. it even has better stats than a greatclub! but who cares because it made the game more fun for everyone!

[JNAProductions]

I played a goliath barbarian who used a dire elk's shinbone as a Maul, despite it looking like a greatclub. it even has better stats than a greatclub! but who cares because it made the game more fun for everyone!

Sounds like a good game. Glad you have a good time, Alch. :)

[Morty]

The suggestions in this thread are things that should be part of the rules to begin with, really. Either a generic weapons table, or even class-based damage dice (though the latter would require different multiclassing rules).

[alchahest]

Sounds like a good game. Glad you have a good time, Alch. :)

funny story: it was originally the thighbone but then I looked at an Elk Skeleton and yikes that is a gigantically wide and short bone.

[scalyfreak]

funny story: it was originally the thighbone but then I looked at an Elk Skeleton and yikes that is a gigantically wide and short bone.

That means you could sharpen the edge, attach it to a handle, and use it as an axe.

A battelk axe.

[alchahest]

actually probably going to make an adamantine axe blade for it at some point. maybe magical~

who knows but it's a fun image!

I can't wait to hear how a bone is actually an improvised weapon so it's only a D4