How do you explain LA in Game? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How do you explain LA in Game? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kurama Youko
08-10-07, 08:26 PM I bring this up because I was recently working on a Half Vampire Elf PC and my mind started to wonder about how this child would be looked upon in a Elven community. (now my own knowledge of Elven society is already very limited and anytime I played a Elf in the past I usually played one with a admitted more Human outlook on things, whether they were raised in a human community or lived on their own near humans.) Anyway I thought for a second If I have a LA how does that explain my learning curve in game?

As a child when I was eventually shudded off to Duskblade school how do I explain the fact that im lv 1 and the rest of my peers were level 3? I know you wouldn't use those terms exactly in game but for the sake of arugment of course. Is it like Half Vampire Elf Child is mentally slow, well of course not I have no Int penalties, infact the character has a 12 intelligence. Maybe his personality or confidence is shaken or somewhat dimmer than others, well no again because he starts with a 18 Cha +2 coming from the template. Wisdom then,... I guess that could be a weak point since its only a 10 but again how would one determine a characters level advancement by any mental score, especially when its quiet possible other characters of similar scores don't advance as slow.

So thats my real question to you guys, how would you explain a level adjustment preventing a person from being as experienced as another. I admit this kind of thing never really crossed my mind before, and I guess this is why just having a level reduction as oppose to adjustment is better because then atleast you could eventually catch up to your peers instead of seeming like the special ed case.
JulesCARV
08-10-07, 08:42 PM It varies on a case by case basis, and in some cases really can't be rationalized at all, but in the case of a half-vampire, I would say that the character lacks some of the mental flexibility of those who are more truly alive. It's a common trope that undead tend to be mentally stagnant and inflexible -- like in White Wolf Vampire games, the Kindred Elder who's still wearing Victorian clothing even though it's the 21st century. Your character isn't as inflexible or stagnant mentally as a true undead, but might have a touch of that vampire aspect -- clinging to the familiar, unwilling to give up old habits, and having some difficulty learning new things.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
08-11-07, 12:37 AM alternatively or more likely additionally you might have had difficulty as a result of poor acceptance. You had difficulty because noone wanted to teach you and you had to demonstrate, far more so than others, that you were worth teaching.

Of course the more or less standard for LA is that you rely too much on your natural abilities and so tend to lag behind others in skill.
Kurama Youko
08-11-07, 12:06 PM thanks both of these replies sound like what I needed to hear. Thanks again.
Master_Vega
08-11-07, 12:42 PM I'd like to expand on what Terjon brought up and make it sound less like a choice your character consciously makes. :P

LA races start out ahead of their non-LA counterparts. They may be stronger, faster, sharper, you get the point. Because they start out so far ahead, they have a hard time being challenged, and challenges are what make us grow the most. An LA race does not rely on his strength by choice; it's simply as natural to him as our own attributes are to us. When our friend is trapped under a rock and bleeding out slowly, we have to improvise a way to get the rock off of him (or amputate whatever limb is stuck if that's an option). A LA race with a strength bonus (don't half-vampires get one?) could simply lift the rock off of his comrade under his own power most of the time.

I brought this topic up on the D20 Modern board once, and someone asked "What if you're not some snobby kid who thinks they're better and relies entirely on their racial abilities?"
I'll answer this before someone brings it up; are you going to abstain from your hereditary strength because "it's an unfair advantage"? You're going to let your friend die just because you're abstaining from your abilities so you can "grow like a human"?
At this point, you'd need to wonder why you're not playing a human instead.

This is just me ranting, though... The other guys gave you better role playing advice. :P
Kurama Youko
08-11-07, 12:50 PM No, you're points are all valid to and yes Half Vampires do receive a +2 bonus to Strength.
ChocolateJesus
08-12-07, 02:57 AM The key here is that the slower level progression of races with LA shouldn't be explained at all, it's a factor only for game balance, and doesn't actually lend itself well to "realism". After all, people with high ability scores learn just as fast (probably faster) than those with lower scores, so why would a creature with a template that increases an ability be any different? It wouldn't. So really, its better if you just ignore it, which isn't exactly a new concept in D&D. :rolleyes:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kurama Youko 08-10-07, 08:26 PM	I bring this up because I was recently working on a Half Vampire Elf PC and my mind started to wonder about how this child would be looked upon in a Elven community. (now my own knowledge of Elven society is already very limited and anytime I played a Elf in the past I usually played one with a admitted more Human outlook on things, whether they were raised in a human community or lived on their own near humans.) Anyway I thought for a second If I have a LA how does that explain my learning curve in game? As a child when I was eventually shudded off to Duskblade school how do I explain the fact that im lv 1 and the rest of my peers were level 3? I know you wouldn't use those terms exactly in game but for the sake of arugment of course. Is it like Half Vampire Elf Child is mentally slow, well of course not I have no Int penalties, infact the character has a 12 intelligence. Maybe his personality or confidence is shaken or somewhat dimmer than others, well no again because he starts with a 18 Cha +2 coming from the template. Wisdom then,... I guess that could be a weak point since its only a 10 but again how would one determine a characters level advancement by any mental score, especially when its quiet possible other characters of similar scores don't advance as slow. So thats my real question to you guys, how would you explain a level adjustment preventing a person from being as experienced as another. I admit this kind of thing never really crossed my mind before, and I guess this is why just having a level reduction as oppose to adjustment is better because then atleast you could eventually catch up to your peers instead of seeming like the special ed case.
JulesCARV 08-10-07, 08:42 PM	It varies on a case by case basis, and in some cases really can't be rationalized at all, but in the case of a half-vampire, I would say that the character lacks some of the mental flexibility of those who are more truly alive. It's a common trope that undead tend to be mentally stagnant and inflexible -- like in White Wolf Vampire games, the Kindred Elder who's still wearing Victorian clothing even though it's the 21st century. Your character isn't as inflexible or stagnant mentally as a true undead, but might have a touch of that vampire aspect -- clinging to the familiar, unwilling to give up old habits, and having some difficulty learning new things.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-11-07, 12:37 AM	alternatively or more likely additionally you might have had difficulty as a result of poor acceptance. You had difficulty because noone wanted to teach you and you had to demonstrate, far more so than others, that you were worth teaching. Of course the more or less standard for LA is that you rely too much on your natural abilities and so tend to lag behind others in skill.
Kurama Youko 08-11-07, 12:06 PM	thanks both of these replies sound like what I needed to hear. Thanks again.
Master_Vega 08-11-07, 12:42 PM	I'd like to expand on what Terjon brought up and make it sound less like a choice your character consciously makes. :P LA races start out ahead of their non-LA counterparts. They may be stronger, faster, sharper, you get the point. Because they start out so far ahead, they have a hard time being challenged, and challenges are what make us grow the most. An LA race does not rely on his strength by choice; it's simply as natural to him as our own attributes are to us. When our friend is trapped under a rock and bleeding out slowly, we have to improvise a way to get the rock off of him (or amputate whatever limb is stuck if that's an option). A LA race with a strength bonus (don't half-vampires get one?) could simply lift the rock off of his comrade under his own power most of the time. I brought this topic up on the D20 Modern board once, and someone asked "What if you're not some snobby kid who thinks they're better and relies entirely on their racial abilities?" I'll answer this before someone brings it up; are you going to abstain from your hereditary strength because "it's an unfair advantage"? You're going to let your friend die just because you're abstaining from your abilities so you can "grow like a human"? At this point, you'd need to wonder why you're not playing a human instead. This is just me ranting, though... The other guys gave you better role playing advice. :P
Kurama Youko 08-11-07, 12:50 PM	No, you're points are all valid to and yes Half Vampires do receive a +2 bonus to Strength.
ChocolateJesus 08-12-07, 02:57 AM	The key here is that the slower level progression of races with LA shouldn't be explained at all, it's a factor only for game balance, and doesn't actually lend itself well to "realism". After all, people with high ability scores learn just as fast (probably faster) than those with lower scores, so why would a creature with a template that increases an ability be any different? It wouldn't. So really, its better if you just ignore it, which isn't exactly a new concept in D&D. :rolleyes: