Races: Pins, Hats, Illusions

Meresa

General question about rp and how people interpret the skill 'changeself', along with racial pins and hats. 

My interpretation of the pins/hats is they can be used as a way of rping being another race while getting mechanical benefits of the race you want. Which is cool. When it comes to racial emotes via pins, where it describes things like wings, I assume it's possible to use the emote even if your character's race doesn't have wings(if you have the pin). Or things like make sounds your race can't otherwise make(growls), or skin changing color.

That seems a little awkward if so, though I can't remember seeing anyone doing it so I don't really care. My point is... as I see it, racial hats literally turn you into another race, via some kind of hat magic. But as changeself is an illusion(and pretty low in skillranks), in my head all it does is make you look like that race, via bending light or w/e. Even if there's no mechanical way that I'm aware of for someone else to tell the difference, from a character perspective... it's just an image. The image could be changed, but doing something complicated(say, flapping wings) would require adjusting the image multiple times. IE, it wouldn't necessarily look 'natural.'

If others play it differently, that's fine. I'm just wondering if this makes sense to other people, or if I'm crazy/overthinking it/there's something I'm missing that would change the interpretation. 

Pysynne

hats/pins were the "we won't give you stat packs so you can be any race with your own choice of stats, but we will sell you multiple artifacts so you can do the same thing you are asking for." solution in Lusternia

Pysynne is _elfen_ as far as RP is concerned. He could be any race at all under that though.

How people view changeself probably depends on the person at the time.

Ayisdra

To Ayisdra, the character, racehats are nothing than more fancy illusions at the end of day, even the ASHOP listing says it is an 'illusion of being another race'. Whatever race you are under the hat is your trueself as it is the one with the full range of racial abilities (instead of full-1 that wonderpipe gives) and is what is used for any sort of buffs (domoths, etc) to races. If people want to deny that they are hiding their race, that's on them.

I, the play, realize racehats are because some races are better than others and some people would rather take what gives better perks than something for RP reasons.

Uzriel

Mechanics wise, changeself also does not last through logging out nor (probably) death. So I would view it as a more temporary solution for appearing as another race. I've never thought of it as a less than perfect transformation, just one that requires more upkeep.

FYI if you haven't read the history of the Holy Celestine Empire (which you should here) one of the characters uses changeself to hide that he's undead through a flawless illusion.

Kali

I just try to respect how other people want to play their racehats/similar stuff. At the end of the day, it is a roleplaying game, and I'd rather not stomp on other people's characters or creativity just because the mechanics don't quite align.

Daraius

I just consider people whatever race they present as, whether it’s a hat, changeself, cameo, or whatever else. 

Meresa

Uzriel said:

Mechanics wise, changeself also does not last through logging out nor (probably) death. So I would view it as a more temporary solution for appearing as another race. I've never thought of it as a less than perfect transformation, just one that requires more upkeep.

FYI if you haven't read the history of the Holy Celestine Empire (which you should here) one of the characters uses changeself to hide that he's undead through a flawless illusion.

Oh, I know. I just finished creating a set of triggers to remind me whether it's on or not, lol. It doesn't last through death.

Interesting, I haven't read that one or I forgot about that character. (Later is probably the case.) Thanks!