Overdone builds

What are the class/race build combinations that you are just sick to death of?

I have a few semi-regular people I play with, and while we do have fun, sometimes I think they aren't very creative for people playing a game that takes up entirely inside our minds.

The Goliath warrior, the Dwarven warrior... I see them every party. Doesn't matter what system we play, someone always does one or the other. They can be a Fighter or Barbarian, but they are always played the same way. It wouldn't be so bad if we could just switch it up a little, an Elf warrior once and a while, a Gnome. But no, even if the players change which role they play, we pretty much always end up in the same basic party configuration.

Our sword and sorcery build of either Aasimar Paladin or Warlock Tiefling, our meat tank of Goliath or Dwarf, our Elf sneak and lock pick... And then there is our blaster. That one actually does get a little variety.

But you see what I am saying right, we're in a rut. Creatively we are in some mud and we're not moving much. I was thinking that next campaign I would have a list of just, "any build combo but these, they're just overdone." Not as a firm fuck you, but as a gentlemens' to spice things up.

As the guy that most DMs I would like some thoughts on how dick a move this is and if there are others feeling the same. But most importantly I wonder what builds people are getting tired of from their parties.

Human/Anything
Why does everyone have such a hard-on for humans? They're so boring.

Anything with a low int barbarian or half orc. It’s just been done into the ground.

God, Pathfinder's art is awful.

> list of just, "any build combo but these, they're just overdone."

Like what you said, just explain to your players that you want to see more diversity.

The real problem your citing is mostly due to gameplay and racial traits, which work well in class/race build. Try to find another type of game, or just plainly change certain racial traits.

The beafy dwarven tank is a good exemple of that, because he's not slowed when wearing heavy armor and got +2 in constitution.

It's actualy not a hardon for humans. They're a blank template that you can build and expand on, and they don't have a culture impact as profond as Tolkien's elves.

Honestly, it sounds like you've got your panties in a twist over something inconsequential that no-one else in your group has a problem with. Additionally, weird or sub optimal race/class combos does not a creative character make; to do that it'd be better to encourage your players to develop the backstory or roleplaying aspects of their characters.

7/10 bait, by the way

It really is, I have occasionally wondered about it and best I can see is, "fucking cheap," or, "fucking the artist."
Nothing else explains the use of the crap.

In my group the only people who pick humans are the ones that aren't gonna roleplay.

It's odd, because the same artist also drew the Redeemer comics. Maybe it's the soft shading?

Humans can be done very well if you just think of them as another fantasy race, since humans of any fantasy world are going to be fundamentally really different from humans in any time period.

The only thing that should really translate 1:1 is aesthetics, but even settings like Warhammer Fantasy which are super-derivative of the late medieval/renaissance aesthetic still give their humans unique struggles and ideas to prevail over.

...

More the clutter and ugly style. Probably an aesthetic choice of the Pathfinder guys.

I'm a strong independent gnome fighter/cleric transwoman of color and I don't need no realism because fantasy, amirite?

I really hate the look of the swords, they look like a slab of sharpened concrete rather then swords.

Wayne Reynolds can't be as shitty in serialized form because he doesn't have enough time to over-detail everything into the fucking ground.

Does not need to be silly, no. But if you play weekly games that wrap up after the campaign finishes and you reroll the same stuff for the next campaign it can get boring for some. You know, switch it up every once and a while.

Fuck off OP. I'd bet money you've got zero issue with the elven accuracy abusing ranger/rogue who refuses to switch off, or the variant human wizard. But to answer your question.
>anything/hexblade dip

Why are you expecting people to gimp themselves at character creation?

Same reason folks are playing martial characters I would say, cause it is more fun to have something interesting rather than having something easy.

I like humans because of lord of the rings. Man was given the gift of man - mortality. This makes their lives more fleeting and more beautiful in a melancholy way.
Of course this isnt in dnd but its still cool.

I dunno, having a character that can't do anything doesn't seem interesting

There is nothing wrong with overdone builds.

It's you "oh I need to do a wacky hilarious and original build to feel special" fags that are the true cancer.

Halfling Rogues. Especially CN ones

Why does every class in Pathfinder need fifty thousand trinkets dangling off of their armor?

It represents the mechanics

Honestly, i found out that, at least with my group, the best way to make players do human characters without being "the average warrior/mage/whatever" is to change the race stats and turn them into anything else other than the Jack of All Trades/blank slates.

Fuck off. Humans are only "boring" to you because you are fucking shit at making interesting characters. You cannot think beyond "muh race/class combo", so you insist on playing more and more exotic races as you get bored of the game, like a married couple trying more and more experimental sex as their marriage drags on. It's pathetic. In my group, half the characters are human and the other half elves. I can tell them apart easily. You know why? Because they have actual personalities. Because their abilities are completely different. Because what race you are really doesn't matter. Please explain to me which roleplaying concepts you cannot pull off with a human? There are some, to be sure, but most of them you can do just as well with a human as with a tiefling or tengu or whatever the fuck you are trying to shoehorn into the game. People like you are the reason I stopped allowing non-human characters. You want to play in my campaign? Your first character is going to be a human. Period. You want to play some edgy tiefling? Play him as a human. I am sick of changing and adding tieflings to the setting in large numbers just because you want to be an edgy demonspawn. Sorry, fuck off. Same with drow. You like Drizzt? Guess what, Drizzt started in the underdark, and this campaign isn't starting in the underdark. You want to play a dragonborn? Cool. Dragonborn are 2000 miles from the city you are starting in. You want to be a tengu? That shit doesn't exist in this setting. Same with kitsune and and all those other furshit races. Play. A. Fucking. Human. It's not hard, and it takes absolutely nothing away from your roleplaying experience. You want to play a non-core race? Fine. You can. You can also roll 3d6 down the line for your ability scores, in front of me. Those are your stats. If being that race is so integral to your character concept, then you won't mind.

Agrreeded

You realize this is a game someone is playing for fun right? You need not be so childish about it.
If people get bored with the same old same old, it is not a problem. If people enjoy routine, it is not a problem. As long as they enjoy something then everything is as it should be.
Not everyone is going to make a deep character that is different from them, sometimes Bob's character is just Bob with another skillset. And that is okey, if he enjoys playing then that is a win. If Frankie wants to play Tengu, great.
Never need to be a dick about this stuff.

...

I don't feel like my group really has that problem. People tend to mix things up enough with their races, classes, and abilities that nothing's really gotten repetitive, even though we mostly play core games.

Humans are the core of almost any min max build.

Because humans aren't boring, at least not as individuals. Its more easy to follow into a stereotype playing a dwarf or elf.

Because that's all most other races are, specific human stereotypes wrapped into slightly different packaging - rarely does anyone play a race truly alien in behaviour. I'm not saying you can't play a an interesting or unique non-human, but its usually limiting.

I'm also not saying stereotypes can't be interesting and fun. But they certainly aren't if every single character is one, all the time.

I meant to type fall* instead of follow. Don't know why I do these things

>Not everyone is going to make a deep character that is different from them, sometimes Bob's character is just Bob with another skillset. And that is okey, if he enjoys playing then that is a win. If Frankie wants to play Tengu, great.
>"if people want to do whatever they want that's great as long as everyone is having fun."
Except you are a bad roleplayer who feels entitled to pull shit from whatever splatbook you want. Your "fun" doesn't matter. Go find another table to play at. I'm done catering to these snowflake fucks. Whenever I ask these people "why do you need to play a tengu?" I just get this nu male stare back. They have no reason to. They have no argument. Therefore, they don't get to play a tengu. Simple.

I love playing unconventional class/race combinations. A dwarf wizard, a suave troll decker and yes, gnome warrior are all favourites of mine

I have seen someone play one of those crazy mantis-grasshopper dudes before. They played it to the wall, all out. Their behaviour, objectives, and even how they spoke was different. I mean, it was a little Yoda-ish, but it was entertaining and clearly a different mindset. Even how he went about combat was different, whereas most players do the charge into the fray thing, he would always seek high ground and come down on them. He would even say, "at above ground easier to destroy enemies on below ground." It was an experience.

I know I am probably a minority here on Veeky Forums for having this opinion, but I actually really enjoyed Pathfinder's noisy character designs. They are kind of over the top, but in a way that sort of suits the entire system.

Everyone has a right to it, opinions are personal. But I disagree with yours as the clutter overwhelms otherwise mediocre art and makes it ugly.

Im not done with all the different types of human.
Maybe if I played them all I will start looking at other races.

what if their argument is

"I want to be a bird person"

Does Wayne Reynolds have power over Paizo?

Glad my dm isnt an autistic sociopath I guess

Then my question is: "why should you be allowed to be a bird person? what does it add to the game?"

"Why should you be allowed to be a human, what does it add to the game?"

Immersion.

you are the hero we need, what im most sick of in pathfinder/dnd is having so many race mixing, like why do you need to be a halfling orc, why cant you just be either? the fuck off amount of races is dumb.

Nothing breaks my immersion more than a party of heroes being humans only and everyore considering humans the "standard" in a world with more than a single race. Also picking on tengu, a race that gives actually some very strong roleplaying limis and guidelines, is just about the stupidest thing you could do.

Why couldn't I have been a dragonborn that walked to the city? You're dumb.

Well assuming he was referring to Eberron, because you had to get on a boat.

Then I took a boat?

Also, why can't I play as one of a select few tieflings at any time, perhaps only a few pacts are allowed to manifest at any time. You're a cuck of a DM, and I doubt you probably play.

flight

Good post. Lol at all the triggered spergs itt who are too childish and self absorbed to understand why their half-dragon half-yugoloth half-illithid characters do nothing but detract from the the game.

Have you tried not playing D&D?

I find your lack of imagination, and mathematical comprehension, disturbing.

Because the chances of one showing up are very low and why would I allow you to be one?

Learn to cast fly.

>You're a cuck of a DM, and I doubt you probably play.
I DM, not play. Mostly because if I play I end up with talentless fucks like you as a DM, who allow whatever the fuck in their setting and completely destroy the tone of the setting.

God I am so glad I am not you

who else /not an unimaginative, unfun cuck/ here lads

need not apply

I actually get what you're saying. I met a new group of people who found out I DM, so I offered to start a campaign with them. Host a session zero, they all want to play hobgoblin necromancers or tengu paladins using some shitty homebrew they found on the D&D wiki. I noped out of that campaign and ran back to my human barbarian, dwarf fighter, elf rogue, human wizard campaign so fast.

Two cups on a wobbly table

This, but unironically.

People who don't know how to play interesting characters without resorting to racial quirks and gimmicks are literal fucking brainlets.

Wew lad, really avoided that "reddit spacing" boogeyman there.
Along with any semblance of readability.

>your fun doesnt matter
Never dm again faggot

A full party of "wacky and original donut steel" builds is just as bad as a full party of generic "human fighter" builds in my opinion. The generic has to exist in some capacity; without it, there's nothing that makes non-traditional combos stick out.
The groups I play in tend to be filled with snowflakes trying out their favorite "wow so exotic and original" race/class combos. Because of this, I tend to lean toward the more generic race/class choices. For example, I'm the only person in my current 5e game playing a PHB race.

Because you'd have been lynched for being a man eating monster before you even got to the city.

Do you read books?

>Never dm again faggot
I'm gonna disappoint you tomorrow night. And the night after.

>A full party of "wacky and original donut steel" builds is just as bad as a full party of generic "human fighter" builds in my opinion.
Wrong. It's far, far worse. As long as those generic human fighters (or fighter-types, in the case of modern D&D) use different weapons and have some semblance of variation amongst their personality, it is fine. Look at Lord of the Rings. Almost all the characters are fighting-men and they still manage to separate and distinct personalities.

>Host a session zero, they all want to play hobgoblin necromancers or tengu paladins using some shitty homebrew they found on the D&D wiki
Kek. That will redpill you real fast. Most RPG players are edgelords with actual identity issues which they compensate for by playing weird-ass characters. I know a guy who I am pretty sure fantasizes about being a woman, he always plays female characters and they are all the same type. Another guy I play with is a manlet who always tries to play goliaths or ogres. It's fucking hilarious. Whereas here I am just wanting to play a fun fighter or ranger, and I get overwhelmed by these edgelord fucks trying to make overpowered characters. Shit like this is what drove me to OSR.

They will never understand because they have no concept of tone that doesn't come from Star Wars: A Nu Hope. Where there are 5 million different aliens. What they don't understand is that fantasy is not star wars, and the tone and flavor of the world are the only things that give it any value. Putting 9 different kinds of bugmen and pigmen into it, takes away from that by muddying the world's identity.

By 3.x RAW you could tack as many half-X templates as you wanted onto a creature. There was no limit. Also "half-X" doesn't necessarily mean your mother's side is X and your father's side is Y. Genetics is much more complicated than that. You could be the son of a half-elf and a fiend and the game could consider yourself a half-elf half-human half-fiend. That said, at some point the ability of these different monsters to produce non-sterile offspring, comes into question.

>playing a bunch of retarded races from 6 different splatbooks makes you imaginative
Wow, holy shit.

The feeling is mutual, nigger.