Kismet cost for halfelves

[Nedylene]

I have one bad complaint about any kismet cost. Currently the only two races with no kismet cost is human and halfelf. If we give halfelf a kismet cost we bar a race alternative for new players. Not everyone wants a human and we need more insentives for newer players

[Alvirin]

I have troubles understanding that. You mean a kismet cost of 50 kismet. Okay. It can be bypassed by characters withless than 50 accumulated kismet. Okay. It does limit the starting races for new players, though. I do not believe that it benefits the game

It doesn't limit the the starting races for new players, since a new player will have less than 50 accumulated kismet, it would be different if it was the current kismet, so by bypassing the limit of 50 accumulated kismet, a new player (who always will have less than 50 accumulated kismet) will be able to choose them as a starting race.

The kismet cost is not as much about their supossed rarity as it is a too popular race and in order to provide some more diversity, it would have added a small cost to them.

Also if I recall correctly, you can choose a moon elf, a lightfoot halfing, a rock gnome, a shield dwarf, and the way I have meant it, also starting players could pick half-elves a starting race.

[Larethiel]

It doesn't limit the the starting races for new players, since a new player will have less than 50 accumulated kismet, it would be different if it was the current kismet, so by bypassing the limit of 50 accumulated kismet, a new player (who always will have less than 50 accumulated kismet) will be able to choose them as a starting race.

So....only cost of kismet for people with at least 50 accumulated kismet?

Nedylene - As far as I am aware all core starting races are without kismet costs? Moonelves, lightfoot halflings, rock gnomes, shielddwarves, halfelf

[Horace]

Half elves aren't rare in the adventuring demographic. And half elf society/mentality isn't uniform in the slightest. I see no reason for it.

[Zyria]

I voted no simply because I do not think it should cost or require a certain amount of kismet to play half-elves. I've played a few here and on different muds and always played them as outcasts from their former communities and families. Just because some, well about everyone plays them as humans doesn't mean a few of us do. I've seen a few people play half-elves as outcasts over the years of my playing on FK.

So again, I say no to kismet cost and requirement for half-elves, it could deter other players from other muds from creating them.

[Caelnai]

I voted no. I have fundamental problems with the whole "I don't like the way so-and-so plays his [insert race] character so I want to stop them from having such a character." Infinite are the interpretations of canon and I am happy for the diversity. I trust players to play their PCs as they feel appropriate, and I trust imm's to step in with gentle corrections for anything far beyond the direction they wish this mud to go in.

I'm in favour of kismet costs only where the specifics of *this* game's code require knowledge of *this particular* mud's quirks for the PC's survival. Drow fall into this category and, yes, dwarves IMO.

[Harroghty]

Caelnai makes a very succinct point, and I agree. If the staff believe that someone has overstepped themselves then they will correct them as they believe is necessary. The corrections made by players should be made through their characters, in a manner that is in keeping with their characters's role-play.

Also, there is a difference between this game's world and Ed Greenwood's Faerun. I believe the kismet costs reinforce the learning curve of this version of Faerun and should not become some kind of police measure for individual role-play.

[Skeas]

Sorry to bring up this old topic, but I think that we are all forgetting that PCs are not the only people in Faerun, as Selveem earlier said. Sure, at any given time on the MUD there will be 10 half elves on, and 15 humans, and 1 orc and maybe a dwarf, but that's 27 people, in a world of apparent millions, and only 10 of those half elven. I see a lack of half-elven mobs [or maybe I just don't pay attention?] in the game, so I don't think that the "overpopulation" of the uncommon half-elf is really a problem. The "problem" with half elves is that no-one apparently knows how to play one [Which I disagree with, considering that it is a rare elf that will raise their half-human child, leading half-elves to, yes, be raised by, and act like, pointy eared humans.]

Perhaps the -real- problem is that no-one apparently knows how to play WITH one. I agree that there should be more general distrust, dislike, or even outright persecution towards half-elves considering the stance of most societies on the little "abominations". So, in this light, I vote no. There should not be a kismet cost to play as a half elf, but more a general understanding of how to treat one.

[Vibius]

I'm pretty sure that people knows how to play with half-elves, the problem is that in a cosmopolite city such as Waterdeep you have a half-elf each 13 humans, and of 100 citiziens in Waterdeep, 5 would be half-elves, which is fairly spread from the actual stadistics in FK, where actually half-elves could* outnumber humans at any time.

Part of the special RP associated to half-elves is that they are treated differently because among other things, they are fairly uncommon, if they become so common they lose great part of what causes others treat them differently, specially if they are raised by humans**, yes, the player base doesn't represent the full demographics of Faerun, but for the most part you are stuck to play with players.

*This has changed of late, so this discussion doesn't make as much justice as it would made time ago.

**Even raised by humans, half-elves are always more than a simple human, in general their nature and conduct in part, represents part of the nature and conduct of elves, enough to be considered by humans not humans enough, and in the same way, they borrow from his human nature, making elves consider them, not elves enough. Player Handbook Dixit.

[Selveem]

The more I think about it, the less I believe there should be a Kismet requirement and/or cost for Halfelves.

I understand that the quality of roleplay is at question, but I don't believe that in-game there are enough interactions (mob, PC, or other material provided in-game) to really allow people who have even played for 100 hours to know how a Halfelf would truly be treated or how they would react.

Unless this is changed, even a 100 Kismet cost cannot (in my opinion) be justified.

[Oghma]

When I am in doubt of how to roleplay a race or characteristic, I use the helpfiles associated. These ones are short and to the point, outlining rp, appearance and generalities.

Common Half elves
=================
Half-elves are the offspring from a human and elf parent. Like humans they
are a rather diverse group depending upon what traits they inherited from their
parents and what type of elven blood they have running in them. They are not
as hardy as a human nor as elegant as an elf. Many half-elves feel excluded
from both the human and elf society. They are generally well recieved among
humans and most have a tougher time gaining acceptence from the wary elves.
Usually they will attach themselves to one of those communities, but there are
a few stable half-elf communities around Faerun.

Half-elf personality
====================
Most half-elves are loners because of their unique parentage, although
many find a place for themselves among humans or elves. Many have felt
the call of their elven blood and live lonely lives in the woods becoming
druids or rangers. Half-elves in Cormyr, the Dalelands, the High Forest,
and Silverymoon, however, will find much more acceptance than their solitary
counterparts. All of the mentioned lands contain a rather large population
of half-elves.

Halfelves - Physical description
================================
All half-elves have slightly pointed ears and their facial features are
smoother than that of a humans. They are almost always a bit stockier than
elves and many times stronger. Depending on their elven parent half-elves
can look very different from each other. Half-elf drow tend to have dusky
skin, silver or white hair, and human eye color. Moon half-elves have pale
skin with a tinge of blue around the ears and chin. Gold half-elves have
bronze skin. Wood half-elves have a coppery skin, tinged with green.

[Isaldur]

Part of the special RP associated to half-elves is that they are treated differently because among other things, they are fairly uncommon, if they become so common they lose great part of what causes others treat them differently, specially if they are raised by humans**, yes, the player base doesn't represent the full demographics of Faerun, but for the most part you are stuck to play with players.

How does a kismet cost force players to adhere to what you believe is "special roleplay"?