Hello there! I was thinking about something that, at least, I feel is fairly interesting and may do some things to help out 'around the house' for both players and DMs. I'll try and make this short and sweet.
We all know there are certain races, monstrous and otherwise that require a little work in the OOC area to set up. Sometimes you reaaaallly need a DM - for something like an appearance change or what have you. This is mostly an issue of Caliban and some of the less-than-human species like Tiefling.
Why not have it set up so that people can do this themselves during the character making process? Since we have three base appearances a caliban can undertake: half-orc, gnome, and dwarf - why not have a menu option or peaceable up there that allows you to change your own appearance? This will take a lot a work off the hands of DMs so they can continue being merrymen and merrywomen.
The same could be done for some races that may require DM assistance - like tieflings and what have you that may need horns or a tail. If players can do this themselves - it gives less work, more DM stuff is now possible.
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The next part of this suggestion goes in hand with the former. Since we have these options to add new appearances: Some might consider that while some people are approved to be these things, that there may be an abuse. An over-abundance of freakish caliban and demonspawn with way to crazy appearances.
Well why not account for that in the system?
Caliban could have two options:
Caliban: This option sets your OCR in Barovia one or two steps away from being auto-hostile to the NPCs within. This doesn't entirely give you the 'free card' where you can ignore NPCs but is meant to allow Caliban the ability to be surface dwellers. This is meant to allow them to be like some of the caliban and freaks that are tolerated like Rulinus and the Forfarian giant in the Blue Water. The caveat is these guys are more or less stuck to your 'traditional' appearance. You get no cool wings or laser eyes. You're more or less 'normal looking' except maybe your face is messed up, or you have a weird limp, you're way too big, etc, etc. You are given the step of 'one away from kicked out' to impress on you your place in society. Couple this with NPCs who may not talk to you regardless and it sets a dynamic for people to be able to play as caliban, without being incredibly lonely and I think sets the tone up very well for a caliban in Barovia. This however doesn't protect them from IC mistreatment and abuse by Barovian people and Garda.
Caliban Freak: Caliban freak is someone who has an auto OCR jump that makes them instant hostile. They are given one 'appearance option' extra that also, if they choose, further and permanently raises their OCR. They have their choice of something like horns, and are allowed to have 'goat legs' and whatnot. They don't have to be this freakish, but these can be the outright sewer dwellers and allow for a darker, more outcast roll. These beings are not trying to live among the normies and they shun them.
For Tieflings, Fey'ri, Aasimar, and Tanarukkh (and any other monsterous or deadly type outcast races we might have hidden): The option to give themselves up to two extra appearance options at the cost of a permanent OCR increase. IE, If you want horns, there is an OCR hike, if you want wings, there is a hike. These add together, or can be left out. Tieflings would be unique in that they can choose options that don't necessarily raise their OCR too much like: Casts no shadow, casts no reflection. These allow for the secretive and less-than obvious tieflings. Tieflings are not just horned freaks and some live 'somewhat' normal lives in societies because of their more or less normal appearance. What people don't know, allows them not to kill you yet. Hahah.
This also allows people who have the 'itch' to have tails (which can't be hidden) or those massive (and awesome) horn models, be set up in a way that accurately represents those traits. OCR hikes gives them an incentive to be responsible.
I think tieflings and aasimar should be given the same OCR level, or at least 'normalized' in character creation. While one is 'good' and one is 'bad' they both have freakish traits that I feel would unnerve xenophobic Barovians and human-supremecists alike.
Could half-elves be given the option to choose between their human appearance and elven appearance? Perhaps if you choose the elven one you are given the elven OCR. It is said that half-elves end up looking like one or the other. Since there was made no actual 'in between', why not give us the choice to choose since half-elf is just human appearance.
I suggest this as a means to help DMs cut down on their 'work time' so they can play with us more.
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Other ideas that I thought about while writing this up, and kinda tacked in:
How about the ability to choose your spawn point to any domain (excluding Perfidus, yikes!).
I'd also like to see the OCR system developed for other domains, which don't really have functioning systems yet. Places like Hazlan who as of yet don't really care about your base race and are not entirely too hateful of non-humans.
Maybe an OCR based system for all races like: "Scars" - your character has scars on their face and as such get a bonus of + 4 to antagonize, but a permnanet OCR increase of +1. Stuff like that.
