Talk:Early Artificial Experiment (5e Race)

Yes, this is definitely an improvement over the genetic experiment page. Nicely done. 2601:285:4100:14B0:7FC5:4BE9:1B20:1BD9 15:59, 20 October 2024 (MDT)

5e isn't exactly built for mix-n-match so freely, unlike other systems that have point-based character trait buy (shadowrun, gurps, etc.). This also uses a Homebrew meter, which has merit, but I don't think this is foolproof. The meter has also been a bit outdated possibly iirc.--Yanied (talk) 18:35, 20 October 2024 (MDT)

Then, it's problem of not the race, but of that meter. Also, it has mechanics for a race - that mechanic being the "mix-n-match for all your optimization purposes" - as the point of it is what it's both in-universe and out-of-universe made for optimized units. 95.71.119.203 07:00, 25 October 2024 (MDT)

'Just build the rest of the race yourself' is not a mechanic. You can't draw a circle and call it an owl, then expect anyone who wants to see it to draw the rest themselves. This page is devoid of meaningful content. --Nuke The Earth (talk) 13:11, 25 October 2024 (MDT)

How does the concept of this page contrast with, say, Custom Lineage from Tasha's? --ZarHakkar (talk) 15:11, 25 October 2024 (MDT)

Custom Lineage is an ASI and a feat, not a point-based algorithm accounting for natural armor, darkvision, flying, climbing, and swim speeds, racial magic, and the majority of all other traits found in first-party content. Anyone willing to go through the process of assembling a race using a homebrew guideline may as well write up a bit of fluff for them and post them. This page is essentially redundant to the Musicus Meter and serves solely as an arrow pointing it out to other users, and while I do not consider it a bad thing for the meter to be more widely known, I do consider it a bad thing for a race page to be entirely absent of mechanics. Telling someone to go make a race themselves does not a race make. It's nice to have as a variant rule, but that variant rule should be listed as a variant rule, not a race, and a variant rule page that said nothing but 'use the Musicus Meter to build your own race instead of using a core race' would be redundant content to the page the Musicus Meter is on.
As Yanied pointed out, the granularity of inserting such a system into the game does not fit the design philosophy of 5e. The meter is useful for homebrewers as a guideline, because we already delve into the crunch of the system on the regular and have a familiarity for, and comfort with, its mechanics. Expecting any user who may stumble across this page to be able or willing to use the meter would be fallacious at best, much less expecting their GM to allow a wholly custom race in the first place. --Nuke The Earth (talk) 18:28, 25 October 2024 (MDT)

"Just build the rest of the race yourself" is a mechanic. Technically, this is just a race with infinitely many possible subraces. Pre-built races are too strict, restricted, narrow, and unoptimized. They have a lot of abilities what uselessly waste Musicus points. And they have too small amount of choices: "this subrace or that subrace". Using wholly custom race is not always possible; Early Artificial Experiment is good justification to it. So, "make your own race within Musicus meter" allows for greater optimization, versatility, and diversity. 95.71.119.203 01:30, 26 October 2024 (MDT)

You fail to acknowledge my point, and your obsession with optimization is frankly unhealthy - and I say that as someone who does prefer to optimize my characters within the bounds of the game. This page is redundant content and its existence is therefore unnecessary. --Nuke The Earth (talk) 08:36, 26 October 2024 (MDT)