Well, the way I interpret it is this: the clarity is just to keep a beleagured DM from going crazy when faced with a totally unexpected situation. The DM is, of course, God, so any abuse or pushing of the rules gets a swift kick of divine retribution.
I find that players are least likely to be resentful if I can make the retribution as creative and as fitting as possible. If I simply say, “No, you can’t do that,” often they’ll get angry and argue with me. If I say, “You do that, but…” then it becomes an interesting part of the game.
I try to allow most optional things, if I can (except psionics, which I detest because they never fit well in my game worlds). If a character wanted to be a magical beast, I’d let them – but I’d expect their appearance to become somehow more bestial, and they’d fall into situations normal humans wouldn’t have to worry about (like a magical trap that adds beasts and magical beasts to a wizard’s private zoo, for example…)
I’ve really never played a D&D game, so I don’t know if these are playable:
[ul]
[li]An intelligent stop sign who speaks only the language of corn[/li][li]A bag of were-Doritos[/li][li]A chaotic evil cable modem with the ability to summon a frightening Anne Geddes photo[/li][li]The Crrrguonnnn, which is a beast with the head and body of Strom Thurmond, only with slightly more hair around the navel[/li][/ul]
What the hell. This is a silly thread, so let’s give this a shot
[QUOTE=Jpeg Jones]
[ul]
[li]An intelligent stop sign who speaks only the language of corn[/ul][/li][/quote]
This is probably an “incarnate construct” alluded to earlier. I don’t have the The Savage Species manual, so I couldn’t tell you the specifics. If a player was really willing to sacrifice their ability to speak for a continually operating speak with plants spell that only works on corn, go right ahead.
Life span: 2 adventures, tops.
Developing a “were-Dorito” template might take some doing. I suspect the lycanthropic form would have no Strength and Dexterity score at all, being totally immobile. The question then becomes, “Does eating a lycanthrope spread lycanthropy to the creature doing the eating?”
Life span: Until the party first encounters a gang of hungry orcs.
[quote]
[li]A chaotic evil cable modem with the ability to summon a frightening Anne Geddes photo[/li][/quote]
Cable modems – and modems of any kind – are always evil.
Another incarnate construct, this one without anything resembling even one leg. Since I’m guessing you’re sacrificing mobility, I’ll let you have the power to cast scare at will, giving opponants who fail their will save a -2 morale penalty on attacks. Since you have no way to defend, the penalty won’t help you too much unless you have companions willing to stick their necks out to save an evil modem.
Life span: Until the first battle.
Any honest answer I could come up for this one would probably get me flamed for disrespect to the dead…
