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Extreme examples have their place to show where things will lead if lines are not drawn. When one person says a human with cat ears is ok, the next guy might want claws and a tail too. when he gets the ok the next one will say a catfolk is not far off that. when that gets ok the next guy says that a bit more animal is not too different so he should get to play that, quickly followed by the awakened cat then the half celestial awakened cat etc. Incremental jumps can lead to huge leaps too.
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Reskinned or not, your Xling is identifiable as a Xling unless you use the mechanics not to.
This becomes important when factoring a whole range of game mechanics, and especially so in combat. People will respond to a 10 year old weak sickly child one way, and a Sylph in quite another. That is mechanical advantage for free. Certain regions will respond to certain races in certain ways, but if you are now 'just a little girl' and bypass that, then its a mechanical advantage for free.
It's not always about getting an extra benefit (like wings and tail as you suggest) its just as often about side-stepping negatives.
True but if the character is always "just a little girl" even when it is a huge penalty is that not mechanical penalty for mechanical bonus so it is fair? As long as it is consistent at least
Reskinned or not, your Xling is identifiable as a Xling unless you use the mechanics not to.
This becomes important when factoring a whole range of game mechanics, and especially so in combat. People will respond to a 10 year old weak sickly child one way, and a Sylph in quite another. That is mechanical advantage for free. Certain regions will respond to certain races in certain ways, but if you are now 'just a little girl' and bypass that, then its a mechanical advantage for free.
It's not always about getting an extra benefit (like wings and tail as you suggest) its just as often about side-stepping negatives.
That's really a game style thing. Many GMs are quite happy with handwaving, for example, a half-elf (or anything else that looks sufficiently human) wearing a hood being mistaken for a human (assuming the NPCs nearby have no reason to suspect otherwise and aren't paying any special attention) without feeling the need to bring the rulebook into it, and letting narrative and common sense override the game side of things when it feels right to do so. In that game style, the GM sees themselves as the final arbiter of reality, with the rulebook just there to suggest mechanics for deciding arbitrary results.
Not everyone likes that style of play, but bear in mind that many prefer it to letting the rules decide everything.
Sure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
Handwaving and fluff is one thing, getting that bit extra for free is really quite another. I'm sure we would be in agreement here.
Anyhow, think we've covered all the bases?
No ones handing out power attack for free?
Good.
As I say, pay the cost for it and that's fine, but lets not otherwise try and just fluff away what there are fixed mechanics for.
Edit: That trait also makes you count as Humanoid, so some of those funky defences become nullified too.
i'd rather take a Scion of humanity type racial than spend a feat
the defenses of type sacrificed are a more valid cost for passing for human or even a childlike one than a feat is.
if a cost is attached
i'd rather that Scion of humanity (or something like it) be available to all races of human ancestry.
Sure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
Handwaving and fluff is one thing, getting that bit extra for free is really quite another. I'm sure we would be in agreement here.
Anyhow, think we've covered all the bases?
look at how few half-orcs really take pass for human
it's not very powerful as a feat. a feat is too excessive a price to pay when characters get so few. if feats were more plentiful (like triple the standard amount) i'd consider it
a scion of humanity style alternate racial, or a trait with a secondary boon, would be a more appropriate tax
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Sure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
Handwaving and fluff is one thing, getting that bit extra for free is really quite another. I'm sure we would be in agreement here.
Anyhow, think we've covered all the bases?
look at how few half-orcs really take pass for human
it's not very powerful as a feat. a feat is too excessive a price to pay when characters get so few. if feats were more plentiful (like triple the standard amount) i'd consider it
a scion of humanity style alternate racial, or a trait with a secondary boon, would be a more appropriate tax
There is a trait that give half breeds a +4 to disguise
Sure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
Ahh, yep - absolutely. Once there's a reason for the NPCs to be suspicious or to start looking (or, of course, if it's a race that can't pass for human in a crowd to start with), then I bring in the disguise/perception rules.
There is a trait that give half breeds a +4 to disguiseSure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
Handwaving and fluff is one thing, getting that bit extra for free is really quite another. I'm sure we would be in agreement here.
Anyhow, think we've covered all the bases?
look at how few half-orcs really take pass for human
it's not very powerful as a feat. a feat is too excessive a price to pay when characters get so few. if feats were more plentiful (like triple the standard amount) i'd consider it
a scion of humanity style alternate racial, or a trait with a secondary boon, would be a more appropriate tax
i'd consider it if it allowed you to ignore the penalties for disguising yourself as a human as well.
but the scion of humanity style alternate racial does things a lot smoother. treats you as human for the purpose of effects and prerequisites, but makes you vulnerable to penalties that impact humans, meaning while you can be enlarged or reduced, you can also be charmed or dominated, and are vulnerable to human bane weapons and the like.
but personally, i'd rather fluff looking sufficiently human, if i can, to pass for human where it makes sense, unless some random NPC were doing full on awkward feeling around and such. but most NPCs shouldn't be inclined to do that much touchy feely on a complete stranger.
Ahh, yep - absolutely. Once there's a reason for the NPCs to be suspicious or to start looking (or, of course, if it's a race that can't pass for human in a crowd to start with), then I bring in the disguise/perception rules.Sure, the half elf wearing the hood might be perfectly ok in the example you suggest and when it doesn't have an in-game effect, but when there is a valid (ie bad guys targeting spells etc) then it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
What I object to is the sidestepping of rules (or more important the sidestepping of the resource expense) to obtain an outcome. If I want power-attack for my warrior then I have to buy the Feat, if you want your Xling to pass as a Yrace when it might matter then you pay your cost too.
only should apply if it's a race that obviously isn't human, or the group has a reason to start groping around.
a sylph that looks sufficiently human shouldn't generally have to roll unless the NPC in question is really suspicious about her not being human and makes an effort to actually grope around and feel sections of her body because of his suspicion.
much like a tiefling or aasimaar with the right garments or a half-elf with a hood.
that fact you have a strong human heritage and a sufficiently human appearance should protect from rolling most disguise checks, unless there is a reason to actually be suspicious.
now, a player who describes his undine as being adorned with blue scales, wouldn't have this same priviledge, he actually focused more on the planar heritage rather than focusing on the human heritage.
You are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.
+4 to a skill is irrelevant when a Half-Nymph pretending to be a Half-Elf has a -10 penalty to the roll to pretend to be a race that looks nearly identical
much like allowing a changeling, dhampir, or aasimaar to pretend to be human, they look pretty much identical, why do they have a penalty to making themselves look like a nearly identical race?
You are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.
Actually its as much as most. +1 for trait bonus and +3 for making it in class. Unless someone's just looking to get a +1 trait bonus, then that's just weird imo. If its just for one particular thing then its actually weaker than most, which is pretty sad.
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You are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.+4 to a skill is irrelevant when a Half-Nymph pretending to be a Half-Elf has a -10 penalty to the roll to pretend to be a race that looks nearly identical
much like allowing a changeling, dhampir, or aasimaar to pretend to be human, they look pretty much identical, why do they have a penalty to making themselves look like a nearly identical race?
Its like a european with a tan trying to look african. In a crowd no one would think twice about the lighter skinned guy but anyone that actually LOOKS can tell clearly he is not. Sure with makeup maybe, but that is a disguise check. And that is less of a difference than what you are talking about
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You are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.Actually its as much as most. +1 for trait bonus and +3 for making it in class. Unless someone's just looking to get a +1 trait bonus, then that's just weird imo. If its just for one particular thing then its actually weaker than most, which is pretty sad.
No it is a +4. yeah it is only to look like one specific race but that is a trait that gives beter than a +3 that skill focus does so still not bad if you really care about passing for human.
Its like a european with a tan trying to look african. In a crowd no one would think twice about the lighter skinned guy but anyone that actually LOOKS can tell clearly he is not. Sure with makeup maybe, but that is a disguise check. And that is less of a difference than what you are talking aboutYou are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.+4 to a skill is irrelevant when a Half-Nymph pretending to be a Half-Elf has a -10 penalty to the roll to pretend to be a race that looks nearly identical
much like allowing a changeling, dhampir, or aasimaar to pretend to be human, they look pretty much identical, why do they have a penalty to making themselves look like a nearly identical race?
i am not comparing a european with a tan trying to look african, i'm trying to figure out why 2 races that look pretty close to being exactly the same and have extremely similar mannerisms have to roll.
one of the fluff benefits of playing a planetouched, is that you have descriptive liberty in what your planetouched looks like, the strength of their planar heritage, and whether you focus on the human portion or the planar portion. in fact, most planetouched are raised by humans, and look pretty darn similar, unless they choose to have something obviously nonhuman visible such as wings or a tail, they shouldn't be forced to roll unless the NPC is really skeptical of their humanity. description is a strength of the racial group
making a planetouched have to take a feat or trait tax, or spend skill points to pass themselves off something they look really similar to, is like making a feat called "Extra Tall" that allowed you to play a character 6 inches taller than normal
i don't think a feat tax should be required for something as fluff based as appearance. i can understand the appearance feat if it had multiple secondary benefits that weren't "you look like X" and had real legitimate bonuses
feat taxing a character to have a specific appearance is really unimaginative, imagine if all humans had brown eyes and they had to spend a feat to gain blue eyes. this is my opinion of the skill tax or feat tax or whatever for a planetouched to autopass as human.
you would agree it's silly for the human to waste a feat on having blue eyes? would you?
a tiefling or aasimaar, or sylph, or other planetouched that looks entirely human and acts human with maybe a different hair or eyecolor, or some easily concealable vestigial appendages, is no different than playing a human with blue eyes instead of brown eyes
when we are forced to resource tax characters for specific appearances, we are stripping away descriptive liberty, not giving it.
if a half-nymph wants to look like a half-elf child of 10-14 years, she should be allowed to. it's not like describing a characters appearance a certain way is going to ruin the campaign, just let the player use their preferred description
when i think of the people who want all their tieflings to have vestigial bat wings and prehensile tails, i think they are only doing that because they want their NPCs to be able to metagame and say "kill the tiefling first" despite the fact, that how tieflings were written, they have the option of looking entirely human on a cosmetic level, just like the other planetouched and other human hybrids. sometimes, which genes are dominant might vary.
i don't like it when you can "mouseover" a character in "thumbnal view", click and check a window showing their name, their gender, their race, their class, their equipped items, and the entirety of their inventory. it ruins the freedom of table top roleplay.
if a race is overpowered mechanically, you should balance them with mechanical adjustments, don't use prejudice or racial distrust as a means to balance their racial advantages.
just like i shouldn't have to invest X in charisma to have Y appearance, i shouldn't have to invest X skill points, Y Feats or Z traits to have the desired appearance
appearance should be cosmetic, it shouldn't be the focus of a game for hours, in fact, the effort in denying a character their descriptive liberty, consumes more table time than it's worth. especially when it's an appearance the race has the option of possessing by default.
No it is a +4. yeah it is only to look like one specific race but that is a trait that gives beter than a +3 that skill focus does so still not bad if you really care about passing for human.You are asking to fluff the crunch. just be good at disguise. The trait is a +4 to a skill, more than any trait so that should be seen as good.Actually its as much as most. +1 for trait bonus and +3 for making it in class. Unless someone's just looking to get a +1 trait bonus, then that's just weird imo. If its just for one particular thing then its actually weaker than most, which is pretty sad.
what's it called and what book is it in?
but in my opinion, i think a given race of human descent, should simply be able to fluff themselves as looking human enough and being raised by humans long enough to have human mannerisms, and by doing such, ignore the need for a disguise check entirely as long as they don't have anything excessively exotic
appearance choice should not be worth a feat, a trait, skill point expenditure or attribute expenditure.
passing for human is not a mechanical benefit, it's fluff, being identified as a planetouched is it's own Seperate set of edges and hinderances. passing for human is another and passing for a specific age category is a different set
the childlike and pass for human feats are as stupid of pointless feat taxes as making a feat for humans that made them 6 inches taller or a feat that gave them blue eyes instead of brown eyes
what's it called and what book is it in?
Almost Human from ultimate Campaign if I had to guess. Half-Orc only, unless your adopted. How that works is beyond me.
As far as disguising a half-whatever as a human goes, I think by RAW its a +5 for minor details and -2 for being a different race but otherwise no bonus or penalty, just awkward that you have to disguise yourself as yourself... If that makes sense. Its probably not an insane idea for a GM to raise or lower that penalty and bonus based on what your character looks like in the first place. The guy with six tails, spikes protruding from him and a crown of horns and four wings is probably going to have a harder time fitting in than the half elf. At least more than +5 difference I would think.
what's it called and what book is it in?Almost Human from ultimate Campaign if I had to guess. Half-Orc only, unless your adopted. How that works is beyond me.
As far as disguising a half-whatever as a human goes, I think by RAW its a +5 for minor details and -2 for being a different race but otherwise no bonus or penalty, just awkward that you have to disguise yourself as yourself... If that makes sense. Its probably not an insane idea for a GM to raise or lower that penalty and bonus based on what your character looks like in the first place. The guy with six tails, spikes protruding from him and a crown of horns and four wings is probably going to have a harder time fitting in than the half elf. At least more than +5 difference I would think.
i'll have to get that book. if i can save 50 dollars for it
the penalties don't seem as severe as i thought
so the petite half-nymph with 18 Cha and 1 rank disguising herself as a human child with this trait would have
+3 class skill
+4 trait
+4 Cha
+1 Rank
+5 minor details only
-2 different race
-2 different age category
or +13 on the die?
that seems doable
though penalties for drastically different or drastically similar races would have to be increased or decreased accordingly.
and the sylph with 12 cha and 1 rank would have
+1 rank
+3 class
+4 trait
+1 cha
+5 minor details
-2 race
-2 age category
or +10 on the dice
My super-powered catgirl Space Marine knows not of what you speak.
catgirl
the almost human trait can grant the following to disguise your catgirl in situations where she wishes to blend in
+3 class skill
+5 minor details only (Cat ears can be concealed under a soft fabric hat and a tail can be concealed beneath an ankle length skirt)
+4 trait
+? Ranks
+? Charisma
-2 race
or +10 before ranks, charisma, age category and gender
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one of the fluff benefits of playing a planetouched, is that you have descriptive liberty in what your planetouched looks like, the strength of their planar heritage, and whether you focus on the human portion or the planar portion.
And the minute you insist that the observer couldn't/shouldn't be able to immediately tell the difference is the same minute in which you are seeking free mechanical advantages under the banner of 'flavour', and this sort of shenanigans is a reason that there is a bunch of people that don't accept your choices.
Because as I say, not only do you not want the potential downside of your Xling to come into play from a social aspect, you also want a mechanical benefit in being targeted as a humanoid when the dice come rolling, but resist like an xling and not working as intended to the attackers.
Gouda topped with camembert.
If you are an xling, you are an xling and show up as such.
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Some of it, at least for our table, is a matter of where you are in the world. Just like the in the Real World having two sleeves of tattoos, eighteen piercings and a shirt that says "I heart Satan" won't crack the top ten of odd things seen on the street in a major city, in a smaller town you are going to draw attention. You're still a human, but your choices have drawn attention to you.
If you are constantly in a huge cowled robe with something swishing around near your bottom underneath, people are going to think/ask "What's the deal with the cloak?"
I guess my question/problem with it is, if the character is so close to human that they basically look human and their is no tell-tale sign of their other heritage, then why not play a human? Mechanical benefits? A one time character choice I could get behind, but if subsequent characters showed the same sort of thing I'd have to talk to the player and explain my point of view and try to make them understand that racial choices, like any choice, comes with good and bad sides, and that intentionally sidestepping them can irritate others at the table.
My super-powered catgirl Space Marine knows not of what you speak.
The catgirl Space Marine academy not teach anything about DnD and social mechanics? I'm sure its better than the stormtrooper marksman academy.
Gouda topped with camembert.
I have to ask, why is this about power gaming and not about someone wanting to play as what they want to? I don't see people on the thread saying "oh yeah, I want to play this awesome badass race that gives me a +4 strength and bonus feat but they take huge charisma penalties because they're uglier than sin! Lets just pretend I'm a regular bro with all the benefits but no charisma penalty." I see "Hey I like playing x because I can do y and z!"
On the topic of reskinning, does a human with an elf's stats really end the world as long as they're a human?
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You want to play a human, play one. would it be ok for people to say there elf, dwarf and catfolk are all close enough to being human that no one can tell they are not human? There are different because they ARE, you want a game where you pick what ability sets you want to match to whatever appearance you want this is not it. Your race is your race get over it. Or do what you need to to look different by the rules. why is that so hard to understand?
why is that so hard to understand?
Because its not what anyone is arguing against?
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why is that so hard to understand?Because its not what anyone is arguing against?
The lengthy conversation above would suggest otherwise, where xlings are trying to pass as human by handwaving mechanics in a game with mechanics for doing so - want that ability? pay for it.
What you seem to not consider here is that the whole 'I pass for a human for free' IS an advantage.
What happens when your 'totally looks like a human' gets targeted by an enemy caster who uses a Hold Person because you were apparently 'human'? Nothing, the caster loses a turn and a spell because your free fluff just scored you a bennie. Because your 'Human with Elf stats' is now immune to Sleep - which is information the enemy no longer has. The list can go on and on.
It's an advantahge, that's why there are codified rules for it, and that's why there is a resource cost for it - no surprise Umbriere doesn't like them, because its about gaining free advantages from relying on the handwave space.
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The lengthy conversation above would suggest otherwise, where xlings are trying to pass as human by handwaving mechanics in a game with mechanics for doing so - want that ability? pay for it.why is that so hard to understand?Because its not what anyone is arguing against?
Exactly. planetouched do have some creative wiggle room. they are still what they are and that is very much not human. Hell look at the sample picture, they are at those levels of not human.
one of the fluff benefits of playing a planetouched, is that you have descriptive liberty in what your planetouched looks like, the strength of their planar heritage, and whether you focus on the human portion or the planar portion.
And the minute you insist that the observer couldn't/shouldn't be able to immediately tell the difference is the same minute in which you are seeking free mechanical advantages under the banner of 'flavour', and this sort of shenanigans is a reason that there is a bunch of people that don't accept your choices.
Because as I say, not only do you not want the potential downside of your Xling to come into play from a social aspect, you also want a mechanical benefit in being targeted as a humanoid when the dice come rolling, but resist like an xling and not working as intended to the attackers.
Gouda topped with camembert.
If you are an xling, you are an xling and show up as such.
mr. sin found a solution, that while not perfect for me, is sufficient to get the fluff i desire at a reasonable price
the "almost human" trait from ultimate campaign. just open it up to planetouched and other human hybrids and i will be quite fine to takem it.
Exactly. planetouched do have some creative wiggle room. they are still what they are and that is very much not human. Hell look at the sample picture, they are at those levels of not human.The lengthy conversation above would suggest otherwise, where xlings are trying to pass as human by handwaving mechanics in a game with mechanics for doing so - want that ability? pay for it.why is that so hard to understand?Because its not what anyone is arguing against?
not every Undine is going to have blue scaly skin
not every ifrit has firey hair
not every tiefling has horns, hooves, wings or a tail
not every fetchling has grey skin and yellow eyes
i guess i'll settle for a trait tax in the form of Almost Human from ultimate campaign
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the "almost human" trait from ultimate campaign. just open it up to planetouched and other human hybrids and i will be quite fine to takem it.
Cool.
I have no problem when people allocate their resources to get their benefits :P
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the "almost human" trait from ultimate campaign. just open it up to planetouched and other human hybrids and i will be quite fine to takem it.Cool.
I have no problem when people allocate their resources to get their benefits :P
Exactly, and having a reason for things not being what they normally are.
Read the race descriptions. READ THEM. It clearly say how they are almost human looking but NOT. Would you argue that your elf has small ears so he can pass for human?
i wouldn't argue my elf has small ears
but i would argue that my planetouched characters planar heritage is more distant than most due to multiple generations of dilution as a justification to take the almost human trait which i was unaware existed.
i knew about the scion of humanity alternate racial ability, which i would have to modify to accommodate 9-12 new races
but the almost human trait seems fairer now that i know the disguise penalties for a tiefling or half elf to pretend to be human aren't so bad when you can milk a pretty hefty bonus out of the minor details only bonus and make a lot of cases for it.
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My super-powered catgirl Space Marine knows not of what you speak.The catgirl Space Marine academy not teach anything about DnD and social mechanics? I'm sure its better than the stormtrooper marksman academy.
Social Mechanics for Space Marines pretty much consists of:
KILL THE XENOS!!!
KILL THE CHAOS!!!
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From a mechanical standpoint, it's important that planetouched be visually recognizable as such. Being able to pass for human is potentially a major tactical advantage, since it means that enemy spellcasters may waste turns casting things like Hold Person and Dominate Person on you, which will have no effect at all on a native outsider.
I believe that under the rules for the knowledge skill, a planetouched individual, as an outsider with 0 racial HD, can be recognized as such with a DC 10 Knowledge (planes) check, which can be made untrained. That means that a commoner of average intelligence will have a decent chance of pretty much immediately recognizing an Aasimar, Tiefing, Undine, or what have you, upon first meeting them.
From a rules perspective, at least, planetouched are *much* less human than an elf or a halfling, because they're not even the same creature type.
Spot on.
I have a long-standing tiefling character, who looks almost identical to a blond Caucasian, except he has little ivory horns on his forehead and sweats powdered brimstone. He also has a headband of disguise, but since the GM has most outsiders identify his planar characteristics anyway, it's a running joke that the headband is clearly a Charm Person effect, as it almost never affects anyone who would care.
Because if thats what you allow, thats what you will get.
Ever wonder what the limit on a hat of disguise is?
To be fair, if the headband of disguise functions like a hat of disguise, then it can't let you not appear to be an outsider.
You know, that's an excellent point. We've been doing that way for so long (otherwise humanoid creatures being able to appear as humanoid-type creatures), I guess we didn't remember that that's technically not legal. I've had a neonate lich use the same magic item who appear as if he was still alive too, rather than the strictly legal "other undead" thing. That's also rather defanged my anecdote in this particular thread. :p
Well, he's an Eberron tiefling, resulting from his mother having an unrealised fiendish liaison, so I suppose having a magical handwave on the "not usually recognisable as non-human" front is more than balanced by the big evils of the setting (rakshasas, daelkyr etc.) usually ignoring the whole headband thing.
I still kind of made a mess of the whole "human-looking non-human" example though. :)
My super-powered catgirl Space Marine knows not of what you speak.
[offtopic]HERESY![/offtopic]
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One person's "extreme," is another person's "Tuesday morning." It's all subjective.
To you, the day the undead, half construct, half silver dragon tiefling character was introduced was the most important day of your life. To me, it was Tuesday.
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Personally, I'm vaguely upset that Han Solo, the Trandoshan private investigator having whacky adventures in 1890s San Francisco didn't make the list. :/
Also, I find that the extreme examples are usually brought up in response to blanket statements. In the former thread, people were seriously arguing that any GM who would say no to something rather than modify the campaign world to permit anything the players can possible think up, is a tyrannical jerk and a terrible human being.
If that'a true, then Steve the Aawakened Pony clearly wouldn't be disruptive to a game of Vampire unless the GM is doing something wrong. And there's your extreme examples. :)
It was actually a plot point in Golarion that people didn't know the difference between drow and other elves until certain events came rolling down. Someone who's never heard of Aasimar or Tieflings should NOT be automatically able to tell that the weird-looking Human / Elf / Whatever isn't actually that race at all. It's metagaming on part of the DM if everyone has an automatic race identification machine attached to their brains. It also robs you of the RP potential of a Tiefling of an Erinyes being mistaken for a holy being and other fun plots like that.
Except... not quite right is it?
They don't 'look the same'.
They don't need a race detector, they just need a 10 or better Int ie a normal brain.
Per the above:
"I believe that under the rules for the knowledge skill, a planetouched individual, as an outsider with 0 racial HD, can be recognized as such with a DC 10 Knowledge (planes) check, which can be made untrained. That means that a commoner of average intelligence will have a decent chance of pretty much immediately recognizing an Aasimar, Tiefing, Undine, or what have you, upon first meeting them."