Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly  You are right. A female fighter wearing plate armor, wielding a heavy greatsword, and lifting 500lb of inventory is a joke, even in a fantasy world. I would restrict females to leather or chain armor but compensate with higher resistances and better saving throws. Naturally, a female will be a worse choice for a fighter but a better choice for a rogue or a mage. You don't mind a racial difference or a "preferred class" in D&D (elf=wizard, dwarf=fighter, halfling=rogue) because you take it for granted, yet the gender difference is even more natural.
As for a "place in a universe" (I assume we are talking about fantasy) I would remind you about dark elves and their Matriarchal society.  |
Well, honestly, no man, however strong, could ever travel with that inventory. We accept it mostly because we don't want to think about it, and that it usually doesn't matter much regarding gameplay. The difference in absurdity between a human male and a female carrying all that gear while travelling on foot through difficult terrain for an extended period of time is the difference between impossible and undoable.
As long as we are talking about a traditional fantasy RPG, I sugest letting people have that ultra-strong female warrior if they want it. Even if she is stronger than any woman has ever been, it matters little.
But my example above was a
historical RPG. A female samurai og knight would go against the story. (Though there have been a few female samurai - check Tomoe Gozen on Wikipedia). The drow society you mention would contain other limitations regarding gender.
Basically I am saying that gender differences are fine with me, if they are incorporated properly in the setting, but otherwise, designers should forget about them.