skin color restrictions

[Waldo52]

The skin color restrictions that have been imposed are a little difficult. It would be one thing if we at least had the ability to cycle through a "next acceptable skin color" option, but I find myself standing in front of the prismatic mirror, typing in a number and getting "invalid selection" over and over.

Are the acceptable skin colors even listed anywhere?

As for feedback on colors that should be allowed:

126 and 127 are perfect lore appropriate skin tones for a drow, but they're blocked.

12, 168 and 158 are totally reasonable Caucasian skin tones for a human but they're blocked.

16 is a little more out there, but I think it's a flavorful skin tone for a vitamin D deprived basement dweller and I'd say reasonable for the underdark. It was blocked for humans.

[Whosdis]

The skin color restrictions are really bad. It's for some reason impossible to make a fair-skinned Sun Elf now. I'm loathe to use the "wiki" for any sort of sourcing and going back to primary sources but all it takes is a glance to see that, yes, Sun Elves can be fair-skinned (and that happens to be the majority of their depictions).

Why are the provided options deep olive or darker?

Honestly, I have to go back and addend that this is one of the worst changes on this server at any time, ever.

[Itikar]

Since the wild elf award lock I have never seen big issues with skin colors not matching the lore of the race.

If it is as you describe, it feels a bit too restrictive indeed.

[Spriggan Bride]

I tested it a little and I have to agree the restrictions are too confining. There are a lot of colors that should be acceptable that aren’t. I also wonder about cases like wanting to play unusual but legal characters like, for example, a gnome pale master with skin that’s more pale and grey than normal.

I think you ought to get a warning if you use a color that isn’t recommended. Not an outright block.

[Kalopsia]

I tested it a little and I have to agree the restrictions are too confining. There are a lot of colors that should be acceptable that aren’t. I also wonder about cases like wanting to play unusual but legal characters like, for example, a gnome pale master with skin that’s more pale and grey than normal.

I think you ought to get a warning if you use a color that isn’t recommended. Not an outright block.

As written in the original announcement, we're willing to consider lore-appropriate additions to the list.

To make this process easier, please use the following template:

• Character Race: Moon Elf
• Award Template: Fire Genasi
• Missing Colour: 65
• Screenshot: [insert image that shows the colour in-game]

[The GrumpyCat]

Who are they sending the template to? Or is it to be posted here?

[Kalopsia]

Who are they sending the template to? Or is it to be posted here?

In here. We'll review them and expand the validation lists of each race accordingly.

[Whosdis]

Character Race: Sun Elf
Award Template: N/a
Missing Colour: 0, 1, 2

Screenshots omitted, it's the default warm tone fair skin option descending to get darker.

[Whosdis]

Character Race: Sun Elf
Award Template: N/a
Missing Colour: 0, 1, 2

Screenshots omitted, it's the default warm tone fair skin option descending to get darker.

These still aren't implemented? Been putting off making a wizard to have fun with the recent CL changes because of this.

[Kalopsia]

Character Race: Sun Elf
Award Template: N/a
Missing Colour: 0, 1, 2

Screenshots omitted, it's the default warm tone fair skin option descending to get darker.

These still aren't implemented? Been putting off making a wizard to have fun with the recent CL changes because of this.

We've reviewed these suggestions and decided to enable colour 2 for them. That change was already supposed to be in, but your comment made me double check and there's been a typo with the addition. Will be fixed soon.

[Whosdis]

Character Race: Sun Elf
Award Template: N/a
Missing Colour: 0, 1, 2

Screenshots omitted, it's the default warm tone fair skin option descending to get darker.

These still aren't implemented? Been putting off making a wizard to have fun with the recent CL changes because of this.

We've reviewed these suggestions and decided to enable colour 2 for them. That change was already supposed to be in, but your comment made me double check and there's been a typo with the addition. Will be fixed soon.

Just 2?

Sun Elves are ruined and Aryvandaar is dead. Long live Ilythiir!

[Amateur Hour]

These still aren't implemented? Been putting off making a wizard to have fun with the recent CL changes because of this.

We've reviewed these suggestions and decided to enable colour 2 for them. That change was already supposed to be in, but your comment made me double check and there's been a typo with the addition. Will be fixed soon.

Just 2?

Sun Elves are ruined and Aryvandaar is dead. Long live Ilythiir!

Sun elves are, per lore, "bronze-skinned." 0 and 1 definitely do not qualify as "bronze" by any definition.

[silverpheonix]

These still aren't implemented? Been putting off making a wizard to have fun with the recent CL changes because of this.

We've reviewed these suggestions and decided to enable colour 2 for them. That change was already supposed to be in, but your comment made me double check and there's been a typo with the addition. Will be fixed soon.

Just 2?

Sun Elves are ruined and Aryvandaar is dead. Long live Ilythiir!

You know, that's not the nicest way to say whatever it is you were trying to say.

[Kythana]

Unless we take bronze to mean "dark bronze", as in the deepest hue possible, I don't really see why 0,1 and 117 (and possibly others) shouldn't be allowed. For comparison, this is official artwork of a sun elf in Player's Guide to Faerun.

I did a comparison as well, with 117 being the bottom left corner 1 bottom right, and 2 top right.

Not only are these pretty similar overall, but some of the ones being disallowed are actually darker hued than the one depicted, thus closer to the traditional bronze look.

From Lost Empires of Faerun, under sun elf tag. The bronze hue in this case is also depicted similarly lightly.

[Kythana]

Hello, just looking for an update on this! I feel like my comment provided accurate, lore-friendly justifications for why these other skin colors should be allowed.

I do not see them enabled ingame however.

[Twohand]

Hello, just looking for an update on this! I feel like my comment provided accurate, lore-friendly justifications for why these other skin colors should be allowed.

I do not see them enabled ingame however.

We'll take a look at it this weekend, we have received more color suggestions for other races too. We'll review them.

[LivelyParticle]

I'll just leave this here.

High Elven Halls, Guldorand.

[Peacewhisper]

I'll just leave this here.

High Elven Halls, Guldorand.

For the low cost of one Normal Reward anyone can play this totally lore accurate character:

[Rubricae]

I tested it a little and I have to agree the restrictions are too confining. There are a lot of colors that should be acceptable that aren’t. I also wonder about cases like wanting to play unusual but legal characters like, for example, a gnome pale master with skin that’s more pale and grey than normal.

I think you ought to get a warning if you use a color that isn’t recommended. Not an outright block.

As written in the original announcement, we're willing to consider lore-appropriate additions to the list.

To make this process easier, please use the following template:

• Character Race: Moon Elf
• Award Template: Fire Genasi
• Missing Colour: 65
• Screenshot: [insert image that shows the colour in-game]

in that case

Race: Tiefling
Award Template: Still Tiefling
Missing Colour: 60
Screenshot:

[Ork]

I would like to posit that half-orc and orog are allowed to receive colors 32-35 green.

Physically, an orog looks similar to a large mountain orc, except that the ears are somewhat larger, and their eyes are huge and pale. They average six and a half feet tall.

Mountain orcs have green-gray skin, and 35 is probably the best representation of this. Any skin tone that's applicable to half-orc should also be applicable to orog.

[stoneheart-]

The moon elf selection offers some truly silly blues that ought to be reserved for Planetouched, honestly.

[magick in theory and practice]

I think planetouched backgrounds should just be base race plus way more choices for skin tone that are not just one or two colors as to actually let you choose more from whatever fiend/deity/thing you are related to. Feels too samey for something that isn't meant to be samey especially between races.

Like you can even be a normal looking human guy most cases in tabletop and just not have a shadow. (Which would also be much cooler if we could just choose stuff like that - have a tail, have wings, have horn heads unlocked - missing shadows, yada yada).

[Dancing]

116-123 should probably be allowed for any race that has earth relatable skin color. These colors are more palatable on a lot of the character models.

[Waldo52]

I actually respect the intention behind the policing of skin tones. A human should not be walking around with bright purple skin. But this is one of those things that you either put ridiculous effort into as a developer, or just don't do at all.

I admire the idea behind this change, and I like that the team have listened to feedback from posters like myself to the tune of "X race should be allowed to present with Y skin tone".

That said, who wants to be that guy who holds off on making a character so that you can make a suggestion or feedback thread with the hope that maybe, just maybe, a developer hears your grievance, approves of your particular skin tone for your particular race and tells the right guy to input the code? It almost feels like taking off of work to go to the department of motor vehicles to grab a ticket and wait on line. With the added fun of knowing that your number might never be called. This is a video game. Video games are supposed to be fun.

I think that the proliferation of threads like this proves that the skin tone change was a mistake. A good old fashioned talking-to by the DM and mandated skin color change in the case of wacky decisions is objectively the best way to police these things.

[Twohand]

I would like to posit that half-orc and orog are allowed to receive colors 32-35 green.

Physically, an orog looks similar to a large mountain orc, except that the ears are somewhat larger, and their eyes are huge and pale. They average six and a half feet tall.

Mountain orcs have green-gray skin, and 35 is probably the best representation of this. Any skin tone that's applicable to half-orc should also be applicable to orog.

These will be added.

The moon elf selection offers some truly silly blues that ought to be reserved for Planetouched, honestly.

Yes, they will be removed.

I think planetouched backgrounds should just be base race plus way more choices for skin tone

That's how it works at the moment.

116-123 should probably be allowed for any race that has earth relatable skin color. These colors are more palatable on a lot of the character models.

Do you have in mind any races that should have those colors but don't use them yet?

I think that the proliferation of threads like this proves that the skin tone change was a mistake.

Threads like this with feedback and suggestions for skin tone addition/removal are welcome.