Of course a player can do whatever they want with a character. The question is not can they, but should they?
Ultimately, though, it comes down to the effects on other players and how that impacts your RP. Beyond having to tell everyone you meet once (and possibly more than once!) that your pugilist arms are actually knives, or that the lance on your back is actually a broadsword, or what have you, deviations like that cause OOC issues. Players who hew extremely strictly to lore will say, "No one gets to use broadswords, so you're violating lore, and we're done" -- or "I'm sorry, but that is a lance. Are you touched?" Players who comment on how cool your gloves are have to be corrected OOCly and a brief retcon performed. New RPers won't know what to make of all of this and may just say it's too hard to get involved in RP with you. All of these little things add up, and there's a real risk of being segregated from the rest of the RP community because of them. Whether that matters to a player is up to them to decide.
Also, I'm not sure where you get this idea that there are "people who don't have the imagination to simply picture you with a different weapon". The issue isn't that people don't have the imagination to do that. The issue is that there are real problems that occur in RP when you RP something that isn't how you actually appear in game. IMO, unless you're getting something just extraordinary out of it narratively, there's no reason to do it.
Ultimately, though, it comes down to the effects on other players and how that impacts your RP. Beyond having to tell everyone you meet once (and possibly more than once!) that your pugilist arms are actually knives, or that the lance on your back is actually a broadsword, or what have you, deviations like that cause OOC issues. Players who hew extremely strictly to lore will say, "No one gets to use broadswords, so you're violating lore, and we're done" -- or "I'm sorry, but that is a lance. Are you touched?" Players who comment on how cool your gloves are have to be corrected OOCly and a brief retcon performed. New RPers won't know what to make of all of this and may just say it's too hard to get involved in RP with you. All of these little things add up, and there's a real risk of being segregated from the rest of the RP community because of them. Whether that matters to a player is up to them to decide.
Also, I'm not sure where you get this idea that there are "people who don't have the imagination to simply picture you with a different weapon". The issue isn't that people don't have the imagination to do that. The issue is that there are real problems that occur in RP when you RP something that isn't how you actually appear in game. IMO, unless you're getting something just extraordinary out of it narratively, there's no reason to do it.
The Freelance Wizard
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
