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[Phaezen]

Originally quoted from this article:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...spot/20081112a

Originally Posted by WOTC

Wizards of the Coast: Let’s take a step back into general 4th Edition design philosophy… what can you tell us about the rationale for “power sources”—why were they created, what did you hope to accomplish with them, and how is the “martial” power source best defined?
Rob Heinsoo: Power sources are a way of describing the magical rules and flavor of our world while grouping classes who share some fundamental aspect of their approach to their power. The D&D world already contained the notion that some characters used arcane magic while others used divine magic; we just extended that notion to cover all our characters and to organize our class creation as the game develops over the years.

Originally Posted by justanobody

Power sources give everyone magical abilities across the classes. That doesn't represent reality, or the genre. Power sources are where the powers are derived from, so the concept that a fighter is using some innate magic ability to perform these power is the furthest thing I want from a fighter to be doing. There is no option within the powers system to allow for a fighter, or any other class that doesn't use magic unless they just forsake taking any powers, and then you would have people griping they are "not effective in combat".

A winning argument, too be sure. However, if you were to look at the paragraph after the one you quoted:

Originally Posted by WOTC

Martial classes get most of their personal power from skill that may start as innate but increases as a matter of constant training. Compared to all the other power sources, the martial power source doesn’t tend to look or feel magical. But since it’s the type of highly skilled weapon training that occurs in a world that’s full of magic, there are effects created by highly skilled martial characters that would certainly seem magical if they were occurring in our world. Unlike all the other power sources, the powers used by martial characters don’t have obvious magical special effects, no flashing auras, or looming spirits, or rays and bolts, or even after-effect images of an incredibly fast sword. Martial powers look like powers that a warrior or rogue in our non-magical world might use, even if they accomplish things that people in our world would have almost no chance of accomplishing.

Martial power comes from the innate skill and training. IN the same way the abilities of a skilled performer (acrobat, gymnast, olympic athlete, stunt artist, musician, etc, etc, etc) may appear magical and beyond the abilities of the common man in the street. From paragon tier onwards, the powers do start gaining a bit of a extraordinary or supernatural feeling, but then again at these levels your hero is more than a mere human.

Phaezen