While Martial Practices sound like a good idea in theory (it's good to have some trained stuff for martial classes) I'm not so sure I like how it's been done. One of the things I don't like is the following:
Time: Martial practices take time to perform. You might have to adopt the right physical and mental state, sweat over a forge to craft an item, or painstakingly camouflage your party's campsite.
Component Costs: Martial practices are strenuous. Unlike rituals, which require only a material component cost, most martial practices require an expenditure of healing surges. This cost reflects the strain on your body and mind.
Now, if Wizards wants us to believe that asking someone where the bathroom is, using only gestures and expressions is so mentally and physically taxing that it requires you to spend a healing surge, okay.
I might disagree with Wizards there but okay.
However, take a wizard who's creating a magical item. Even one as deceptively simple as one that can do fire damage at will.
The wizard has the sword, which has been suitably forged. Perhaps sharpened using ground up dragon teeth and such. The Wizard spends half an hour painstakingly drawing the right signs, sigils, runes and such using precious materials. Because God help them all if the powers invoked are not properly contained. He then, using nothing less then the power of his Arcane Will, opens up a fissure to the elemental plane of fire, ripping out a Fire Elemental, a being that has existed since the dawn of creation and binds it into the giant elemental ruby at the heart of the sword.
And this is less physically and mentally taxing then playing charades?
Now, I know that wizards and such have been nerfed in 4th edition (relative to how they were before) and okay. It's good for class balance. I'm happy with the change.
But now an experienced tourist, needing so desperately to wee in a foreign country and is willing to give it his all to make sure he's understood is somehow doing something more physically and mentally taxing?