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Context Switching Paralysis, or Why we Will Always Have the Thief Debate
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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 8750535" data-attributes="member: 2209"><p>For me I think of <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool" target="_blank">rule of cool</a> as putting story first to make a cool genre story instead of running a more toned down reality simulation.</p><p></p><p>For example a PC can want to jump from a second floor balcony to swing from a chandelier and land on top of a table to attack a guy at the foot of the stairs. A more reality focused DM can call for acrobatics and dex checks to resolve the situation. A DM can weight this as a bad choice by making the checks hard and having consequences that make the player look like a buffoon like falling damage and being prone while losing the attacks for failure on any of multiple check at any point in there, while pointing out that going down stairs is safer without the risks. Or a DM can go for rule of cool genre simulation of an action movie/comic book/three musketeers swashbuckler story and go with it, either calling for a simple check, or just going with it and not calling for any check.</p><p></p><p>This can also be weighted by appropriateness of the character/situation for the action or not depending on DM taste/style preference.</p><p></p><p>A non-rule of cool approach could be calling for the checks for a swashbuckler dex-based swordsman character with acrobatics skill, just applying their mechanics to the tough situation in fine grade fashion figuring out possible penalties for grabbing the chandelier one handed while wielding a sword, setting DCs based on evaluations of difficulty from a real world perspective instead of an action movie one, etc. A rule of cool ruling could say that an Aragorn Ranger can just do it even if he is not specifically the pirate background or 2e swashbuckler kit. A rule of cool ruling could also be that Legolas just does it because Dexy elves are just awesome and better than you while Con based physically dense and heavy armor wearing hit point tank Gimle has to roll and is likely to be a bit of comic relief tension as the chandelier swings around precariously, possibly crashing under his weight.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 8750535, member: 2209"] For me I think of [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool']rule of cool[/URL] as putting story first to make a cool genre story instead of running a more toned down reality simulation. For example a PC can want to jump from a second floor balcony to swing from a chandelier and land on top of a table to attack a guy at the foot of the stairs. A more reality focused DM can call for acrobatics and dex checks to resolve the situation. A DM can weight this as a bad choice by making the checks hard and having consequences that make the player look like a buffoon like falling damage and being prone while losing the attacks for failure on any of multiple check at any point in there, while pointing out that going down stairs is safer without the risks. Or a DM can go for rule of cool genre simulation of an action movie/comic book/three musketeers swashbuckler story and go with it, either calling for a simple check, or just going with it and not calling for any check. This can also be weighted by appropriateness of the character/situation for the action or not depending on DM taste/style preference. A non-rule of cool approach could be calling for the checks for a swashbuckler dex-based swordsman character with acrobatics skill, just applying their mechanics to the tough situation in fine grade fashion figuring out possible penalties for grabbing the chandelier one handed while wielding a sword, setting DCs based on evaluations of difficulty from a real world perspective instead of an action movie one, etc. A rule of cool ruling could say that an Aragorn Ranger can just do it even if he is not specifically the pirate background or 2e swashbuckler kit. A rule of cool ruling could also be that Legolas just does it because Dexy elves are just awesome and better than you while Con based physically dense and heavy armor wearing hit point tank Gimle has to roll and is likely to be a bit of comic relief tension as the chandelier swings around precariously, possibly crashing under his weight. [/QUOTE]
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