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Legends and Lore - Nod To Realism
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<blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5754857" data-attributes="member: 58197"><p>As regards the "breaking reality" aspect of magic, I agree and disagree with this. D&D magic can do anything, but if you cut sharply against the established sense of how magic works, you can break immersion just as badly as if you allowed a non-magical fighter to take to the air and fly.</p><p></p><p>Imagine, for example, a spell that surrounds the caster with an aura of blinding sunlight, healing any nearby undead and dealing acid damage to Lawful creatures. Magic can do anything, so this should be just fine, right? But most people confronted with this spell would respond, "Wait. Sunlight that heals undead? And deals acid damage based on alignment? That doesn't make any sense!"</p><p></p><p>For a less egregious example, a lot of cleric powers in 4E take the form of "Damage an enemy. If you succeed, an ally gets a buff." I can't be the only one who finds those powers jarring. I understand what they're doing from a mechanical point of view (giving clerics the ability to buff allies while going on offense), but in terms of the game world, the only way they make sense to me is some kind of dark vampiric curse where you draw off your enemy's life-force to strengthen your allies. Not what you expect to see from a cleric of Pelor.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dausuul, post: 5754857, member: 58197"] As regards the "breaking reality" aspect of magic, I agree and disagree with this. D&D magic can do anything, but if you cut sharply against the established sense of how magic works, you can break immersion just as badly as if you allowed a non-magical fighter to take to the air and fly. Imagine, for example, a spell that surrounds the caster with an aura of blinding sunlight, healing any nearby undead and dealing acid damage to Lawful creatures. Magic can do anything, so this should be just fine, right? But most people confronted with this spell would respond, "Wait. Sunlight that heals undead? And deals acid damage based on alignment? That doesn't make any sense!" For a less egregious example, a lot of cleric powers in 4E take the form of "Damage an enemy. If you succeed, an ally gets a buff." I can't be the only one who finds those powers jarring. I understand what they're doing from a mechanical point of view (giving clerics the ability to buff allies while going on offense), but in terms of the game world, the only way they make sense to me is some kind of dark vampiric curse where you draw off your enemy's life-force to strengthen your allies. Not what you expect to see from a cleric of Pelor. [/QUOTE]
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