101 roleplaying descriptions justifying martial dailies

[I'm A Banana]

My reality appears to differ from yours. When people get in the zone in stressful situations, amazing things can happen.
-blarg

Yes, and exactly once per day I can "get in the zone," but no more, no less, no matter how many stressful situations I get in?

It's okay to be fine with unrealistic dailies, but to try and say "dailies aren't unrealistic!" isn't a very defensible position, I think. They're clearly a gamist construction, made for the play rather than for the suspension of disbelief. That's not an objective problem, but it's going to be a problem for some players. You can gloss over it, but however you do, it's a patch for a flaw, not a success of the design.

 

[blargney the second]

Yes, and exactly once per day I can "get in the zone"

... per daily ability. At second level that could be three times a day. (1st daily, 2nd utility daily, barbarian multiclass)

 

[JoeGKushner]

...it's a patch for a flaw, not a success of the design.

Only if people actually playing the game have a problem with it no?

I have a hard time buying the 'issue' when several of those persisting that it is an issue don't play the game.

 

[TheFindus]

I think all of the explanations the OP gives plus the regular one that martial exploits actually exploit a specific combat situation are valid fluff to make martial dailies believable.

There are so many things in older editions that are just as difficult to put into fluff but are believed and accepted. Some examples:
A spellcaster can cast a level 8 spell, but not an additional two 3rd level spells instead without the proper spell.
A paladin can cast Remove Disease once a week and not once per day.
Skill Tricks can be used only once per encounter.

The reason for those rules is and has always been balance. You can put fluff around it, and we all did all those years. But if we did that, why is it so hard for some of us to find some believability in the already existing fluff for martial dailies?
I cannot wrap my head around it.

 

[Alex319]

A few questions:

1. Are you okay with "encounter/daily use restrictions" on magical abilities?

2. If so, what's the "fluff reason" that justifies the use restrictions on magical abilities?

3. Why can't that same "fluff reason" be applied to martial powers?

 

[The_Fan]

Back to the OP's idea:

The secret is in the wrist. Most people don't use all the muscles in their arm, because the wrist and finger muscles are generally pretty weak. You've trained your wrist and finger muscles to, at the point of impact, push forward with that little extra bit of oomph, giving your attack FAR more follow through and power than you normally could achieve. However, this puts a lot of strain on your wrist, and if you tried it again without resting you risk breaking it.

The technique of your style was created by an Arkhosian warrior of old, taller and stronger than any man. The strikes have speed and power that are nearly godlike. Unfortunately, you're an elf. Though strong, your power can't match his, and your build is just too different. The most potent techniques of the style put enormous strain on your light body, tearing apart your muscles as you use it.

Useful for a speed move like Cascade of Blows: It's a well known fact that you should time your strikes with your breath. Exhaling as you strike gives you greater power and speed, inhaling as you retract and parry gives you greater muscle tension for defense. A perfect internal timer for the flow of battle. However, there's another internal timer: Your heart. Timing your strikes to your heartbeat allows you to strike mulitiple times in the space of a few seconds. Do I really need to go into why keeping this up is a bad idea?

 

[Stalker0]

People note barbarian rage as "makes perfect sense" but if you look at it closer it really doesn't.

A 1st level barbarian rages and cannot rage any more for the day. The common argument is "he's fatigued from the rage, and so can't perform that kind of exhilaration again for the day".

Except....in all other ways he's perfectly fine. He's as unexhausted just a short time after he rages as he was in the beginning of the day. No penalties to skill checks, con rolls, he can run just as far, nor does he take any penalties when hit with another fatiguing effect.

So when you boil it down, rage is the original "martial daily" and has the same flaws in its explanation as any other daily.


Overall, I think the crit argument is the best I've seen. For my characters, its not that I'm not trying to use my dailies, I am all the time. Its just that sometime the timing is right, the adrenaline is pumping, and everything comes together for that "perfect moment". Just like a crit, I can't just make it happen (my character of course, the player can).

 

[I'm A Banana]

Only if people actually playing the game have a problem with it no?

Absolutely, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. Obviously if you have no problem with it, it's not a problem as it is -- it doesn't hurt YOUR suspension of disbelief enough to be an issue, which is fine.

It's quite another thing to say "No one should have a problem with them not making sense, 'cuz they totally make sense!" ...for instance...

per daily ability. At second level that could be three times a day

For different abilities. I can't get in the zone for the same ability more than once per day, exactly, no matter how many stressful situations come up? If I lift a car off of a kid with a surge of adrenaline, I can't do it again that same day, even if I can get in the zone well enough to, I don't know, hurt someone when I miss them?

The thrust of this is that they hurt verisimilitude for some people. Do you really want to try and tell those people that they're feelings are wrong just because they're not playing make-believe right? That their problem isn't with the rules, it's with their inability to think about things in the right way?

 

[Lojaan]

Personally I love finding & personalizing the fluff for all my powers, making them part of the character instead of just something the character does. I see them as RP opportunities. Sadly (from DMing) I know that I am in a minority. And I say 'sadly' 'cause I think powers offer a lot of RP & character potential. But hey, that's not for everyone.

The thing I LIKE about dailys is that you get to look for an answer as to WHY they're a daily. And I find it's often different for each daily. Sometimes it's a physical thing. Think of Riggs dislocating his shoulder to get out of a straitjacket. Hurts like hell. You do NOT want to do that too often. Eventho once it's popped back in you can still function ok.

Sometimes it's an environmental thing - the bad guy has got to be really bad/threat really high for you to be able to get into the mindset for Villian's Menace. And once you've done it, you need to chill out to shake it out of your system before you can do it again. It messes you up, not physically but emotionally.

For Blinding Barrage I always had it that my rogue carried around a whole bunch of shuriken, pepper powder & flash bombs stowed in a very particular way on his person and after he's used them, it'd take hours to get the whole thing prepared & set again.

I see at-wills as a part of a character and encounter powers as tricks and big techniques of their fighting style. But with dailys - I see them as OUTSIDE the character. Things that are only nominally at their command.

 

[JoeGKushner]

The thrust of this is that they hurt verisimilitude for some people. Do you really want to try and tell those people that they're feelings are wrong just because they're not playing make-believe right? That their problem isn't with the rules, it's with their inability to think about things in the right way?

Yes.

I'm not kidding there.

There are numerous examples of previous editions with very similiar rules. As others have pointed out, barbarian rage as an excellent counter.

More 'critical' through all editions, hit points.

If you approach the game and don't like the way it handles the mechanics, to the point where you can't play it, then the game is not for you as written and from that perspective, you're not playing make-believe right and their problem isn't with the rules, it's with their inability to think about things in the right way.

I don't go to GURPS and go, "Man, the lack of the FASERIP stats from the old Marvel Super Heroes game is really hurting my disbelief here. I mean, how can you go on without Karma for Odin's sake?"

If you can't approach the game in the spirit is it written and can't enjoy it, your perspective isn't going to change enough to make it worth playing.

Can I see some people going, "Martial powers are really just magical beans in disguise and I don't like that BUT I'm going to enjoy the game anyway?" Sure. Can I see some people going, "because Martial powers are not supposed to be magical and the whole point of the game's intricate balance demands they act like every other power in the game, I can't enjoy it and I must impress this view on other people!" then I don't care. If the game's not for you, like the ole song by All American Rejects, Move Along.