Nor would I ever suggest that should be the case. To focus on the rogue example, I would hope that rogues are defined by more than their ability to backstab. At the same time, I would hope players are not feeling so restricted in gameplay that they genuinely believe that that which is on paper is the only option they have.Putting players at a disadvantage works just fine, but taking away a player's ability to contribute AT ALL is not. If you're going to have encounters in which a rogue cannot backstab, at least give him something else to do, ya know, like try to disable the control panel that's running the golem, or disable the traps shooting poison darts from the walls.
Not so sure I would take it that far. If backstab is the only thing the rogue gets, I will cry. But again, take the golem example. It immune to most of the mages spells!! Then the mage uses grease. Resist that.Telling the rogue he can't backstab is like telling the Wizard he can't cast spells. Not the his target is immune to magic or has high spell resistance, that's got it's own loopholes. But try setting up an encounter in an anti-magic zone that the wizard cannot leave. That's how a rogue feels when he can't backstab.
The mage using grease in that scenario is just creative play. So whats stopping the rogue from creative play? Whats to stop him trying to setup a rope to trip the thing while the fighter holds it at bay, or looking for the loose section of ceiling to try and collapse on its head? If rogue players walk into every situation thinking "damage output" is the only solution (and therefore the natural expectation of that being that backstab should work on everything), I will be very disappointed.
This is where the universal damage vs target thing mad me sad. It makes damage output a viable solution to everything, so players arent challenged to step outside that box. They still can (and some do), but given you can damage your way through every fight, you just dont need to. Backstab, lather rinse repeat, problem solved.
To me, backstab particularly was a tool in the rogues toolkit, not the toolkit itself.