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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6411691" data-attributes="member: 6696971">We've discussed this at great length.  I think the area that is the most illustrative is the lack of grokking of how Keywords and the exception-based design philosophy are meant to work together.  Consider the AD&D and 3.x Fireball.  These lengthy (unwieldy imo) spell descriptions are chock full of all kinds of exceptions embedded right into the spell itself.  The mindset of the D&D player used to "casting spells" or adjudicating spellcasting was predicated upon interaction with this layout.  Given enough time, somehow, this real-world book format was somehow then internalized as "magic" in the fiction of their gameplay.Now consider any 4e Fire spell.  It contains the Arcane and Implement Keywords.  However, it also contains the Fire Keyword.  This is absolutely fundamental as it is one of the two primary system components (the other being the math/noncombat resolution framework) for the exception-based design philosophy that the system is predicated upon.  The 4e power statblock is meant to elegantly provide (a) only the necessities to facilitate minimal handling time in combat (single target or AoE, ranged or melee, action economy, etc) while also providing (b) the Keyword infrastructure such that when a player proposes an exception-based usage, the GM has the means to adjudicate the effect on the environment.  The GM knows that Fire is "explosive bursts, fiery rays, or simple ignition."  So if the player of the Wizard is in a Skill Challenge and wants to deploy the spell to ignite materials (for whatever reason), this is an exception (though clearly orthodox) to its standard stat-block usage.  The GM uses the of-level math to determine a DC and the player rolls an Arcana check with the outcome being either intended effect (ignition for whatever sought end) or some kind of complication (perhaps still ignition but things may go pear-shaped because the fire/smoke becomes a hazard/impediment to be overcome).Instead of this being intuitive/easily grokked because the Keyword system and exception-based design philosophy is comprehended, we get:- "This powers system means there is no magic and/or martial characters are casting spells."and/or- "Players can't use any fire spells to cause ignition of building materials (etc) because the target line reads 'creatures'..."</blockquote>

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