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A simple houserule for martial/caster balance.
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<blockquote data-quote="Gammadoodler" data-source="post: 8597947" data-attributes="member: 6914290"><p>So, to start with, I don't have a particular problem with any of these items serving as the explanation for "supernatural powers". However, there is not a reason to presume that you need these.</p><p></p><p>People come into these conversations with a mental model of the physical capabilities and limitations of the "mere mortals" we're talking about. This model is based on earth-standard humans living on earth. It's an understandable thing to do, working with what you know, but it is an application of mental handcuffs based on conditions that are not present in the game setting. Settings are almost never earth, even less earth-standard, many characters are not human, and those that are human, are of a brand specific to the setting. We <em>don't</em> <em>actually</em> <em>know</em> <em>anything</em> about what these "mere mortals" can <em>actually</em> do.</p><p></p><p>Yes, we can point to some font of magic as a source of power, but there's also usually a whole bunch of "naturally occurring" fantasy stuff happening in-setting all the time. Physical constants don't have to map the same way as they do on our world. People aren't necessarily eating the same food, breathing the same air, etc. None of this is any more or less exotic than magic.</p><p></p><p>In the same way that you say "in this world people can do magic" and that's all you really need to explain, you can also say "people can learn to do things that are physically impossible on earth..and they just do them"</p><p></p><p>Complaining about the realism of this stuff represents kind of a misunderstanding of how fantasy works.</p><p> </p><p></p><p>(Note, I'm not intending this to address you personally in any way, just how I see these discussions go.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gammadoodler, post: 8597947, member: 6914290"] So, to start with, I don't have a particular problem with any of these items serving as the explanation for "supernatural powers". However, there is not a reason to presume that you need these. People come into these conversations with a mental model of the physical capabilities and limitations of the "mere mortals" we're talking about. This model is based on earth-standard humans living on earth. It's an understandable thing to do, working with what you know, but it is an application of mental handcuffs based on conditions that are not present in the game setting. Settings are almost never earth, even less earth-standard, many characters are not human, and those that are human, are of a brand specific to the setting. We [I]don't[/I] [I]actually[/I] [I]know[/I] [I]anything[/I] about what these "mere mortals" can [I]actually[/I] do. Yes, we can point to some font of magic as a source of power, but there's also usually a whole bunch of "naturally occurring" fantasy stuff happening in-setting all the time. Physical constants don't have to map the same way as they do on our world. People aren't necessarily eating the same food, breathing the same air, etc. None of this is any more or less exotic than magic. In the same way that you say "in this world people can do magic" and that's all you really need to explain, you can also say "people can learn to do things that are physically impossible on earth..and they just do them" Complaining about the realism of this stuff represents kind of a misunderstanding of how fantasy works. (Note, I'm not intending this to address you personally in any way, just how I see these discussions go.) [/QUOTE]
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