Ahglock said:
Um yeah, and again that explanation only works so far. Lets say pelvis kick is a special per encounter maneuver. People get the idea that kicking Bob in the pelvis 12 times in a row is a bit hard to buy. And they get the per encounter part for this style of explanation when it is appropriate. But its even harder to buy that he couldn't do the pelvis kick 15 seconds later on Joe who didn't even see the first pelvis kick. But mysteriously if Joe was in the 2nd room you could pelvis kick him 1 minute later.
If you want location based moves and trick moves limited so they aren't used over and over again, make it so there would be a reason why the PC wouldn't try it. Make them at will but flag them as trick/called shot moves. Say anytime someone is struck by moves like pelvis kick they get +5 to there AC to try to avoid another pelvis kick from the same opponent in the encounter. Each use of pelvis kick against the target increases the targets Ac to avoid that move by an additional +5. Anyone who perceives the pelvis kick style moves taking place gains a +5 to there Ac to block it, but it does not stack due to additional viewings.
Hi Ahglock,
So, let me get this straight. You would rather increase the arithmetic players and DMs must utilize in any given round of combat to "make sense" of powerful special abilities?? Slowing down combat and making the game more complicated has more narrative power to you?? Seriously??
I personally find this mind-boggling. Reminds me of this one guy over on the WotC forums who couldn't "rationalize" the per-encounter maneuvers of
Tome of Battle so he created this extremely complicated sub-system that essentially wedded maneuvers to the Combat Focus feats from the PHB2. I found the whole enterprise needlessly convoluted and complicated and it seemed as if it would not only slow down combat even more, but restrict the tactical options of martial adepts at the same time.
I mean, isn't it much easier to just flip a card over when you can't use that power any more?? Wouldn't the game run much faster and smoother that way??
In either case, I find your proposed solution runs into the same problem that the developers found with the "recharge" mechanic from ToB. Characters would just use their "best" or "strongest" power as many times as they could as often as they could until it stopped working. They would, essentially, do the same thing round after round after round until the target's AC got too high. Then, they'd just move on to the next target and start over. Rinse, wash, repeat.
This defeats the whole purpose of having these powers in the first place.
I really don't see the problem you guys are having with these encounter and daily powers. I could easily narrate them as a matter of tactical positioning and opportunity. I was in just the right position at just the right time at just the distance to use my rogue's Torturous Strike power. If you want to go even further, narrate it as your swiftblade's Penetrating Blade technique. Our plucky hero didn't use this power again during the encounter because those circumstances did not reproduce themselves for him to use that attack again.
Or, if you want, narrate it as a matter of perfect concentration and focus that can only be achieved once during any given fight. Or, a transitory burst of pure adrenaline to use a special technique. Or, channeling your animus and innate reserves into a mighty strike.
I mean, really. Its that simple. No need to pigeonhole people into any fixed metanarrative because, and this is the beauty of this mechanic, you the player are free to construct your own narrative that best explains how your character's individual powers work. Badda bing.
This requires nothing more than the ability to think abstractly (y'know, the way we *all* do when it comes to hit points, armor class, and turn-based combat rounds?). Not every minutia of the game needs a concrete mechanic or rule behind it. Use generalizatons. Use abstractions. They're fun. They promote storytelling and encourage immersion.
But.... nah.
Laterz.
