Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 9272407" data-attributes="member: 20323">Sure. When I mentor new GMs, there's certain patterns of questions I see popping up. Often the topic of monsters comes up, and I realize / have to remind myself that the adeptness with which I can adapt monster stat blocks – after 30 years of GMing – is not given, easy, or natural for all GMs.Names and Descriptive Text have power, especially for newer GMs (and I think that's who the rules are focusing on, or I hope are focusing on).I get what you're saying, but even the flavor text for the apprentice wizard in VGtM is working against your &quot;leader of a group of brigands&quot; example:Apprentices are novice arcane spellcasters who serve more experienced wizards or attend school. They perform menial work such as cooking and cleaning in exchange for education in the ways of magic.That's a very strong archetype – Harry Potter, Sorcerer's Apprentice, a dozen young adult novels. If it's arbitrary, why use &quot;apprentice&quot; and &quot;wizard&quot; at all? There's an intent to communicate something there, to lean into an archetype that is recognizable.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 9272407, member: 20323"] Sure. When I mentor new GMs, there's certain patterns of questions I see popping up. Often the topic of monsters comes up, and I realize / have to remind myself that the adeptness with which I can adapt monster stat blocks – after 30 years of GMing – is not given, easy, or natural for all GMs. Names and Descriptive Text have power, especially for newer GMs (and I think that's who the rules are focusing on, or I [I]hope [/I]are focusing on). I get what you're saying, but even the flavor text for the apprentice wizard in VGtM is working against your "leader of a group of brigands" example: [I]Apprentices are novice arcane spellcasters who serve more experienced wizards or attend school. They perform menial work such as cooking and cleaning in exchange for education in the ways of magic.[/I] That's a very strong archetype – Harry Potter, Sorcerer's Apprentice, a dozen young adult novels. If it's arbitrary, why use "apprentice" and "wizard" at all? There's an intent to communicate something there, to lean into an archetype that is recognizable. [/QUOTE]

Verification