Blinding Barrage: interpretation vs literal reading

[AngryPurpleCyclops]

Actually, no, but what you're in fact arguing is that all fantasy needs to be as gut churningly silly as Xena Warrior Princess.

Lord of the Rings: Bows (check), shuriken (uncheck), xena warrior princess returning weapons (uncheck).

Split the tree: fire two arrows at once, roll twice, apply higher roll to both targets... somehow firing two arrows at once is more accurate than firing a single arrow.

Maybe not Xena, but suddenly men in tights springs to mind.

 

[Regicide]

Maybe not Xena, but suddenly men in tights springs to mind.

Man, I need to see that again, it's been a while. And it also has a good spoon reference!

I'm too lazy to do the math, but I wonder if blinding barrage at maximum range on full spread with a weapon that returns between each target could cause the weapon to approach the speed of light. I'm confidant it can go over the speed of sound, so maybe "booming" barrage would make more sense than "blinding."

 

[Thundershield]

Well, mechanical stuff only needs to be understood on the level of what it was intended to do. How it actually plays out in the game (visually, if you will) is up to the players. That's why the flavor text in each power description also is entirely optional.

For Blinding Barrage and similar weapon close blasts, I like imagining that the Rogue suddenly whips out two fistfuls of throwing knives (yeah, we've turned the oriental shuriken into something more western-themed) and throws them in well-aimed fans at their enemies.

There. No supersonic weapons, and if you want to explain how he had "two fistfuls" of weapons just before, but only one now, maybe that's just part of the weapon's magic?

Really, as long as it doesn't unbalance the game and keeps with the intention of the mechanics, changing the cinematic effects is hardly harmful for your game.

 

[Regicide]

For Blinding Barrage and similar weapon close blasts, I like imagining that the Rogue suddenly whips out two fistfuls of throwing knives (yeah, we've turned the oriental shuriken into something more western-themed) and throws them in well-aimed fans at their enemies.

Really, as long as it doesn't unbalance the game and keeps with the intention of the mechanics, changing the cinematic effects is hardly harmful for your game.

Which is fine until you get out of combat and the rogue wants to use his fistful of knives as pitons to let the party climb something. 4E has made in-combat and out-of-combat completely disjoint and they can't be reconciled, which is part of the reason people say 4E isn't an RPG anymore, it's simply a combat system/MMO that gets in the way of role-playing.

 

[Oompa]

You wanna know why it returns?

*It's Magic*

 

[Thundershield]

Which is fine until you get out of combat and the rogue wants to use his fistful of knives as pitons to let the party climb something. 4E has made in-combat and out-of-combat completely disjoint and they can't be reconciled, which is part of the reason people say 4E isn't an RPG anymore, it's simply a combat system/MMO that gets in the way of role-playing.

And I suppose that's why you left out that paragraph of my first post where I explain that you can simply have the sudden multiplication of the thrown weapon be part of the weapon's magic, possibly made manifest (i.e. triggered) by the character's martial talents in that particular situation.

Leaving out paragraphs like that is hardly proper etiquette...

 

[Regicide]

You wanna know why it returns?

*It's Magic*

Why it returns isn't magic, it's because the God of War developers like Xena Warrior Princess so put in returning weapons, and the DnD developers were inspired by God of War so put in returning weapons.

How it returns is magic, fine. But Blinding Burst, with or without a magic weapon can easily mean 36 shots with a crossbow in a round, an effect that is so spectacular it's silly that, yes, you're right, can only be explained by magic... but last I checked rogues aren't a magic class.

And I suppose that's why you left out that paragraph of my first post where I explain that you can simply have the sudden multiplication of the thrown weapon be part of the weapon's magic, possibly made manifest (i.e. triggered) by the character's martial talents in that particular situation.

Leaving out paragraphs like that is hardly proper etiquette...

I left out an irrelevant paragraph, which, btw, is proper etiquette. A rogue isn't splitting his weapon, as there are situations that a split weapon would have different effects than a single weapon. Nothing you've said is a counterarguement to that.

 

[keterys]

Why it returns isn't magic, it's because the God of War developers like Xena Warrior Princess so put in returning weapons, and the DnD developers were inspired by God of War so put in returning weapons.

God of War came out in March 2005
Returning Weapons were in D&D 3rd edition in 2000
Xena Warrior Princess came out in 1995
Wulfgar's returning hammer in the Crystal Shard was 1988.

I can't check earlier editions cause they're all packed away, but I'd not be surprised if there is a 1st edition version of a returning weapon.

This reminds me of the person bitching about how magic missile was just a copy of Arcane Missiles from World of Warcraft. People like to complain, but actually thinking through cause and effect and then fact checking is so passe

 

[FadedC]

How it returns is magic, fine. But Blinding Burst, with or without a magic weapon can easily mean 36 shots with a crossbow in a round, an effect that is so spectacular it's silly that, yes, you're right, can only be explained by magic... but last I checked rogues aren't a magic class.

Perhaps you'd like to explain to us how it's possible to get 36 shots with a blast 3 power?

 

[keterys]

Well, as a 3x3x3, 27 is entirely understandable (though potentially unlikely, if there are any invisible enemies in that area you'd attack them so...)

I actually tend to think of at least some of these attacks being ricochets, arcs of blood from enemies, some being knocked into others, etc. It certainly seems unlikely that, say, it's a dagger point-first entering the eye of every target hit (and, I guess, maybe nicking the ear of those missed). At least some is surprise, morale, confusion, etc.