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<blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 4143977" data-attributes="member: 710"><p>So far, I have seen nothing like that. We haven't seen many of these powers, but I don't think any of them so far where ill-defined or imprecise. What they do is clear.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you want to understand what the game mechanic does, only look at the game mechanic. If you want to describe what happens in the game-world, use whatever flavor text is implied and sounds reasonable.</p><p></p><p>But don't try to apply your flavor text back onto the game mechanic and try to extrapolate further rules. That's wrong, and always leads to problems.</p><p></p><p></p><p>A Vorpal Sword allows the wielder to behead a foe.</p><p>But my PC doesn't need a Vorpal Sword to behead someone. If I decide to flavor my killing blow or coup-de-grace with a head-chop, that's what happens. But I shouldn't believe that my sword just got a +5 enhancement for free.</p><p></p><p>Suspension of Disbelief only becomes a problem if you thing the game-world and the real-world have similar rules (with some extra rules for magic), and the game mechanics are a model for the game-world, just as our scientifically gathered physical laws are a model for the real-world. But that's not what the rules are. They tell you what happens in the game, yes, but they don't explain how. </p><p>If you want, you can see it as an implication. Game Mechanic Event => Game World Event. If "Game Mechanic Event" is false, "Game World Event" can be true or false. The implication is true either way. So, if X happens when you use mechanic Y, it does not follow that Y was used if X happens. </p><p>Example: "Confirmed Critical with a Vorpal Sword" => "Head Chopped Off". But not "Head Chopped Off" => "Confirmed Critical with a Vorpal Sword"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mustrum_Ridcully, post: 4143977, member: 710"] So far, I have seen nothing like that. We haven't seen many of these powers, but I don't think any of them so far where ill-defined or imprecise. What they do is clear. If you want to understand what the game mechanic does, only look at the game mechanic. If you want to describe what happens in the game-world, use whatever flavor text is implied and sounds reasonable. But don't try to apply your flavor text back onto the game mechanic and try to extrapolate further rules. That's wrong, and always leads to problems. A Vorpal Sword allows the wielder to behead a foe. But my PC doesn't need a Vorpal Sword to behead someone. If I decide to flavor my killing blow or coup-de-grace with a head-chop, that's what happens. But I shouldn't believe that my sword just got a +5 enhancement for free. Suspension of Disbelief only becomes a problem if you thing the game-world and the real-world have similar rules (with some extra rules for magic), and the game mechanics are a model for the game-world, just as our scientifically gathered physical laws are a model for the real-world. But that's not what the rules are. They tell you what happens in the game, yes, but they don't explain how. If you want, you can see it as an implication. Game Mechanic Event => Game World Event. If "Game Mechanic Event" is false, "Game World Event" can be true or false. The implication is true either way. So, if X happens when you use mechanic Y, it does not follow that Y was used if X happens. Example: "Confirmed Critical with a Vorpal Sword" => "Head Chopped Off". But not "Head Chopped Off" => "Confirmed Critical with a Vorpal Sword" [/QUOTE]
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