I think dm dependent abilities are perfectly fine, in fact...I think they define what I consider to be the main goal of any dnd game.
DM's Motto: Ensure that at some point in the game every player feels cool and special.
A fighter fights and kill stuff...so when he fights and kills stuff, its not special its status quo. However, when a ranger gets to show off some nice extra damage because of his favored enemy, that makes the player feel great.
Its a dm's responsibility to let players know what to expect, so they can make logical choices.
A paladin's probably not going to be too comfortable in an evil party fighting good.
A druid might not feel so great in an urban campaign.
A sorc might not be the best in a world that hates and destroyes spellcasters.
But past that, your always going to have some abilities that aren't going to work all the time. That's fine, as long as the dm gives the players some time to use their special abilities once in a while.
DM's Motto: Ensure that at some point in the game every player feels cool and special.
A fighter fights and kill stuff...so when he fights and kills stuff, its not special its status quo. However, when a ranger gets to show off some nice extra damage because of his favored enemy, that makes the player feel great.
Its a dm's responsibility to let players know what to expect, so they can make logical choices.
A paladin's probably not going to be too comfortable in an evil party fighting good.
A druid might not feel so great in an urban campaign.
A sorc might not be the best in a world that hates and destroyes spellcasters.
But past that, your always going to have some abilities that aren't going to work all the time. That's fine, as long as the dm gives the players some time to use their special abilities once in a while.
