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<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 3825957" data-attributes="member: 467">This kind of &quot;flavor&quot; doesn't really belong in the Core books, IMO.&nbsp; Not because it is bad, per se, because that's a matter of opinion on whether Dragon Tail Strike sounds better than Knockdown.&nbsp; Rather, because D&amp;D traditionally encourages homebrewing and published campaigns settings, each with their own flavor, keeping the core rulebooks as vanilla as possibile, utilitarian even, preserves that quality.&nbsp; Think of all the &quot;bamed&quot; spells in D&amp;D.&nbsp; They were Gygaxian and Grehawkish and they really didn't sound right in FR or DL.&nbsp; Once the OGL came into being, they had to be excised.&nbsp; KoK went so far as to invent new &quot;iconic&quot; wizards so that those spells would still have names.Names matter.&nbsp; Imagaine if you ran D&amp;D by the RAW with toally new players, but changed the names thus:Str=Aspect of the BullDex=Aspect of the EagleCon=Aspect of the BearInt=Aspect of the FoxWis=Aspect of the OwlCha=Aspect of the EagleLevel=AscensionHit Points=ManifestationAC=Insubstantiationand so on... The Players would think, just based on those names, that they were playing some form of world walking spirits or gods, and if they played long enough and gained enough levels, they'd be convinced of it.&nbsp; Now try this:Str=MuscleDex=SpeedCon=GritInt=SmartsWis=SenseCha=WitLevel=SkillHit Points=PluckAC=Luckand so on... now you are playing a pulpy, noirish game with elves and dwarves.&nbsp; the point is, names do in fact matter.&nbsp; the more specific they are, the more unintended and possible unwanted flavor they inject in everyone's game.&nbsp; Imagine a Hyborea or Middle Earth with Conan or Aragorn shouting &quot;Mountain Sundering Slash&quot; when what they really want to do is power attack.This kind of &quot;flavor design&quot; is both unneccesary and unhelpful.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 3825957, member: 467"] This kind of "flavor" doesn't really belong in the Core books, IMO. Not because it is bad, per se, because that's a matter of opinion on whether Dragon Tail Strike sounds better than Knockdown. Rather, because D&D traditionally encourages homebrewing and published campaigns settings, each with their own flavor, keeping the core rulebooks as vanilla as possibile, utilitarian even, preserves that quality. Think of all the "bamed" spells in D&D. They were Gygaxian and Grehawkish and they really didn't sound right in FR or DL. Once the OGL came into being, they had to be excised. KoK went so far as to invent new "iconic" wizards so that those spells would still have names. Names matter. Imagaine if you ran D&D by the RAW with toally new players, but changed the names thus: Str=Aspect of the Bull Dex=Aspect of the Eagle Con=Aspect of the Bear Int=Aspect of the Fox Wis=Aspect of the Owl Cha=Aspect of the Eagle Level=Ascension Hit Points=Manifestation AC=Insubstantiation and so on... The Players would think, just based on those names, that they were playing some form of world walking spirits or gods, and if they played long enough and gained enough levels, they'd be convinced of it. Now try this: Str=Muscle Dex=Speed Con=Grit Int=Smarts Wis=Sense Cha=Wit Level=Skill Hit Points=Pluck AC=Luck and so on... now you are playing a pulpy, noirish game with elves and dwarves. the point is, names do in fact matter. the more specific they are, the more unintended and possible unwanted flavor they inject in everyone's game. Imagine a Hyborea or Middle Earth with Conan or Aragorn shouting "Mountain Sundering Slash" when what they really want to do is power attack. This kind of "flavor design" is both unneccesary and unhelpful. [/QUOTE]

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