Fluff 'n' Crunch.

[Ranger REG]

I'm just getting familiar with these terms but I think I need some more help in grasping them.

Now, we can pick out some easy examples. For example: an attack bonus = crunch. The *look* of a halfling: whether it's hobbit-like or kender-like = fluff. But what happens when the very rules (the crunch?) alter the look, feel and story-stuff (fluff) of the game world?

Some examples from D&D:

Arcane/Divine magic divide
Spell-slots and memorization

Are these things fluff or crunch? On one hand they're rules (crunch?) but on the otherhand they're stuff that is *visible* in the world-setting and, thus, a part of the story (fluff?).

I'm sure there's more examples.

Sometimes "fluff" is used to explain why such rules exist in the fantasy world the game is set in.

 

[Henry]

There's serious flaws to the spell slot exaplanation you may not have thought of. For instance, how does the final casting a fireball not set off all three you have memorized? Why can't someone else cast the final part of the spell? Why can't you just spend more time pre-casting more spells?

All spells have a time-sensitive component that is based on the motions of the magical weave in the multiverse (in other words, the motions of ALL the planes). When a mage is preparing it, a few simple calculations are needed to "time" the spell correctly. As a result, the final words and gestures may vary slightly in pronunciation and positioning, even though it's the same spell. This is also why it's necessary to make a Spellcraft check to identify a spell being cast - if it were nothing more than recognizing a few dozen gestures and words, ANY clod could do it.