Hardest to Visualize Power

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

This is why I've had such a good chuckle at the expense of all those that praise 4e for allowing them to run 'low magic campaigns', because they could limit the available classes to those with 'martial' power sources. Well, sure, but on close inspection doing so doesn't in fact get the magic out. Heck, it doesn't even get the flashier magic out. It just limits you to the sorts of magic martial artists in Eastern martial arts fantasies tend to have. That is different, but hardly 'low magic'.

There seems to be a lack of generally accepted definitions of what is low and what is high magic.

Here's mine, for the moment:
High Magic: Fireballs, Magic Missile, and Cure spells that close wounds.
Low Magic: Elven Fighter taking down a Dragon, bandaging an ally with salves, lifting the spirits of comrades.
No Magic: Human Fighter fights other humans. No dragons. No Giants.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I personally haven't had any trouble with explaining narratively the powers for both martial and non-martial powers.

Blinding Barrage: It is exactly what it says it is, the Rogue in a burst of movement sends a barrage of projectiles into the eyes of those around him. The reason why it is only once per-day, is the chances of him pulling this off is so small to the point where the chances of pulling it off are once per day.

Yes, it is not necessarily gritty, realistic medieval warfare, but it isn't magical. *Shrugs shoulders* I don't see why backflips, martial arts-esque moves, etc. have to be considered not appropriate for "low-magic".

Divine Oracle: Well you can explain this in different ways. One the literal sense, where being a person who siphons off the power of a god, he can alter time briefly to allow a second chance.

Another, the more heightened sense of the future that the gods have allow you to tap into that in mid-strike, and realize your about to miss. Allowing yourself to quickly ready another action.

Another, the attack actually never happened in the first place, and there is no time-change or anything. Simply, you get another chance out-of-game and in-game that first time never happened.

Own the Battlefield: This power works if you believe that throughout the encounter the Warlord has been subtly working and playing with the enemies to get them into positions that he wishes.

In-game, I never ever imagine players and enemies simply standing there in their little 5 by 5 feet boxes, their running all over the place and attacking, etc. even inbetween their moves.

It is simply when a power is used, this is when it actually works or its significance comes into being. Which be the case in this instance, when Own the Battlefield happens it is when all those enemies in the burst have been positioned finally where the Warlord wants throughout the course of the fight.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Many of these powers are only to be "visualized" with magic.

Since I remember very fondly the Eartdawn RPG it doesn't bother me as much. But I am avoiding reading roleplaying material from the 4e... because it certainly will be wierd attempts at explaining powers without magic.

 

[darukaru]

Hard to visualize? Dreadful Word. Level 1 warlock power. Stupid H.P. Lovecraft stuff. A single word that's so scary I go nuts? Lawls.

In my first 4e game last night, our warlock coup-de-graced a guy with Dreadful Word. We later decided that instead of a single word, it had been the cosmic horror version of a "yo mama" insult, and since the victim had no comeback he had no choice but to expire on the spot.

"And yo soul look like a dishrag."
"...damn." *dies*

 

[RangerWickett]

There's a first level rogue power that, if you're the right variety of rogue with a high Charisma, you can hit someone and slide them 20 ft. Holy ****, that's one massive hit for a mundane rogue, no matter how dashing he is.

 

[hong]

It just limits you to the sorts of magic martial artists in Eastern martial arts fantasies tend to have. That is different, but hardly 'low magic'.

Yes. Playable low magic.

 

[Destil]

In my first 4e game last night, our warlock coup-de-graced a guy with Dreadful Word. We later decided that instead of a single word, it had been the cosmic horror version of a "yo mama" insult, and since the victim had no comeback he had no choice but to expire on the spot.

"And yo soul look like a dishrag."
"...damn." *dies*

I've been thinking that the bard will be a leader with the Hip-Hop power type, and that his healing power would be 'Word to your mother.'

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Once again, let me give the obvious answer that gets so many people's britches in a knot.

It's magic.

All the 4e classes are magic users. Classes like the rogue, fighter, and warlock differ only in that they have 'martial magic'. Wuxia-like magic developed from martial training is the default setting of 4e.

When the fighter swings his sword and damages the target even when he misses, how do you explain that? You could torture yourself with convoluted explanations that would require all sorts of situational exceptions, or you could do the obvious thing and take a page from Wuxia and say that the fighter has 'cut the wind' and that even when he misses the wind from his blow strikes the target. When the rogue unleashes a burst of metal shards or whatever so that he blasts a 15'x15' area, you could torture yourself trying to explain it realisticly or you could just describe it the way a japanese animator would animate it.

Fighters have weapon magic. That's why they can only use one each of thier weapon spells in each fight. That's why there are some weapon spells that tire them out to much to use them again without a long rest, but which do not physically tire them to any degree. They aren't fatigued. They are out of 'ki'.

Rogues have ninja magic.
Warlords have command magic.

It's that simple.

I don't buy this at all. Convoluted explanations with situational explanations?

Reaving Strike: I swing so fast, violently, and exactly where you're standing that you pull three muscles getting out of the way. Take around 4 damage.

This thread depicts some fighter powers as all martial powers should be depicted: completely mundanely.

 

[The_Fan]

In my first 4e game last night, our warlock coup-de-graced a guy with Dreadful Word. We later decided that instead of a single word, it had been the cosmic horror version of a "yo mama" insult, and since the victim had no comeback he had no choice but to expire on the spot.

"And yo soul look like a dishrag."
"...damn." *dies*

You owe me a new keyboard.

 

[lukelightning]

Demi-god. At 22nd level a Warlord alters the Battlefield by sheer presence and divine spark.

Seriously, at 21+ level the characters are semi-divine. Past 10th level even Martial characters can achieve the impossible.

I like the idea of someone who is such a tactical genius that he/she knows how to set off a whole chain reaction of movement just by one "simple" action. Kind of like that blue guy in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.