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Message: <blockquote data-quote="D'karr" data-source="post: 6292610" data-attributes="member: 336">I don't need the game books to spell everything out.  Therefore, anything not specifically called out as prohibited is always implicitly available.  My players and I can come up with our own justifications, if we want or need them. And they are usually more entertaining than what I've seen from the designers.The mentality of "if not spelled out it didn't happen" is a very annoying, and actually crippling one.  I first started seeing this with the rules-lawyering of 3.x.  It was also one of the biggest problems I had with 3.x.  Since it did attempt to spell everything out, it created this mentality that if it was not spelled out it could not happen (i.e., no rule, no effect).  When a rule was absent it left DMs and players to wonder if it was even admissible.  I understand that might not have been the intent, but it was very clearly the resulting effect.  Constant threads in places like ENWorld about RAW and RAI pretty much cemented to me that a "spell everything out" game was not what I wanted or needed.Therefore, I prefer a game that spells out the things that it absolutely needs to function, and leaves the rest open so the DM and players can decide what they want.Keywords in 4e are very useful because they do exactly what I mentioned above.  They provide only the bare minimum to function and don't "force" anything else on the DM, or players.  They allow the DM to tailor things to his tastes, instead of being forced into the RAW from a designer that knows nothing about the specific game group.The divine keyword for example is defined as:Divine Divine magic comes from the gods. The gods grant power to their devotees, which clerics and paladins, for example, access through prayers and litanies. Divine magic excels at healing, protection, and smiting the enemies of the gods.So it explicitly states that it comes from the gods.  Any other thing the DM wants to attribute to it is entirely up to him.  I'll give another example to illustrate the point.The fire keyword for example is defined in two sections as:Fire <ul style="margin-left: 20px"> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A damage type. A creature that has this keyword is strongly connected to fire. See also damage type.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Explosive bursts, fiery rays, or simple ignition.</li> </ul>So does a fireball spell set things on fire?  The game does not specify.  It does give the spell the fire keyword.  So the DM and players are encouraged, but not forced, to use that keyword as they would like.  If the DM wants the fireball spell to set things alight he can easily do that, and if he doesn't he is not forced by the rules to make houserules to change the basics.Another thing that keywords help with is organization and rapid information retrieval.  A power in 4e has a format that allows a DM, almost with a glance, to get the significant mechanical repercussions of the power.  He does not have to read a lengthy section of "flavor" interspersed here and there with mechanical rules to get to the bottom of a rules adjudication.  Particularly in combat where it counts the most.  It is significant that rituals work in a different manner organizationally, specifically because they are not meant to be used in combat.I'm not here to assuage concerns.  The game does what it does.  Some want to spend their time arguing how it doesn't do some things when for others it obviously does.  I'm not saying you have     [MENTION=6775975]Dungeonman[/MENTION], but others in this thread obviously have.  I don't mind honest discussions and even good hearted disagreements.  However I have very little tolerance left for the same tired arguments of "boardgame", "not an rpg", etc.  None of which engender discussion but edition warring.</blockquote>

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