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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 5525708" data-attributes="member: 996">One oddity of 4e is the way powers are targetted.&nbsp; Virtually all powers target creatures or enemies.&nbsp; Vanishingly few also target objects (Force Orb is one I've used that I remember could do that, Light is another).&nbsp; None that I'm aware of target terrain features.It might make a lot of sense for some powers, like Fireball, to target &quot;all creatures &amp; objects in burst.&quot;&nbsp; But, they don't.&nbsp; It's not like it would've been hard or game-skewing to give them such a target line.So, I guess the intention is that the vast majority of attacks are specifically designed to harm creatures, not objects (that you might want to take as booty) or scenery (that you might want to claim after the fight).&nbsp; That's not exactly crazy.&nbsp; If you want consistency within the game world, rationalizations can work fine.&nbsp; Now you're getting into a genre bit.&nbsp; In just about any fantasy (or adventure or action) genre, you have a character, at some point (often at several points) pull out some power that, had they just used it earlier or more often, would've obviated most of the challenges presented in the story to that point.&nbsp; This drives nerds crazy.&nbsp; (I should know, I'm a nerd, and it drives me crazy every time).&nbsp; But, it's part of how people tell engaging stories.&nbsp; RPGs face the exact same problem. If you can just unleash the uber-attack, why not just lead with it and end the fight before you get hurt?&nbsp; 4e did away with save-or-dies, in part, to reduce the genre-crushing answer to that question: 'no reason, blast away in the surprise round.'Because RPGs tend to emulate literary (or entertainment) genres more than they do reality, they have to model at least some genre conventions, even when they're totally arbitrary and indefensible.&nbsp; Very often, something happens in a story only because the author's story /needs/ it to happen.&nbsp; Often, it's done well, sometimes it's clumsy and obvious, but it's done, a lot.&nbsp; When you rub up against a mechanic or a fluff/mechanic interactin that seems 'inconsistent' to you, take a step back, imagine it in a book or movie, and see if you can't see how an author might need to 'make it happen that way,' to keep the story flowing.&nbsp; This is, BTW, speaking more to the 'why can't he do it again'/'didn't he do it earlier' sort of dissonance, than the 'how do you knock a gelatinous cube 'prone' one (which I think has been handled fine, actually).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 5525708, member: 996"] One oddity of 4e is the way powers are targetted. Virtually all powers target creatures or enemies. Vanishingly few also target objects (Force Orb is one I've used that I remember could do that, Light is another). None that I'm aware of target terrain features. It might make a lot of sense for some powers, like Fireball, to target "all creatures & objects in burst." But, they don't. It's not like it would've been hard or game-skewing to give them such a target line. So, I guess the intention is that the vast majority of attacks are specifically designed to harm creatures, not objects (that you might want to take as booty) or scenery (that you might want to claim after the fight). That's not exactly crazy. If you want consistency within the game world, rationalizations can work fine. Now you're getting into a genre bit. In just about any fantasy (or adventure or action) genre, you have a character, at some point (often at several points) pull out some power that, had they just used it earlier or more often, would've obviated most of the challenges presented in the story to that point. This drives nerds crazy. (I should know, I'm a nerd, and it drives me crazy every time). But, it's part of how people tell engaging stories. RPGs face the exact same problem. If you can just unleash the uber-attack, why not just lead with it and end the fight before you get hurt? 4e did away with save-or-dies, in part, to reduce the genre-crushing answer to that question: 'no reason, blast away in the surprise round.' Because RPGs tend to emulate literary (or entertainment) genres more than they do reality, they have to model at least some genre conventions, even when they're totally arbitrary and indefensible. Very often, something happens in a story only because the author's story /needs/ it to happen. Often, it's done well, sometimes it's clumsy and obvious, but it's done, a lot. When you rub up against a mechanic or a fluff/mechanic interactin that seems 'inconsistent' to you, take a step back, imagine it in a book or movie, and see if you can't see how an author might need to 'make it happen that way,' to keep the story flowing. This is, BTW, speaking more to the 'why can't he do it again'/'didn't he do it earlier' sort of dissonance, than the 'how do you knock a gelatinous cube 'prone' one (which I think has been handled fine, actually). [/QUOTE]

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