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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aluvial" data-source="post: 860922" data-attributes="member: 6862">Good advice on the rules folder.  It actually hurts trying to look up the rule decisions I made already, but I've strived for at least some consistency.  The big problem is I get a lot of questions about how this should work, or shouldn't work, and the books are supposed to at least steer you in the right direction... problem is, that they don't all of the time.  As for making up stuff on the fly, I do, but it stinks of conflict between me and players and that is a dangerous thing.  I think they try to take every advantage the rules allow and who can blame them!  I would do the same thing.  Spells are always going to be used in new and fascinating ways, you have to roll with the punches (and throw in some licks of your own).  I don't have a problem with the players being inventive, it just that the rules are SO specific about certain things and so vague about others.  Ramble on....Take scribing scrolls.  How many scrolls can you create a day?  One, it says so in the rules.  How many spells can you put on a scroll in one day...  ???  It doesn't say.  It tells you everything you need to know on how to make the rolls, checks, cost, and xp's needed, but it doesn't say exactly how many you can do.  The rule is vague.  At first I ruled that you could only do one, and that the word "scroll" was defined as: One spell on a piece of parchment.  Then in the module I ran, I gave out a pre-made piece of treasure.  A scroll with two spells on it.  The spell casters about had a fit in their chairs!!  A scroll with TWO spells on it.  It's a miracle!  Well since that time (and as they increase in level, therefore being able to do more stuff) they want to make scrolls with more than one spell on them.  Why not, I reasoned.  I change the rule to you can put up to 1,000 gold pieces worth of spells on a scroll in one day.  What happens?  The cleric makes a scroll with 40 cure light wounds on it.  You do the math.  I missed the small bit in the rules mentioned in the wrong spot that you needed the spell memorized to put it into the item.  I made a mistake...  When I corrected it, I had my next house rule; you can only put as many spells on a scroll as the caster's highest spell level available to him.  So in essence, 9 spells on a scroll is the highest you would ever be able to achieve (unless you play with FR 10th level spell bull-crap).  Or Epic Level crap.  Or Deities Level crap.  Anyway, the point was that in one week I've got three new house rules for something that should have been spotted if the designers actually played the game and REALLY cared about what they were releasing.  At least some web stuff to correct the simple mistakes.  Try sending a request to Wizards for an OFFICIAL rules clarification.  They are so scared of the tidal-wave of backlash they get over every decision that they don't even answer most of the time.  I think there is a phone number to call.  I haven't tried that yet...  So this brings me to my conclusion about why the game has flaws now.  It just came to me.  The guys who designed the game were so afraid of the backlash that they would receive from the fans that they attempted to create a definite rule for every obvious circumstance.  Everything else is left with vague interpretations by the teaming masses.  I honestly think that they've done a great job and I appreciate the efforts, without them, I would have never of had the imagination (or the sheer willpower to take on the endeavor) to make up such a complicated game.  Go take a look on the face of newcomer to the game.  Better yet, try to explain it to one of your 'cool' co-workers some time.  Just try and explain what the game is to a girl.  They will all look at you, and hopefully you picked a good friend to try with, and say, "Looks pretty complicated."  I don't think real life gets as complicated as this game does now.  It used to be that I made up the rules, and no one argued BECAUSE there wasn't a rule to look up in the PH that contradicted the ruling.  So this takes me right back to the beginning, there are a LOT of rules in this game.  A LOT.  And the designers have done a hell of a job making it balanced.  It kills me when I hear someone complain about how they are going to redesign haste or harm...  or polymorph.  That type of person is just the creature that the designers in their almost infinite wisdom missed.  That is the guy who uses the depth of the rules to support any type of nonsense that he is trying to attempt, and the big problem is, that you shouldn't do anything but smile because those were the rules that you thought would leave the rules problems behind.Rambling off....Thanks again for the help and the advice.  I really appreciate your efforts here.  I need a 12 step DM support group...  I really do...Aluvial</blockquote>

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