Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 7058270" data-attributes="member: 6787650">That's exactly the point I'm making. You shouldn't ever be reduced to describing things in game-mechanical terms; but the way WotC's designers write certain abilities like Bardic Inspiration and Mantle of Command encourages doing so, because the game mechanics are the only things in the ability description.The character was already moving, presumably, on his own turn during the round. Apparently something is happening to move him some more, but since only the game mechanics are given, we have no idea why he is moving. It's too gamist for my taste.If the psionicist (Mystic) were physically teleporting his buddy elsewhere, that would make sense; ditto if he were telekinetically nudging him. But defining things purely in game-mechanical terms does not work for me--it's why I dislike Bardic Inspiration (per OP), and the Mystic is treading down that same path in a couple of places. I think the Bardic Inspiration/Cutting Words thing is potentially fixable though.Consider the 2nd edition version of this ability:If you switch Bardic Inspiration from a gamist description ("To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die...") to a roleplaying description ("To do so, as a bonus action on your turn you may sing or recite words immortalizing in song or oratory one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die...") then it starts to come together--obviously you can't sing or recite things while gagged, for instance, and depending on DM judgment you may or may not be able to do it while also casting a spell with verbal components. The short duration of a 5E round is a bit of an issue but can plausibly be handwaved by assuming that the bard is building off of established patterns, maybe only playing a few bars from the other PC's "theme song" which they both know--which implies that you wouldn't be able to use Bardic Inspiration the same way on someone you just met.But you can't do any of that until you redefine Bardic Inspiration from "the ability to use your bonus action to grant Bardic Inspiration dice to other PCs" into "the ability, as a bonus action, to sing or recite inspirational words immortalizing your companions in oratory or song".By defining things in roleplaying terms instead of game mechanical terms, you make roleplaying clearer and better. You make combat boardgaming a little bit worse and less powerful, but I don't care about that since I don't run D&D as a combat boardgame.</blockquote>

Verification