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<blockquote data-quote="Majoru Oakheart" data-source="post: 4284260" data-attributes="member: 5143"><p>Both of these have the same answer. Although a move is described in the books as "Tide of Iron" or the like, it doesn't have to be the exact same move each time. Combat is WAY too complicated to describe in 100 pages of a book. It is filled with feints, parries, thrusts, dodges, nicks, blocks, cuts, and so on. It is way too much(and a large portion of it would be rather boring) to keep track of. So, instead, we translate that into things that are easier(and more fun) for our brains to keep track of.</p><p></p><p>I may use Tide of Iron one combat and it was my character bashing his shield as hard as he could against his opponent. The next time I use it, it might be me slashing at someone's midsection and them moving backwards to avoid a second attack I did on them. No character ever does EXACTLY the same thing twice. That's why no one asks for it. Not everything is possible to do twice. It's like, if someone managed to decapitate their enemy...then of COURSE you want to do it to every enemy. It kills them quickly. Not all enemies are going to be off guard long enough to do it to them, however. If you instead get a perfect opening to stab them in the cut, you are going to take it.</p><p></p><p>That's the idea. One time you attempt to push the enemy back and he falls for it. The next time he parries and holds his ground. The out of game reason is that you didn't have that daily power left. The in character reason is that you didn't use that power successfully.</p><p></p><p>He doesn't forget how to do it, he just is very good at judging enemies and knows based on people's fighting styles and knows he won't be able to affect some people with certain moves. Some powers he just simply chooses not to use or mention.</p><p></p><p>It's all a matter of which one you'd prefer:</p><p></p><p>1) "I wish I could use my power to knock him back into that pit. It's stupid, I knew how to do it last battle, but I don't know now. It would be so much easier to kill him that way. I guess since the rules are forcing me to, I use my power to knock him prone instead. My character yells out, 'I have completely forgotten how to push people backwards, sorry guys.'"</p><p></p><p>2) "I knock him prone and do 26 damage to him. Yeah, he'll be dead soon."</p><p></p><p>I figure it's better to just not mention it and reap the benefits that the increase in game balance has on play.</p><p></p><p></p><p>That is still pretty much "It's magic". I mean, the answer why they can't use it very much is "It's magic...the way it works is that it makes you tired."</p><p></p><p>In the Vancian system the explanation is "It's the way magic works, you forget it when you cast it."</p><p></p><p></p><p>And that's exactly the point I was making. People are willing to accept: "It's magic, it drains you" and "It's magic, it makes you forget". Very few people are willing to accept: "It's swinging a sword around in a circle, it drains you" or "It's swinging a sword around in a circle, it makes you forget".</p><p></p><p>However, if you apply the mechanics to one class and not to another one, then you end up with one class being less powerful because they aren't allowed to have One Use Powers or the other class being less powerful because they have restrictions on their powers and no one else does.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Majoru Oakheart, post: 4284260, member: 5143"] Both of these have the same answer. Although a move is described in the books as "Tide of Iron" or the like, it doesn't have to be the exact same move each time. Combat is WAY too complicated to describe in 100 pages of a book. It is filled with feints, parries, thrusts, dodges, nicks, blocks, cuts, and so on. It is way too much(and a large portion of it would be rather boring) to keep track of. So, instead, we translate that into things that are easier(and more fun) for our brains to keep track of. I may use Tide of Iron one combat and it was my character bashing his shield as hard as he could against his opponent. The next time I use it, it might be me slashing at someone's midsection and them moving backwards to avoid a second attack I did on them. No character ever does EXACTLY the same thing twice. That's why no one asks for it. Not everything is possible to do twice. It's like, if someone managed to decapitate their enemy...then of COURSE you want to do it to every enemy. It kills them quickly. Not all enemies are going to be off guard long enough to do it to them, however. If you instead get a perfect opening to stab them in the cut, you are going to take it. That's the idea. One time you attempt to push the enemy back and he falls for it. The next time he parries and holds his ground. The out of game reason is that you didn't have that daily power left. The in character reason is that you didn't use that power successfully. He doesn't forget how to do it, he just is very good at judging enemies and knows based on people's fighting styles and knows he won't be able to affect some people with certain moves. Some powers he just simply chooses not to use or mention. It's all a matter of which one you'd prefer: 1) "I wish I could use my power to knock him back into that pit. It's stupid, I knew how to do it last battle, but I don't know now. It would be so much easier to kill him that way. I guess since the rules are forcing me to, I use my power to knock him prone instead. My character yells out, 'I have completely forgotten how to push people backwards, sorry guys.'" 2) "I knock him prone and do 26 damage to him. Yeah, he'll be dead soon." I figure it's better to just not mention it and reap the benefits that the increase in game balance has on play. That is still pretty much "It's magic". I mean, the answer why they can't use it very much is "It's magic...the way it works is that it makes you tired." In the Vancian system the explanation is "It's the way magic works, you forget it when you cast it." And that's exactly the point I was making. People are willing to accept: "It's magic, it drains you" and "It's magic, it makes you forget". Very few people are willing to accept: "It's swinging a sword around in a circle, it drains you" or "It's swinging a sword around in a circle, it makes you forget". However, if you apply the mechanics to one class and not to another one, then you end up with one class being less powerful because they aren't allowed to have One Use Powers or the other class being less powerful because they have restrictions on their powers and no one else does. [/QUOTE]
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