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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ainamacar" data-source="post: 6123453" data-attributes="member: 70709">Let's not put words in his mouth, or this will go to the bad place.Here is how I think of the delayed gratification issue.  If we balance feats against +1 ability score (such that they are worth +1/2 modifier) the assumption is that we can do it enough that the "graininess" of the progression averages out.  There are three main considerations:1) Do we in fact do it often enough so the graininess averages out?  The answer to that is definitely maybe.  Games end unexpectedly, they end when expected (but only last a few levels), or any number of other things.2) How frequently do we sample, and thus how long does it take to trend toward the average?  In the proposed system we sample the +1 every few to several levels.  In most games that will be weeks of real time before any given choice averages with the next one.  The time to generate a reasonably large sample (so that the balance assumption is a very good one) might be the entire campaign.3) Should resources present real (as opposed to potential) benefits when taken.  I think the answer essentially depends on the answer to #1 and #2.  For D&D we might not actually take that many samples and there is a fairly long wait between samples.  That means the assumptions that support balancing vs. a +1 ability score do not necessarily hold, and even if they do hold it might take a long time to achieve.  If I'm spending a rare resource I shouldn't have to wait. That is why I don't think this is particularly good design for D&D.  In a different game (say a point-buy based system where points accrue quickly, even a small number can be spent on something, and any waiting for something big pays off immediately upon obtaining the cost) the answer can be different.The reaction I have to the +1 issue is about the same as I would have if the benefits of the Dodge->Mobility feat chain in 3e were like this:Dodge: You qualify for Mobility. (But you don't get the actual bonus to AC.)Mobility: You gain the benefits of the actual Dodge and Mobility feats.Yes, it can get to the same place in the end, but I have to wait a couple levels, and there is no guarantee I'll ever get there.Or, say you can vote in an election with the following choices:1) Get 1 vote in the current election.2) Get 2 votes in the following election, but none now.If elections were every four years I probably wouldn't defer it, although there could be strategic exceptions.  If there were an election every day I might defer, maybe even often.  If it is unlikely there will be another election in my lifetime I'd definitely not do it.</blockquote>

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