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Legends and Lore October 22nd
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6036656" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>Maybe.</p><p></p><p>It seems to me to depend a lot on how the game is being run and played.</p><p></p><p>For example - why would the ranger stick his/her ear to the ground to listen out for orcs, or why would the wizard send his/her falcon familiar into the sky to look for orcs?</p><p></p><p>If the GM has already forshadowed orcs, then presumably the PCs are likely to meet them in due course in any event. Until I've got a clear sense of what difference to scene framing and/or resolution is made by getting advance warning, I'm not sure how big a deal the ranger's ability is. I mean, the game-changing character of flight is normally understood as pertaining to avoidance of physical obstacles - which your ranger can't do. And the game-changing character of diviniation is normally understood as pertaining to the dissolution of mysteries - which I don't think your ranger is doing (the presence of an army of orcs leagues away seems more like a threat than a mystery).</p><p></p><p>Or, to go to your tracking or bandit lair examples. In 4e, discovering the bandit lair or finding the person at the other end of those tracks might often be resolved as a skill challenge. The ranger might contribute to that challenge using Nature and Perception skills, while the bard might contribute using Streetwise (to ask people) and Insight (to interpret the significance of what they say), or the Fighter using Endurance (to keep searching) and Athletics (to climb trees, cliffs, spires etc and look around). There is no doubt that these different approaches change the colour of the unfolding action, and that is important to the particular complications that will ensue as the skill challenge is resolved. But none of these skill sets is a "game changer" - the resolution framework doesn't change, and as far as I can see none leads to a radically different or strikingly unique set of complications and subsequent actions in resolution.</p><p></p><p>For me, your suggestions do a pretty reasonable job of capturing the ranger's particular contribution to the exploration pillar, but don't really go beyond that.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6036656, member: 42582"] Maybe. It seems to me to depend a lot on how the game is being run and played. For example - why would the ranger stick his/her ear to the ground to listen out for orcs, or why would the wizard send his/her falcon familiar into the sky to look for orcs? If the GM has already forshadowed orcs, then presumably the PCs are likely to meet them in due course in any event. Until I've got a clear sense of what difference to scene framing and/or resolution is made by getting advance warning, I'm not sure how big a deal the ranger's ability is. I mean, the game-changing character of flight is normally understood as pertaining to avoidance of physical obstacles - which your ranger can't do. And the game-changing character of diviniation is normally understood as pertaining to the dissolution of mysteries - which I don't think your ranger is doing (the presence of an army of orcs leagues away seems more like a threat than a mystery). Or, to go to your tracking or bandit lair examples. In 4e, discovering the bandit lair or finding the person at the other end of those tracks might often be resolved as a skill challenge. The ranger might contribute to that challenge using Nature and Perception skills, while the bard might contribute using Streetwise (to ask people) and Insight (to interpret the significance of what they say), or the Fighter using Endurance (to keep searching) and Athletics (to climb trees, cliffs, spires etc and look around). There is no doubt that these different approaches change the colour of the unfolding action, and that is important to the particular complications that will ensue as the skill challenge is resolved. But none of these skill sets is a "game changer" - the resolution framework doesn't change, and as far as I can see none leads to a radically different or strikingly unique set of complications and subsequent actions in resolution. For me, your suggestions do a pretty reasonable job of capturing the ranger's particular contribution to the exploration pillar, but don't really go beyond that. [/QUOTE]
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