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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 1405920" data-attributes="member: 3424">[Aside]How would you like your omelette - fluffy or crunchy?[/Aside] <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue&nbsp; &nbsp; :p"&nbsp; data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> I prefer to use the terms &quot;flavor&quot; and &quot;mechanics&quot; myself, but I have no problem with either &quot;fluff&quot; or &quot;crunch&quot;.Fundamentally, though, I see no conflict between the two.&nbsp; In fact, flavor and mechanics must often go hand in hand.&nbsp; Consider the most basic of mechanics, the attack roll: roll d20 and add your BAB, your Strength modifier and your other modifiers.&nbsp; Any flavor here?&nbsp; Well, what about the following:1. In this setting, there is an element of chance (the d20 roll).&nbsp; Characters do not always automatically succeed or fail.2. In this setting, characters do not have an equal chance of succeeding at all tasks. Some succeed more often because they have more skill than others (BAB).3. In this setting, strong characters have a better chance to hit others in combat.4. In this setting, there are other ways to improve your ability to hit in combat apart from skill and strength (size, equipment, circumstances, etc).All these may be obvious, intuitive and flavor-wise, quite bland, but a bland flavor is different from the absence of flavor.Now, consider the following bit of flavor: Legolas is able to fire arrows at his opponents while descending a flight of stairs on a shield. Without the mechanics to back up this bit of flavor, DMs are basically left to decide what it means and what happens when a PC tries to replicate the same stunt. Does Legolas simply have an extremely hight Balance modifier? Does he have the Shield Surfing feat? Does he have a level in the Shield Surfer prestige class? Is he able to do it because he is an elf, and a non-elven PC who tries it will not be able to succeed? Flavor without mechanics leads to inconsistent application. Even so, this is less of a problem as long as every DM is internally consistent and everyone remembers rule 0.Fundamentally, different people will have different needs with respect to flavor and mechanics. Some aren't comfortable tinkering with mechanics and will want more rules. Others are looking for inspiration and want more flavor.&nbsp; And some want a little of both.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 1405920, member: 3424"] [Aside]How would you like your omelette - fluffy or crunchy?[/Aside] :p I prefer to use the terms "flavor" and "mechanics" myself, but I have no problem with either "fluff" or "crunch". Fundamentally, though, I see no conflict between the two. In fact, flavor and mechanics must often go hand in hand. Consider the most basic of mechanics, the attack roll: roll d20 and add your BAB, your Strength modifier and your other modifiers. Any flavor here? Well, what about the following: 1. In this setting, there is an element of chance (the d20 roll). Characters do not always automatically succeed or fail. 2. In this setting, characters do not have an equal chance of succeeding at all tasks. Some succeed more often because they have more skill than others (BAB). 3. In this setting, strong characters have a better chance to hit others in combat. 4. In this setting, there are other ways to improve your ability to hit in combat apart from skill and strength (size, equipment, circumstances, etc). All these may be obvious, intuitive and flavor-wise, quite bland, but a bland flavor is different from the absence of flavor. Now, consider the following bit of flavor: Legolas is able to fire arrows at his opponents while descending a flight of stairs on a shield. Without the mechanics to back up this bit of flavor, DMs are basically left to decide what it means and what happens when a PC tries to replicate the same stunt. Does Legolas simply have an extremely hight Balance modifier? Does he have the Shield Surfing feat? Does he have a level in the Shield Surfer prestige class? Is he able to do it because he is an elf, and a non-elven PC who tries it will not be able to succeed? Flavor without mechanics leads to inconsistent application. Even so, this is less of a problem as long as every DM is internally consistent and everyone remembers rule 0. Fundamentally, different people will have different needs with respect to flavor and mechanics. Some aren't comfortable tinkering with mechanics and will want more rules. Others are looking for inspiration and want more flavor. And some want a little of both. [/QUOTE]

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