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[Penny Arcade] Do you use "Magic!" too much or not enough?
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<blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 4985304" data-attributes="member: 3820"><p>I agree. Conversely, I also don't care for the "the PCs must be able to gain mechanical access to the NPCs' powers" when taken to an extreme. There's a big wide area in between "rules are just arbitrary things used against the PCs" and "the players should be able to audit the GM's books at any time and claim restitution if there are any rules discrepancies." I like it in that space, not at either end.</p><p></p><p>I don't tend to use "it's magic" very often, but when I turn to D&D I run very thematic games. I don't place anything that doesn't somehow reflect the theme. If it's something neo-Viking, then everything should somehow hint at rune magic or the hand of the gods or blood-curses or other things that seem to fit. Explanations, even if just cosmetic ones, reinforce the theme and are therefore vital. </p><p></p><p>On the other hand, I've never cared if an NPC displays some sort of ability not available to the players. I'm kind of fond of the one-trick-pony villain that you see in some things like martial arts novels, who's trained in one freakish technique that is probably going to die with him when the players figure out how to circumvent it. NPCs like that don't have access to everything the PCs can do, anyway -- yeah, so the troll-witch managed to gain secrets that can only be gotten by becoming a troll or hag's love slave. The time he spent doing that he wasn't training in your awesome PC abilities. Admittedly, I could give an NPC access to every trick a PC has and then some, but eh. Not only does that kind of push into the "it's magic!" side of straining credulity, but it's more work than I want to put into a character.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Barastrondo, post: 4985304, member: 3820"] I agree. Conversely, I also don't care for the "the PCs must be able to gain mechanical access to the NPCs' powers" when taken to an extreme. There's a big wide area in between "rules are just arbitrary things used against the PCs" and "the players should be able to audit the GM's books at any time and claim restitution if there are any rules discrepancies." I like it in that space, not at either end. I don't tend to use "it's magic" very often, but when I turn to D&D I run very thematic games. I don't place anything that doesn't somehow reflect the theme. If it's something neo-Viking, then everything should somehow hint at rune magic or the hand of the gods or blood-curses or other things that seem to fit. Explanations, even if just cosmetic ones, reinforce the theme and are therefore vital. On the other hand, I've never cared if an NPC displays some sort of ability not available to the players. I'm kind of fond of the one-trick-pony villain that you see in some things like martial arts novels, who's trained in one freakish technique that is probably going to die with him when the players figure out how to circumvent it. NPCs like that don't have access to everything the PCs can do, anyway -- yeah, so the troll-witch managed to gain secrets that can only be gotten by becoming a troll or hag's love slave. The time he spent doing that he wasn't training in your awesome PC abilities. Admittedly, I could give an NPC access to every trick a PC has and then some, but eh. Not only does that kind of push into the "it's magic!" side of straining credulity, but it's more work than I want to put into a character. [/QUOTE]
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[Penny Arcade] Do you use "Magic!" too much or not enough?
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