Presentaion of Spells: To Prose or Not To Prose?

[Klaus]

In [MENTION=1]Morrus[/MENTION] ' news article on Haiku vs. Excel for the presentation of powers in D&D, I took his example of the Sleep spell and did a few variations of the 4e version. Vote for your favorite, and comment below!

A - 4E Version:

Sleep
You exert your will against your foes, seeking to overwhelm them
with a tide of magical weariness.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Implement, Sleep
Standard Action Area burst 2 within 20 squares
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is slowed (save ends). If the target fails its
first saving throw against this power, the target becomes
unconscious (save ends).
Miss: The target is slowed (save ends).

B - 4E Version, written in prose, like pre-4E books:

Sleep
Daily ✦ Arcane, Implement, Sleep
Casting Time: Standard Action
Area: burst 2 within 20 squares
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will

You exert your will against your foes, seeking to overwhelm them
with a tide of magical weariness. All creatures in the are are slowed
until they succeed on a saving throw. Targets hit by this spell that
fail the save are rendered unconscious, as they fall asleep.
A successful saving throw against the unconsciousness awakens
a sleeping target.

C - 4E Version, with mechanics first, and expanded description:

Sleep
Daily, Standard✦ Arcane, Implement, Sleep
Area: Burst 2 within 20 squares
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is slowed (save ends). If the target fails its
first saving throw against this power, the target becomes
unconscious (save ends).
Miss: The target is slowed (save ends).

With a wave of your hand, you cause a burst of magical sand to explode in a nearby area. Creatures within the sand cloud are overcome with weariness, falling asleep if they fail to shake off the initial effect. The spell can only keep creatures asleep for so long before they wake up, and an ally can try and shake a sleeping creature awake (through use of the Grant Saving Throw action).

Even creatures that don't normally sleep, such as elves, are subject to this spell's effects.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Voted the last option. I want something like C, except with the prose part quite often containing something that is not simply isolated flavor or a repeat of the stats. I'd like some prose that contributes additional meaning to the spell, beyond what the stat block can do. That is, this isn't simply a presentation question to me.

 

[Doug McCrae]

It's interesting to compare the OD&D version.

Sleep: A Sleep spell affects from 2-16 1st level types (hit dice of up to 1 + 1), from 2-12 2nd level types (hit dice of up to 2 +1), from 1-6, 3rd level types, and but 1 4th level type (up to 4 +1 hit dice). The spell always affects up to the number of creatures determined by the dice. If more than the number rolled could be affected, determine which "sleep" by random selection. Range: 24"

 

[GX.Sigma]

As with many aspects of D&D, I think 3e almost got this right, but fell down in the execution:

Sleep
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: One or more living creatures within a 10-ft.-radius burst
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 Hit Dice of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first.

Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell’s point of origin are affected first. Hit Dice that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted.

Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action).

Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures.

Material Component
A pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a live cricket.

I like the block at the top summarizing everything, and I like the prose further explaining the effects, how to counteract it, how to adjudicate corner cases. I just wish the block was actually useful as a reference thing.

 

[howandwhy99]

Other -
I prefer prose for the player (even partially created by the player) and mechanics for the DM hidden behind the screen.

 

[Incenjucar]

Specifically, I choose the pre-Essentials 4E version.

Once Essentials started adding in all that garbage text I had to break my habit of reading every word cover-to-cover to keep from tossing the book aside.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

None of the above. When my Wizardy character puts someone to sleep with magic, I want them to drop in their tracks and stay asleep until awakened or the spell duration ends. One saving throw when the spell is cast, not one every round/turn.

 

[underfoot007ct]

None of the above. When my Wizardy character puts someone to sleep with magic, I want them to drop in their tracks and stay asleep until awakened or the spell duration ends. One saving throw when the spell is cast, not one every round/turn.

Remember that would the same result to your PC, from monsters & NPC casters attacking your PC.

Your Char down, waiting on other PCs to awaken you, with no way rejoining the combat, is very little fun, IMHO.

-PS; absolutely no "prose" please, any other option is fine.

 

[Klaus]

None of the above. When my Wizardy character puts someone to sleep with magic, I want them to drop in their tracks and stay asleep until awakened or the spell duration ends. One saving throw when the spell is cast, not one every round/turn.

This isn't a discussion on the actual spell mechanics, but rather on how they are presented. Do you prefer your spell to read:

"Hit: target is unconscious."

or

"Targets hit by the spell fall asleep."

 

[Ellington]

B or C.

While I understand what they were going for with the straightforward and minimalistic setup in 4E, it was always a bit too dry for my taste.