Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 5915376" data-attributes="member: 59506">I disagree.  Restrictions can be incorporated throughout the games mechanics in ways that aren't always obvious at first.  Simply removing the restriction can leave the remaining unknown parts intact, like the roots of a weed when just yanked out.  But having a module to add restrictions in, can clearly list and define all the other additions that need to be made throughout the system.  One could argue that a module could be made for removing restrictions also, and list all related changes that must be made, but that's in essence a lot of rewriting or redacting your rulebook, than it is simply referencing an additional part of the book.  I can see the possibility for unbalancing with either approach, but I still think that generally, it's easier to add rather than subtract.   For example, although not one about restriction, the recent blog on Paladins:  If one does not use alignments at all, then this starts getting tricky.  If you remove the qualification that the extra damage from a "smite" only applies to "Evil", do you allow the smite to work on everything, or do you eliminate it entirely?  If you allow it on everything, that may significantly overbalance the system.  If you don't allow it at all, that may significantly underbalance the class.  If you go with not allowing it at all, then you're in the position as DM to find something else to add that rebalances it, but may end up not being thematically relevelent to being a Paladin. But if instead, the class is designed with two optional elements that are equal in balance from the start, then one or the other can be added in with no problem. Another example with alignment: alignment is a naturally restricting system.  It limits options.  If it's incorporated into the base system, simply removing it isn't very easy.  The baseline assumptions extend to magic, magic items, interactions with creatures and NPC's, etc.  Simply removing it is tantamount to fighting an infestation of vermin.  It's meticulous, painful, and time consuming...and one can't always be sure you've found every aspect of the rules that needs to be changed.  However, adding alignment restriction can list all aspects that need to be changed, and you're aware of them from the start. As said, removing is not difficult if there are no balancing issues or other aspects of the rules to be concerned with.  But I've found those issues to be present more times than not, and more impactful when subtracting such restrictions or mechanics, rather than when adding them. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/glasses.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt="B-)" title="Glasses    B-)" data-shortname="B-)" /></blockquote>

Verification