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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7450727" data-attributes="member: 82106">It is clear that there ARE trade-offs to how 4e does things. The issue boils down to you could remove all mechanical significance from every thematic choice, but then you're left to deal with them ONLY in a narrative way. That might be OK in some games, D&amp;D has never been one of them. So 4e was left with providing a lot of subtley different powers which are similar but not identical and link the thematics of various sources and damage types, etc. to mechanics.Now, I am of the opinion that 4e should have done it better. I think they should have thematically linked various damage types and other effects rules to specific narrative elements. So (just as suggestions, not saying these are rote) you might use ongoing damage only for poison and necrotic damage. You might limit dazed conditions to force/thunder. You might limit attack penalties to psychic attacks. There are obviously other choices along these lines (and maybe some other even better techniques which are similar, I've not thought this out very thoroughly). I think this was actually something that 4e's designers started out doing, but they quickly got carried away and didn't follow through on it very well. It would have definitely created some interesting links between damage types and roles, tactics, etc.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 7450727, member: 82106"] It is clear that there ARE trade-offs to how 4e does things. The issue boils down to you could remove all mechanical significance from every thematic choice, but then you're left to deal with them ONLY in a narrative way. That might be OK in some games, D&D has never been one of them. So 4e was left with providing a lot of subtley different powers which are similar but not identical and link the thematics of various sources and damage types, etc. to mechanics. Now, I am of the opinion that 4e should have done it better. I think they should have thematically linked various damage types and other effects rules to specific narrative elements. So (just as suggestions, not saying these are rote) you might use ongoing damage only for poison and necrotic damage. You might limit dazed conditions to force/thunder. You might limit attack penalties to psychic attacks. There are obviously other choices along these lines (and maybe some other even better techniques which are similar, I've not thought this out very thoroughly). I think this was actually something that 4e's designers started out doing, but they quickly got carried away and didn't follow through on it very well. It would have definitely created some interesting links between damage types and roles, tactics, etc. [/QUOTE]

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