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<blockquote data-quote="Goumindong" data-source="post: 4455270" data-attributes="member: 70874"><p>Now lets really define this by using some examples and then tying them into the classic DnD fantasy tropes. </p><p></p><p>In many Japanese cartoons there are characters who are able to achieve radically crazy feats by simply training a long time and really hard. It gets to the point where these people can "train" themselves to fly and "train" themselves to throw fireballs. All without the benefit of "magic".</p><p></p><p>In many Chinese movies there are characters who are able to achieve radically crazy feats by simply training a long time and really hard. It gets to the point where these people can "train" themselves to jump many times higher than a normal human, balance on bamboo, jump or run on water, punch, kick, or swing a sword many times harder and faster and more accurately than any human could possibly every be.</p><p></p><p>In many western movies there are characters who can take much more of a beating than anyone else around them. People who are able, by simply their strength of will, to shoot unrealistically accurately, take unreasonable beatings, run unreasonable distances, and be nearly prescient in combat situations. </p><p></p><p>In many real world instances. People are able to train themselves to achieve feats that would normally be considered "impossible" by a normal human. We see some of these people every day when we turn on the television and watch professional or amature sports. Some of these people live in monasteries. Some of these people are unknown to general public and live among us. When a 200 pound running back runs over 5 linebackers we believe it because we have seen it. When someone throws a baseball 250 feet on a line we believe it because we have seen it. When someone kicks a soccer ball around a corner, or hits a tennis ball 130 miles per hour we believe it because we have seen it. When very strong two people punch each other in the chest for two minutes be believe it because we have seen it.</p><p></p><p>DnD is somewhere between what we know in the real world can be done with training and what we see in our fiction. Fighters can't fly or throw fireballs, but they can punch a dinosaur so hard in the face so hard it hurts it and not give much of a hoot when that dinosaur turns around and breathes fire on him. They can swing swords so strongly and accurately to kill demons or angels in a single blow. Every once and a while they can fire 30 arrows in six seconds while moving 35 feet through a writing mass of death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts.</p><p></p><p>We don't call it "magic" because it doesn't fit into the magical trope, which is old guys in robes drawing on arcane powers to create objects and effects out of thin air. But in effect there is no difference between a magic spell that allows you to move 35 feet through death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts while shooting 30 arrows in 6 seconds, a magical creature that by nature of being magical can move 35 feet through death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts and shooting 30 arrows in 6 seconds. In all instances they are thoroughly supernatural and magical. They are only called by different names because they fit into different stereotypical examples of characters from fantasy literature drawn from different types of historic mythical stories[Arthur/Merlin being a magical/birthright example, Beowulf being a "ki" or "martial" example, Odysseus/Achilles being a martial/divine example, among many others]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goumindong, post: 4455270, member: 70874"] Now lets really define this by using some examples and then tying them into the classic DnD fantasy tropes. In many Japanese cartoons there are characters who are able to achieve radically crazy feats by simply training a long time and really hard. It gets to the point where these people can "train" themselves to fly and "train" themselves to throw fireballs. All without the benefit of "magic". In many Chinese movies there are characters who are able to achieve radically crazy feats by simply training a long time and really hard. It gets to the point where these people can "train" themselves to jump many times higher than a normal human, balance on bamboo, jump or run on water, punch, kick, or swing a sword many times harder and faster and more accurately than any human could possibly every be. In many western movies there are characters who can take much more of a beating than anyone else around them. People who are able, by simply their strength of will, to shoot unrealistically accurately, take unreasonable beatings, run unreasonable distances, and be nearly prescient in combat situations. In many real world instances. People are able to train themselves to achieve feats that would normally be considered "impossible" by a normal human. We see some of these people every day when we turn on the television and watch professional or amature sports. Some of these people live in monasteries. Some of these people are unknown to general public and live among us. When a 200 pound running back runs over 5 linebackers we believe it because we have seen it. When someone throws a baseball 250 feet on a line we believe it because we have seen it. When someone kicks a soccer ball around a corner, or hits a tennis ball 130 miles per hour we believe it because we have seen it. When very strong two people punch each other in the chest for two minutes be believe it because we have seen it. DnD is somewhere between what we know in the real world can be done with training and what we see in our fiction. Fighters can't fly or throw fireballs, but they can punch a dinosaur so hard in the face so hard it hurts it and not give much of a hoot when that dinosaur turns around and breathes fire on him. They can swing swords so strongly and accurately to kill demons or angels in a single blow. Every once and a while they can fire 30 arrows in six seconds while moving 35 feet through a writing mass of death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts. We don't call it "magic" because it doesn't fit into the magical trope, which is old guys in robes drawing on arcane powers to create objects and effects out of thin air. But in effect there is no difference between a magic spell that allows you to move 35 feet through death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts while shooting 30 arrows in 6 seconds, a magical creature that by nature of being magical can move 35 feet through death tentacles while dodging lightning bolts and shooting 30 arrows in 6 seconds. In all instances they are thoroughly supernatural and magical. They are only called by different names because they fit into different stereotypical examples of characters from fantasy literature drawn from different types of historic mythical stories[Arthur/Merlin being a magical/birthright example, Beowulf being a "ki" or "martial" example, Odysseus/Achilles being a martial/divine example, among many others] [/QUOTE]
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