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<blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 6301710" data-attributes="member: 17106">Of course it isn't. That was precisely my point. Neither is dictating outcomes, which you derisively refer to by that term. Both of them are variations of exercising the DM's power.It certainly does come into play, unless those resources result in an exactly equal chance of success for all conceivable mechanical approaches. If the players would be able to survive a fall fine by virtue of hp, and you ignore this in favor of some other mechanical approach (RAW or otherwise), you've screwed them. If the players would have struggled to fight a battle using their combat powers and attacks and you allowed them to circumvent it with a skill challenge that was easier for them, you've given them a gift.Regardless of whether this was your intent, that's the truth of what happened. Hiding behind this boundary you've established (dictating process but not outcomes) doesn't change the fact that the outcomes and process are inextricably linked, and ultimately outcomes are still being primarily determined by the choices of the DM (and secondarily, if at all, by other factors).Moreover, as the DM, you determined what those resources would be to begin with (by deciding things like their starting level, ability score generation parameters, and equipment options), and you established the knowledge which the players used in allocating those resources. Given all of this context, trying to draw a specific distinction and referring only to DM actions that determine outcomes as &quot;fiat&quot; is ludicrous.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ahnehnois, post: 6301710, member: 17106"] Of course it isn't. That was precisely my point. Neither is dictating outcomes, which you derisively refer to by that term. Both of them are variations of exercising the DM's power. It certainly does come into play, unless those resources result in an exactly equal chance of success for all conceivable mechanical approaches. If the players would be able to survive a fall fine by virtue of hp, and you ignore this in favor of some other mechanical approach (RAW or otherwise), you've screwed them. If the players would have struggled to fight a battle using their combat powers and attacks and you allowed them to circumvent it with a skill challenge that was easier for them, you've given them a gift. Regardless of whether this was your intent, that's the truth of what happened. Hiding behind this boundary you've established (dictating process but not outcomes) doesn't change the fact that the outcomes and process are inextricably linked, and ultimately outcomes are still being primarily determined by the choices of the DM (and secondarily, if at all, by other factors). Moreover, as the DM, you determined what those resources would be to begin with (by deciding things like their starting level, ability score generation parameters, and equipment options), and you established the knowledge which the players used in allocating those resources. Given all of this context, trying to draw a specific distinction and referring only to DM actions that determine outcomes as "fiat" is ludicrous. [/QUOTE]

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