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<blockquote data-quote="Kobold Stew" data-source="post: 6177791" data-attributes="member: 23484">I would prefer that characters not have the ability to trade class abilities related directly to combat for those related to social conflict or exploration. That ability already exists: nowhere moreso than dump stats (the comment above about looking a the 8 Charisma on the character sheet and feeling useless in social contexts is particularly telling) -- though there are other ways, too. Players can choose to have their characters balance these pillars or not, and that signals a choice to the DM, and marks areas where the character will be stronger or weaker. DDN will make those choices clearer, I suspect, with the ability checks: having dumped Int and Cha to be better in combat is goingg to come up more often than it did before. What I would not want is to be able to reinforce that choice further through the sacrifice of class abilities in a way that reduces even partial effectiveness in one (or two) of these three areas further. The player has already turned that dial. swapping combat abilities for combat abilities, social for social -- that's a more interesting choice because it identifies to the DM HOW the player wants her character to interact with the world when (or even just if) the game takes a turn in that direction.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Kobold Stew, post: 6177791, member: 23484"] I would prefer that characters not have the ability to trade class abilities related directly to combat for those related to social conflict or exploration. That ability already exists: nowhere moreso than dump stats (the comment above about looking a the 8 Charisma on the character sheet and feeling useless in social contexts is particularly telling) -- though there are other ways, too. Players can choose to have their characters balance these pillars or not, and that signals a choice to the DM, and marks areas where the character will be stronger or weaker. DDN will make those choices clearer, I suspect, with the ability checks: having dumped Int and Cha to be better in combat is goingg to come up more often than it did before. What I would not want is to be able to reinforce that choice further through the sacrifice of class abilities in a way that reduces even partial effectiveness in one (or two) of these three areas further. The player has already turned that dial. swapping combat abilities for combat abilities, social for social -- that's a more interesting choice because it identifies to the DM HOW the player wants her character to interact with the world when (or even just if) the game takes a turn in that direction. [/QUOTE]

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