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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Smeelbo" data-source="post: 4702411" data-attributes="member: 81898">Power creep as a successful marketingIf Expertise really is a fix to the tier gap, then addressing the tier gap directly by tweaking the system, say by issuing an Errata to the Monster Manual with a -1 penalty to monster defense per each mid-tier would have been much cleaner and fairer to the player base. However, a paragraph of errata to a book that we have already bought and paid for will not generate much additional revenue, while a feat that is probably better than any feat already in print absolutely will have a measurable impact on sales. I've spent over ten years on the game store floor, half in the mid 80's, and half after the tech bubble popped. I've seen books literally sold before my very eyes by a single powerful feat, prestige class, spell, or ability. While the Player Handbook +2 certainly will sell a lot of copies just on the basis of the new classes alone, regardless of the quality of that work, Expertise will make the book almost mandatory for groups. The developers hand this in mind when they announced that the "fix" for the tier gap would be in the PHB2. If it had been done properly, as an Errata to the DMG or MM, or perhaps in a DMG II, then it wouldn't have had nearly the same impact on sales. You can be sure that every game store clerk who has it on the ball will show the customer Expertise when trying to close the sale. Smeelbo</blockquote>