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<blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 5898225" data-attributes="member: 51942">Yeah.&nbsp; Of course, some DM's might balk - I think a bit of explanation in the DMG would be better than a hard rule.&nbsp; Essentially, any mechanical character change that doesn't change the essence of what the character is should be OK.&nbsp; On the other hand, they shouldn't be commonly necessary; but that's something to keep in mind while designing rules (ability score minimums for late-game feats, I'm looking at you - but also things like overly narrow expertise feats).The problem with retraining as in 4e is that because it's a rule it's also somewhat limiting.&nbsp; You messed up an ability score distribution?&nbsp; Not fixable. You picked a two-weapon fighter, but two-weapon ranger turns out to fit your playstyle better?&nbsp; Not fixable. You picked a useless feat tree?&nbsp; Going to take lots of levels to swap out, particularly if a change in powers is subsequently required.Also, limiting retraining to avoid jumping on the latest splat-book bandwagon is unreasonable if new characters can use those rules.&nbsp; That's basically punishing those that try to get their character invested in a campaign.&nbsp; The &quot;immersion-breaking&quot; argument isn't convincing to me.&nbsp; I think immersion is really important, but most of these kind of retrainings are usually things other players in the group wouldn't even notice; they're anything but jarring.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="eamon, post: 5898225, member: 51942"] Yeah. Of course, some DM's might balk - I think a bit of explanation in the DMG would be better than a hard rule. Essentially, any mechanical character change that doesn't change the essence of what the character is should be OK. On the other hand, they shouldn't be commonly necessary; but that's something to keep in mind while designing rules (ability score minimums for late-game feats, I'm looking at you - but also things like overly narrow expertise feats). The problem with retraining as in 4e is that because it's a [I]rule[/I] it's also somewhat limiting. You messed up an ability score distribution? Not fixable. You picked a two-weapon fighter, but two-weapon ranger turns out to fit your playstyle better? Not fixable. You picked a useless feat tree? Going to take lots of levels to swap out, particularly if a change in powers is subsequently required. Also, limiting retraining to avoid jumping on the latest splat-book bandwagon is unreasonable if new characters [I]can[/I] use those rules. That's basically punishing those that try to get their character invested in a campaign. The "immersion-breaking" argument isn't convincing to me. I think immersion is really important, but most of these kind of retrainings are usually things other players in the group wouldn't even [I]notice; [/I]they're anything but jarring. [/QUOTE]

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