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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haffrung Helleyes" data-source="post: 4047144" data-attributes="member: 1068">Here's why:It isn't ideal that we model Dragons and Beholders and people as squares.  But we do so for several reasons:1) in the case of medium sized creatures, they fit inside a 5' square, and the 5' square is the minimum level of granularity on the battlemap.2) in the case of larger creatures, we model them as squares because to do otherwise would unavoidably add the issue of facing to combat, and facing rules aren't in the game.  3) Another reason we model larger creatures as squares is because there are a great many monsters in D&D , and they come in a large number of shapes and sizes.  It would be difficult to come up with a small number of models that every creature could be mapped to.Nevertheless, the fact that large creatures are modeled as squares in D&D isn't a strength of the system.  It's an area where I have to apply house rules from time to time as a concession to common sense.  For example, the Huge Constrictor Snake shouldn't have to squeeze to go down a corridor.In the case of the fireball, it is a regular , symmetrical solid.  No issues of facing are introduced by modeling it as a sphere, and the different types of spheres that the system needs to represent are few.  So it's much easier to treat the fireball in a more realistic matter than the dragon.When designing an RPG, you have to balance the realism of the system with speed of play.  What we are saying is that you are sacrificing a large amount of realism (more with the movement rules than with the square fireballs, in my opinion) for a marginal gain in speed of play. Even if the gain in speed of play is significant, there's a point past which the realism sacrifice makes suspension of disbelief for some of us impossible.  At that point it just doesn't matter if the game plays faster.  It seems to me that WoTC is introducing a lot of these changes for the sake of consistency with the miniatures game.  If I am correct, you must admit, it's a poor tradeoff for those of us who don't play D&D minis.Ken</blockquote>

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