NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NoWayJose" data-source="post: 5472586" data-attributes="member: 84810">Not sure that's a fair or accurate example. In real life, lightning bolts don't bounce. They move through conductive materials. Then again, in real life, lightning bolts don't appear like magic from an outstretched hand. Does a magical lightning bolt act exactly like a real-life natural lightning? Re-doing your example:1) Fiction first: Let's design a new spell that is fun and cool for wizards! OK, what should it be? How about a lightning spell? OK, cool, should that be like Dark Jedi lightning, or a lightning blast? And what happens when it hits water or a wall? Are we trying to simulate real-life or just a basic suspension of disbelief? Hey, are there any other lightning spells already, because it would be inconsistent if magical lightning spread through water in one spell but not with another. Then, what spell level is this? Does it work with game balance? 2) Mechanics first: Let's design a new Controller class! Cool, so obviously, we need a damage + push spell. OK, um, how about Lightning Ram -- a blast of lightning pushes you 3 squares. So, um, do we have to worry about the lightning ram reflecting off walls and water? Do we have to worry about consistency with other lightning spells? Silly, of course not! We decided we need a Controller because the supplement needs more controllers. Controllers need a damage + push spell for this level slot. The fluff is irrelevant, let the DM and players figure it out. We'll tell them something like 'The game is yours, YOU decide if it's lightning ram or football ram or whatever, use your imagination!' Fiction first --> what can we add to make the narrative more fun and fantastic, then see how it fits the rules and game balance. Mechanics first --> what can we add to game mechanics and tactics, then let the people reverse-engineer the fluff and narrative.</blockquote>

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