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<blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 6861686" data-attributes="member: 23">Btw, I like that &quot;speed barbarian&quot; idea, it looks like it could be a lot of fun.There is much more to adventuring than actual combat. I think part of it - and part of &quot;what is powergaming?&quot;&nbsp; in general really depends on what kind of combat the game has - combat as a sport, or combat as war?Combat as a sport features set piece encounters in an arena-like setting, featuring lots of tactical options&nbsp; and exciting battles.&nbsp; Combat as a war is brutish and nasty.&nbsp; Many of the fights will be lethal if the party just blunders into them.&nbsp; It is up to the party to engineer events to turn the table on their foes.&nbsp; It's war.&nbsp;&nbsp; If the PCs do their job well, the actual combat segment will be easy because they will have put the foes in such a bad situation.&nbsp; Figuring out how to do this, on the fly, using your wits, guile and the environment... well that's far more satisfying than figuring out how to increase your AC or damage by 1-2.... A character that is supremely combat optimize will struggle in such a setting, because he doesn't have the breath to help assist in the &quot;set up&quot; part, the &quot;pre battle&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp; He may be the best fighter in the kingdom, but until the fight starts he's not much help!&nbsp; So my &quot;not the best&quot; fighter... he has a shield and medium armor to protect him, and a bit of dex.&nbsp; His armor doesn't grant him disadvantage to stealth checks.&nbsp; He does have stealth as a skill from his background. He took alertness as a feat not to be surprised, and magic initiate for role-playing reason... but also because it's *useful*.&nbsp; Maybe he has a familiar to help him scout or distract enemies.&nbsp; Maybe he took expeditious retreat to move quickly around on the battlefield.&nbsp; Because he has a bit of dex, he can switch to a ranged weapon if the situation calls for a ranged attack by the party vs closing in melee.This character is *an adventurer*.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ancalagon, post: 6861686, member: 23"] Btw, I like that "speed barbarian" idea, it looks like it could be a lot of fun. There is much more to adventuring than actual combat. I think part of it - and part of "what is powergaming?" in general really depends on what kind of combat the game has - combat as a sport, or combat as war? Combat as a sport features set piece encounters in an arena-like setting, featuring lots of tactical options and exciting battles. Combat as a war is brutish and nasty. Many of the fights will be lethal if the party just blunders into them. It is up to the party to engineer events to turn the table on their foes. It's war. If the PCs do their job well, the actual combat segment will be easy because they will have put the foes in such a bad situation. Figuring out how to do this, on the fly, using your wits, guile and the environment... well that's far more satisfying than figuring out how to increase your AC or damage by 1-2.... A character that is supremely combat optimize will struggle in such a setting, because he doesn't have the breath to help assist in the "set up" part, the "pre battle". He may be the best fighter in the kingdom, but until the fight starts he's not much help! So my "not the best" fighter... he has a shield and medium armor to protect him, and a bit of dex. His armor doesn't grant him disadvantage to stealth checks. He does have stealth as a skill from his background. He took alertness as a feat not to be surprised, and magic initiate for role-playing reason... but also because it's *useful*. Maybe he has a familiar to help him scout or distract enemies. Maybe he took expeditious retreat to move quickly around on the battlefield. Because he has a bit of dex, he can switch to a ranged weapon if the situation calls for a ranged attack by the party vs closing in melee. This character is *an adventurer*. [/QUOTE]

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