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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vlos" data-source="post: 1438410" data-attributes="member: 15447">Whisper,You sort of answered your own question with the following:As an experienced DM s/he can make a ruling on the spot to decide if your action is proper or successful.WoTC has taken the game to those who don't have the experience DMing, thus these people need to know what is proper and/or successful.So to allow for this they created a system where actions are described with specific points. Abilities are described with Feats/powers.Think of it as sort of "house rules". You probably DM and have you ever joined another group as a player and in their game/house rules found an interesting ruling  for something you have had problems with ruling before? You probably adopted that rule as one of your rules. Now I'm sure the GM did not write down the exact description for you, because again you as a experienced DM could easily interrpret the ruling.Now for all those new/young DMs they can't. They need/want someone to tell them what is the exact decription of the ruling.With Feats/Abilities this is just a way to clearly define the rules. Now as in the old days, when you played under a DM that had an outlandish rule you simply ignored it. You can do the same with feats and abilities.PrC are simply collections of Feats/Abilities in a grouping that makes sense. (usually -some clearly do not)Do all the Feats and PrC classes detract from role playing? Yes/no. I think its more the system now, becuse back in the old days - I refer to those before skills, if you wanted to try something you simply explained it, the DM would sometimes have you make a roll (unless you described a beautiful action that fit perfect with your character and the situation) and based on that roll (usually against a Prime Stat with situation modifiers) declared success or failure.  Now with all the "skills" its easier for a DM to say no you don't have that skill, thus you can't attempt to do it. Or even for a player to say I don't have that skill, thus why should I even try.  With todays system (I feel) with specific rules for almost anything its hard to say, "my monk runs up the wall pushing off the statue slaming his left heal into the back of the guards skull". In the old days it was make a dex roll and a to-hit roll, where as today its what's the movement to the wall, how far up the wall is the statue, do you have the tumble skill? Climb Skill? how many ranks of each, what is the average DC against such a task, are there any attacks of opportunities?In todays game almost everything CAN be described as a mechanic.Ok, without going too much longer. I still feel there is room for role playing with todays system and the addition of more feats usually only clarifies specifics or tries to add flavor to those who cannot come up with the flavor, but its also much easier to fall into the mechanics forgetting the role.My opinions only</blockquote>

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