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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 7652924" data-attributes="member: 87792">Because monsters are a tangible thing within the game world.&nbsp; &quot;That is a large red dragon.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;That is a goblin hex-hurler.&quot;&nbsp; Not a meaningless statement.On the other hand &quot;That is a level 13 elite brute&quot; would receive blank incomprehension within the setting - not one of those words would be understood by someone in the setting as having their metagame meaning.&nbsp; This is because the 4e monster design system is ultimately a very tight set of benchmarks for freeform monster design.&nbsp;The spells are directly meaningful.&nbsp; The martial powers are generally abstractions of approaches and opportunities.Would someone within the setting have a clue what you were talking about?&nbsp;As most popular RPGs that were created from scratch since Traveller (1977) have done.&nbsp; Classes have advantages and disadvantages.&nbsp; Although White Wolf sort of added them back.If classes are that easy to make, unless you have a collection of bold abilities making up a class (as the Apocalypse World family does) ultimately you've a packaged point-buy system rather than a class based one.Oh, both have meaning.&nbsp; But if an RPG that wasn't tightly tied to a specific setting decided to sell me as crunch a Blackhand Assassin and a Crystal Seer as separate and distinct classes I'd put the game straight down on the grounds it was so unbelievably padded that it felt the need to waste pages on that, unless it was an intrigue game with those being major factions.&nbsp; My attention to minutae is limited, and I think it's way beyond that of most people.&nbsp; (I'd also put it down on the grounds that all Crystal Seers are effectively identical)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 7652924, member: 87792"] Because monsters are a tangible thing within the game world. "That is a large red dragon." "That is a goblin hex-hurler." Not a meaningless statement. On the other hand "That is a level 13 elite brute" would receive blank incomprehension within the setting - not one of those words would be understood by someone in the setting as having their metagame meaning. This is because the 4e monster design system is ultimately a very tight set of benchmarks for freeform monster design. The spells are directly meaningful. The martial powers are generally abstractions of approaches and opportunities. Would someone within the setting have a clue what you were talking about? As most popular RPGs that were created from scratch since Traveller (1977) have done. Classes have advantages and disadvantages. Although White Wolf sort of added them back. If classes are that easy to make, unless you have a collection of bold abilities making up a class (as the Apocalypse World family does) ultimately you've a packaged point-buy system rather than a class based one. Oh, both have meaning. But if an RPG that wasn't tightly tied to a specific setting decided to sell me as crunch a Blackhand Assassin and a Crystal Seer as separate and distinct classes I'd put the game straight down on the grounds it was so unbelievably padded that it felt the need to waste pages on that, unless it was an intrigue game with those being major factions. My attention to minutae is limited, and I think it's way beyond that of most people. (I'd also put it down on the grounds that all Crystal Seers are effectively identical) [/QUOTE]

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