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To Capitalize or not to capitalize
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<blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9025387" data-attributes="member: 58172"><p>I propose the following rule of thumb for formatting technical terms.</p><p></p><p>• If the term is a design space, keep it lowercase.</p><p>• If the term is a particular element in the design space, capitalize it.</p><p></p><p>For example.</p><p></p><p>The term "species" is a design space, so it stays lowercase. But any particular species becomes capitalized, such as: Human, Elf, Tiefling, Dwarf.</p><p></p><p>The term "creature type" is a design space. But a particular type capitalizes: Humanoid, Fey, Plant, Dragon, etcetera.</p><p></p><p>The term "size" is a design space. But a particular size capitalizes: Small, Medium, Large.</p><p></p><p>The term "trait": Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Trance.</p><p></p><p>The term "class" is a design space. A particular class capitalizes: Ranger, Wizard, Druid, Bard.</p><p></p><p>The term "background" is a design space. A particular background capitalizes: Artisan, Farmer, Criminal, Guard.</p><p></p><p>An "ability" is a design space. But any particular ability capitalizes: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma.</p><p></p><p>A "skill" is a design space: Perception, Stealth, Athletics, Arcana.</p><p></p><p>The term "spell": <em>Fly</em>, <em>Magic Missile</em>, <em>Silent Image</em>.</p><p></p><p>The term "feat": Healer, Lucky, Magic Initiate.</p><p></p><p>The term "condition": Grappled, Incapacitated, Slowed</p><p></p><p>The term "plane": Material, Ethereal, Astral.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Any term that is capitalized in this way, is a construct of mechanical rules, intended as one option among several.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Yaarel, post: 9025387, member: 58172"] I propose the following rule of thumb for formatting technical terms. • If the term is a design space, keep it lowercase. • If the term is a particular element in the design space, capitalize it. For example. The term "species" is a design space, so it stays lowercase. But any particular species becomes capitalized, such as: Human, Elf, Tiefling, Dwarf. The term "creature type" is a design space. But a particular type capitalizes: Humanoid, Fey, Plant, Dragon, etcetera. The term "size" is a design space. But a particular size capitalizes: Small, Medium, Large. The term "trait": Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Trance. The term "class" is a design space. A particular class capitalizes: Ranger, Wizard, Druid, Bard. The term "background" is a design space. A particular background capitalizes: Artisan, Farmer, Criminal, Guard. An "ability" is a design space. But any particular ability capitalizes: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. A "skill" is a design space: Perception, Stealth, Athletics, Arcana. The term "spell": [I]Fly[/I], [I]Magic Missile[/I], [I]Silent Image[/I]. The term "feat": Healer, Lucky, Magic Initiate. The term "condition": Grappled, Incapacitated, Slowed The term "plane": Material, Ethereal, Astral. Any term that is capitalized in this way, is a construct of mechanical rules, intended as one option among several. [/QUOTE]
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