Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="hong" data-source="post: 3431809" data-attributes="member: 537">I disagree with this. Maybe it's the result of 7 years of reading really bad prestige class fluff, but I think these things should be given some consideration. These days I'm finding that what drives my decision on whether to use a PrC isn't just whether the class crunch is usable, but also whether the fluff inspires me. It doesn't matter if it's the best designed class on the planet; if the backstory is silly, or it has dumb ability names like &quot;bring 'em back alive&quot; or &quot;die for your country&quot;, I'm likely to just roll my eyes. Ditto if it has a really boring, completely utilitarian name.Now I grok that you want to get the crunchy bits right first, before worrying about the fluff, but this isn't the way I'd do it. If you don't want to do this right now, just put in a placeholder like &quot;assassin replacement&quot;, and ask for ideas on what the actual name should be. After you get a good name, add a line that it's a drop-in replacement for the DMG assassin. After all, it's just as easy for people to change a fancy name to suit their own campaign, as it is to change a drab name.And it's not like your stuff is flavour-free anyway. School and maneuver names like &quot;Sanguine Lotus&quot;, &quot;black lotus form&quot; and &quot;heart chakra mastery&quot; are a long way from &quot;power attack&quot; and &quot;improved unarmed strike&quot;, and convey a sense of mystery or exotica that wouldn't otherwise be there. Consider also how people kept coming back to the name for the medical ninja school, and you'll see that it's something not to take too lightly.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="hong, post: 3431809, member: 537"] I disagree with this. Maybe it's the result of 7 years of reading really bad prestige class fluff, but I think these things should be given some consideration. These days I'm finding that what drives my decision on whether to use a PrC isn't just whether the class crunch is usable, but also whether the fluff inspires me. It doesn't matter if it's the best designed class on the planet; if the backstory is silly, or it has dumb ability names like "bring 'em back alive" or "die for your country", I'm likely to just roll my eyes. Ditto if it has a really boring, completely utilitarian name. Now I grok that you want to get the crunchy bits right first, before worrying about the fluff, but this isn't the way I'd do it. If you don't want to do this right now, just put in a placeholder like "assassin replacement", and ask for ideas on what the actual name should be. After you get a good name, add a line that it's a drop-in replacement for the DMG assassin. After all, it's just as easy for people to change a fancy name to suit their own campaign, as it is to change a drab name. And it's not like your stuff is flavour-free anyway. School and maneuver names like "Sanguine Lotus", "black lotus form" and "heart chakra mastery" are a long way from "power attack" and "improved unarmed strike", and convey a sense of mystery or exotica that wouldn't otherwise be there. Consider also how people kept coming back to the name for the medical ninja school, and you'll see that it's something not to take too lightly. [/QUOTE]

Verification