NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7328051" data-attributes="member: 42582">[MENTION=82504]Garthanos[/MENTION] - interesting post!You're going to start putting me in the "reactionary" basket, but let me explain why I'm not sure about the need for tricks!It seems to me that issues like creating puffs of smoke, or creating water, or purifying food, are going to come mostly in two sorts of contexts. One is a low-stakes context, where it's just colour. In that case, I don't think I need a mechanic beyond skills + "say 'yes'" to support it. (Eg the cleric speaks a prayer of purification over the dirty plate - now it gleams!)The other is a skill challenge context, in which case - for the system to work - I need a skill check to be made. (I know rituals and daily powers, per the DMG and DMG2, can create an exception to this, but they are rationed abilities and so, at least in my experience, don't dominate the skill challenge resolution procedure.)And once a check is being made, the same consideration as in low-stakes context applies: whether or not the character can create the smoke puff necessary for some feat of prestidigitation can be determined via a check (say, a Thievery check).What do I thik cantrips are for, then? They're fiat moves for wizards. Some, like light, solve resource problems and protect against certain low-grade consequences (like having your lantern fall down a pit). Some, like mage hand, allow ceratin actions (pick up an object, etc) to be performed at range - this sometimes matters in combat (when tactical distances are everything) and sometimes effects fictional positioning.But I'm not that keen on extending at-will fiat moves to all classes. I think it tends to make the skill and skill challenge mechanics redundant. Whereas my experience with games that require checks rather than allowing fiat moves; and my experiences with a Sage of Ages who makes nearly all his important checks automatically before we get to factors like cantrips and rituals; makes me want more checks in the game, not fewer!</blockquote>

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