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What are the "True Issues" with 5e?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9112975" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I thought [USER=6914290]@Gammadoodler[/USER]'s point was quite a clear one: spells could quite easily have their effects defined by reference to familiar everyday things - so Move Earth could be defined by reference to <em>the amount of earth-moving labour a person with STR 10 could do with an ordinary shovel in 1 hour with this particular soil and/or rock</em>.</p><p></p><p>Tiny Hut could be defined by reference to the camping equipment on the equipment list. Etc.</p><p></p><p>There is a spell system in a RPG that actually does this: in Torchbearer, the Floating Disc spell (called Mystic Porter) has its capacity defined by reference to backpack slots; the Mage Light ability has its illumination defined by reference to candles, torches and lanterns; a number of spells and prayers that interact with resting and camping use the same explanatory categories as the rules for making camp; the teleport spell (called Shadow Gate) has its range categories defined by reference to the rules for overland journeys; etc.</p><p></p><p>If that is considered inadequate spell description, than it must follow that the rules' description of everyday things and everyday equipment is inadequate. In Torchbearer it is not, because the game has reasonably tight rules for handling slots, and light, and camping, and journeying, and so on. (As per my post not too far upthread.) The fact that, in 5e, it might be considered inadequate to define spells in this way suggests that the equipment rules could do with some tightening up or some elaboration, <em>if</em> they are meant to be meaningful.</p><p></p><p>But I watched the Matt Colville video that [USER=6777737]@Bacon Bits[/USER] linked to upthread, and I tend to agree with Colville that the equipment list in 5e seems largely vestigial.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 9112975, member: 42582"] I thought [USER=6914290]@Gammadoodler[/USER]'s point was quite a clear one: spells could quite easily have their effects defined by reference to familiar everyday things - so Move Earth could be defined by reference to [I]the amount of earth-moving labour a person with STR 10 could do with an ordinary shovel in 1 hour with this particular soil and/or rock[/I]. Tiny Hut could be defined by reference to the camping equipment on the equipment list. Etc. There is a spell system in a RPG that actually does this: in Torchbearer, the Floating Disc spell (called Mystic Porter) has its capacity defined by reference to backpack slots; the Mage Light ability has its illumination defined by reference to candles, torches and lanterns; a number of spells and prayers that interact with resting and camping use the same explanatory categories as the rules for making camp; the teleport spell (called Shadow Gate) has its range categories defined by reference to the rules for overland journeys; etc. If that is considered inadequate spell description, than it must follow that the rules' description of everyday things and everyday equipment is inadequate. In Torchbearer it is not, because the game has reasonably tight rules for handling slots, and light, and camping, and journeying, and so on. (As per my post not too far upthread.) The fact that, in 5e, it might be considered inadequate to define spells in this way suggests that the equipment rules could do with some tightening up or some elaboration, [I]if[/I] they are meant to be meaningful. But I watched the Matt Colville video that [USER=6777737]@Bacon Bits[/USER] linked to upthread, and I tend to agree with Colville that the equipment list in 5e seems largely vestigial. [/QUOTE]
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