What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

[Crimson Longinus]

So this is an example that strikes me as odd because it is a quality of the character... it has a lampshade akin to the one we apply to spells.

Yet many folks would classify this as a narrative mechanic, but would not do so for spells.

I guess it depends on how you assume magic to work in-universe, but how I'd interpret these things, they don't look the same.

To me this retroactive creation of an item is clearly a narrative mechanic. It brings an element into the fiction by breaking temporal causality. It also is very meta as the character cannot knowingly use this ability or know its usage limitations. I don't see anything like that being required by D&Dish magic.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

By my understanding, narrative mechanic. How exactly does one deliberately activate their luck? Do they clench harder? The PC may be aware they're luckier than the average Joe, but the deliberate use of it and ability to pick the right moment is in the player's hands.

I wouldn’t personally call this narrative since it doesn’t give you control of the narrative. You could describe how a miss luckily but you don’t even need to describe it at all. It can all be handled mechanically. In the end, you attacked and hit. But that’s me.

 

[hawkeyefan]

By my understanding, narrative mechanic. How exactly does one deliberately activate their luck? Do they clench harder? The PC may be aware they're luckier than the average Joe, but the deliberate use of it and ability to pick the right moment is in the player's hands.

I had a character who muttered a prayer to the goddess of luck every time the feat was used.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I guess it depends on how you assume magic to work in-universe, but how I'd interpret these things, they don't look the same.

To me this retroactive creation of an item is clearly a narrative mechanic. It brings an element into the fiction by breaking temporal causality. It also is very meta as the character cannot knowingly use this ability or know its usage limitations. I don't see anything like that being required by D&Dish magic.

There is no temporal causality. Just as if you're watching a movie and the character suddenly pulls a knife from a hidden ankle sheath... the character didn't time travel, the knife was "there all along" but we didn't know about it.

The character doesn't need to know the limitations... the ability represents their tendency to be prepared, or to have odd things at on hand at the right time.

The entire D&D magic system is designed to work this way.

 

[Aldarc]

A narrative mechanic is the person you call when you need someone to come in and repair your broken narrative.

There. I'm not proud, but it had to be said.

 

[billd91]

I wouldn’t personally call this narrative since it doesn’t give you control of the narrative. You could describe how a miss luckily but you don’t even need to describe it at all. It can all be handled mechanically. In the end, you attacked and hit. But that’s me.

You control it's deployment even if you can't control all of its effects. Same with other metagame currencies.

 

[billd91]

The character doesn't need to know the limitations... the ability represents their tendency to be prepared, or to have odd things at on hand at the right time.

The entire D&D magic system is designed to work this way.

I'm not seeing it.
The main difference here is Well Prepared is essentially quantum-state equipment with the presence (or absence) of an item only being determined at point of need (and only once per day). The D&D magic system isn't really like that given how much effort it goes into making sure prepared/known spells are defined before the need for them occurs. If the D&D magic system were more freeform in its magic like a variable pool in a number of superhero-based RPGs, then I might see the similarity.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

There is no temporal causality.

There is for the characters!

Just as if you're watching a movie and the character suddenly pulls a knife from a hidden ankle sheath... the character didn't time travel, the knife was "there all along" but we didn't know about it.

Yes, but the character presumably did! That we are reasoning from some audience/author perspective rather than from the perspective of the character is exactly what makes it a narrative mechanic.

The character doesn't need to know the limitations... the ability represents their tendency to be prepared, or to have odd things at on hand at the right time.

Thus being meta. Your decision to use it is not made from character perspective nor based on character knowledge.

The entire D&D magic system is designed to work this way.

Um, no... Why would you think that? I for one assume that the characters know what spells they have prepared and how many times they can use them. That all can be character knowledge just fine, no retrocausality or meta decisions required.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

You control it's deployment even if you can't control all of its effects. Same with other metagame currencies.

Yup but not all narrative mechanics use a metagame currency and, to me, just because there’s a metagame currency, it doesn’t automatically make it narrative.

 

[billd91]

Yup but not all narrative mechanics use a metagame currency and, to me, just because there’s a metagame currency, it doesn’t automatically make it narrative.

I understand that some people don't see it that way... but I generally do, particularly for mechanics that are hard to justify as in-character choices. It's the player choosing when to make something matter more (or at least try to do so) as the game plays out that is pretty much invisible to the PC's point of view. The strength of a mechanic and its narrative impact is more obvious with one that involves auto-success than a reroll (particularly when that reroll was a low success odds one in the first place), but I still think it's the player using mechanics at their disposal to guide the narrative by things other than decisions attributable to the PC's point of view.