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What is the essence of D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7814532" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Made less "magical" perhaps, but not made any less important or pervasive. Thus, in this way 4e is still very much magic-prime D&D.</p><p></p><p>All more or less true; albeit with 4e's reduction of capabilities of pre-existing caster classes somewhat cancelled out by its making caster or caster-like classes a much higher perecntage of the total.</p><p></p><p>This runs face-first into your caveat above: it applies to just about the entirety of the medieval-ish fantasy genre, not just D&D.</p><p></p><p>Also, (other than 4e which has restrictions on uses of some non or quasi magical powers) a Thief can do fantastic-grade jumps or falls all day while a wizard can only do it up to the number of spells she has memorized that provide the ability.</p><p></p><p>Which brings up something else about caster-noncaster balance that hasn't really been hit yet: in most situations there's no limits on how many times a Fighter can swing her sword in a day, nor to how many walls a Thief can climb. But pre-4e casters always had a set limit on how much they could do; and this provided a form of balance in situations where the DM pushed a party beyond the 5-minute workday paradigm.</p><p></p><p>With at-wills in 4e and cantrips in 5e, casters are now also unlimited; and that balance mechanism - such as it was - is no more.</p><p></p><p>Sad but true; though I don't recall 4e significantly altering this trend any.</p><p></p><p>I'm not disagreeing at all that magic is A major essence of D&D. It's only when you appear to suggest that magic is THE major essence of D&D that I look askance.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7814532, member: 29398"] Made less "magical" perhaps, but not made any less important or pervasive. Thus, in this way 4e is still very much magic-prime D&D. All more or less true; albeit with 4e's reduction of capabilities of pre-existing caster classes somewhat cancelled out by its making caster or caster-like classes a much higher perecntage of the total. This runs face-first into your caveat above: it applies to just about the entirety of the medieval-ish fantasy genre, not just D&D. Also, (other than 4e which has restrictions on uses of some non or quasi magical powers) a Thief can do fantastic-grade jumps or falls all day while a wizard can only do it up to the number of spells she has memorized that provide the ability. Which brings up something else about caster-noncaster balance that hasn't really been hit yet: in most situations there's no limits on how many times a Fighter can swing her sword in a day, nor to how many walls a Thief can climb. But pre-4e casters always had a set limit on how much they could do; and this provided a form of balance in situations where the DM pushed a party beyond the 5-minute workday paradigm. With at-wills in 4e and cantrips in 5e, casters are now also unlimited; and that balance mechanism - such as it was - is no more. Sad but true; though I don't recall 4e significantly altering this trend any. I'm not disagreeing at all that magic is A major essence of D&D. It's only when you appear to suggest that magic is THE major essence of D&D that I look askance. [/QUOTE]
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