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Why Balance is Bad
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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 6242184" data-attributes="member: 87792"><p>All those, with the possible exception of shooting with a bow into melee are, without either the DM designing the adventure round your character or fancy automatic tricks going to accomplish diddly squat. In order to taunt the dragon under the stalactite <em>when it has a fighter in its face</em> you are going to need cool powers not to simply get laughed at. Setting up flanking for a round or two - not attacking for a round or two (out of four or five at most). Not doing much at all. And searching the loot pile? Because the dragon is going to keep items to attack it with that thieves can use there. That takes the DM actively assisting you.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And with that statement you have just eliminated a <em>lot</em> of playstyles. You need to set up your campaign <em>round the capabilities of your PCs</em>. Goodbye sandboxes. You aren't wanted round here. Goodbye adventure paths. You don't work without preselected parties. Goodbye just pitching the challenge to the players and letting them decide how to answer it. You need, as DM, to predetermine a way the thief <em>will</em> be useful. To me, predetermining what the PCs will do is anathema. It's reminiscent of the worst of 90s metaplot railroads.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Why not set things up so that the thief is deliberately thrown a softball to let them contribute? Because the way I see things that's simply patronising to the thief and make-work for the GM. Why not just set things up so the thief <em>can</em> contribute. After all <em>everyone else can contribute to combat unless they specifically choose not to</em>. Clerics? Check. Fighters? Check. Wizards? Unless they've chosen spells that mean they can't, check. Druids? Check.</p><p></p><p>Why oh why must we single out the thief as the one class that can't contribute and must be given special treatment? (Even fighters can contribute to social situations).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 6242184, member: 87792"] All those, with the possible exception of shooting with a bow into melee are, without either the DM designing the adventure round your character or fancy automatic tricks going to accomplish diddly squat. In order to taunt the dragon under the stalactite [I]when it has a fighter in its face[/I] you are going to need cool powers not to simply get laughed at. Setting up flanking for a round or two - not attacking for a round or two (out of four or five at most). Not doing much at all. And searching the loot pile? Because the dragon is going to keep items to attack it with that thieves can use there. That takes the DM actively assisting you. And with that statement you have just eliminated a [I]lot[/I] of playstyles. You need to set up your campaign [I]round the capabilities of your PCs[/I]. Goodbye sandboxes. You aren't wanted round here. Goodbye adventure paths. You don't work without preselected parties. Goodbye just pitching the challenge to the players and letting them decide how to answer it. You need, as DM, to predetermine a way the thief [I]will[/I] be useful. To me, predetermining what the PCs will do is anathema. It's reminiscent of the worst of 90s metaplot railroads. Why not set things up so that the thief is deliberately thrown a softball to let them contribute? Because the way I see things that's simply patronising to the thief and make-work for the GM. Why not just set things up so the thief [I]can[/I] contribute. After all [I]everyone else can contribute to combat unless they specifically choose not to[/I]. Clerics? Check. Fighters? Check. Wizards? Unless they've chosen spells that mean they can't, check. Druids? Check. Why oh why must we single out the thief as the one class that can't contribute and must be given special treatment? (Even fighters can contribute to social situations). [/QUOTE]
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