Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Wights and wraiths
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Jeff Carlsen" data-source="post: 6036390" data-attributes="member: 61749"><p>That's one alternative, but it's not the only one. I believe we could come up with something that satisfies both our needs. Please allow me to ramble for at bit.</p><p></p><p>I recognize your concern. It's essentially the same one that's at the root of rule where an extended rest gives you back all your hit points, and I have the same problems with that.</p><p></p><p>I care <em>a lot</em> about verisimilitude. It's the one thing that tabletop RPGs do well that no other type of game can compare to. So I'm always critical of any rule that flies in the face of that. I certainly don't need absolute realism, but I do need to be able to suspend disbelief.</p><p></p><p>The cleric <em>is</em> a problem. He isn't just essential for the party — he alters the nature of society. He is a font of curative magic that would insure that no lord or king ever dies, that no injury ever changes anybody's life, and that disease and poison effectively disappear. <em>This</em> is the side of the equation they should be addressing. A party with a cleric, or even with the funds to hire a cleric, shouldn't be able to ignore threats or simply remove maladies. </p><p></p><p>Most fantasy fiction solves this problem by making powerful magic dangerous and unpredictable, and often it requires a sacrifice.</p><p></p><p>For example, what if <em>restoration </em>wasn't a guaranteed success? The cleric asks his or her god to repair a broken person, but it's up to the god if the person is worth restoring. If so, the god will still take something in exchange or perhaps demand a <em>geas</em>. If the god is offended, such as from being asked to restore someone of opposite alignment or an enemy of the faith, then the results might be disastrous for both the patient and the cleric. This would have to be handled by the DM, though likely with the optional aid of a random chart.</p><p></p><p>Under these rules, energy drain is permanent for all practical purposes. But, where it makes sense for the campaign, it can be cured. Moreover, those optional rules I mentioned — wherein energy drain can be healed through meditation, soul-searching, or self discovery — become more meaningful.</p><p></p><p>This is the sort of thing I'm looking for out of the rules. Not everything needs to be this complex, of course. Kamikaze Midget is right in that the game doesn't to many things to track. But it does need some, and energy drain can be made into a good one.</p><p></p><p>I believe I've stated my case as well as I can. Obviously, you don't have to agree, though I am interested in your input.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jeff Carlsen, post: 6036390, member: 61749"] That's one alternative, but it's not the only one. I believe we could come up with something that satisfies both our needs. Please allow me to ramble for at bit. I recognize your concern. It's essentially the same one that's at the root of rule where an extended rest gives you back all your hit points, and I have the same problems with that. I care [I]a lot[/I] about verisimilitude. It's the one thing that tabletop RPGs do well that no other type of game can compare to. So I'm always critical of any rule that flies in the face of that. I certainly don't need absolute realism, but I do need to be able to suspend disbelief. The cleric [I]is[/I] a problem. He isn't just essential for the party — he alters the nature of society. He is a font of curative magic that would insure that no lord or king ever dies, that no injury ever changes anybody's life, and that disease and poison effectively disappear. [I]This[/I] is the side of the equation they should be addressing. A party with a cleric, or even with the funds to hire a cleric, shouldn't be able to ignore threats or simply remove maladies. Most fantasy fiction solves this problem by making powerful magic dangerous and unpredictable, and often it requires a sacrifice. For example, what if [I]restoration [/I]wasn't a guaranteed success? The cleric asks his or her god to repair a broken person, but it's up to the god if the person is worth restoring. If so, the god will still take something in exchange or perhaps demand a [I]geas[/I]. If the god is offended, such as from being asked to restore someone of opposite alignment or an enemy of the faith, then the results might be disastrous for both the patient and the cleric. This would have to be handled by the DM, though likely with the optional aid of a random chart. Under these rules, energy drain is permanent for all practical purposes. But, where it makes sense for the campaign, it can be cured. Moreover, those optional rules I mentioned — wherein energy drain can be healed through meditation, soul-searching, or self discovery — become more meaningful. This is the sort of thing I'm looking for out of the rules. Not everything needs to be this complex, of course. Kamikaze Midget is right in that the game doesn't to many things to track. But it does need some, and energy drain can be made into a good one. I believe I've stated my case as well as I can. Obviously, you don't have to agree, though I am interested in your input. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Wights and wraiths
Top