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May 3, 2012 -- 8:44PM, thegreenknight0 wrote:

@abdulalhazred


Also the issue of the "inflated Ego" was in reference to someone who appeared to be argueing, as well as others, that if they want their character to be some combat Badass in the party then their class choice should not be able to prevent that. I found that to be silly. If class choice has no potential consequences than why have classes at all and just pick your race and 'salad bar' everything else (ability scores, skills feats powers, etc) until you make your perfect character "type". Not everyone in a party can be the one Badass of the party (although I can see that being fun to DM the interparty politics). Inequity is life and, at some point while playing, part of most if not all games. Someone comes out on top and becomes top dog to some degree no matter how minor or severe. How they gain that advantage in D&D can be from many sources, Magic Items awarded, being a skilled strategists or a natural at roleplaying and improv, Lucky dice rolls for abilities (if anyone still does that anymore (more for GW characters)) and yes even class and race selections.

Bah, when I play DnD its always a group of badasses tearing it up and taking out the bad(der) guys. Different characters have different ways of going about it, but when they show up on the scene then the villain knows that something bad is about to happen to him and his villainous army. It doesn't matter if the badass normal Fighter is the most skilled warrior, the Werewolf Barbarian makes up for it with sheer power and the angel-born Paladin has already proven to every enemy he's ever fought that nothing in the world can stop him from picking himself off the ground and taking another swing at you. I don't need someone else to suck to make myself feel powerful. I like being in a group of badasses. Not just for the sake of my fun, but the guy who's in a teleporting fist fight with Sora Maenya too. 'Realism' and 'Inequity' can bite me.

Also, the power-based combat for melee characters actually improved the roleplay at my table. Not everyone gets all their inspiration from characters like Conan and Aragorn, some of us watch anime and kung-fu movies and enjoy working that into our characters. The Daily attacks in particular were great because you could flavor them as signature techniques. Powerful attacks that you only use when you want to end a fight quickly, or you're trying to finish a strong opponent. It helps the Swordmage player develop a sense of identity when he starts to become known, and feared, for his 'Dimensional Thunder' technique. It also helps to really feel like you're progressing and becoming more powerful and better known in the world. Learning new techniques, running into potential students who want to learn from you, and most satisfying of all (to my own taste): being called the 'Master' of your fighting style. It makes me feel all tingly.

I guess you could do that in older editions, but you'd have to ask the DM everytime. Much nicer to just be able to say you're using your "Cherry Flavored Death Attack". And reliable mechanics to back it up, very nice.