From: mrmarcel@eos.ncsu.edu (MICHAEL RONN MARCELAIS)
Subject: Re: Why are their level limits?
Organization: North Carolina State University
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:39:09 GMT

In article <66993@hydra.gatech.EDU>, ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug26.220054.695@ccsvax.sfasu.edu> z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu writes:
|> >> class choices). 
|> 
|> >	I want penalties that make sense, not penalties that are slapped
|> >together for 'game balance' (that ugly phrase again) so that T$R can claim that
|> >game worlds would be humanocentric.
|> 
|> But the problem is that you can't have penalties that make sense.  There
|> would be no game balance at all.
|> 
|> Why can't wizards wear armor?  They don't know how to put it on.

If I just gave you a suit of plate mail, can you make all the intricate
movements required for certain spells.

|> He doesn't have to learn how to put it on.  He could learn how to move
|> around it given time.  But if wizards could wear plate mail and use
|> real weapons, everyone would be a wizard (well, maybe not everyone,
|> but you get the idea).

"given time"  Mages don't have the time.  They spend almost all of their 
training learning magic, not learning weapons or armour.  The only weapons
that are usable are weapons that don't take a lot of skill like darts.

|> 
|> Why can only thieves pick locks?  I'm not a thief by profession, but I could
|> learn to pick a lock if I really took the time.  Why aren't there lock
|> picking/trap finding/trap removing non-weapon proficiencies?  Because
|> they don't want everyone able to do those things.  That's what a thief
|> does, and if everyone else could do them, no one would choose to be
|> a thief.

If you have gauntlets of dexterity, they give you the ability to pick
locks and pockets based on your modified dexterity.  I hvae a 45% chance
even though I only have a modified 12 DEX.

|> 
|> Why can only fighters specialize in weapons?  Because since the poor
|> bastards can't do anything else spectacular, they have to have
|> *something*, or no one would want to be a fighter.
Because fighters don't have to learn anything except weapon and armor
training.
The have time to figure out just the right way to hit a person so that he
dies quickly.

|> 
|> Why can clerics not use edged weapons?  Because their deities don't want
|> them to shed blood?  Hey, have you ever been hit in the face with a mace?
|> :-)
|> Besides, the deities don't have any problems with their paladins shedding
|> blood.
Some Gods do allow bladed weapons, and some DM's don't allow just any bladed
weapon for Paladins.  Our DM only allows our Paladin's to use a bladed weapon
if 1) its their holy sword, 2) its exactly the same type of weapon as their
holy sword, and their holy sword is unusable, 3) their God ordained another
special weapon for him to use.

|> 
|> Notice that all my examples are class-based instead of race-based.  That's
|> because the class restrictions (IMHO) are the most ridiculous of all.
|> But hey, we live with them, in the name of game balance....

They're not totally rediculous.  Just a little.
|> 
|> 
|> -- 
|> Jorge Diaz                       | Sign in a restaurant:
|> Georgia Institute of Technology  | 
|> Office of Information Technology |   "We reserve the right to serve refuse to
|> ccoprdj@prism.gatech.edu         |        anyone."

-- 

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