To what extent does RPM encourage/facilitate/prevent generalist casters?

Anaraxes · 10-19-2013, 12:19 PM

The value judgement seems a bit over the top here. Generalist casters aren't "bad", specialists "good", and a system isn't flawed if it allows or encourages generalists. At worst, it means that system isn't what one particular GM wants for one particular setting. There's a difference between a preference of one individual -- perhaps just some of the time -- and Universal Moral Truth.

There are just as many generalist casters in fiction as specialists, if not more. Magic is often supposed to be a fundamental and universal force, which would make it strange that it could be used for only one thing.

And where specialties exist, they're usually more a matter of preference, talent, or emphasis than a complete prohibition. The latter also exists, of course. But the pure fire mage that can't touch water and the like always strike me as more cartoonish, less Gandalf or Dr. Strange and more Johnny Storm or Cyclops. "Johnny One-Spell" got that disparaging name not because the build is broken, but because the concept is limited and rapidly boring.

Systems with only a few specialist categories potentially winds up with strained and artificial forcing of certain effects into certain specialities. (Consider a system with nothing but the four Aristotelian elements. Flying is Air... ok. Create Cloudy Weather is Air, too. No, clouds are water! But the lightning is Fire. Telepathy is... water!) Or you wind up with magic simply not being able to a lot of things, which is pretty un-magical in the usual sense. (Might make for an interesting change of pace, though. Mages _aren't_ impressive and _can't_ do much, just an oddball talent, the way TK starts out being presented in "Looper".)

But to the point, an RPM witch is going to reach the point where just pumping up one Path skill doesn't really provide a lot more marginal ability compared to spending those points in other Path skills. (The effect would be even stronger if further levels had an every-increasing cost; the flat price of skills avoids pushing toward generality.) Also, any number of rituals naturally suggest effects from more than one Path. A "One Path Only" limitation that completely prevented use of any other path would be significant in RPM. So, if the choices are Force One Specialty Good and Allow Possible Generality Bad, RPM is a Bad system.

10-19-2013, 12:19 PM	#5
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: To what extent does RPM encourage/facilitate/prevent generalist casters? The value judgement seems a bit over the top here. Generalist casters aren't "bad", specialists "good", and a system isn't flawed if it allows or encourages generalists. At worst, it means that system isn't what one particular GM wants for one particular setting. There's a difference between a preference of one individual -- perhaps just some of the time -- and Universal Moral Truth. There are just as many generalist casters in fiction as specialists, if not more. Magic is often supposed to be a fundamental and universal force, which would make it strange that it could be used for only one thing. And where specialties exist, they're usually more a matter of preference, talent, or emphasis than a complete prohibition. The latter also exists, of course. But the pure fire mage that can't touch water and the like always strike me as more cartoonish, less Gandalf or Dr. Strange and more Johnny Storm or Cyclops. "Johnny One-Spell" got that disparaging name not because the build is broken, but because the concept is limited and rapidly boring. Systems with only a few specialist categories potentially winds up with strained and artificial forcing of certain effects into certain specialities. (Consider a system with nothing but the four Aristotelian elements. Flying is Air... ok. Create Cloudy Weather is Air, too. No, clouds are water! But the lightning is Fire. Telepathy is... water!) Or you wind up with magic simply not being able to a lot of things, which is pretty un-magical in the usual sense. (Might make for an interesting change of pace, though. Mages _aren't_ impressive and _can't_ do much, just an oddball talent, the way TK starts out being presented in "Looper".) But to the point, an RPM witch is going to reach the point where just pumping up one Path skill doesn't really provide a lot more marginal ability compared to spending those points in other Path skills. (The effect would be even stronger if further levels had an every-increasing cost; the flat price of skills avoids pushing toward generality.) Also, any number of rituals naturally suggest effects from more than one Path. A "One Path Only" limitation that completely prevented use of any other path would be significant in RPM. So, if the choices are Force One Specialty Good and Allow Possible Generality Bad, RPM is a Bad system.