did you forget to take your meds, SorO?
As any salesmen will tell you, it's how you word a question is how you'll get an answer to it.
I love the FAQ! It is central to the most holy RAW! It must not be defiled! Without it, there would be ...I can't say I'm in love with it any more than I am with Savage Species or any other book. And as noted, I have tons of problems with the entire D&D structure. And without it would the world end? No, 99% of the FAQ's rulings are for stupid people unable to read. So guess this option isn't for me even through I consider an integral part of the rule structure.
I like the FAQ except the part over here... I'd like to enforce it as RAW in my games except...I like the FAQ but it isn't used in my games. At. All. And this is the #2 option? What a load of BS.
I like much of the FAQ but it isn't RAW. It's just a guide-line. I'll use it if I feel like it. I don't know when. Ease up already!Now it's a guideline I never use. Great...
And it only goes down from there. One fifth the options are stick up the ass paladin and the other four are "fuck it".
Biaist much?
***
The forums them selves use a standard rule set, this consistency to which everyone acknowledges allows us to communicate with each other under probable assumptions. For example, DM permission for PrC access, ignorance on multiclass XP gains, all WotC official allowed, cross campaign material, etc. When someone posts for specific build help they are list any home brew and allowed content so that we can tailor our answers to their specific rule set.
Which brings us to the real problem. Why is the boards screwing with it's own style in what is or which allowed in general context? IE why is the FAQ kicked out of a thread when certain people show up? That traces back to stupid ignorant dumbasses. There is no other title for it to me so you'll just have to deal with that title.
Recall some of the FAQ's rulings and rants that followed.
* Deepwarden has always stated you use your Con instead of Dex to AC, this is a replacement and obeys all rules as such. Claiming it ignores MDB in armor because the title is "Dexterity" has it's own fancy fallacy title.
* Precarious Apprentice doesn't meet requirements to cast 2nd level spells, this is stated in fact within the Feat. While the FAQ has a roundabout way of explaining it that would seem as a weak argument on the forums, it doesn't change the fact the outcome is still the same.
* And more recently, Empower Spell increases Attack Rolls. Which simultaneously had four of five people chipping in other wise. However, an offhand comment the FAQ already said no devolves into a flame war and these series of threads.In every one of those cases the "FAQ" has gotten a bad name and several threads it's insulted. Why?
Well, people that fail to read the rules and post stupid stuff like that tend to be extremely argumentative and unable to ever admit they are wrong. So arguments devolve into a screaming match as each tries to prove there way is the one and only way to interpret things. The FAQ contains a number of paraphrased Questions & Answers to frequently seen, discussed, asked, and debated rules on their forums and emails. WotC essentially has used it to officially side with certain debates and declare it the official way to handle things. So to one half the debaters the FAQ becomes a short answer to shut up old arguments, while the other half can only play Sour Grapes.
If you haven't heard of the story of Sour Grapes. The entire thing is an euphemism for explaining a psychological tend. The story is about a wolf that desires grapes and fails to get them no matter how hard he tries. So in the end he says they were sour anyway. The trend is when something is placed out of reach, either it or the objects in the way are devalued as a method of self defense. This can actually be seen in that Empower Spell discussion. Even through several people have chimed in, some stating reasons thereof, Zook does not even acknowledge them. In his eyes they are incorrect and him in his infinite wisdom has the one true answer. However, the FAQ was mentioned and it does in fact have the weight to say he is incorrect. So suddenly he throws the entire set of rules out the window insulting them. It's stupid, you should ignore it.
The topic then shifted from Empower Spell works like this or not (with the majority of people agreeing it don't) to a strawman that the FAQ should be ignored. - Minor tanget question for you, would you argue Complete Adventurer is wrong and Barbarians cannot enter Frenzy? Because in equivalence that's what that strawman amounts to. - And yet, the post was humored. And this stupid derailing happens all the goddamn time. In appearance, because of people like that, the FAQ plays a weak link and quick side track to distract people from the real discussion rather than obtaining any real resolve. And this happens
every single time.
Which boils back down to one single question.
Why the hell do
you tolerate it?
You think I'm out of line with
my strict adherence to the FAQ?
You people allow others to derail threads,
you build this concept that rules can be ignored,
you continue to side with the gray area that breeds this. If anyone is trolling the forums with FAQ related posts. It's
you. So I hope you're happy with them. I'm not, that much is obvious I'm sure.
Poll