Dungeons And Dragons Online: Dev Diary: Character Ability Challenges

A new dev diary has been posted on the official site featuring Codog Cuisinart and the challenges the team faces when implementing new rules and character abilities. Here's a snippet:

How do I do this? When I'm asked to implement a feat, skill, or special ability, I start with the exact text from the Player's Handbook, and then consider the following questions: what does it look like when a character is performing this ability? What does it sound like? How do other characters (and creatures) know you are performing this ability? How do they react to it? How close is our implementation to the PnP rules? Does this make me feel like I am the character class I'm playing? Does it distinguish me from other rolls in the party? Does it interfere with other character abilities? Does it lend itself to roleplaying? Are there exploits in the rules? The ultimate last question is simply: Is it fun?

There's also a bit explaining how Codog came about the name, tied in with an amusing anecdote. Check out the article, and in the spirit of Codog's adventurers, why not share an anecdote of your own in our forums?