If the NWN engine doesn't allow it, it;s cheese.
Dungeon Master has Spoken and it's a good call. If you can't pull it off with the Engine (OR A DM) then it shouldn't be done. Otherwise it opens the doors up to many an other thing, that also can not be done with the engine.
Still though if Two DM's want to duck it out as a small construct, could be fun to watch.
~Rex
Then there is a lot of cheese on the server already. I'm going to see if I can find some further clarification on this rule. As most everytime a skill check is rolled, it's for something the NWN engine does not allow. This is rule is too black and white. Even if a DM has spoken, is it not possible to make an appeal? I'm sure that everyone has the ability to revise past declarations. Evidence that the proposed skirmish is cheese has been shown. Nobody has presented any hard evidence that such is not cheese. So, maybe I can show some evidence and appeal to the DM's better nature. I loathe having to nit pick rules and senarios like this, however I don't think anyone has done a very good objective job of defending the issue. Now, I understand the reasons why the cheese rule is the way it is. However, if the reasons for disallowing this skirmish are simply not to form a precident, then there is a problem. A precident has already been set. Here, I will show you a simple interaction between 2 players that I've seen (and at times have been the Player 2) several times. I will then show how easy it is to turn that typical RP experience into cheese with one more emote. Now, the rule exists to prevent that one more emote, that last straw from ever occuring. So, if the rule is black and white... then is the entire interaction cheese? I don't think it is, but maybe I'm wrong and have been one of several victims of cheese. I will then present a solution to magical skirmishing that is completely supported by the NWN engine.
Typical Interaction:
Player 1: *Ties up Player2 [dex]*
[dex] 22
Player 2: [dex]
[dex] 8
Player 2: *Attempts to wriggle away, but is much too slow*
I know that many would not consider this to be cheese. However, here are some things that I'm certain would make it become cheese. (Thus not black and white)
Player 1: *coup de grace*
OR
Player 1: *shoves Player 2 over the cliff*
OR
Player 1: *takes all of Player 2's money and backpack*
Then it gets interesting
Player 2: *splat*
Player 2: [tell] Oh, by the way do you even have a rope?
Now, the part where someone ties up another in the course of RP seems common. In my short time here, I've seen at least 6 or 7 people get tied up in this manner. I've never seen them killed while tied up, but tied up. Now, the NWN engine does not allow tying up another player. If I were to scream "cheese" I'd just be called a poor sport or something. Nobody would like me, shoot I wouldn't even like me. I know the three times Zook has been tied up he deserved it and it made for some great RP.
However, since the NWN engine does not allow for tying characters up, I'd like to know if it is cheesing as well.
Does it become cheesing once the interaction becomes something that is not mutually exclusive? As you can see, there is already a precident for allowing things the NWN engine does not allow. I don't like to be this persistant in matters, however I am seeing an inconsistency here. Characters interact with one another in a way the game engine does not allow quite often. If every single interaction of such is cheesing, then there is a lot of abuse going on. However, if only some of these interactions are cheesing, and not others: then the rule needs to be further clarified.
Now to those wizards out there, here I will present a skirmish the NWN Engine does allow!
For the brave, use your familiar. For the weary, summon a monster. Let your familiars and/or monsters duke it out. Wizards can posses their familiars to make it more interesting , however everytime any action happens around the wizard while a familiar is possesed, you get thrown back into your wizard. Soo to posses your familiar for this, your wizard would have to be elsewhere. Pretend your wizard were actually there is not supported by the nwn engine, so it'd make for an odd duel.. but is possible. Now, this can also be done without possessing a familiar. However, it would be much less interesting watching two summoned creatures try to kill eachother with no emotes to really bring the action to life.
As I conclude this much too long post, I hope to have presented some evidence that might help clarify the cheesing rule and show it should not be a black & white matter. I've also proposed a solution that is supported by the NWN engine. Now, I'm going to go to work and spend 8 hours thinking of how much fun familiar wars is going to be.
I pray nobody is offended by my persistence.