The pernicious power of a barb

When a spell retroactively "adjusts" the narrative, and uses an outcome as a condition for casting a spell to adjust that same outcome, you have a messy loop -- especially when this alter reality component is not addressed within the text of the spell. This type of dismissal of the narrative and the role-playing perspective is growing in popularity as the pure gamists have firm control of the rudder at Wizards of the Coast. Of course, we can fix it -- but it is a microcosm of my critique of the current level of thinking about the game. Browse through the dozens and dozens of online critiques of the spell and you'll not find this mentioned even in passing; but you will find a lot of suspect math.