244
It is probably possible to come up with in-game reasoning, but to my ears they sound contrived and might have adverse effects on the rest of your game, so I won't bother. ("But wait, if that's true, then why can't we just...?" and the next thing you know they've invented blood-tracking stirge-artillery or something out of genre.)
However, out-of-game, a ...
94
Assuming, as you've requested, that "that's boring, don't track it" is off the table, then yes, your intuition is right: this is a logistics problem. And to the contrary, it is the bread and butter of many groups' style of playing D&D, with a tradition stretching back to the very first days of the hobby in the early 1970s. Liking these ideas and wanting ...
81
They answer the question of “where did you put your arrows such that they’re easily accessible?” If you tell me, as DM, that you have 20 arrows but no quiver, then I’m wondering where the arrows are and how you’re grabbing them to shoot your bow. Some alternative answers might be fine, but if they’re just stowed in your pack somewhere, then I will probably ...
72
What you're experiencing is a mismatch in what you all expect the actual game to be. As such, a boon will likely not make up for the confusion — at best it will be inexplicably ineffective at altering the players' choices, and at worst it will exacerbate the problem.
Different games, same name
You see roleplay and adventure in a believable world as the ...
70
Sand is one thing used by scribes to blot ink, so that a document can be handled or moved soon after working on it, without dripping or smearing. You can assume it sees use as a matter of course while the character is mapping a dungeon or composing a letter.
Apart from that intended use in a scholar's pack, it can probably be put to many creative uses under ...
59
There's very little point in an open field, but in a dungeon reducing the light radius to 5ft can easily be enough to make sure it doesn't shine across the next corner.
57
The contents means "what's in the flask"
you can splash the contents of this flask onto a creature within 5
feet of you
The contents, not modified by "some of" or "a fraction of" implies all of it. (That is a plain English reading of that clause).
Another example of this usage would be when my beer spilled on Monday night. You can honestly say that ...
55
Under "Chapter 5: Equipment" in the Player's Basic Rules and Player's Handbook:
A cleric or paladin may create holy water by performing a special ritual. The ritual takes 1 hour to perform, uses 25 gp worth of powdered silver, and requires the caster to expend a 1st-level spell slot. (PBR, p. 49; PHB, p. 152*)
The ritual only expends a 1st-level spell ...
53
Why not let them play their character authentically?
That's a great personality trait to use as part of a plot development. Their hyper vigilance and over-concern for minor issues can be a great addition to the game.
I GMed with a player with a Bard who (like the player) had a hard time paying attention. Every time the group was being stealthy he would ...
52
The disadvantages are the same as wearing regular armor you lack proficiency with
(Note, I used the basic rules pg.44 as a reference, but the information should be the same as in the PHB, pg. 144)
You claim that shields are not armor. I challenge this assertion. Shields are not body armor (as noted in this answer on the first linked question). The answer ...
52
Have a Session 0
Seriously, have a session 0 and discuss what kind of game you're wanting to run versus what kind of game they're wanting to play. There's a clear stylistic mismatch between you and your players, and that should be talked out OoC, not with in-game incentives. No amount of in-game incentives are going to make me want to play Halo when I was ...
49
I asked Mike Mearls:
Can the arcane/druidic focus staff double as a quarterstaff?
And received the following response:
yes
48
Mage hand can pour out a vial of acid.
Pouring a vial of acid in this way will (generally) not damage an enemy.
It's exactly as the rules you quoted say. You can pour out the contents of a vial. Per the description of Acid, simply pouring isn't enough to do someone--who likely doesn't want acid poured on them--damage.
If you start pouring acid on one who ...
47
I realized my comments were better suited as their own answer.
You are absolutely correct that a hooded lantern would be visible in the dark from any distance. Assuming you had direct line of sight on the lantern.
So if you are in an open empty field, or a very large open cavern, then you are right...there's no point to a hooded lantern.
However, you can ...
45
As far as I'm aware, there are no official rules regarding the diet of either of these two creatures. As such, it would depend on the DM, as usual. However:
If you insist on using real world logic, keep in mind that while the head of the minotaur is indeed bovine (Thus its teeth are best suited for chewing plants, mostly grass) most of its lower body is ...
45
Thanks to the resources of his organization, this wizard has a contingent fireball cast upon the spellbook. (This makes use of the 6th level contingency spell). The contingency spell is keyed to go off upon his untimely death. (The fireball can be cast at 3rd, 4th, or 5th level and still be used with the contingency spell).
The fire ... ignites ...
44
A ration weighs two pounds, but a character only needs to consume one pound (half a ration) per day.
The key word in this case is need and how this is very different from should. A character, at a bare minimum, needs be consuming one pound of food per day, but very rarely will anyone want to get by on the bare minimum amount of food unless it's a survival ...
44
By a literal reading of the rules, then no you do not start with ammunition (possibly just because Druids aren't really associated with ranged weapons).
Compare with the Ranger starting equipment that specifically mentions a quiver and 20 arrows.
However, you can speak to your DM. It would hardly be unbalancing to start you off with 20 arrows or whatever.
...
43
It would probably make the shield unusable.
The hot part of the torch is going to have to be kept away from the shield; a wooden shield risks catching on fire, and a metal shield will simply transfer the heat to the character's arm. But having the torch stick way out from the shield makes it unwieldy and messes with its balance, making it very hard to use ...
41
You may equip as many magic items as you can properly wear, only three of which can be requiring attunement.
Many magic items require attunement, which is a process that lets a specific character make use of the item's magic abilities; non-attuned items only provide their non-magical benefits. Your character may only be attuned to three items at any given ...
40
Starting Equipment at higher levels
Page 38 of the DMG provides a table for starting wealth and equipment at various levels.
37
No, it doesn't need to be a book.
From the "Your Spellbook" sidebar in the wizard's Spellcasting feature (PHB p. 114):
Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found ...
36
Throughout history Infantry units have carried their full kit on their backs into battle.
Any Infantry unit that is not mechanized (read: rides around in a vehicle) will deploy from a forward base and can and will do patrols and missions requiring them to be in the field for extended duration. When this occurs literally everything goes in a big ruck and ...
answered Oct 24 '14 at 15:47
Joshua Aslan Smith
34.5k10 gold badges115 silver badges198 bronze badges
36
There are not. The game assumes that all characters are taking care of their equipment (and studying and practicing and so on) off-screen, and basically assumes that there are never any particular troubles with this. The rules work this way because the authors assume that the characters have much bigger, more interesting troubles to be concerned about.
The ...
35
The rules for spellcasting spell this out clearly:
A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components—or to hold a spellcasting focus—but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components. (Source: 5e System Reference document)
35
By RAW, you're correct. The intention of that passage (where included) is to avoid having to adjudicate the fate of each and every potentially flammable object a creature may be carrying or wearing when the creature is hit by hostile fire magic.
Druidcraft and Prestidigitation specifically allow for lighting flammable objects, and don't include that passage....
35
The creature can move at half speed to avoid both effects.
Neither ball bearings nor caltrops state that a creature's speed is physically penalized, just that a creature can choose to move at half speed to avoid their effects. Then we can handle each consideration separately.
First, ball bearings (emphasis mine):
As an action, you can spill these tiny ...
34
Pick your deity carefully
One of St Cuthbert's holy symbols is a wooden club, which you could take as your cheap simple weapon pick. It is possible that there are other deities with similar options.
32
Scythes do not have a stat block in 5th Edition D&D
Whether you're a DM looking to issue a Scythe to a player, or a player trying to convince your DM to permit your character to use one, you'll need to roll your own statblock for it; there's neither a Mundane nor Magical Scythe to draw from.
My recommendation is to use the statblock for a Glaive or ...
30
The answer is on page 79 of the Basic Rules:
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must ...
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