Dungeons & Dragons 5e Rule Discussion

I'll use this forum to list decisions I've made regarding D&D 5e Rule Interpretations. Aladar's House Rules for his Games The following are the way I'm interpreting the 5e rules and will adjudicate them in my games: Sanctuary Spell: A creature attacking a target under the protection of a Sanctuary spell that fails its save must move that same attack or spell to a second valid target immediately or lose the attack or spell and its action. The attacker may not switch its weapon, switch its spell, or move after failing the save vs Sanctuary until the attack in question is made or lost. Normal rules for disadvantage on ranged attacks would apply since the creature under the protection of the sanctuary spell may elect to attack at any time and therefore still threatens adjacent targets. Draw\Sheath Weapons : Going forward I'm ruling the following (the words sheathe and stow may be used interchangeably): A shield counts the same as a one-handed weapon for determining the ability to draw\sheathe a weapon or ready a shield. Normal Turn : A player may sheathe or draw any one weapon in tandem with their movement AND their action (two weapons max). Dual Wielder Feat : Same as a normal turn unless the weapon being drawn or sheathed is a one-handed weapon, in which case a second one-handed weapon may be sheathed or drawn as well.

Skill Proficiencies (Stacking when class and background give the same skill) I was asked about skill proficiencies and when a background gives you proficiency in a skill your character is already proficient in because it was chosen as a class skill, does that give your character expertise in that skill. Short Answer : No Long Answer : The following is from the Basic Rules version 0.2 regarding proficiencies in backgrounds: Proficiencies Each background gives a character proficiency in two skills. Skills are described in chapter 7. In addition, most backgrounds give a character proficiency with one or more tools. Tools and tool proficiencies are detailed in chapter 5. If a character would gain the same proficiency from two different sources, he or she can choose a different proficiency of the same kind (skill or tool) instead. I understand what they are saying there in the last sentence but I’m modifying it just a bit. Most classes give you a skill list containing more skills than you may select for your character. So if you take a skill proficiency from your class and then learn that same skill is awarded by your background, then take the skill as a background skill and go back and select a different skill from your list of class skills to replace it. The same goes for tool proficiencies. Example: I build a rogue with the criminal background. Skill Proficiencies As a rogue I select four skills from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. Let’s say I select Acrobatics, Deception, Perception, Stealth. The criminal background then awards me proficiency in the skills Deception and Stealth, however, I am already proficient in Deception and Stealth since I selected them as part of being a rogue. What do I do? Keep Deception and Stealth as background skill proficiencies. Keep Acrobatics and Perception as originally selected rogue skill proficiencies. Return to my class skill list and select two more skills I am not yet proficient with from that list, which would be Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Performance, Persuasion, and Sleight of Hand. Tool Proficiencies As a rogue I get proficiency with Thieves’ Tools. The criminal background gives me proficiency with one type of gaming set and thieves’ tools, however, I am already proficient with thieves’ tools because I am a rogue. What do I do? Take a type of gaming set and thieves’ tools as background tool proficiencies. Go back to my list of class tool proficiencies and select one I am not already proficient with. In this case there are no other tools listed other than thieves’ tools, so this is where I will allow you to take another tool proficiency of the same kind. Here again though, thieves’ tools is one of a kind. So I’d say pick another gaming set as a proficiency as it is the same kind of tool proficiency you already have, or pick a tool that would make sense for a rogue (such as disguise kit, forgery kit, poisoner’s kit, etc.) and ask me if it’s alright.

Sorry, I had this forum in a closed status by mistake, it is now open.

I copied this from another website. It's a compiled list of some rules clarifications from Mike Mearls and Jeremy Cawford, two of the D&D 5e designers. I learned a few things. I've not read them all myself yet but I thought you might find them interesting. [5e] Rules Clarifications from Mearls and Crawford General Questions Is it true stats including racial bonuses cannot be above 18 at lvl1? max is 20. -M. Any chance you will give pointers for 4e classes out of 5e? EK is not qutie Swordmage. we're planning for conversion guides later this year -M. Can a Barb2/Lock3 retrain an invocation into Pact Blade? (ie: is 5th level 5th level? or 5th warlock level? also, retrain rules) up to the DM - depends on group expectations. -M The pixie was size Tiny in 4e. Do you see Tiny being a possibility in 5e, or would they become Small for a PC race? I think it's still Tiny, but the way we treat size in 5th makes it a pretty small issue for most classes. -M The halfling lucky doesn't specify only the number on the die. So it only works on a roll of 1 after modifiers? should specify natural 1. -M what would the action sequence be like for sheathing one weapon,drawing another,and attacking?Is that all 1 action? yeah - the intent is to avoid punishing players for that stuff by charging an action. -M How does the term 'per turn' work? Could a PC who can make an attack 'per turn' make an attack on everyone elses turn? yes, though you'd still need to use your action or reaction. -M hiding: attacking w/ ranged it says you give away your location, does this cancel hiding? Doesn't say you are "seen" or "heard". Yes, others are aware of you. -M Can a low-init character ready an action, then take that action if legit triggered by a high-init character in the next round? yes. -M Is choosing a subrace required or optional?. Not 100% clear. it's required - you're a step behind without one. -M Was the "Dueling" fighting style intended to support a shield? "Dueling" doesn't scream "shield" at me. A character with the Dueling option usually pairs a one-handed weapon with a shield, spellcasting focus, or free hand. -J Mask of the Wild differs from Skulker. Restricts to natural light obscurity. Trouble adjudicating. Can you advise? Mask of the Wild lets a wood elf try to hide when lightly obscured by anything in nature: the dim light of dusk, fog, etc. -J Can an Action be a Bonus Action? i.e Can a Bard use a BA to grant Bardic Inspiration and an action to cast Healing Word? Actions and bonus actions aren't interchangeable, so that bard could use Bardic Inspiration or healing word, not both on a turn. -J Hitting Things Does a halforc that criticals with a maul roll 5d6 or 6d6? There was a question because the halforc ability says one die. just one die - great axes FTW! -M 2wf clarification: can only use 2wf to attack one creature since bonus action w/action, or can attack 2 diff. Enemies with 2wf? can attack two targets. -M Are we going to be able to charge into combat in the full rules? Curious why it isn't in Basic yeah - the 3e and 4e rules made charging worth a separate rule. Oppy atk and move rules make it easy to spam charge. -M When you crit, do youalso roll all extra damage like Sneak Attack/Divine Strike again as well? Can seems like a lot. yes - reroll all. -M For 2weapon fighting, do you get at most 1 bonus hit a turn even if you have Extra Attacks from the fighter? (Uses Bonus action) that's correct. Since it uses your onus action, you can only use it once. -M Action Surge + Extra Attack means double attacks, IE 3 normal attacks + AS equals six attacks, yes? yes. -M Action Surge+TWF+Haste at 20th level how many att does this yield? A bunch of attacks! At level 20, Attack action + TWF = 5 attacks. Action surge = 4 attacks. Haste = 1 attack. -J Can 2-weapon fighting bonus action/attack be split up with movement? I think not, but was hoping for clarification. Thx! Movement can happen not only before and after an action, but it can also happen between attacks. -J Resting & Recovery Can stabilized PC spend HD after 1hr short rest even though it regain 1HP after 1d4hr? believe that is correct - at 0 hp, a short rest lets you spend HD. -M does Trance allow elves to get the benefit of long rest in 4 hours instead of 8? nope, they still need 8 hours of rest, but spend only 4 of it zonked out. -M at 1st level, if you take a long rest. Do you regain 1 HD back or none(from rounding down of .5)? you get 1 - should be min. 1 for long rest. -M "at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, ..." Long Rest interrupted by any combat or only combat that lasts more than an hour? Must last 1+ hours to break it. -M Reach & Opportunity Attacks Do reach weapons threaten 10 feet for the purposes of triggering opportunity attacks? yes. -M If I have reach (10 ft), do I only get an opportunity attack if enemy moves to 15 ft? yes, you attack when they leave your reach. -M Concerning weapons with the Reach property: Opportunity Attacks are provoked at 5' or 10' or both? 10 feet. -M Monsters w/ multiple melee reach get AoO from furthest? Ogre's large & has only 5' melee reach; AoO @ 5' reach? in general, use shortest. -M If an AoO occurs just before the trigger, how does a Qtrstaff work with Polearm Master? Aren't they out of reach? The Polearm Master feat is an exception to the opportunity attack rule: "… when they enter your reach." -J Does a polearm master opportunity attack interrupt movement? The Polearm Master attack is in response to a creature entering your reach, so movement can be before and after it. -J Those Sneaky Rogues Rogue hidden behind tree. Can he shoot an arrow with advantage, or does stepping out negate it? Re-hide behind same tree after? DM's call - suggest atk with advantage, but disad to hide again. IMO if rogue sees target from hiding while hidden, can attack. -M Could a rogue hidden behind cover run to a target & Sneak Attack; are they hidden until after attacking or after leaving cover? hidden until leave, but a DM might rule creature is distracted -M Rogue Hides behind tree. Ogre can't see him. Leans out, shoots ogre, returns. Advantage on attack? Sneak attack? Same next turn? I would say advantage on attack, disadvantage on check to hide again. -M If a rogue attacks an enemy when emerging from a cover source, does he still gain benefit of stealth in the attack? Only if the rogue is still hidden when making the attack. -M question about rogues: any chance of a future subclass that allow them attack more than once per round without 2-weapon fight? not without losing or modifying sneak attack. -M Does a rogue get more than 1 reaction during the first round with thief's reflexes? kind of - you get your reaction back when your turn starts. You can't accumulate more than 1. -M CunningAction for dash,dash,move would be 30+30+30 right? (assuming 30 move speed) Or have I got my math wrong? believe that's correct. -M Can a rogue sneak attack with a net even if it deals no damage? No, sneak attack is additional damage. -M Does uncanny dodge work automatically on every seen attack the rogue gets hit with? Magic too? Yep! Uncanny Dodge works against attacks of all sorts, even spell attacks. -J is rouge sneak attack dbld on a crit style? DM say no. The immortal question! "The DM has final say, but the intent is for Sneak Attack dice to be rolled again on a critical hit." -J Class Features Is the bard's Jack of All Trades feature intended to apply to initiative? Yes, Jack of All Trades can apply to initiative, since that roll is a Dexterity check. -J can HalfOrc Monk use Savage Attacks trait with his unarmed strikes or Flurry? Or improvised weapons? yes, that doesn't break anything. -M Does a monk have to stand in place to make flurry of blows attacks or can he move between attacks as if they were extra attacks. monk can move. -M been a split on whether the immediately part of flurry meant you could atk>move>atk>move>atk>move>atk or atk>move>atk x3. when in doubt with the monk, ask "What would Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan do?" That answer is probably correct. -M Quick question: Fighter "Second Wind". Usable in combat only? nope, usable at any time. -M Divine smite refers to "paladin spell slots." How does this interact with multiclassing, or is the word "paladin" redundant? paladin is redundant. -M if a fighter with the Duelist combat type uses a shield, does he still get his bonus? The text reads "no weapon". yes, believe so. -M for the champions expanded crit range, are 18-19 automatically a hit? Or are they only crit if attack hits? believe you get the auto hit and double damage. -M Does the Barbarian's rage give you advantage on melee attacks using strength? Pg. 48 PHB. Rage doesn't grant advantage on melee attacks using Strength, but Reckless Attack does. -J Can Warlock familiars (Ie Imp/Sprites) activate magic items? Ie Wand of Magic Missiles or a potion . That's up to your DM. Nothing in the game says an imp or a sprite familiar can't activate a magic item. -J For the Warlock Old One Pact Telepathy power. Is it one way or two way communication? I read it as one, but others don't. The intent is for it to be one-way communication, but a DM could certainly rule that it's two-way telepathy, as in monsters. -J Can a ranger's beast companion take reaction and make opportunity attack? I would rule that the beast can make an opportunity attack. -J If a Warlock forgoes an attack to let his Pact of the Chain familiar attack does it occur immediately or on it's next turn? I would rule that the warlock commands the familiar to attack, and then the familiar does so on its turn. -J Does an animal companion add the Ranger's proficiency bonus to its save DCs (for example, a Mastiff's bite)? The ranger's proficiency bonus isn't added to the beast's save DCs, but a DM could certainly override that. -J Does Agonizing Blast add damage per Eldritch Blast casting, or per beam? E.g. 5th level lock deals 2d10+2*Cha, or 2d10+Cha? I would rule that you add your Charisma modifier whenever a beam hits. But I have my eye on this feature. -J Feats There has been confusion over the durable feat and the meaning of "roll" does a 20 con wizard regain a min 10 or 15 hp w/ feat? 10 - roll means die roll + mods. Anything that affects only the number yielded by the die will say so specifically. -M so a class with d6 or d8 HD and a 20 con can use durable to get back more than max possible? -yes. -M Can you use the spell sniper feat to grab the Shillelagh spell? How about Thorn Whip? Spell Sniper allows you to learn thorn whip, which includes an attack roll, but not shillelagh, which doesn't. -J Can Great Weap Mstr & Polearm Mstr be combined (take -5/+10 with the bonus attack) and do you add the mod. to the damage? Yep, you can combine them, and you do add your modifier to the damage. -J Spells & Magic Does a Wild Surge effect replace the effect of the spell cast triggering it or both effect happens? A Wild Surge effect is meant to be in addition to a spell's effect. -J With cantrips, does a MC caster use their character or class level for determining damage? A multiclass character uses character level to determine the damage of a cantrip. -J Can a wizard Burning Hands himself? His hands clearly aren't affected, but what about his feet? nope - point of origin isn't in area. Wiz would have to want to immolate self. -M Any advice on handling Clerics/druids with shields and spell casting? They seem disadvantaged without a hand free for S/M comps. just stow that weapon in the shield hand for a moment and you're good - the rule isn't there to restrict, but to clarify. -M I'm casting Burning Hands on you, I'm hidden, you don't know I'm there. Do you get disadvantage on that saving throw? DM's call. -M Ftr5/Wiz5/Clr5 you'd be a 15th lvl character, 10th lvl spellcaster, is dmg for cantrips on char lvl or caster lvl? char level. -M where is the Generalist wizard!? didn't include one because schools no longer restrict spell access. -M Does Truesight see through Illusions that are only in a target's mind, like Phantasmal Killer/Force or Weird? DM's judgment, but I'd say no. -M Can True Polymorph be cast on self? Some say only works on others, citing loss of spellcasting ability. yes, just remember that concentration breaks it and the caster could stick into the form permanently. -M Can dodging character with Sanctuary block chokepoint? stuff like this is a big part of giving DMs tools to adjudicate and improvise - so many situational elements in an RPG. -M If a creature is immune to cold and is hit by "Ray of Frost" do they suffer the 10-foot speed penalty in #DnD 5E? yes - immunity applies only to damage. -M can you cast a spell that uses somatic components if you weild a 2 handed weapon or a vertile weapon in 2 hands? nope. -M Does copying a spell scroll into a Wizard's spellbook consume the scroll? The basic rules don't seem to explicitly say so. believe it does. -M wizards cantrips Via elf racial ability. If one takes Shocking Grasp does the damage go up with Level? yes, it goes up. -M The overchannel ability for wizards. Can it be used to max cantrip damage? At no cost as well, since it's a 0 level spell? as written, yes, but i'd house rule it to increase the damage by 1d12. -M Wizards have insane damage (Meteor Swarm). Will other classes, like Fighters, be able to keep up? yes - compare meteor swarm's 40d6 to 8 attacks from a fighter using action surge. Fighter can easily get up to 140 damage. -M Can you crit with a spell (assuming it has an attack-roll)? Rules seems to indicate that you can. yes, you can. -M EmpEvoc +int mod,if thats on one target,is that still +intmod or +intmodX3? empowered evocation applies only once per target. -M Magic Missile, three missiles, three targets: Separate damage rolls, or once for all of them? What about a 2-1 missile split? one damage roll per target. -M Also noticed that Thunderwave gains +d8/spell level, while Burning Hands only gains +d6/spell level. Thunderwave wins later on. yes, it's a little weird but judged to be easier than swapping die types at higher levels. -M Heal replaces Cure Wounds completely when gained: Ranged, maximum and much larger hp regained, cures afflictions etc. Intended? yes, but keep in mind it needs a higher minimum slot level. -M so how will concentration spells work as potions? same way - effect ends if you lose concentration. -M if a stonskined wizard is taking damage should he make a concentration check? yes, unless spell says otherwise. -M With Meteor Swarm...how close do the four meteors have to be to one another? Anywhere in the spell's range? anywhere in range. -M Is there a line of effect in D&D and does Wall of Force block it? in general, a barrier that stops physical objects stops spells. -M Does the Wizard's Potent Cantrip feature apply to cantrips with attack rolls or only to saves? Potent Cantrip affects only cantrips that require a save, such as acid splash and poison spray. -J do you get crit-hits on spells that use and attack rather than a DC? A spell attack can definitely score a critical hit. -J Bonus Action Spell:You can't cast another non-cantrip CT1 spell but nothing prevent you from having already cast one right? If you've already cast a spell of 1st level or higher on your turn, you can't cast a bonus action spell on that turn. -J Can a MC Wizard 2/Cleric 18 learn a 3rd level spell, i.e fireball that he would find on is adventure? That character wouldn't be able to learn fireball, since he doesn't have enough levels in the wizard class. -J If I cast Shillelagh on my quarterstaff and have Polearm Master feat, does the bonus attack deal d4 or d8? The bonus attack would use a d4. I like it: druid master of polearms. -J If my Temporary Hit Points are 10 and I take 30 damage from an attack, what is the DC of my Concentration Check? The DC is 15. When temporary hit points absorb damage for you, you're still taking damage, just not to your real hit points. -J of someone is restrained by a spider attack: Web, or spell: Web, does misty step free them? Or it travel with? I'd rule it frees them. -M Is there a reason why the wording is inconsistent between Mage Armor and Unarmored Defenses? Mage Armor uses "Base AC". The difference isn't intentional. -J Does Twinned Spell make two spell instances (I.E., can't Concentrate on both spells) or change one spell instance to 2 targets? One spell instance, two targets. -M Can Wall of Stone be cast on dirt? It seems like its written to always need stone to merge to. Is that correct? that's correct - need some stone to merge with or be supported by. for instance, a bridge is OK if the two ends touch stone. -M Was trapped soul replaced with imprisonment? Is imprisonment supposed to be on the wizard spell list? Trap the soul shouldn't be on the spell list. But yes, it is correct that imprisonment is there. -J if i were to twin a chromatic orb, could I target the same creature twice? ability specifies a second creature, so no. -M So cantrips that improve with levels: character level or class level? My monk has Sacred Flame via Magic Initiate, e.g. character level -M. can a Cleric or Paladin cast spells requiring somatic components when wielding weapon + shield emblazoned with holy symbol? I'd say yes if the holy symbol is being used as the material component of the spell, so yes if "S, M," but no if only "S." -J Equipment Confused about tools in game. Is it necessary to have proficiency in any of them to use them? nope - you can still use them, just without the proficiency bonus. -M but what about thieves tools? do you require prof to pick locks and disarm traps? No info in the sourcebook about this. nope, anyone can try. you might need the tools to attempt it, or you might attempt at disadvantage if the DM so rules. -M Would using bracers of armor change the way you calculate AC or can they stack with unarmored defence? probably not stack - think of bracers and unarmored defense as establishing a base AC, like using natural OR manufactured armor. -M is a rapier a light weapon as well as finesse? By the rules you can't fight with rapier and dagger and that seems off. Typo? nope, not light. As a rule of thumb TWF is restricted to d6 weapons, iirc. Rapier is cast more as one hander/no shield in 5e. -M Can thrown weapons be used for sneak attack damage? Seems to go against the qualifiers of sneak attack being Ranged-Finesse . yes, they can. basically, as a DM feel free to let the rogue sneak attack with anything that deals a d6 or less. -M what is the purpose of the light property on hand crossbows as Two Weapon Fighting rules specify only melee weapons can be used? it might come into play with other abilities or DM rulings. For instance, tight passage where non-light weapons have disad.-M Doffing armor says it can take half time with help, could a shield be doffed as a bonus action rather than an action with help? Don't see why not - that'd be more of a DM ruling thing, though. -M Things like caltrop/ball bearings ref to moving at half speed how do you do that? Treating each 5' as 10 like difficult terain? yes, essentially pay an extra 1' per 1' moved. -M is there a way to make a non-magical weapon magical? The easiest way to give (temporary) magic to a nonmagical weapon magic is to cast the magic weapon spell on it. -J I notice people have different interpretation, does polearm increase reach always or only when attacking with it? The reach property applies only when you attack with a weapon. Any use beyond that is up to the DM. -J Do nets (thrown) use STR or DEX for attack rolls? Are they exempt from close combat disadvantage, as normal range is only 5feet? Dex, since you can't make melee attacks with it. still take disad in close combat despite range. -M do wands require a spell casting class? specifically detect magic and magic missile wands? some wands do not - anyone can use the magic missile one, not sure about the other one. -M Monsters So an Adult Red has claws (5ft) and bite (10ft) and tail (15ft.) If I run from adjacent, when does he get to OA? none - only if you move away, dragon picks which one to use. claws make most sense. -M. in D&D 5e the number of monster's Hit Dice how are calculated? Are determined by the CR? Start with HD, then determine CR. The CR calculation includes both offense (atks, dmg) and defense (AC, hp). -M Sorry to be pestering you about this. Started in 4e with XP budgets and trying to wrap my head around this CR thing. So CR represents a monster's power. You should avoid using monsters with a CR above the party's average level. in 4e terms, mostly the same, but instead of using any critter keep yourself to critters with CR = or less than PC level. -M I'm running the LMoP (loving it!) and the Bugbear picked up a greatsword. With his Brute ability, would he do 3d6 or 4d6? 3d6. -M if a creature/pc has Resistance and then makes a saving throw against said resistance it is Half of Half correct? yes. -M do natural armor cap dexterity or accept full dex bonus? Natural armor doesn't limit a creature's Dexterity bonus. -J Adventures Redbrand Hideout Room 9 in the Starter Set is a deadly 1200XP of 1000XP budget for 5 LVL 2 characters. Intentional? yes - charging in is a dangerous tactic, PCs are much better off trying to trick them. -M For lvl5 PCs continuing on from LMoP and into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, how hard is it to scale the monsters. You could also simply start with chapter 4 of the adventure and play from there. -M Timelines/Settings FR Camp Guide for 4e stated it had been 100yrs since the last [iteration ie3/3.5e] can we expect something similar for 5e? Nope - timeline is not making a huge leap forward. The spell plague is over and the Sundering is at an end, but that's it. -M They want a Dark Sun game 11 days after the PHB comes out? But what can I use for defiling rules? I'd let defiling replenish the use of arcane recovery. -M

nice little tidbits there -- He're one I always wanted to know regarding the cleric spell sanctuary -- Lets say I cast it on myself, and the goblin next to me, that attacks me, has to choose another target to attack. I've been assuming that he can just get his shortbow out and shoot at another player in sight (after making wisdom save). questions: 1) does he get to switch weapons like that? 2) does he get disadvantage on a range weapon attack if I'm within 5 feet away, or is it only if he is directly shooting at me? PS: I was reading up in the PHB about the actions you can take -- (and these questions also referenced it) -- and I have never seen anyone dodge yet! - and its actually pretty good -- its disadvantage on *all* attacks against you until next turn, not just one.

Marcin K. said: nice little tidbits there -- He're one I always wanted to know regarding the cleric spell sanctuary -- Lets say I cast it on myself, and the goblin next to me, that attacks me, has to choose another target to attack. I've been assuming that he can just get his shortbow out and shoot at another player in sight (after making wisdom save). questions: 1) does he get to switch weapons like that? 2) does he get disadvantage on a range weapon attack if I'm within 5 feet away, or is it only if he is directly shooting at me? PS: I was reading up in the PHB about the actions you can take -- (and these questions also referenced it) -- and I have never seen anyone dodge yet! - and its actually pretty good -- its disadvantage on *all* attacks against you until next turn, not just one. 1. No. The creature making the attack attempts to attack you with a weapon or spell. Sanctuary causes it to make a save, if it fails it must move that attack or spell to a new valid target or lose the attack or spell. He can't switch spells and he can't switch weapons. I would also rule out any movement after the save and before the attack. The attack must occur then and there or is lost. This is my interpretation and how it will work in games I run, other DMs of course are free to interpret it differently. 2. Normal rules for disadvantage on ranged attacks would apply. Even though you are protected by the sanctuary spell you may at any time decide to attack so you still threaten. Yes, dodge is the 5e version of total defense. When you take the dodge action you are doing nothing but trying to avoid being hit.

Thanks for the post Aladar! I just read through all of it and there's a lot of interesting stuff in there. Of primary interest for fighters is the clarification of Action Boost and the Extra Attack feature at levels 5 and higher. That can mean a HUGE number of attacks for a high level fighter. Also, the paladin casting spells when he had a weapon and shield (designated as his Holy Symbol). He would allow spells with a Material and Somatic component to cast it, but not spell with Somatic only. For those "S-only" spells, the paladin or cleric would need to sheathe the weapon in their main hand into order to perform the gestures and signs required for the spell.

Regarding the very 1st question, the max attribute stat for a 1st level character would be 20: the player rolls 6, 6, 6 for the attribute and adds racial bonus.

A good site with lots of rules Q&A: <a href="https://thesageadvice.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">https://thesageadvice.wordpress.com/</a>

Yeah, been reading through that Wayne. It looks like it's the same unsorted Twitter responses that Aladar linked to earlier. But some of them really caught my eye this time: a Long Rest is interrupted by combat / other activity that lasts for 1+ hour. So if you were ambushed by a patrol and fought a brief skirmish you'd still quality for Long Rest after you wiped the blood of your blade and continued the rest without a different, long interruption.

Okay, it looks like I may have misruled on the Heat Metal spell. From the PHB on spell ranges... Range The target of a spell must be within the spell’s range. For a spell like magic missile, the target is a creature. For a spell like fireball, the target is the point in space where the ball of fire erupts. Most spells have ranges expressed in feet. Some spells can target only a creature (including you) that you touch. Other spells, such as the shield spell, affect only you. These spells have a range of self. Spells that create cones or lines of effect that originate from you also have a range of self, indicating that the origin point of the spell’s effect must be you (see “Areas of Effect” later in the this chapter). Once a spell is cast, its effects aren't limited by its range, unless the spell’s description says otherwise. The last sentence indicates that once the Heat Metal has been cast the use of a bonus action to repeat the damage is not limited by range since the spell description has no such specification. That said, the spell does say the target must be an object you "can see and is within range". I'm thinking of ruling that the bonus action to repeat the damage is unaffected by range but that the caster must be able to still see the target. I'm not worried about Perrin roasting some mobs and I'm NOT trying to gimp a spell, but at some point one of your characters may be the target of this spell and it will be nasty. Opinions? Edit: I left out the word NOT above and corrected it by adding it in bold text since my original posting. I'm not wanting to gimp a spell here.

I'm good with that ruling. Burn baby burn! I'm glad I don't wear metal armor.

Wayne W. said: I'm good with that ruling. Burn baby burn! I'm glad I don't wear metal armor. oh shit

Whoops, the sentence... I'm not worried about Perrin roasting some mobs and I'm trying to gimp a spell, but at some point one of your characters may be the target of this spell and it will be nasty. Should have read... I'm not worried about Perrin roasting some mobs and I'm NOT trying to gimp a spell, but at some point one of your characters may be the target of this spell and it will be nasty. I've corrected my original post.

Yeah, sounds fair. I've already specified the kind of shields I'm using too, just in case Heat Metal, or maybe a druid spell that affects wood, should ever come up.

I was looking through the PHB looking for one thing and happened upon another. I'm going to be changing how I allow a shield to be manipulated during a turn in FUTURE games after coming upon this entry on page 146. Donning and Doffing Armor Category Don Doff Light Armor 1 minute 1 minute Medium Armor 5 minutes 1 minute Heavy Armor 10 minutes 5 minutes Shield 1 action 1 action I totally missed this until now, but it's clear the designers intended it take an action to ready and unready a shield whereas I've been allowing a shield to be manipulated as a one-handed non-light weapon. I can see it as being part of the price that is paid to achieve the higher AC a shield offers. I'm not planning to retro-fit this new ruling into either of my present games but going forward I think I'll enforce this. A character either commits to sword & board or they don't. Looking for any feedback anyone might have.

My feedback: OK!

I think it should be part of the current campaigns. It makes perfect sense and don't see why we couldn't use it going forward.

An interesting tidbit from your post further up the page Aladar: what is the purpose of the light property on hand crossbows as Two Weapon Fighting rules specify only melee weapons can be used? it might come into play with other abilities or DM rulings. For instance, tight passage where non-light weapons have disad.-M This might be useful to employ when characters are "in a tight spot". Light weapons avoid penalties that could apply to standard/heavy weapons in some situations. The rules don't blatantly mention this adv/disadv. situation though, right? It's a big "DM's discretion" area.

Movan said: An interesting tidbit from your post further up the page Aladar: what is the purpose of the light property on hand crossbows as Two Weapon Fighting rules specify only melee weapons can be used? it might come into play with other abilities or DM rulings. For instance, tight passage where non-light weapons have disad.-M This might be useful to employ when characters are "in a tight spot". Light weapons avoid penalties that could apply to standard/heavy weapons in some situations. The rules don't blatantly mention this adv/disadv. situation though, right? It's a big "DM's discretion" area. Makes sense Mo. There is also this from page 165 of PHB. The third bullet point could be why the hand crossbow is "light". Crossbow Expert (Feat) Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits: • You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient. • Being within 5 feet o f a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls. • When you use the Attack action and attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.

I've worked up the way I plan for mounted combat to work and any feedback would be welcome. Mounted Combat Much training is required for a mount to become effective in combat. They must be trained to overcome their natural instinct to flee from noise, the smell of blood, and the confusion of combat. They must be trained to balance beneath a rider laden with weapons and armor. They must to be trained to accept sudden or unusual movements of their rider while they flail with a weapon or avoid being hit by one. They must be trained to be controlled with limited use of reins by responding primarily to a rider's legs and weight. They must be trained to accept any necessary tack and protective armor placed upon it. Using the rules for the ranger’s companion animal, paladin’s Find Steed spell, and the mounted combat rules, I’ve established the following rules for mounted combat: A character riding a mount into combat must be proficient with that type of “vehicle” or suffer disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and dexterity saves while mounted in combat. A mount with an intelligence score of 6 or more is considered to be an intelligent mount. Mounts are considered either trained or untrained for combat. The warhorse and intelligent mounts are considered to be trained for combat. All other mounts must undergo the training process before being considered trained for combat (see below). Untrained mounts will not enter into combat and will run away if they should find themselves in combat. Trained, non-intelligent mounts: o When acting independently, non-intelligent mounts will not enter into combat and will run away if they should find themselves in combat. o When controlled, non-intelligent mounts will act per the mounted combat rules in the Player’s Handbook on page 198. Intelligent mounts will always act in their own best interest. Training a mount for combat: o If your character takes an active part and is present during the entire training process, they will receive proficiency in the type of vehicle (land, water, air) associated with the mount being trained. o It takes a minimum of eight weeks of daily training to train a mount for combat. At the end of each week, beginning with the eighth, the trainer makes a DC 12 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check modified by the mount’s wisdom modifier, failure means an additional week of training is required. A modified result of 5 or less on any of the Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks means the creature has proven to be unsuitable for training. o It costs 35 gp per week to train a mount classified as a beast. The cost for any other classification of mount costs 70 gp per week

Alright great! -- Once a warhorse has seen many many battles, maybe we can pay for 'advanced war training' with a trainer present to make certain specific 'maneuvers' possible I have one 'move' in my mind right now. At the beginning of a fight, I would like the mount to "Dash" within 10 feet of an enemy so I can attack with my lance and then keep going. In my mind its a natural "jousting" maneuver but on the battlefield. It would be my opening move in most cases before I close ranks.

Actually, that should already be doable. The warhorse has to be controlled to be effective putting the horse and rider on the same initiative. So the warhorse can move then dash action and you could essentially attack anywhere during the horse's turn. What I'm basically not going to allow is for the warhorse to make attacks because I see that as too powerful when compared to the way a Ranger's animal companion works, etc.

If any of us were the hobgoblins in that fight, I can see a one-turn effort by a couple of hobbies to butcher that horse, bringing the rider prone, and then taking him next turn. Why wouldn't they go for the easier target? (Lower AC...)

I agree Mo, but Kmita has the Mounted Combatant feat and the second bullet point is "You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead". I suppose I could have attacked the horse to see if Kmita would allow it to happen but I was assuming he wouldn't.

Aladar said: I agree Mo, but Kmita has the Mounted Combatant feat and the second bullet point is "You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead". I suppose I could have attacked the horse to see if Kmita would allow it to happen but I was assuming he wouldn't. Quoting myself now, lol. I wonder if it wouldn't have been better for the second bullet point to say "As a reaction, you can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead".

Yeah! I might do something like that if I were the DM. Otherwise, what's the disadvantage of mounted combat. Automatic advantage on attacks vs. unmounted foes smaller than Large size category. Much greater movement than normal characters. What's the drawback? I guess it costs a feat, so the plusses come at some expense. And mounted combat doesn't work indoors, in dungeons, etc. so there is some drawback about choosing the feat and not getting to use it frequently. But another question: keeping track of mounts if you go into a cave/dungeon and don't come back for a couple of days. Or just keeping track of them in general when you have to be on foot. Where is the mount? What's happening to it in the meantime? Potential headaches for the DM... it should be summoned like a magical creature with fairy wings in telepathy. But more "realistic" situations tend to create headaches! Things to consider...

Movan said: Yeah! I might do something like that if I were the DM. Otherwise, what's the disadvantage of mounted combat. Automatic advantage on attacks vs. unmounted foes smaller than Large size category. Much greater movement than normal characters. What's the drawback? I guess it costs a feat, so the plusses come at some expense. And mounted combat doesn't work indoors, in dungeons, etc. so there is some drawback about choosing the feat and not getting to use it frequently. But another question: keeping track of mounts if you go into a cave/dungeon and don't come back for a couple of days. Or just keeping track of them in general when you have to be on foot. Where is the mount? What's happening to it in the meantime? Potential headaches for the DM... it should be summoned like a magical creature with fairy wings in telepathy. But more "realistic" situations tend to create headaches! Things to consider... The drawbacks are what you said, plus, I've not made encounters offering better challenges to a mounted PC. That will come as the reputation grows, especially if enemies survive the encounter, and you run into encounters where the enemy is expecting you. The hobs attacking the stranded wagon were not expecting anyone, let alone a mounted combatant. Granted, it is a bit more for the DM to track, but it really isn't that bad. If the horse is left outside while a dungeon is entered it has a chance of encountering wandering patrols or monsters just like the PCs do as they explore. My only real issue with it all was self induced. It slipped my mind that Kmita went the route of mounted combatant and when it popped up last Wednesday I just wasn't ready to handle it. I've now given it some thought and worked out how I plan to run things going forward. My biggest concern was when he was trying to get the mount to attack. It sent red flags off right away for me as it appeared as a way for a PC to get an additional attack which felt overpowered so I didn't allow it. Now that I've studied it I've decided I won't allow it for "normal" combat mounts such as a warhorse because doing so would make it better in respect to the Ranger's animal companion which is a 3rd level class feature. The Ranger has to give up an action to order the animal companion to attack. I see the warhorse and rider being very similar to the animal companion so just allowing the warhorse to attack at no cost is too much of a boon. I thought about allowing Kmita to give up an action to let his warhorse attack but then it would be the same as the ranger's animal companion and also felt that was too much of boon. I also feel that if the designers wanted a mount to be able to attack they would have added some rules regarding it, but instead left it pretty much up to the DM's to rule on it how they see fit. This is what I've done above. If a rider wants their mount to attack they'll have to find an intelligent one such as the steed created by the Paladin's Find Steed spell. I also forgot to add the following to my Mounted Combat interpretation above: Since a rider essentially has no movement of their own while mounted, the mount's movement is considered as movement by the rider as well and therefore will subject the rider to Opportunity Attacks. The only way for a rider and mount to both avoid Opportunity Attacks is if they both take the disengage action before the movement occurs. The movement of a dodging mount gives disadvantage to the rider on all attack rolls, ability checks, and dexterity saves.

Aladar said: Actually, that should already be doable. The warhorse has to be controlled to be effective putting the horse and rider on the same initiative. So the warhorse can move then dash action and you could essentially attack anywhere during the horse's turn. What I'm basically not going to allow is for the warhorse to make attacks because I see that as too powerful when compared to the way a Ranger's animal companion works, etc. Ok great -- so the horse has movement and an action -- and in the case of a controlled mount, that action can only be dash / disengage / dodge. I like the discussion, and would like to bring up a few points. 1) The material needed to even finance a warhorse is pretty steep. a warhorse costs 400g and the scalemail barding (ac 17) costs 800g -- military saddle, etc.-- ther'es a reason Kmita's broke - this time its not gambling. Luckily, Greenest gave Kmita a great deal, but still, thats quite a material sink. 2) My warhorse has 19 hit points. Its essentially an AC 17 2nd lvl Fighter. If there is no consistent way of protecting it (hence no restriction on taking attacks on yourself rather than on a horse), then there would be no point in ever having a warhorse. 3 kobolds and it would be toast. 3) As the rules are written, there's absolutely no incentive whatsoever to ever buy a warhorse without taking the mounted combatant feat. The feat is designed to protect the horse and make more use of it than just a new soldier riding a warhorse. A proficient (skilled) horseman, having years of training with horses, and furthermore having a FEAT on top of all this would be "one" with the horse. 4) Mounted combat has very limited uses and none in dungeons / castles - anything indoors. And one has to take the Feat for mounted combat to even be viable. 5) In terms of Leaving a warhorse outside of caves / castles / dungeons etc. --&gt; As a DM I would warn players that this is a possibility first :) Then the player could perhaps hire a trained servant (A page or a guard), to guard the horse, and escape with it if the need arises. The hero would not get the chance to ride back into town, but it would be safe somewhere. ---- In regards to your interpretations 1)--I agree that having the mount attack would be entering into the Beast master territory -- the way its phrased on page 198 is really vague but I agree with this interpretation. 2)-- I agree with the Opportunity attacks -- I want to just clarify with some examples. Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 5 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita takes an attack action. Warhorse takes Disengage action. Then we move away from the Orc. The Orc can take an Opportunity attack on Kmita. Correct? Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 5 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita Disengages. Warhorse takes Dash action and move away from the Orc. Orc can take opportunity attack on Warhorse. Correct? Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 20 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita commands the Horse to Dash. Warhorse moves within 5 feet of the Orc. Kmita takes an attack action. then the Horse moves away. Orc uses a reaction to attack either Warhorse or Kmita because neither took disengage. Correct? 3)--However, I would argue against your interpretation of having the warhorse dodge action become a disadvantage to a proficient, FEATED rider to his attack / ability checks / dex saves. If you meant simply for a mounted combatant without the feat, that would sound about right. But mounted combat is very rare, and a master horseman to be at a disadvantage in his 'natural' combat environment, where a horse is shuffling back and forth rapidly, (I don't see a warhorse dodge by bucking about chaotically) is a stretch for me. Furthermore, it takes away the major advantages of the feat. It runs counter to the Feat's 1st and 3rd ability. The feat, after all, is a very niche feature that may seem 'overpowered' but is only useful in very particular situations. I urge you to reconsider this interpretation if this is what you intended.

In regards to your interpretations 1)--I agree that having the mount attack would be entering into the Beast master territory -- the way its phrased on page 198 is really vague but I agree with this interpretation. 2)-- I agree with the Opportunity attacks -- I want to just clarify with some examples. Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 5 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita takes an attack action. Warhorse takes Disengage action. Then we move away from the Orc. The Orc can take an Opportunity attack on Kmita. Correct? Correct Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 5 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita Disengages. Warhorse takes Dash action and move away from the Orc. Orc can take opportunity attack on Warhorse. Correct? Correct, but Kmita could force the opportunity attack to be against him per the feat if he chooses even though he took the disengage action, though I'm guessing he wouldn't want to take the attack since he did in fact take the disengage action. Say I'm fighting 1 Orc within 20 feet on horseback. Its the beginning of the turn. Kmita commands the Horse to Dash. Warhorse moves within 5 feet of the Orc. Kmita takes an attack action. then the Horse moves away. Orc uses a reaction to attack either Warhorse or Kmita because neither took disengage. Correct? Correct, but again, if the orc attacks the warhorse then Kmita could force the opportunity attack to be against him per the feat. 3)--However, I would argue against your interpretation of having the warhorse dodge action become a disadvantage to a proficient, FEATED rider to his attack / ability checks / dex saves. If you meant simply for a mounted combatant without the feat, that would sound about right. It's late and I'm going to sleep on this one. I'm just having a hard time seeing how a horse moving enough to force disadvantage on an attacker wouldn't have some effect on its rider. The actual end effect would be a normal attack since the advantage granted by the feat and disadvantage from the dodging horse would cancel as long as the target was medium or smaller. That said, I'm not looking to totally bork things up either. My guess is I'll drop this stipulation but I'm still gonna sleep on it. But mounted combat is very rare, and a master horseman to be at a disadvantage in his 'natural' combat environment, where a horse is shuffling back and forth rapidly, (I don't see a warhorse dodge by bucking about chaotically) is a stretch for me. Furthermore, it takes away the major advantages of the feat. It runs counter to the Feat's 1st and 3rd ability. The feat, after all, is a very niche feature that may seem 'overpowered' but is only useful in very particular situations. I urge you to reconsider this interpretation if this is what you intended. My response in bold text above.

Ever had one of those nights when your brain just won't let you go to sleep...that was me last night. In regards to the dodging horse penalty upon the rider, my worry is that the best defense against a mounted attacker is often to take away the mount. The mount in this case (Mounted Combatant feat) is very well protected since the rider may direct any attack upon the mount to be made against him and the mount will most likely be in a perpetual dodge state during combat. Add on top of that the AC of the mount being pretty high once barding is applied and it will take a pretty nice set of rolls to hit the mount at what I assume will be rare times the rider allows it to happen. That said, as I take a step back to look at a bigger picture, I'm going to drop the dodging horse penalty to the rider for the following reasons.... It is evident the designers intend the mount to be hard to hit by the rules they've established (feat et al.). A feat should be useful throughout the career of a PC since I don't see any rules allowing a feat to be switched out once taken. A mount, such as a warhorse, will not have its abilities advance as the PC advances. So the mount will become more and more vulnerable to a one hit death as play level increases, so the protections established seem necessary. I've not seen the rules in action verses an opponent able to counter a mounted attacker, such as a mounted opponent or a half dozen large or larger opponents. This might change my perception of all of this. I've only seen the game in action at levels 1-5. While some of this hits me as overpowered at these levels I'm thinking probably not so much as play level increases. Also, I made Kmita's token "rollable" with two sides, a normal side and a mounted side. The token will have to be re-sized between medium (5' square normal) and large (10' square mounted) when switched between the two.

Thanks for reconsidering !! I'm not sure if I will launch myself mounted into the path of a Red Dragon's breath, or even against a pack of owlbears, but I see it as a great way to engage numerous medium-sized low-difficulty minions. The touch with the token will be great -- an armored warhorse is a tremendous sight on the battlefield.

Resting Characters are limited to a maximum of two short rests between each long rest. All other rules pertaining to rests are as written in the PHB. this is a bit odd and I dont believe I've seen this before today... Limitations like this dont make sense to me -- Lets say you're defending a keep, and various waves of monsters come with the tide -- so every 4 hours lets say the group would take a short rest. To me this seems like a natural thing. Whats your reasoning for this?

Marcin K. said: Resting Characters are limited to a maximum of two short rests between each long rest. All other rules pertaining to rests are as written in the PHB. this is a bit odd and I dont believe I've seen this before today... Limitations like this dont make sense to me -- Lets say you're defending a keep, and various waves of monsters come with the tide -- so every 4 hours lets say the group would take a short rest. To me this seems like a natural thing. Whats your reasoning for this? Mostly from page 57 of the Basic Dungeon Master's Guide: Short Rests In general, over the course of a full adventuring day, the party will likely need to take two short rests, about one-third and two-thirds of the way through the day. I was skyping with Movan last night on this subject and he posted a basic consensus that we reached on the topic, the gist of which is.... "Some classes benefit A LOT from a short rest, but others don't. Monks get back ki, battle master fighters get all their superiority dice, warlocks get back all spells slots. By comparison, rogues, paladins, champion fighters, wizards, clerics, and others, get back very little. If a group was allowed to take more than 2 short rests in a day certain classes or sub-classes would benefit more than others."

the DMG is vague on the subject, i think, for a reason. It contains language such as "in general" and "Likely need" -- I would agree that in MOST cases this will certainly be true - but then there will be that one time..... I would consider something like making players roll for potential exhaustion (or just directly giving them exhaustion) after the 3rd rest. This does not put a "hard" limit of "NO YOU CAN"T DO THAT" -- but a -- "are you sure you want to do this? you may get some skills back, but this is what you will lose" -- type of situation. I agree that some classes benefit alot and other don't... but potential player envy is not a good enough reason for me.

I don't think the reason is player envy. The rules don't specify much about how often players can take a short rest, so the campaign guideline should be as specific as possible. 2-5 rests per day is just too vague. Having it as a flat TWO (per Basic DMG) prevents confusion and needless debate later on when the situation arises. Furthermore, the rules are explicit on the number of long rests per day: even though it's only 8 hours, you are never allowed more than one long rest per 24 hours regardless of what you come up against. "Why don't we rest, I want my [ x ] back (ki, spells, superiority dice)." But Joe, we just rested an hour ago. "Well, we fought a lot of orces in the meantime. I'd like to be well-rested before the next fight." But the infiltrator is getting away. "Let him run. We're better off fighting him on our terms." But he might set a trap for us. And on and no. That's player conflict (even if a mild example) which could have been prevented with firm guidelines. "Are you sure you want to cast that spell? You already had two short rests today and it's only mid afternoon." (continues for many more minutes, time wasted on argument in my opinion) A firm guideline would make players consider their spell use and other abilities as finite resources. If you always leave it up to the players, even with meta-gaming hints from the DM (Are you sure you want to rest here?), the DM has to work to adjust for the situation: thinking of penalties for exhaustion that are arbitrary and doled out like punishments; or sending monsters (and taking time to create them on Roll20, and maps too) also as a kind of punishment; or trying to figure out on the spot what the result will be for players taking their 3rd or 4th rest of the day in an unexpected spot. It's much easier for the DM to create content for the adventuring day when you have some firm guidelines regarding the number of short rests. Lastly, guidelines are not iron laws. In this sense, I'd agree with Marcin in that the group shouldn't tie its hands with a "written in stone" rule. But, rather, have it be a very rare exception for players to get a 3rd rest. For example, in that battle situation you mentioned, with foes coming in waves throughout the day, the DM could allow a 3rd rest in such a unique situation. But in a normal session, if I'm playing a Warlock with fireball I'm going to be casting it every encounter because it's an effective, fun spell! I'll rest as often as possible and keep pushing for more rests whenever I think I can benefit from it. Moreover, I'll justify my blast tactics with roleplay: "It's just something my character does-- he likes blowing stuff up and is mindful of the kill count, competitive in a way that Gimli and Legolas are in the Two Towers." If the player is "technically" allowed to rest whenever he wants, conflict comes in when other party members or the DM tell him it's not possible. The guideline should soak up the dissension which might otherwise be aimed at the other players or DM. Instead of dealing with that kind of player pressure, the DM limits the possibility NOT with on the spot troubleshooting (a pain in the ass) but with guidelines that are followed very often. I agree that neither option is perfectly fair. But aren't there greater benefits from a clear rule rather than a loose expectation?

I think the DMG is vague on purpose, as are other areas of 5e, because the designers didn't want everything in stone and leave the decisions to the DMs and their groups. I don't really see this being an issue because I can't recall a time a group has taken more than 2 short rests between their long rests. Some may say then why have the rule? I'd respond with why not. Many of these 'rulings' I'm putting down are not because of things currently happening in any group, but I see pontential for issues. Since I'm defining these rules for every game I run now or in the future I'm trying to cover the bases. Someone, somewhere, would be a problem child and having as many things 'defined' up front as possible is, in my opinion, the best way to go.

I need a short rest after reading all that! I'm good with whatever you guys decide. The Bard does get his Bardic inspiration die back after a short rest starting at 5th level so I guess I have a dog in this hunt.

I agree with you Kevin, that I don't see it ever really becoming an issue with this group and so I want to echo Wayne in saying however you want to run your campaign is ok with me -- I enjoy the way you DM and I'm looking forward to the homebrew variations. I also agree that preventing potentially annoying situations from creeping up is important, both for the DM and for other players. There are various ways of changing player behavior to suit a DM's own expectation of running their campaign, and to resolve practical DM issues like players doing unexpected things. I think communication between players and the DM is probably the best way of achieving this -- I have learned quite a bit about different player / DM expectations just from the posts on various issues. In this instance, a guideline on the short rests should be sufficient to make a player adjust his play in terms of resource management without limiting what could potentially arise in a unique in-game session. So I think its important to define whether this is a firm guideline, or an unbreakable rule. Setting a specific campaign guideline for players is good-- it sets the tone for the players with clear expectations and they should adjust their gameplay accordingly. Having a clear-cut rule (in this particular situation) seems limiting [If its a rule, can it be broken in a unique situation? If so, what about the rest of the rules?]. Upon rereading this, it seems academic, but I think there is a difference, especially as it is being grouped with rules for mounted combat / Hand Crossbows etc.

In that session I brought up the quote on page 204 under 'targeting yourself': "If a spell targets a creature of your choice, you can choose yourself, unless the creature must be hostile or specifically a creature other than you. If you are in the area of effect of a spell you cast, you can target yourself." I interpreted that to mean that the caster has a choice in whether on not he will target himself. Now that you have made this ruling it seems I am misinterpreting that. I tried to do some googling on the subject but it doesn't seem like I'm asking the right questions to get a concrete answer. My question is then: Is this ruling in keeping with the traditions of D&D spellcasting in general? In previous versions were spellcasters also potnetially vulnerable from their spells' area of effect?

That quote, the way I read it, is talking about spells that allow the caster to pick their targets. If it does then the caster may pick themselves if they wish as long as they are in the area of effect In every edition of D&D I've ever played a caster can blow himself up with his own spell if he is in the area of the spell's effect. For Instance, the Fireball spell: Fireball 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 150 feet Components: V, S, M (a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur) Duration: Instantaneous A bright streak flashes from your pointing finger to a point you choose within range and then blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 8d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried. When a spell is cast you simply follow the spell's description. The fireball spell states that, "Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw." The caster is a creature, so if the caster is in the 20-foot sphere then he must make the Dexterity save and suffer the consequences just like any other creature in the area of effect.

I'm enjoying the new rules and guidelines you've put into place. The more I play the more I appreciate them (to my surprise). I would like to suggest adding various other action options during a turn, listed on page 271/272 in the DMG. Specifically, I am interested in the Disarm, overrun, shove aside and tumble actions. All of these would be fairly easy to do, don't require complicated rules and use skill checks that we use often. Monsters would use a normal strength check unless they had athletics / acrobatic skills. It would give us and monsters (!) more interesting options regarding positioning and more roleplaying flavor.