How far would you go against the RAW to promote creativity?

Sometimes or very often players come up with great creative ideas, especially involving spells used in an unexpected ways. My first reaction is always "great idea! I'd even give a few extra Xp for that" but then we check the rules and find out that it cannot be done Except that sometimes I decide I just don't care the f*ing book and allow it at once

How far as a DM do you allow yourself to break the rules-as-written to let your group have more fun? Obviously one risk is that the idea may be actually much better than it seems at first sight, and later you may repent having allowed it.

Some examples of what I have allowed before...

Using Grease on yourself to avoid being grappled or to escape a grapple, even if the spell cannot be cast on creatures.
Allowing Resistance with Persistent Spell, even if the feat shouldn't work on touch spells.
Be quite free in manipulating little objects with Mage Hand, such as pulling a level or turning a key.
Allow the use of Floating Disk for self-transportation.
And finally... allowing Polymorph to retain your own low-light/darkvision when the new form also has it

edit: the poll is not very serious, ok?

Hi Li!

well... as someone's sig says, Use the Rules, don't let the Rules use You...
my opinion is that rules can be overlooked as long as there's no abuse. Where's that line?, you may ask....

And I believe the answer is that line is the reason we still have DMs. And I believe that yes, a good DM MUST strive to make RPG a STORY experience, not the transcription of a videogame.

Let me tell you a little story. One of my first contacts with fantasy gaming were the Lone Wolf gamebooks. I remember an instance when you were on the run from guards, in a palace. You had a choice of running up the stairs or out of a door (or something similar). And I distinctly recall saying aloud "WHY can't I try and hang out from the window... hoping they run up the stairs and don't see me?"

I found out years later that RPG was the answer to all my window-hanging needs. The reason we have a DM is so that he or she can fill in the gaps or silliness ANY rule system necessarily has.

What I mean is, if the breaking of a rule is not an abuse of it, but a clever thing that one would expect in a story from a primary character, let'em break to their heart's content.

As for your specific references:

Using Grease on yourself to avoid being grappled or to escape a grapple, even if the spell cannot be cast on creatures. : Yes, sure. Sounds like a real nice idea. I never would, it would soil my robe, but...
Allowing Resistance with Persistent Spell, even if the feat shouldn't work on touch spells. : I don't EXCEEDINGLY like Persistent spell... but I'd allow it or not depending on the kind and effect of the spell, not on it being touch or not.
Be quite free in manipulating little objects with Mage Hand, such as pulling a level or turning a key. : Definitely yes. I killed "Open/Close" and let Mage Hand overtake its functions too.
Allow the use of Floating Disk for self-transportation. : No. Don't hate me you all, but no. They actually made a new upgraded version of it in Dragon that ALSO does this.. it's 4th level, maybe too high in my opinion... but the basic Floating Disk is too small and weak a spell to allow the caster to fly.
And finally... allowing Polymorph to retain your own low-light/darkvision when the new form also has it : You mean someone DOESN'T ?

Li Shenron said:

Using Grease on yourself to avoid being grappled or to escape a grapple, even if the spell cannot be cast on creatures.

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This is actually completely within the rules. From the description of the Grease spell, PHB3.5 page 237 -

A creature wearing greased armor or clothing gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist and on grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple or to escape a pin.

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Li Shenron said:

Allow the use of Floating Disk for self-transportation.

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As Tenser's Floating Disk always floats slowly about three feet off the ground I can't see it being very useful for this purpose. Or any other for that matter. Then again it's only ac1st level spell.

I see the rules as guidelines nothing more. If they get in the way of the story or the creativity of my players or myself then it's time to look at tweaking them.
I tend to change things to make sense in the campaign world I am running and to make sure the players enjoy what they do. Besides I've had some players try the darnest things that the RAW doesn't cover very clearly if at all.

RD

Rules are nice, but you cannot map every situation through rules. There are more things in heaven and on earth, etc. Sometimes a player comes up with a great idea that bends the rules a bit, but if it makes for an exciting or fun game, I'm willing to go with the bend.

The important idea is to have a fun game. This is not Monopoly. This is a roleplaying game. As such, the rules are open to interpretation, fudging and, yes, even forgetting.

Game first, rules second

There is nothing wrong with HR. There is nothing wrong with changing or interpreting the RAW in a particular way to make the story progress and more fun.

There is a problem with arbitrarily changing the rules. What I mean is that as long as you let the player's know what your rules (or interpretations) are before they make plans based on the RAW (or past HR). Apply the rules (HR or RAW) consistently - do not let them apply to one PC in one way and to another in a different one.

Story and fun first. Rules are just a way of getting there.

I guess I'm more of a Slaad: the rules are nice, and I'll stick to them as much as possible by default, but I'll not hesitate to change them in major ways if I'm pretty sure it'll mean more fun for everyone.

Daniel

Just to finish the rules/outsider comparison...

Guardinials: We stick with rules whenever possible, but change things to make the game fun. We rarely use HRs, just creative interpretations.
Yugoloths: The rules are there for the PCs, I as DM do whatever I wish...
Slaad: Rules? We rarely use DICE!
Formian/Modron: We stick to the rules. Always. We e-mail the sage when stumped and have WotC customer service on Speed-dial.
Rimani: We keep things balanced. If something changes for the PCs, something must change from the NPC. That way, balanced is kept.

Personally, I change what I need but stick to RAW usually. I rarely change mechanics, but have been known tinker liberally with races/classes/monsters/etc.

The Code of the Rogue Gamemaster

1. Be consistent.
2. Never say "no."
3. Always ask, "How?"

I have to admit that I tend to be the rules lawyer ("Hey! You can't Magic Missile the darkness; Magic Missile is a targetted spell!") but I like to think that that just means that I know when it's okay to break the rules and when it isn't.

In general, I try to stick to the RAW because it's already pretty consistent and it's a shared resource that everyone knows about. Plus, I must admit that I find creativity within the rules to be extremely rewarding. But if someone tries to do something new or unexpected, I feel free to go ahead and let them do it if they can come up with a way in which it could be done, unless it's been explicitly proscribed -- and otherwise I can just house rule it ahead of time.

I follow the Way of the Lawmaker:
"The RAW are pretty good, but if there's something we disagree with or don't like, we make a house rule and apply it consistently."