necroposting but this is a great thread, my group has been together for quite a few years so a lot of our rules aren't written down and are just something we know instinctually, so trying to put them into words will be difficult.
Anything the players can do, the gamemaster can do
if you minmax your character to the extreme and dig through sourcebooks for weeks before making a character, I, as a gamemaster am going to drag out the most horrendously broken and absurd monsters I can find and have them ignore the non optimized players and solely go after the optimizer under the rationalization of them being a worthy opponent.
If you use common sense and don't metagame, you won't die, if you get screwed over by unlucky rolls, I might give you some lenience if it makes the story continue. My players over the years have found out that the world around them is alive, they will bump into creatures twice as strong as they are occasionally and sometimes; I know this is a huge shock to all you murderhobos, they aren't interested in fighting you, so don't draw swords and ready spells the moment you see a monster, try to talk first and see what it wants; most sentient beings are naturally reluctant to throw themselves into a combat situation. Cover,concealment,NPCs and items are another thing; they aren't just there for scenery or flavor, make use of them. If you want to take down an army with superior numbers, don't just charge into combat, use guerilla tactics and espionage. If you can roleplay well enough you can automatically succeed on a diplomacy check, but if you want to just roll dice thats fine, but remember, NPCs are living things too, if a village is being attacked by a monster, chances are the villagers are pretty unhappy with it and if given the chance, they would probably help out. Doors, curtains,lamps,chairs,tables, even pillows and beer mugs can be used in combat. That loose cobblestone I off handedly remarked about earlier? That can be used to your advantage, its pretty hard to fight when you trip on a loose stone and faceplant into the ground.
Players who I can trust can play evil characters, I don't pick favorites, I just know who can be subtle and who is going to be the joker.
If you have an issue with another player, me or a rule in the game, pull me aside after the session and tell me so, I will handle it and keep my eye on that person. Do not disrupt the game over it
Anthropomorphic races are banned, dragonfolk are okay but humanoid animals aren't.
Do. Not. Make. Your. Character. Alone. This is a massive no no at my tables, if you are making a character, you are sitting with the group and talking it through, you will be required to give some backstory and if I feel its reasonable, you may get rewarded, but thats only for backgrounds I think are above average. My players do have a problem though "too many character ideas, not enough time" They can spend weeks trying to figure out what to play if I don't offer them decent thematic options. They tend to try way too hard to avoid stepping on eachothers toes, to the point that one player didn't want to play a monk because someone else in the party also didn't wear armor.
