D&D 5E Playing 5e D&D wrong or broken word "CAN"?

[Wepwawet]

OMGs!!! Rereading the PHB I found out that to solve puzzles characters don't ever need to roll or even think about them!

It says so in the very first page on the Basic Rules!

The adventurers can solve puzzles, talk with other characters, battle fantastic monsters, and discover fabulous magic items and other treasure.

I've been DMing it wrong all these years!!!



EDIT: This is about discussing the real meaning of "can", forked from the thread Why do so many DMs use the wrong rules for invisibility

 

[Barolo]

OMGs!!! Rereading the PHB I found out that to solve puzzles characters don't ever need to roll or even think about them!

It says so in the very first page on the Basic Rules!



I've been DMing it wrong all these years!!!



EDIT: This is about discussing the real meaning of "can", forked from the thread Why do so many DMs use the wrong rules for invisibility

This can be a dangerous path to follow....

 

[Nagol]

Well, the adventurers can solve a puzzle. They can also ignore a puzzle, get stumped by a puzzle, or abandon a puzzle. Heck they can probably persuade someone else to solve the puzzle for them. The actions and requirements to meet each possible result vary, obviously.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Nobody has ever played D&D correctly, we're all doing it wrong to various degrees.

 

[Caliban]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, probably because I lack the context of the original discussion.

But in this context, it seems to me that "can" means "are able to", not "will always".

 

[Wepwawet]

Page 105 of basic rules under Invisible.

The creature’s location can be detected by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves.

They're talking about invisibility and being undetected, and there's a 5+ page discussion about whether this means that invisible creatures are automatically detected.

(you'd think it's obvious but...)

 

[Tony Vargas]

This is about discussing the real meaning of "can"

"a usually cylindrical receptacle or container?"

 

[Wepwawet]

"a usually cylindrical receptacle or container?"

Oh no! How will we ever understand the rules of this dreadful game now?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[BoldItalic]

The adventurers can solve puzzles,...

The corollary of this is, that if you present the players with a puzzle and they are unable to solve it, they are not adventurers.

And if they are not adventurers, they can't do all those other things (talk with other characters, battle fantastic monsters, and discover fabulous magic items and other treasure).

So D&D is really a crossword puzzle (if you do TotM) or a jigsaw puzzle (if you do minis).

In which case, why do we need all these books?

I must be missing something ...