Do you let Eldritch Knight or Clerics cast while using a (real) shield?

Hussar · Jan 26, 2019

Aiden_Keller_ said:
He is an AMAZING DM!
I have become a better player because of his style....and yes I could have it made (I was not skilled enough of a character to do so)...it cost more then a normal shield and took time but it was worth that so I could have the shield...also gave me Resistance to Acid Damage if the Shield was being wielded. He argued that an Ankheg's shell would have this...so the shield should as well.

Hey, whatever floats your boat.

For me, and I suspect a number of other DM's here, this is a very douchey move by the DM and it's the sort of ridiculous pixel bitching stuff that gives DM's a very bad name. It's no different than the DM who has your character freeze to death because you didn't write down "winter clothes" on your character sheet.

When you run games yourself, do yourself a favor and don't treat this as a "teachable moment". Just remind the player, "Hey, are you going to put your holy symbol on that?" and move on. Aha gotcha moments are not, generally speaking, received well and outside of a very few, somewhat outspoken fans, it's almost universally condemned as poor DMing.

smbakeresq · Jan 28, 2019

Yunru said:
It's fully natural for a character who routinely uses a holy symbol embossed on their shield to have a holy symbol embossed on any shield they intend on using.

Only if they say they took the time and effort to do so. If that’s too much work and memory in your game, well...

Yunru · Jan 28, 2019

smbakeresq said:
Only if they say they took the time and effort to do so. If that’s too much work and memory in your game, well...

So we're back to characters only taking a dump is their player takes the time and effort to do so. Your games must crawl along due to the players having tl mention things like breathing, relieving themselves, maintaining their gear and armour, or I'm guessing also walking?
After all, all those things are as second nature as a Cleric who uses holy symbols on a shield putting a holy symbol on their shield.

smbakeresq · Jan 28, 2019

Hussar said:
Hey, whatever floats your boat.

For me, and I suspect a number of other DM's here, this is a very douchey move by the DM and it's the sort of ridiculous pixel bitching stuff that gives DM's a very bad name. It's no different than the DM who has your character freeze to death because you didn't write down "winter clothes" on your character sheet.

When you run games yourself, do yourself a favor and don't treat this as a "teachable moment". Just remind the player, "Hey, are you going to put your holy symbol on that?" and move on. Aha gotcha moments are not, generally speaking, received well and outside of a very few, somewhat outspoken fans, it's almost universally condemned as poor DMing.

The same DM who let a player craft a shield he wanted from an ankheg shell, probably with some special ability, is now a douche because the crafter forgot something and had to play 1 whole encounter working around it?

I never heard anything like that being declared as poor DMing for 40 years, especially when the player himself laughs it off. It’s absurd to think that.

Do guys like you just hand wave everything off except actual combat? I have seen players like that, who just assume they don’t have to track anything, don’t RP, don’t list any non-combat items on their sheet, have no background for their PCs, etc. They don’t even take plot point notes. It’s all just optimization of the PC for a combat role with everything just glossed over, expecting the DM to remind them or bail them out if need be.

No one who believes this would ever make it through something like the Living Greyhawk campaign, or most campaigns for that matter.

And your example is dumb, every DM would tell you to prepare for cold weather and if they don’t you should be asking what conditions to expect. It’s part of the background information you should be pumping the DM for before every single adventure. It literally takes 15 seconds of RP to do that, if you don’t do it you deserve to die. It’s even easier today, you can ask by email before you even get to the table.

smbakeresq · Jan 28, 2019

Yunru said:
So we're back to characters only taking a dump is their player takes the time and effort to do so. Your games must crawl along due to the players having tl mention things like breathing, relieving themselves, maintaining their gear and armour, or I'm guessing also walking?
After all, all those things are as second nature as a Cleric who uses holy symbols on a shield putting a holy symbol on their shield.

Actually they fly along as I have smart, active players who care about the game and writing their part in a bigger story and having a good time as opposed to lazy, disengaged people who just sit on boards complaining that everything including following rules is too hard for them do but they expect to win with no effort on their part.

Yunru · Jan 28, 2019

smbakeresq said:
Actually they fly along as I have smart, active players who care about the game and writing their part in a bigger story and having a good time as opposed to lazy, disengaged people who just sit on boards complaining that everything including following rules is too hard for them do but they expect to win with no effort on their part.

That's at odds with both what you've previously stated, and what I've previously stated. I don't appreciate the strawman that is the latter, and am extremely confused by the former.

Aiden_Keller_ · Jan 28, 2019

smbakeresq said:
The same DM who let a player craft a shield he wanted from an ankheg shell, probably with some special ability, is now a douche because the crafter forgot something and had to play 1 whole encounter working around it?

I never heard anything like that being declared as poor DMing for 40 years, especially when the player himself laughs it off. It’s absurd to think that.

Do guys like you just hand wave everything off except actual combat? I have seen players like that, who just assume they don’t have to track anything, don’t RP, don’t list any non-combat items on their sheet, have no background for their PCs, etc. They don’t even take plot point notes. It’s all just optimization of the PC for a combat role with everything just glossed over, expecting the DM to remind them or bail them out if need be.

No one who believes this would ever make it through something like the Living Greyhawk campaign, or most campaigns for that matter.

And your example is dumb, every DM would tell you to prepare for cold weather and if they don’t you should be asking what conditions to expect. It’s part of the background information you should be pumping the DM for before every single adventure. It literally takes 15 seconds of RP to do that, if you don’t do it you deserve to die. It’s even easier today, you can ask by email before you even get to the table.

I paid for the shield to be made...I didn't make it......the DM is GREAT!

Aiden_Keller_ · Jan 28, 2019

Hussar said:
Hey, whatever floats your boat.

For me, and I suspect a number of other DM's here, this is a very douchey move by the DM and it's the sort of ridiculous pixel bitching stuff that gives DM's a very bad name. It's no different than the DM who has your character freeze to death because you didn't write down "winter clothes" on your character sheet.

When you run games yourself, do yourself a favor and don't treat this as a "teachable moment". Just remind the player, "Hey, are you going to put your holy symbol on that?" and move on. Aha gotcha moments are not, generally speaking, received well and outside of a very few, somewhat outspoken fans, it's almost universally condemned as poor DMing.

If you were warned of going to ICE MOUNTAIN and didn't buy Winter Clothes (Because no one starts with that) Then you SHOULD FREEZE...I live on the Tundra in Alaska...you were anything less than adequate clothing and IT HURTS! Last week it was -40F....try walking in Common Clothes or Traveler's Clothes then....

Aiden_Keller_ · Jan 28, 2019

smbakeresq said:
Actually they fly along as I have smart, active players who care about the game and writing their part in a bigger story and having a good time as opposed to lazy, disengaged people who just sit on boards complaining that everything including following rules is too hard for them do but they expect to win with no effort on their part.

This is how you play D&D! Good job!

Hussar · Jan 29, 2019

Aiden_Keller_ said:
If you were warned of going to ICE MOUNTAIN and didn't buy Winter Clothes (Because no one starts with that) Then you SHOULD FREEZE...I live on the Tundra in Alaska...you were anything less than adequate clothing and IT HURTS! Last week it was -40F....try walking in Common Clothes or Traveler's Clothes then....

This would, of course, be the point. No one would ever walk outside in Alaska in the winter without proper clothes. That would be stupid and suicidal.

So, why would you assume the characters are both stupid and suicidal just because the player, who isn't living in Alaska and might have missed the bit about cold or whatever, didn't write down "cold weather clothes" on his character sheet?

Me, I would assume that the characters are smart enough to do that, and not even bother asking as the DM. Because simply asking after the point of no return is a blindingly douche move by the DM. Presuming that just because I didn't say, "Hey, I'm a cleric whose holy symbol has been on his shield for the past ten sessions, so, add that to my new shield" to mean that I don't actually add my holy symbol to my shield is the poorest form of DMing.

It's "aha gotcha" DMing and I just don't have the time or patience for that kind of juvenile crap anymore.

Do you let Eldritch Knight or Clerics cast while using a (real) shield?

Do you let spellcasters cast with weapon & shield in hand?

Yes

No

Let me explain...

Hussar

Legend

smbakeresq

Explorer

Yunru

Banned

smbakeresq

Explorer

smbakeresq

Explorer

Yunru

Banned

Aiden_Keller_

First Post

Aiden_Keller_

First Post

Aiden_Keller_

First Post

Hussar

Legend

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