D&D 5E Sage Advice!

[Morrus]

Hey, grumbling new guy - people like different things. I love this level of ambiguity, and you don't. If you have a hard time believing people like it, you can just ask us why we like it maybe?

Mistwell,

This explains it. Where's the advantage in math mechanics being ambiguous? Especially since they want to promote Adventurer's League; It would not be fun to show up at a table one week to discover that, this time around, your AC is reduced by 3(!) because this particular DM has a different idea about how AC should be calculated with bracers of defense.

Oh, and my name is Eric, jerk.

OK, calling people "jerk" is absolutely not acceptable here. I realise that "grumbling new guy" wasn't exactly friendly, but even so. And Mistwell, making new people feel unwelcome is also not even close to the sort of thing I want to see round here.

 

[Eric V]

OK, calling people "jerk" is absolutely not acceptable here. I realise that "grumbling new guy" wasn't exactly friendly, but even so. And Mistwell, making new people feel unwelcome is also not even close to the sort of thing I want to see round here.

I apologize, Morrus. I felt picked on for being new and having an opinion. I should have just ignored it. Won't happen again.

 

[dd.stevenson]

I felt picked on for being new and having an opinion.

I had the same reaction to your post as Mistwell, though I might have phrased it differently. The problem was not the opinion, it was the presentation. "I find it hard to believe that people actually like this thing" are fighting words, no matter where you post them. The non-fighty version would be "I don't understand the appeal of this thing."

Oh, and welcome to Enworld!

 

[Henry]

All right, gents, the bar brawl's over, let's pick these tables and chairs back up, and somebody get a mop to clear that ale up. NEW ROUND OF DRINKS FOR EVERYONE, MY TAB!

**ducks out before Morrus reminds them all that Henry doesn't have a tab in this bar anymore**

 

[Mouseferatu]

And here we have the problem with trying to answer questions in 140 characters or fewer.

Guys, I admit I'm doing some educated guessing, but I don't think Mike's answer meant that it was up to the DM whether a warlock's limitations on invocations was based total level or class level. On every other occasion, he's clarified that things based on level (i.e. cantrips) are based on total. He clarified that specifying "paladin spell slot" for divine smite was a mistake. The PHB, as written, does not contain any rules for judging level-dependent effects by "class level." (Well, I guess the multiclass rules for learning spells kind of qualifies, but it's very specifically called out as an exception.)

I think Mike was referring to the "retraining" part of the question which (if one only quickly skims the question) could easily jump out as the primary concern. The PHB doesn't have rules for retraining, except for swapping out spells. I can easily see that being a table-by-table question.

 

[Mouseferatu]

As for the ambiguity issue, I'm a fan of it in many cases--I like lots of the game's specifics being in the hands of the DM--but in this instance, I think it's a bad idea. As a fan and game designer both, I think something as fundamental as "What level can a character pick up new options in one of his primary class abilities?" needs to have a concrete answer.

So admittedly, it's possible that some of my interpretation of Mike's answer is wishful thinking.

 

[77IM]

No, it'll be archived on wonderful sites like EN World, which has been doing this sort of thing for 15 years! Do not worry!

And thank you for doing it! We appreciate it, very much!

Answering questions on twitter is great, but ...
You can already see a bunch of repeated questions.

When building a FAQ, it helps to have a way of measuring frequency. ;}

 

[Ashr]

So, I have a clarification curiosity. Polearm Master + Sentinel feats.

The ruling "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"

Doesn't seem to take into account the Sentinel feat, which states any hit as part of an AoO causes the target creature's movement to be reduced to 0. So, would that happen before or after it entered reach? Maybe it's a DM call?

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

And here we have the problem with trying to answer questions in 140 characters or fewer.

Guys, I admit I'm doing some educated guessing, but I don't think Mike's answer meant that it was up to the DM whether a warlock's limitations on invocations was based total level or class level. On every other occasion, he's clarified that things based on level (i.e. cantrips) are based on total. He clarified that specifying "paladin spell slot" for divine smite was a mistake. The PHB, as written, does not contain any rules for judging level-dependent effects by "class level." (Well, I guess the multiclass rules for learning spells kind of qualifies, but it's very specifically called out as an exception.)

Well, elemental monk powers are the closest thing in the game to warlock invocations and they do specify monk level rather than character level. And frankly it's a bit messed up if a level 10 rogue can take 2 levels of warlock to get Polymorph and Confusion 1/day each. Or even in the example Mearls was responding to, why the heck would a barbarian/warlock get his extra attack earlier than a barbarian/fighter?

Either way this is a case where the rules are opaque in a way that helps nobody.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Well, elemental monk powers are the closest thing in the game to warlock invocations and they do specify monk level rather than character level.

That's a fair point. I hadn't read the monk that closely yet, so I'd missed that fact.

On the one hand, you're right, they are thematically similar. On the other, one could argue that the fact that they called out "in this class" in one case but not the other is, in and of itself, an answer.

But of course, it could also be an oversight. Which leads us right back to "No idea." But I do hope they clarify that, one way or the other.