D&D 5E What actions by a PC Don't need to be stated?

[Lanefan]

It really isn't. The PCs don't know why I'm asking. All it does is make their ears perk up.

In my experience, not only does it make their ears perk up it makes them suddenly decide to do all sorts of ultra-cautious things and cast various protective or precautionary spells, none of which have they done in any of the previous hallways.

But they don't know whether there is a hidden passage, secret treasure, an ambush from the rear, a frontal assault, a trap, or simply a bit of exposition that takes the form of an ornate mosaic.

You can even throw in the occasional red herring if it deeply concerns you. Ask before it becomes relevant. There's no reason you have to ask for their marching order in the hallway with the trap. Ask a ways back, and after that it's perfectly reasonable to assume that unless circumstances change or they say otherwise the order remains the same.

Exactly - the SOP approach. Or, if SOP doesn't work ask 10 times, then when the 11th time hits and you've a real reason for asking it won't be treated any differently.

Lan-"game good, metagame bad"-efan

 

[Shasarak]

The Belgian waffle iron is the correct choice. Watch someone accuse me of claiming One True Waffle.

Uh huh **carefully crossing out Australian Waffle from character sheet and writing Belgian Waffle** yeah, Belgian Waffle iron.

 

[MechaPilot]

At my table I assume the following:

*The PCs breathe, if they need to (not all races do).
*The PCs get a full night's sleep during a long rest, if they sleep (again, not all races do).
*The PCs eat and drink at least enough to stay alive (assuming they have the supplies to do so).
*The PCs refresh their supplies at every safe opportunity (I'll assume they get well-water from a town, but not that they filled their canteens from that weird fountain in the previous dungeon-chamber).
*The PCs divvy the treasure evenly, unless the players say otherwise.
*When a player says her character searches a room for traps, she checks both the structure of the room as well as the major features and and furnishings in it.

 

[Fanaelialae]

In my experience, not only does it make their ears perk up it makes them suddenly decide to do all sorts of ultra-cautious things and cast various protective or precautionary spells, none of which have they done in any of the previous hallways.

FWIW, my players don't.

Presumably, they've been doing all those ultra-cautious things in the other hallways, you just fast-forwarded past all that since there was nothing actually there. As to casting spells, I should think that they would want to narrow down the potential threat to some limited band of options before they start wasting limited spell slots (otherwise even a short delve will take weeks in game time). Which involves interacting with the hallway and trying to determine whether there is anything special about it, or whether I asked their marching order simply because I will need to know for the trap that's two hallways away. Basically, I think they would do this once or twice and then come to the realization that this is a fantastic way to waste all of your spell slots to little or no gain.

Besides, this is something that you (and every other DM) are already doing. If the PCs journeyed from Neverwinter to Waterdeep, would you describe every five foot square of the road? Obviously not. I dare say that even the most hardcore OS group would fall asleep doing so. This is simply applying those same principles (of the highlight reel) to the dungeon.

Exactly - the SOP approach. Or, if SOP doesn't work ask 10 times, then when the 11th time hits and you've a real reason for asking it won't be treated any differently.

Lan-"game good, metagame bad"-efan

Sure, nothing wrong with SOP, and I 100% advocate prompting the players with questions (as opposed to making detrimental assumptions about their unspoken actions).

 

[Iry]

- do the rooms in this inn have locks on the doors at all? (locked doors are a modern thing)

Hopefully! Locks have been around since at least 3,000 BC in the form of bolt locks (a sturdy branch), or two pieces of rope (pinned by bronze nails) that were tied together with a knot. =P

 

[Lanefan]

At my table I assume the following:

*The PCs breathe, if they need to (not all races do).
*The PCs get a full night's sleep during a long rest, if they sleep (again, not all races do).
*The PCs eat and drink at least enough to stay alive (assuming they have the supplies to do so).
*The PCs refresh their supplies at every safe opportunity (I'll assume they get well-water from a town, but not that they filled their canteens from that weird fountain in the previous dungeon-chamber).

Unless there's something that would obviously prevent such things (e.g. limited or no air to breathe, too much disturbance to allow for good sleep, etc.) I pretty much do the same.

*The PCs divvy the treasure evenly, unless the players say otherwise.

Now here I make no assumptions whatsoever. Treasury division is up to the characters, through their players. The only thing I insist on is that they do get around to dividing it at some point, as treasury evaluation and division is a somewhat bureaucratic chore that gets worse the longer it's left undone.

*When a player says her character searches a room for traps, she checks both the structure of the room as well as the major features and and furnishings in it.

I usually ask for at least one step deeper in specifics here, even as little as "OK, what are you searching first?"

Lan-"for some reason they never follow my treasury-division shortcut suggestion, which is simply 'give it all to me'"-efan

 

[Oofta]

Uh huh **carefully crossing out Australian Waffle from character sheet and writing Belgian Waffle** yeah, Belgian Waffle iron.

But what about my crepe maker? I know it's only waffle-like, but is it really any more different then long sword vs katana? What if I have the breakfast brawler feat?

 

[Tony Vargas]

Either I am missing what you are saying, or that presumes greatly on one's definition of "better off".

You must be missing what I'm saying. It could hold for almost any plausible meaning of 'better off' shy of saintly altruism (and maybe even then, under some 'greater good' logic).
Google the prisoner dilemma for more.

 

[Lanefan]

But what about my crepe maker? I know it's only waffle-like, but is it really any more different then long sword vs katana? What if I have the breakfast brawler feat?

If you have the breakfast brawler feat then you're gold: you're considered proficient with any blunt kitchen implement you can reasonably hold, you generate a 20'-radius fear effect when you bang two such (metal) implements together for a round, and you gain +1 to hit and damage with any such implement while in any kitchen or dining area.

Note: all of the above only applies between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon, local time. Separate similar feats - lunchtime cruncher and supper smasher - must be used to cover other times of day. There is no such feat covering the hours between midnight and 6 a.m.

Lan-"food fight!"-efan

 

[Sunseeker]

1) Morath rushed through a cloudkill spell to reach the rest of the party on the other side. I had him roll his con save and another player asked if he holding your breath when going through the cloud allowed you to make the save with advantage. Morath says that of course he was holding his breath when he ran through the cloudkill. I inform him that he would have had to state that before running into the cloud and Morath argues that he thought it went without saying that he did so.

I would inform him it doesn't matter. I always assume the character does the smartest thing they can and the die roll + modifiers is the outcome of their attempts to do those things. Short of preparing some kind of breathing/filter apparatus beforehand, nothing done "in the moment" will change the rolls. So yes, I agree with you that anything "special" to modify your roll you need to state as such beforehand and I (the DM) will rule if it is event possible.

2)Morath and another PC are sleeping inside of a statue that has stairs leading to the top. The stairs are collapsed partway up and the only way to the top of the statue is by climbing a rope. The next morning the party has left the area, comes back, and finds a wizard at the top of the statue with the rope curled around his feet. When talking about it Morath claims that of course he would have pulled the rope up after him when climbing the tower, he thought it didn't need to be stated that he would do so. I again said that he would have had to of told me he did so the night before when they were making the camp.

This is certainly a good case of "If you didn't say it, you didn't do it." If they had no reasonable expectation of someone climbing up after them, I have no idea why they would pull it up except out of paranoia or something.

My question to you playground is what do you think it is reasonable to just assume a PC is doing even if they don't state it? in a dungeon are they closing doors behind them? Are they collecting rope used in exploring? If they sleep in a dungeon is it assumed the door is barricaded? If they sleep in an inn is it assumed the door is locked? Where do you draw the line?

P.S. if curious my answer to the above is no, no, no, and yes.

I assume characters do the most obvious thing in any given situation. Not necessarily the smartest or the most defensive or the most logical thing, just the most obvious thing in the most convenient way. Anything else the player will need to state they are doing.

I think your rulings are fine.