Sacrosanct
Legend
Gah.
I completely agree with you.
This is the thing I don't understand, at all. The fetishization of RAW.
D&D was always a DIY, "rules are guidelines, not commands" game. You would mix and match official product, semi-official product, 3PP, and homebrew. It was all good.
I can certainly appreciate wanting more from WoTC- after all, now that I am older (OLD!) and do not have infinite amounts of time, I can't just create my own psionics systems from scratch like I used to.
But the heart of D&D always was a beating punk aesthetic.
...and now? People just wanna be sedated.
Just look at that horrible Druid thread.
“RAW druids can wear metal armor if they want!”
“No, the rules actually say they can’t/won’t depending on edition. If you want that, talk with your DM and change it.”
“No! EVERYONE can have their Druid wear it, and if you refuse, you’re a tyrant DM stealing my player agency!”
It’s not that DnD is against changing rules to fit your table. It’s when people want to change rules and force everyone else to their desire that causes problems. Rules are important because they set up a shared experience. But if your PERSONAL table disagrees on a rule, change it to your heart’s content. That’s how the game has always been. We as gamers have a choice when we encounter a rule we might not like: we can change it and move on, or we can refuse to play. Both are valid. But demanding everyone else agree with us and our interpretation be canon? That’s entitlement. IMO anyway.