D&D 5E What are your biggest immersion breakers, rules wise?

[iserith]

In my experience, the argument "no one is saying/doing X" is always a preface to the person speaking saying or doing exactly X, every time.

Just not this time.

 

[Krachek]

When the talking at the table start on CR, xp budget.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In my experience, the argument "no one is saying/doing X" is always a preface to the person speaking saying or doing exactly X, every time.

Really? That’s pretty odd, from my experience. Generally I see that phrase used in response to either wild hyperbole, or outright strawman arguments.

Or people not understanding symbolic language. eg, “no one is saying that we should literally consume the flesh of wealthy people, Susan. It’s metaphorical.”

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Bardic Dave]

What I’m suggesting is when you see something that “doesn’t make sense,” like 8 hours of rest restoring you to full health (for example), it is within your power to change the way you think about HP to account for the way the rules say it works, rather than just accept that it “doesn’t make sense.”

But there are limits to that, as has been discussed at length earlier in this thread (e.g. how to narrate getting reduced to 0 hp by lava). So it’s not really always within your power, is it?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You must not be married

The use of “every one” or “no one” are unfortunate phrase that should be avoided as they are inevitably untrue, as there is always someone.

7 years this Sunday, actually!

Someone talked about dnd magic not making sense, btw, and I don’t think I agree.

There is no particular objective reason that magic doesn’t make sense in dnd. 5e, in particular, is entirely internally consistent and fictionally sensible.

A wizard or other prepared caster prepares their spells at the start of the day, and finishes casting them later, using a limited reserve of magical power. Magic that isn’t codified and ritualized in this way generally just doesn’t work, unless something bigger and weirder than a mortal trying to channel magic is happening.

And why is it weird to be able to do magic while fighting? You aren’t solving math puzzles, you’re channeling power in a way that you learnt and memorized ahead of time, and releasing the spell-power in a specific form. What about that suggests that being in a hectic situation should scramble your ability to do it?

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

What breaks my immersion is tiny creatures get no bonuses to hide. Big creatures get no penalties to hide. Big creatures get no bonus to push or shove or grapple.

"I beast-shape in to a spider and hide under the couch and spy on my enemy's conversation."
"what's your stealth?"
"+2 "

To me, if you are the size of a spider, no one is going to see you or hear you unless you run out in the open.

I like 3.5 that has gradient bonuses/penalties for smaller and larger creatures.

 

[Sacrosanct]

What breaks my immersion is tiny creatures get no bonuses to hide. Big creatures get no penalties to hide. Big creatures get no bonus to push or shove or grapple.

"I beast-shape in to a spider and hide under the couch and spy on my enemy's conversation."
"what's your stealth?"
"+2 "

To me, if you are the size of a spider, no one is going to see you or hear you unless you run out in the open.

I like 3.5 that has gradient bonuses/penalties for smaller and larger creatures.

Technically you’re right. But I have a hard time seeing how any DM wouldn’t just make a ruling about that. Because your reasoning is sound. As an old manager of mine used to say, “No reasonable request should ever be unreasonably denied.”

I guess if a DM refused to budge on your argument, that would be a red flag to me to find a new DM at some point because I only see it getting worse.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Technically you’re right. But I have a hard time seeing how any DM wouldn’t just make a ruling about that. Because your reasoning is sound. As an old manager of mine used to say, “No reasonable request should ever be unreasonably denied.”

I guess if a DM refused to budge on your argument, that would be a red flag to me to find a new DM at some point because I only see it getting worse.

I agree that you can hand-waive stuff like that, but sometimes a roll is needed and even giving advantage isn't really a great advantage.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

What breaks my immersion is tiny creatures get no bonuses to hide. Big creatures get no penalties to hide. Big creatures get no bonus to push or shove or grapple.

"I beast-shape in to a spider and hide under the couch and spy on my enemy's conversation."
"what's your stealth?"
"+2 "

To me, if you are the size of a spider, no one is going to see you or hear you unless you run out in the open.

I like 3.5 that has gradient bonuses/penalties for smaller and larger creatures.

Well, they shouldn’t be making a check most of the time in 5e. What’s more, they should have advantage, as long as the observer isn’t hyperperceptive like a bird of prey, or else not much bigger than the spider.