D&D 5E Rogue Advice

[Esker]

Here's JC's statement on the matter, for reference:
RAI, when RAI is clear, supersedes RAW, in my opinion.

 

[Esker]

Yea, and of particular note is that ever since the shield master fiasco, everyone takes JC's rulings with a grain of salt.

Why? Because they might change in the future? I don't have any problem with that. I just try to follow what I in good faith to believe to be the latest statement on the design intent by the designers. Except where I choose to house rule, but I house rule cautiously, since the effects of house rules are not always easy to anticipate.

 

[FrogReaver]

Here's JC's statement on the matter, for reference:
RAI, when RAI is clear, supersedes RAW, in my opinion.

But the issue is - when JC says something we all afraid he might retcon it 3 years from now. So his opinions really can't be trusted anymore IMO.

 

[FrogReaver]

Why? Because they might change in the future? I don't have any problem with that. I just try to follow what I in good faith to believe to be the latest statement on the design intent by the designers. Except where I choose to house rule, but I house rule cautiously, since the effects of house rules are not always easy to anticipate.

Or such changes destroy the trust inherent in an authority figure telling you how their product is supposed to work.

 

[Esker]

But the issue is - when JC says something we all afraid he might retcon it 3 years from now. So his opinions really can't be trusted anymore IMO.

And who cares if he does? I mean, if you're still playing the same campaign 3 years from now and people have made character investments based on old rulings, then by all means, keep those old rulings in place for that campaign. But if he changes his mind in the future, then adapt the next time you start a campaign.

 

[FrogReaver]

And who cares if he does? I mean, if you're still playing the same campaign 3 years from now and people have made character investments based on old rulings, then by all means, keep those old rulings in place for that campaign. But if he changes his mind in the future, then adapt the next time you start a campaign.

I shouldn't have to constantly check twitter and other sources that I don't even use - to make sure i'm using the latest retcon for a 6 year old game.

 

[Esker]

Or such changes destroy the trust inherent in an authority figure telling you how their product is supposed to work.

Harsh, man. He's a human being. Being able to come out and say that you have changed your mind after further consideration is a virtue, IMO. Also it's a game.

And anyway, the Shield Master thing was a ruling about the implications of the specific wording of the text, not a statement of the designers' intent.

 

[Esker]

I shouldn't have to constantly check twitter and other sources that I don't even use - to make sure i'm using the latest retcon for a 6 year old game.

Shame you don't spend any time discussing the game with other people on a forum where you might find out about things like that eventually. Look, I don't hold it against anybody if they're interpreting their fun game based on old information, either deliberately or because they're not aware of an update. But for me, if I become aware of an update (it won't be directly by reading Twitter, which I don't use either, but it might be on a place like ENWorld), I generally adapt. I also can't think of any other examples where JC has directly reversed himself. But I might be forgetting or just not have run across something else!

 

[Ashrym]

As for rogues, everybody is talking about the Swashbuckler and the Arcane Trickster, but I advise people to take another look at the good old Thief.

And their ability to use items as a bonus action.

And a giant sack of ball bearings, caltrops, and other party favors.

Yes to this. I don't recall if I mentioned it earlier here or in another thread. Fast hands is a good ability.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yea, and of particular note is that ever since the shield master fiasco, everyone takes JC's rulings with a grain of salt.

But the issue is - when JC says something we all afraid he might retcon it 3 years from now. So his opinions really can't be trusted anymore IMO.

Or such changes destroy the trust inherent in an authority figure telling you how their product is supposed to work.

Why would anyone ever have inherent trust in an authority figure, for any reason, in any context?

Authority does not automatically generate trust.

But Jeremy made good rulings, in both cases. In the case of Shield Master, they changed their reading upon further consideration. These things happen. It is unreasonable to expect it to never happen.


More importantly, your insulting claim that people who are reading the rules the same way Crawford is “don’t understand how readied actions work” is pretty obviously false.