D&D 5E On meaningless restrictions

[Paul Farquhar]

absolutely hate it. Lay out what is acceptable and isn’t upfront. That gives me the information I need in order to pick what to play.

There is a massive amount of content for 5e that could be included. The player may be interested in using something that the DM has never thought of, or never even heard of. Your method, the DM pretty much has to say a draconian "core rules only", and even then a player could come up with a backstory that contradicts something in the setting.


Our way, if a player wants to play a Warforged Blood Hunter Harper Agent from Waterdeap, the DM can assess the character on it's own merits.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Class skills and saving throw are class features. They help to define the class, which players are free to choose, and define the strengths and weaknesses based on choice. Class is part of the design for every edition of D&D, and always will be.

If you want to hand-pick your strengths and weaknesses becasue your character concept doesn't conform to the parameters of the game, then you're wanting to play a different game altogether. Rest assured, those games exist and are just as playable as 5e.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Mostly to make sure the character fits within the setting.

But it also allows flexibility. Rather than the DM come up with a long list of things that are and are not allowed, the player can say "can I have X", the DM then checks out X, weighs up the pros and cons and says "yay" or "neigh".

FWIW, this is always how I run my games when a player comes with their character mostly finished. Of course, I try to communicate with them beforehand about their ideas, thoughts, etc. to speed up the finalizing process. I look over the entire character at the end and approve or suggest changes before we begin.

Other times, DMs have told me upfront if they absolutely don't allow things, etc., but they still always give it a final look over before we begin.

90+% of the time, everything is good, but occasionally something pops up and changes are required.

 

[Minigiant]

My question is

Why remove class skills restrictions if you get 2 free skill options in your background?

Class skills aren't so restrictive that you usually get your concept down with class skills, race skills, and background skills. The only times I see it failing is if you are blatantly trying to replicating another classes skill gimmick with a class that is very different from it. Like a wizard with a ranger skill suite.

 

[DND_Reborn]

My question is

Why remove class skills restrictions if you get 2 free skill options in your background?

Class skills aren't so restrictive that you usually get your concept down with class skills, race skills, and background skills. The only times I see it failing is if you are blatantly trying to replicating another classes skill gimmick with a class that is very different from it. Like a wizard with a ranger skill suite.

Having gone over this with @FrogReaver , I think his response will be:

If you can achieve any skill selection via background, race, etc. with the restrictions, why bother having them? They do not, if fact, restrict anything other than making you jump through hoops to find some way to build the concept you want.

I think that is the crux of his argument, but maybe he will add more.

 

[Minigiant]

Having gone over this with @FrogReaver , I think his response will be:

If you can achieve any skill selection via background, race, etc. with the restrictions, why bother having them? They do not, if fact, restrict anything other than making you jump through hoops to find some way to build the concept you want.

I think that is the crux of his argument, but maybe he will add more.

My response is to that would be that they do restrict skills. The restriction allows for 90% of combinations. That's why it's completely up to players and need DM dismissal upfront and explained.

The last 10% is litteraly swapping one class list for another with no overlap. Such concepts are so usual that they would require DM approval.

Basically skill choice is a player choice. The restriction is for the rare cases that break the default D&D assumptions and make it DM choice.

 

[TwoSix]

FWIW, this is always how I run my games when a player comes with their character mostly finished. Of course, I try to communicate with them beforehand about their ideas, thoughts, etc. to speed up the finalizing process. I look over the entire character at the end and approve or suggest changes before we begin.

Other times, DMs have told me upfront if they absolutely don't allow things, etc., but they still always give it a final look over before we begin.

90+% of the time, everything is good, but occasionally something pops up and changes are required.

I'll be honest, I don't understand how you even play games without running your concepts by the DM first so they can integrate it. I have long email chains with each one of my players where we discuss character information and backstory, and they make requests for character-specific house rules which we finalize together.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I'll be honest, I don't understand how you even play games without running your concepts by the DM first so they can integrate it. I have long email chains with each one of my players where we discuss character information and backstory, and they make requests for character-specific house rules which we finalize together.

Umm.. we do:

"Of course, I try to communicate with them beforehand about their ideas, thoughts, etc. to speed up the finalizing process."

That was right in the post you quoted. Some players are more responsive to e-mails/texts than others. We have one in our current group who rarely every responds... we always wonder if he will even show up or not (but he always does--sometimes late though).

 

[TwoSix]

Umm.. we do:

"Of course, I try to communicate with them beforehand about their ideas, thoughts, etc. to speed up the finalizing process."

That was right in the post you quoted. Some players are more responsive to e-mails/texts than others. We have one in our current group who rarely every responds... we always wonder if he will even show up or not (but he always does--sometimes late though).

Wasn't talking about you, bro, talking about @FrogReaver. You were just the latest person in the conversation chain.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Wasn't talking about you, bro, talking about @FrogReaver. You were just the latest person in the conversation chain.

Then why did you quote my post???