D&D 5E Bad Sage Advice?

[commandercrud]

Just in case you were wondering, Jeremy (and any other game designer) makes mistakes in both sage advice, tweets, and original rules as written. Nothing about 5e is perfectly designed or works entirely as intended. Sometimes people lose sight of that and assume everything is perfect and can't be houseruled without causing a disaster because of some tuned and tested infallible design. They looked at old editions and houseruled it until it suited them and published it as 5e. That is all.

 

[Weiley31]

Use the SAs that aren't nerfs. Ignore the ones that are.

Paladin One-Punch Man is your friend. Smite Dentures and Punches for all.

Only AL and floofs worry bout not using UA at tables.

Cupcakes.

 

[Ristamar]

So the thread on interrupting rests encouraged me to finally look over the SA-compendium and I found something that is simple idiotic IMO:

View attachment 127011
So, now your PCs who are not even proficient in Shields can pick up a +1 shield and just "hold it" in their hand and get a +1 AC bonus? Now spellcasters are going to be vying for that very rare +3 shield.

I'm (not) sorry, but this has got to be one of the dumbest sage advice responses I have ever seen.

I am still looking over the rest of it, and will add more if I find any other [NEW] SA I find crazy, silly, or just plain stupid.

Anyone else have a SA ruling they just can't get on board with?

Going strictly by RAW, which is typical of Sage Advice, it's technically correct. Each basic magical shield description says, "While holding this shield, you have a +X bonus to AC."

If I had guess, RAI is likely the way most people run it (i.e. the shield must be donned).

Regardless, I can't imagine this coming up as a notable problem for most tables or that most people will even be aware of this interpretation. There's very little chance they'll take time and effort to change the print even if RAI doesn't quite match up with RAW.

 

[Helldritch]

Shield Master... another one...
Shove, get the foe down prone, attack the foe at advantage but get the archer and other ranged attackers screaming because now they attack the target at disadvantage but you, the melee guy, get to attack with advantage. But no... You must attack first, then put the guy down... Dumb skill. Let me do a d4 damage instead...

 

[aco175]

I knew there was a reason why I do not give out +shields.

 

[Helldritch]

Want another one?
Can a creature under the effect of compelled duelteleport more than 30 feet away from the caster? No. You can’t move farther than 30 feet away from the caster of com-pelled duel by any means, including teleportation.

Why? Teleportation is not moving. It's teleportation! It is a spell for god's sake... Does that break the intent of compel duel? Nope, you still can't move. But at least now a 1st level is broken with the use of 2nd level or higher. I say it is a win for the compeler. But still SA says nope. No can do.

 

[Horwath]

so now any +X shield is poorman's animated shield?

 

[Helldritch]

And what about this one?
[NEW] What happens if I’m polymorphed or Wild Shaped into a creature with fewer than 100 hit points and then I’m targeted by power word kill? You die.

Great Nerf to a class that did not need one. The druid gets to the bottom of all classes with its only redeeming feature. I ruled that you are thrown of the new form, but nope you die. No matter if the druid has personally 200 hp. He took the form a humming bird to move fast, but the evil archmage was near. Boom! The druid is dead... An other good SA.

so now any +X shield is poorman's animated shield?

Yep. And if the shield is a +3 one. It is a Rich man's animated shield.

 

[jasper]

Bad sage should be burned outside. Not at my table is this going to happen. This is as bad as the idiot in the SCA. Marshall if this counts as a shield (12 inch buckler) does this mean if I strap on my left leg, right leg, lower arm, upper arms, means I don't have to call the shot.
Marshall, no it means you are idiot. Or worse Duke Logan will have to crack up to 8 to hit you.
Duke Logan was know to crank up the power until the person called it. Even if he was denting 12 ga helms.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The point is for this (and other) bad rulings is they already intend to update the text in the DMG and other books in later printings--it is part of many of the new SA responses, so why not instead rule "Magical shields must be equipped for you to benefit from them." or something and then update the DMG in the next printing to "While you have this shield equipped, you have a bonus..."

No, instead JC decided to go with a poor, silly ruling which I think 90% or more tables would agree with IME. Never IME has a player been able to pick up a shield and get the magical bonus without needing to have the item used properly.

Honestly, sometimes it amazes me the people WotC keeps in their employ.