D&D 5E The Gloves Are Off?

[Lanefan]

I ask my players to send pictures of their characters.

You're evil.

I've got characters I've been playing for ages for whom I still can't find a suitable picture; and I ain't gonna be drawing my own as I've slightly less art ability than a walrus.

 

[Maxperson]

I mean, I didn't say anything about "reinforced kevlar gloves to prevent your hands being blown off", did I? I'm just saying sometimes they wear gloves. I don't even know if "reinforced kevlar gloves to prevent your hands being blown off" even exist lol.

You did suggest that a thin pair of gloves would keep your fingers intact, where skin wouldn't.

 

[Alzrius]

Up until this thread that's pretty much the only way I've seen it defined, so...yeah.

Sure, which is why when it came up in a different context in this thread it became a topic all its own.

Schroedinger's Gloves is an issue that should have been cut off at the pass long before it ever arose during play. Blame for this not happening falls on all three of the DM, the player, and the game designers.

I'm honestly not sure how much this particular scenario (at least in general, aside from addressing gloves specifically) could be fixed by the game designers. The rules can account for a lot, but they can't cover every potential point of interaction between the PCs and the DM/game world.

I mean, okay. I was pretty clear in my point though: don't describe what PCs do, let players do that.

That's your point, sure. I just disagree with the idea that there's virtue to be found in taking that idea to what looks to me like a very extreme place. If they take damage from a fireball, I don't see anything wrong with saying "you're burned."

 

[iserith]

That's your point, sure. I just disagree with the idea that there's virtue to be found in taking that idea to what looks to me like a very extreme place. If they take damage from a fireball, I don't see anything wrong with saying "you're burned."

That's not actually describing what the PCs do. That's describing the result of a fireball. If you said, "you try to tumble out of the way of the fireball, but it still burns you," now you're describing what the PC is doing.

 

[Lanefan]

I'm honestly not sure how much this particular scenario (at least in general, aside from addressing gloves specifically) could be fixed by the game designers.

Even a slightly more comprehensive equipment list and a rule/guideline that gear carried must be shown or somehow noted on the character sheet and boom - problem largely solved at the design level and thus never reaches the table.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

You did suggest that a thin pair of gloves would keep your fingers intact, where skin wouldn't.

I don't think I did. I think what I suggested was that you shouldn't be poking at places there might traps with your fingers. Especially as it's a Wisdom(Perception) check to find traps...

 

[Lanefan]

I don't think I did. I think what I suggested was that you shouldn't be poking at places there might traps with your fingers. Especially as it's a Wisdom(Perception) check to find traps...

Given that Wisdom is often used as a dump stat around here by those not playing Clerics, I'd say it's all fair game.....

 

[Reynard]

That's your point, sure. I just disagree with the idea that there's virtue to be found in taking that idea to what looks to me like a very extreme place. If they take damage from a fireball, I don't see anything wrong with saying "you're burned."

"You're burned" isn't an ACTION THE PC TAKES.

 

[Alzrius]

That's not actually describing what the PCs do. That's describing the result of a fireball. If you said, "you try to tumble out of the way of the fireball, but it still burns you," now you're describing what the PC is doing.

Fair enough; I suppose I should have directed that last part at @Swarmkeeper who mentioned never using the word "you" to refer to a PC. That strikes me as going too far, and being rather hard to do, i.e. "the orc hits you for 7 points of damage."

Even a slightly more comprehensive equipment list and a rule/guideline that gear carried must be shown or somehow noted on the character sheet and boom - problem largely solved at the design level and thus never reaches the table.

This specific problem is, but the larger issue of "what the PC's doing isn't sufficiently defined, and that definition could conceivably change how things turned out" remains.

"You're burned" isn't an ACTION THE PC TAKES.

Being surprised isn't an action either (though I can foresee some debating on that score), but apparently that was a bridge too far.

 

[iserith]

Fair enough; I suppose I should have directed that last part at @Swarmkeeper who mentioned never using the word "you" to refer to a PC. That strikes me as going too far, and being rather hard to do, i.e. "the orc hits you for 7 points of damage."

The practice they were referring to is not to start the narration of a result with "You." That way you can avoid ever saying "You do this or that, or you think yada yada."