D&D General The DM Shortage

[Micah Sweet]

I personally think that almost everything in the DMG could be presented in half the space. And what little couldn’t can be jettisoned.

As you say, the DMGas it is seems to be made of half-baked scraps. So why keep it that way?

And I say, finish baking the scraps.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Just a year or so ago, everywhere I looked, people were defending 5e as "the edition that finally empowered the DM". So reading posts talking about how 5e overly empowers the player makes me feel like I've slipped into an alternate timeline.

It overly empowers the PCs, not the players. The players are just running with it.

 

[Minigiant]

People already complain about "needing" 3 core books and you want to add a 4th?

Actually I want 5 core books.

 

[James Gasik]

It overly empowers the PCs, not the players. The players are just running with it.

Sorry, could you explain how could a game overly empower the PC's without empowering the players? I don't see how one could be true without both being true.

 

[MGibster]

I mean, just look at the spelljammer box. The box sucks for DMs who want to do anything other with spelljammer than running the adventure it comes with. 5e doesn't give the DMs an example world or really any good tools to homebrew compared to other editions or games.

I had an opportunity to purchase Spelljammer for about $35 at Barnes & Noble the other day. I skipped it because precisely because this is what I heard.

 

[hawkeyefan]

And I say, finish baking the scraps.

They’ll still be scraps.

 

[Digdude]

Sorry, could you explain how could a game overly empower the PC's without empowering the players? I don't see how one could be true without both being true.

Wizard enters the chat...

 

[Maxperson]

Aside from the list of magic items, which you can get from lots of other places, the DM's Guide is totally unnecessary to run the game.

I don't need the PHB or MM, either. I can make it all up. The DMG is full of useful advice to DMs, especially beginners.

And it doesn't do a good job of guiding folks in how to run the game.

It's not intended to just be a guide. It's also supposed to be advice on how to world build, which it is actually very good at.

On the other hand, it does currently provide fodder for lots of memes.

Almost entirely by people who have not read it or have been DMing for so long that they fail to realize just how useful the book is to beginners with regard to building the world, campaign and individual adventures.

 

[Maxperson]

Sorry, could you explain how could a game overly empower the PC's without empowering the players? I don't see how one could be true without both being true.

The PCs are built to be very strong and durable. They are more durable than in any other edition except for maybe 4th. The players on the other hand are told to ask the DM what rules are available to play with. And the DMG tells the DM over and over again that the game is his and the rules serve him, not the other way around.

5e is both PC and DM empowering.

 

[James Gasik]

While the Wizard has many powerful options, largely due to the continued design of D&D to "throw spells at problems", those options only function at the DM's behest. The language of many powerful spells is loose enough to cast doubt about what, exactly, their limits are. While I agree the Wizard can be potentially powerful, there are many situations where they cannot be- it's all based on player knowledge, how a player wants to leverage that knowledge, and how genial the DM is towards shenanigans.

It's long been known the Wizard is the Schrodinger's Cat of D&D- it is simultaneously the strongest and perhaps weakest class, as it's abilities are largely up to interpretation.

Now does the Wizard's design empower a player unduly? No. The ability to find more spells to add to one's book beyond what you get at level up is not a right, it's a privilege. I think they should, but this is entirely up to the DM! Ditto with how niche uses of spells (generally the most powerful uses of magic to solve problems or empower shenanigans) are ruled upon.

I often decry how woeful the Fighter's lot seems, but at least their abilities are written in a straightforward enough matter that there's rarely a moment when a DM might decide that you shouldn't get your second attack or be able to second wind or action surge.

A DM could, however, decide your fireball destroys all your treasure, ignites dust in a room, or creates a loud enough noise to alert half the monsters in the dungeon to your presence, as well as create a local fire hazard. Perhaps it consumes all the air in a small room?

Or they could rule that it's just damage and carry on. How is that not DM empowerment?

Or perhaps the adventure is on an other plane where fire/evocation magic is weakened. Or you blundered into a wild magic zone? There are DM's who not only would do this, they feel that this is necessary to "balance" the Wizard.

Any time a player option is subject to wild table variance, I don't see it as "empowerment" at all, but quite the opposite, when you have to ask the DM if your character even functions at a given moment.