D&D 5E What are the "True Issues" with 5e?

[Oofta]

I agree. This is why it's kind of hard to look at mundane gear and get too detailed with it rather than let the DM just make a ruling. That said, I'm glad the equipment exists in the PH as a reminder for the PCs to consider them when kitting themselves up for adventure. It adds a bit of reasonability and verisimilitude to the proceedings which helps to ground the character into a realized setting - at the very least, you can say you have a mess kit for sitting around the campfire even if you never declare its use and it has no mechanical expression in the rules (beyond a bit of cost and encumbrance).

If anything, I think a bit more coverage of environmental hazards in the DMG wouldn't be a bad thing. It doesn't have to be nearly as detailed as the WSG. But perhaps a bit on how the environment affects long rests and how shelter, like a tent, can ameliorate the effect of heavy rain and cold. The DMG wouldn't hurt for having a bit more on wilderness survival.

Well if I had a magic wand I could wave we'd have a book dedicated to wilderness survival written by people who actually understand the topic. But I'd want a section on things like teepees and yurts, while not discounting how effective an old school canvas army tent with 3 poles can be in a storm if staked down properly. Maybe it would take an AI to answer all my questions properly if I wanted something accurate. Of course I'm not sure I'd want too much accuracy because those tents were hella heavy. Although it would give us a reason to buy and care for mounts to carry gear. I've done winter camping in those old canvas tents, you pile up some snow on the sides, light a couple of candles and it's not half bad. For that matter, if you have enough snow and something to melt snow in you don't even need the tent.

I agree though, the DMG should be rethought with at least a basic structure to handle some of these things. I'm just not sure how you'd do it. In the wilderness survival guide they had a chart that looked impressive but ultimately didn't really add much value, it's one of those books on my shelf that still looks new because we never used it.

So while I don't want to recreate skill challenges per se I think a similar structure might work. Maybe. Give people a general outline on how to handle exceptional out of combat situations. Take tents and survival in harsh conditions. You could have some sort of point system and then give people X points for tents, Y points for blankets. Throw in some survival checks or points for class features? So a more generic explanation of what they were doing with the chase rules. Not sure.

But it's not that you would give details to tents because a tent is literally is just a piece of waterproof cloth between you and the elements. Out in the wilderness and it rains? You're going to get wet if you can't find or make other shelter. Depending on the situation be ready to make some constitution checks or gain exhaustion. How high the DC is though, once again, just depends on numerous variables. Also totally pointless if the group has access to tiny hut.

Shovels on the other hand? Not sure what you'd have for all the reasons I've already mentioned. Although Mister Shovel would be kind of awesome.

 

[Cadence]

I was curious, so went looking to see if someone had come up with a magical shovel and I give you ...

Spoiler: Detailed description

Mister Shovel
Wondrous item, rare

This magical shovel has an animated face carved into it. It works as a trusty tool and friendly digging companion. Mister Shovel can be wielded as a magic weapon, equivalent to a quarterstaff with a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Dig. As an action while holding this shovel, you can remove a 5-foot cube of dirt, sand, or clay from a space within your reach. As you dig, Mister Shovel instantly gobbles up the earth and stores it in a pocket dimension. Mister Shovel can store up to twenty 5-foot cubes of earth within itself before it’s full.

Expel Earth. If Mister Shovel has earth stored within itself, you can use your action to expel one 5-foot cube of earth onto a space within your reach. The expelled earth immediately falls to the ground and becomes a 5-foot mound of loose earth. Traversing over or through the mound is difficult terrain. A Large or smaller creature within the area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to see if it can successfully move into an unoccupied adjacent space, or a DC 15 Strength saving throw if it wishes to stay in its space. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone and restrained by the weight of the earthen mound until it uses its action to free itself.

Sentience. Mister Shovel is a sentient, neutral good shovel with an Intelligence of 11, a Wisdom of 8, and a Charisma of 16. It can see and hear out to a range of 60 feet. The shovel can speak, read, and understand Common. Mister Shovel is a polite and helpful companion who is always hungry for dirt and happiest when digging. Mister Shovel doesn’t like being used as a weapon, and apologizes to anything it bonks.

“Man! Thiths sthuffth iths good!-” Mister Shovel was blabbering excitedly through mouthfuls of dirt, barely intelligible as Jesse dug at the base of the wall.
“Shush! I’m not trying to alert the guards!” She hissed. If they were spotted, the whole fort would descend upon them.
“Hey, itsth not MY faul-” Jesse was sweating profusely as she jammed Mister Shovel into the ground again, muffling its speech. This was a disaster.

Wasn't there a magical shovel in 1e?

 

[James Gasik]

It's something I really miss in D&D, minor magical utility items. Spools of endless twine, everfull rations boxes, dimensional knives, satchels that can conjure bits of survival gear X times per day, you name it. My 4e Ranger had a portable hole and I spent a good bit of his magic item budget on random trinkets, and I always found a use for them.

Pathfinder had some fun things like this too, like an enchanted metal bar that can be folded into whatever masterwork tool you need at the moment, in addition to basic stuff like prybars.

It was something lost from when Eberron stopped being a 3.X setting, the idea that you had minor artificers all over the place cranking out items useful for everyday people, like amulets with a one shot feather fall, because Sharn isn't exactly OSHA-compliant when it comes to adequate railings and fall prevention measures.

 

[James Gasik]

Wasn't there a magical shovel in 1e?

The Spade of Colossal Excavation.

 

[James Gasik]

The answer to this is to make Tiny Hut not a thing, or reduce its power such that it isn't miles better than a pocket tent.

Well yes, but that tent was pitched a long time ago.

 

[Maxperson]

Is the problem really the magic?

I have a campaign specific thing in which the light cantrip is not a thing.

I wonder what would happen if goodberry and the like were dropped.

I have not done it yet—light changes have campaign specific reasons for me—-sacred fire so on and so forth.

But I wonder if a few magic changes would improve the feel.

My group and I decided to get rid of Tiny Hut, Rope Trick and the other ways to avoid a large portion of the game. We enjoy it. Talk to your group about it and see.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Well if I had a magic wand I could wave we'd have a book dedicated to wilderness survival written by people who actually understand the topic. But I'd want a section on things like teepees and yurts, while not discounting how effective an old school canvas army tent with 3 poles can be in a storm if staked down properly. Maybe it would take an AI to answer all my questions properly if I wanted something accurate. Of course I'm not sure I'd want too much accuracy because those tents were hella heavy. Although it would give us a reason to buy and care for mounts to carry gear. I've done winter camping in those old canvas tents, you pile up some snow on the sides, light a couple of candles and it's not half bad. For that matter, if you have enough snow and something to melt snow in you don't even need the tent.

I agree though, the DMG should be rethought with at least a basic structure to handle some of these things. I'm just not sure how you'd do it. In the wilderness survival guide they had a chart that looked impressive but ultimately didn't really add much value, it's one of those books on my shelf that still looks new because we never used it.

So while I don't want to recreate skill challenges per se I think a similar structure might work. Maybe. Give people a general outline on how to handle exceptional out of combat situations. Take tents and survival in harsh conditions. You could have some sort of point system and then give people X points for tents, Y points for blankets. Throw in some survival checks or points for class features? So a more generic explanation of what they were doing with the chase rules. Not sure.

But it's not that you would give details to tents because a tent is literally is just a piece of waterproof cloth between you and the elements. Out in the wilderness and it rains? You're going to get wet if you can't find or make other shelter. Depending on the situation be ready to make some constitution checks or gain exhaustion. How high the DC is though, once again, just depends on numerous variables. Also totally pointless if the group has access to tiny hut.

Shovels on the other hand? Not sure what you'd have for all the reasons I've already mentioned. Although Mister Shovel would be kind of awesome.

Such books exist. They're just not made by WotC, and as such ignored by those who have sworn fealty to them.

 

[Hussar]

c

Not sure what you're trying to solve here - defining a spell as what someone could do with a shovel doesn't tell you anything about how much you could do with a shovel.

But that’s entirely the point. You SHOULD be able to know what the game presumes you can do with a shovel.

Or the cold rating of a tent.

We get told exactly how long a torch lasts and how much light it sheds despite those being wildly variable in real life. Do you have an issue with that?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Well yes, but that tent was pitched a long time ago.

Only by WotC. I continue to urge people to break their oath.

 

[Cadence]

But that’s entirely the point. You SHOULD be able to know what the game presumes you can do with a shovel.

Or the cold rating of a tent.

We get told exactly how long a torch lasts and how much light it sheds despite those being wildly variable in real life. Do you have an issue with that?

I mean, I used to know why we had details on torches. But with everyone having darkvision now...