How do we know that the rules are assuming that you have only two arms? They don't say that they do, and you might be a Thri-kreen. What if there are shenanigans you can pull off that are not forbidden by the rules, but are impossible if you have only two arms?
If it did not make the goals that were set than those goals were unrealistic because, per WOTC, the new PHB sold better than any other D&D book had ever sold (over the same period of time). If "better than anything before it" for the PHB and (maybe) "better than any DMG or MM before it" for the...
What you would need to do is give every skill a Mastery Property, as weapons have Mastery Properties. Than every character who had Mastery of the skill could, when they successfully used that skill, add the Mastery Property.
Example - Mastery Property for Intimidation = Fear. "When you...
It's partially based on "The Borribles" novels from the 1970's, and a big part of the plot of those was the Borrible's (kids who become un-aging halfling Rogues with pointed ears who pass as human kids until you pull their hats off. If their ears are clipped they become human again) desire to...
The question is not whether you can try something, the question is whether or not you can ever succeed at something. If you want to waste your characters time trying something that the rules will not let you do, absent the ability to do, so that is your choice. You can no more Grapple without...
Clearly everyone falls prone face up or their neck twisted so that they can still see everything, otherwise prone would impose some sort of penalties on perception, which it does not.
Note also that the Unconscious Condition says that you are unaware of your surroundings but it does NOT say that you have the Blinded condition, so maybe everyone in 5.24 passes out, and falls asleep, with their eyes open but with their brains incapable of processing what their eyes still see...
I believe that the rules on Medusa's permit you to avert your eyes, but is there anything on the rules that even allows characters to close their eyes or that say that closing your eyes is sufficient to Blind you? If so than anyone who has you mind controlled could just make you close your eyes...
Whenever the net present hedonic value of the item exceeds the net present hedonic value of not spending the money, or or of spending it on something else, of course.