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That's a place where you can use 'box text' to set the scene. If you want more player agency, build some skill checks and/or basic choices into the narrative of the box text but the conclusion is the beginning of the scene you want. Perhaps the players checks have provided them a bit more...

One thing about PCs with intense Passive Perceptions is that you can apply Disadvantage to them to decrease them by 5. That coupled with a creature getting Advantage on a Stealth check or the like makes it a little more easier to get surprise in from time to time.

My days of tweaking RPGs searching for the Grail of realism are well behind me. I stick to them tight but also take the occasional detour in certain circumstances where creativity is welcomed and of course the many spots that the rules just can't cover in the universe.

Hex and Maze. Hex has no save and can impose disadvantage on Int Ability Checks. Maze has no save and requires an Int Ability Check to escape. Nice combo to use on creatures with Legendary saves or Magic Resistance.

1) 1e is probably still on top as far as hours played. 2) 5e is rapidly catching up. 3) 3e was something I ran weekly for a couple of years. 4) 2e not so much, came in during a period when there were a lot of other RPGs springing up and competing for play time. 5) OD&D, had the books but...

It's a bonus action. You get one per turn. It's a fundamental rule of the game. Is allowing one in lieu of a normal action overpowering? Probably not. It's up to the DM to allow or not. But players need to plan for the base case rather than harangue the DM over extending it.

I tend to keep it visceral. Attacks smash, slash and tear. Blood sprays and teeth crumble. Nothing disabling unless its' warranted due to a special attack or finishing blow, though. Just like a pulp novel the heroes bounce back after a quick rest and some bandaging.

I'll usually do a large-scale map with a few details filled in and a two-pager of background info for the players. One thing I encourage is for the players to share world-building WITH me. I want their ideas and suggestions and incorporate them in one form or another as we play. If the...

There's no published 5e material for the Realms I'm aware of that compels a paladin to solely worship a god they've pledged an Oath to. Even if there were, entering into an agreement with a Warlock Patron is not necessarily curtailing on your worship of a god. It's a business arrangement...

They give an Oath to one god. That's it, according to 5e. Clerics most likely provide sole worship to a single deity but there's nothing binding a paladin to such a commitment. Is it common? Sure, probably, like the Bane worshipers you mention. Is it clad in iron? No.

As a Paladin all you provide is an Oath. If it's an Oath to a god there's nothing restricting you to hold only that god as worthy of worship. Many D&D worlds represent polytheistic cultures but most players can only view that through a monotheistic lens. They see people only choosing one god...

In my experience running and playing 5e, the monk is one of the more powerful classes, especially as they get into the 7-11th level area. They get a class boost EVERY level and most of them are very nice - Deflect Missiles, Stunning, Evasion, becoming immune to poison, being able to remove...

The monk's defining ability is Stun. Stun locking is as dangerous to a Demon Lord as any fighter. Sure, they might get Legendary Resistances but a Monk can pump out 4 Stuns a turn. And being stunned in the 5e is just a short way from death.

If I were the druid I would say that these wolves were tainted by corruption and needed to be purged for the well being of the forest. Or something like that. One thing that burns me is when other players tell me how to play my character. Unless it was a grievous act that somehow is pivotal...

Terrain can be pretty but I find it a PITA to use in D&D. A battle mat is my friend for most minis battles, with a Mondo Mat filling in for really big battles. I have a HUGE collection of terrain, BTW, but I just don't find the payoff to be that great in D&D. Players do a great job of filling...

I actually warn my players when I run published stuff in a home campaign that they should hold no assumptions regarding NPCs or events and should ask for clarification when they have a question. I may be running a game in that world but it's still 95% MY world.

It can be whatever you make of it. My plans for a Paladin/Warlock is that his Warlock Patron is a Saint of his religion.

How about a Con save after each long rest, DC 5? Remove 1 additional level of exhaustion per 5 success (so 2 at 10, 3 at 15, etc). This puts in a small chance of failure but a good chance for multiple exhaustion levels to be removed.

"I vant to swallow your soul..." Fun! BTW, why do people insist on making firearms damage bludgeoning? It's piercing. Except for maybe beanbag, baton or rock salt shotgun loads.

One inspiration at a time, no banking. I try to give out at least a couple of Inspirations per game. One issue with Inspiration is that people treat it like Luck. It's not Luck. It gives you Advantage on a roll (so announce that BEFORE the roll).