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Advice on how not to feel like a lousy DM
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<blockquote data-quote="Jfdlsjfd" data-source="post: 7864697" data-attributes="member: 42856"><p>I agree, especially if it's something minor and non-reproducible. If I forgot that an NPC was resistant to the damage type the players dished out, then... too bad, I let it go and won't resurrect the NPC. If said NPC was supposed to add his STR bonus to damage and I forgot, I wouldn't say to the player "err, I forgot that in the last fight, please deduct 6 HP and drop dead". Winging it and letting it go when we speak of "one-off" ruling is easy. </p><p></p><p>If you didn't remember that only sentient beings are susceptible to Tasha's Hideous Laughter and had the spell work on an undead? That one undead who fell on the floor laughing was a weird skeleton whose spirit was lingering about, not the proof that all skeletons are sentient. Don't try and look up every spell even when in doubt because, as said above, keeping the game flowing is more important.</p><p></p><p>If the ruling is about a player capability, however , I'd say it's more difficult to manage, because your ruling might be reproducible: you have editorial powers on the world but much less on the PCs... If they ask you if they can use the Thorn Whip spell to grab an object across a chasm, you'd be better off looking it up (provided it can be found reasonably quickly) rather than make a ruling on the fly: players might feel "cheated" when you say afterwards that they won't be able to use their powers like that after it worked once... and if you generally rule "no" out of an abundance of caution when in doubt, you'll risk having a rule lawyer derailing the game even more by protesting the ruling.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jfdlsjfd, post: 7864697, member: 42856"] I agree, especially if it's something minor and non-reproducible. If I forgot that an NPC was resistant to the damage type the players dished out, then... too bad, I let it go and won't resurrect the NPC. If said NPC was supposed to add his STR bonus to damage and I forgot, I wouldn't say to the player "err, I forgot that in the last fight, please deduct 6 HP and drop dead". Winging it and letting it go when we speak of "one-off" ruling is easy. If you didn't remember that only sentient beings are susceptible to Tasha's Hideous Laughter and had the spell work on an undead? That one undead who fell on the floor laughing was a weird skeleton whose spirit was lingering about, not the proof that all skeletons are sentient. Don't try and look up every spell even when in doubt because, as said above, keeping the game flowing is more important. If the ruling is about a player capability, however , I'd say it's more difficult to manage, because your ruling might be reproducible: you have editorial powers on the world but much less on the PCs... If they ask you if they can use the Thorn Whip spell to grab an object across a chasm, you'd be better off looking it up (provided it can be found reasonably quickly) rather than make a ruling on the fly: players might feel "cheated" when you say afterwards that they won't be able to use their powers like that after it worked once... and if you generally rule "no" out of an abundance of caution when in doubt, you'll risk having a rule lawyer derailing the game even more by protesting the ruling. [/QUOTE]
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