D&D 5E "As DM, I Know How All the PCs' Abilities, Spells, and Items Work" (a poll)

[Snarf Zagyg]

I hear how my players describe how their abilities work, but it bothers me, so I change it to how I want it to work.

 

[TerraDave]

Alternate question:

Who knows more about how the PCs' abilities, spells, and items work? The player or me?

​

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

In D&D 5e I'm lazy. We play over AboveVTT with Beyond, ie everything is instantly accessible for everyone, and my players have a very good grasp of their abilities. So if it's stuff I don't know, I just let them link stuff or tell me.

And I have stopped trying to balance things for combat encounters, I just let them fight stuff that I feel are a little bit too much for them, often pushing in a few extra high level spells for caster opponents etc, then it's usually a fun challenge for the players. If necessary I fudge a little up or down.

 

[billd91]

I do my best. In fact, I periodically look over what my players' PCs can do to remind myself as I build encounters. So that I can set up appropriate challenges, opportunities to shine, and otherwise make things entertaining. So have a reasonable overview of what people can do with their powers, spells, magic items. But I also don't beat myself up if I'm overlooking or forgetting something.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Nope.

I can't even keep track of all that in the game I wrote.

 

[payn]

I hear how my players describe how their abilities work, but it bothers me, so I change it to how I want it to work.

So, true. I had a player notorious in 3E/PF1 to find odd ball combos and spells buried deep deep into supplements. I told them it was fine as long as they knew how it worked. They never knew how it worked. After pouring over book after book to find this special spell I would just start shouting out ways I think it works.

"Oh so its Bigby's Amazeballs spell o' do lots of things? LEts go down the check list;
Is it Tuesday?
Does the target owe the spellcaster exactly 2 gold pieces?
...."

Whole table is cracking up except for supplement Sally

 

[Vaalingrade]

So, true. I had a player notorious in 3E/PF1 to find odd ball combos and spells buried deep deep into supplements. I told them it was fine as long as they knew how it worked. They never knew how it worked. After pouring over book after book to find this special spell I would just start shouting out ways I think it works.

"Oh so its Bigby's Amazeballs spell o' do lots of things? LEts go down the check list;
Is it Tuesday?
Does the target owe the spellcaster exactly 2 gold pieces?
...."

Whole table is cracking up except for supplement Sally

That is not a real spell. Bigby would never make a spell about balls.

Only Hands.

He was the Anti-Tarentino.

 

[Burnside]

I try to. I don't know how every last spell works off the top of my head, and there are some newer subclasses that I have never seen in play whose abilities I don't have memorized or anything.

 

[Stormonu]

PCs are responsible for knowing what they can or cannot do. The DM reserves the right to check your work.

 

[el-remmen]

"Remind me how that works again" is definitely something I usually say about once per session.