Tatsukun
Danjin Masutaa
Ok, so I was giving a friend some advice about being a DM for the first time, and I looked around on the web to find a DM FAQ, or a list of commonly misunderstood rules.
I couldn't find one, so I will try to get one started here.
Please post the rules you believe are commonly misunderstood. This is NOT a list of debated topics, but real mistakes often made by new DM's.
Here we go…
1) Taking 10 takes no extra time over just rolling. The consequences of failure don't matter at all; it only matters if you are currently 'distracted'.
2) You can enchant a weapon with fire damage and cold damage at the same time. It makes no difference.
3) While it is true that you have to activate an energy weapon (like a +1 flaming sword), the fire lasts forever, and you can sheath the weapon and leave it 'on' forever.
4) If you do two things that provoke attacks of opportunity, an opponent with the 'combat reflexes' feat can take both. But, one act never draws more than one attack of opportunity from the same person.
5) A cleric or Paladin doesn't have to worship any one god. S/he can just worship goodness (for Paladins) or anything (for Clerics). Some DM's change this rule to fit their campaigns.
6) Like named bonuses (other than Dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses) don't stack.
7) You get quadruple skill points at 1st character level, not at 1st class level. If you have racial HD, your racial skill points are quadrupled, not those of your first class.
8) Barkskin gives an enhancement bonus to natural armor in 3.5. So it stacks with actual natural armor. The amulet of natural armor (which requires barkskin to create) acts likewise (but doesn't stack with barkskin, of course).
9) The balance between CR, XP and Party level only counts if the wealth of the party is also at the right level. Also, XP rewards are based on the CRs of the opponents defeated, not on the EL of the entire encounter. On the other hand, treasure is based on EL.
10) You don't provoke an AoO when entering a threatened square, you do when you try to move out of one, and the AoO takes place when you have not moved out yet. Also, The AoO occurs before the character that provoked it finishes the action, not after.
11) You can only get the free 5' step if you don't otherwise move in your round. If you've already moved, you can't take a 5' step. If you've already taken a 5' step, you can't make a move. A 5' step *never* provokes an AoO in and of itself.
12) Other than in special cases such as the 'many shot' feat and such, one must take a full action to make more than one attack. One cannot take a full action and a move action in the same round; though a 5' step is allowed.
13) When leveling up, you choose a new feat by character level only after taking a new level in a class. So you can't use a feat to fulfill the prerequisites of a class at the level you take the feat.
14) Intimidation is not just being big and angry; it is also force of will and personality. Dr. Hannibal Lector was a lot more frightening (intimidating) than Rocky, even though Rocky could stomp Dr. lector any day.
15) The game is balanced around having the proper number of encounters per day. This doesn't mean that you 'have' to have that number, merely the threat of it. Also, a 'day' here could also refer to 'the period between rests' rather than '24 hours'. If a group is only having one or two fights between rests, spell casters will be much more powerful.
16) Some things, pacing, expectations etc... are well informed by getting out from behind the DM screen and politely joining another game. DMs should show the kind of manners they want players to treat them with.There is a lot to learn by being a player. Conversely, some of your players might learn a lot by being a DM.
17) Resist the urge to make Paladins fall from grace at every opportunity. A fallen pally trying to regain his powers might make a great story, but generally ticks off the player involved.
18) The ability granted by the travel domain is not exactly like the spell 'Freedom of movement". The travel domain ability only works against magical effects, such as a web spell. It does not work against non-magical effects, such grappling. The spell, on the other hand, works on both magical and non-magical effects.
-Tatsu
I couldn't find one, so I will try to get one started here.
Please post the rules you believe are commonly misunderstood. This is NOT a list of debated topics, but real mistakes often made by new DM's.
Here we go…
1) Taking 10 takes no extra time over just rolling. The consequences of failure don't matter at all; it only matters if you are currently 'distracted'.
2) You can enchant a weapon with fire damage and cold damage at the same time. It makes no difference.
3) While it is true that you have to activate an energy weapon (like a +1 flaming sword), the fire lasts forever, and you can sheath the weapon and leave it 'on' forever.
4) If you do two things that provoke attacks of opportunity, an opponent with the 'combat reflexes' feat can take both. But, one act never draws more than one attack of opportunity from the same person.
5) A cleric or Paladin doesn't have to worship any one god. S/he can just worship goodness (for Paladins) or anything (for Clerics). Some DM's change this rule to fit their campaigns.
6) Like named bonuses (other than Dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses) don't stack.
7) You get quadruple skill points at 1st character level, not at 1st class level. If you have racial HD, your racial skill points are quadrupled, not those of your first class.
8) Barkskin gives an enhancement bonus to natural armor in 3.5. So it stacks with actual natural armor. The amulet of natural armor (which requires barkskin to create) acts likewise (but doesn't stack with barkskin, of course).
9) The balance between CR, XP and Party level only counts if the wealth of the party is also at the right level. Also, XP rewards are based on the CRs of the opponents defeated, not on the EL of the entire encounter. On the other hand, treasure is based on EL.
10) You don't provoke an AoO when entering a threatened square, you do when you try to move out of one, and the AoO takes place when you have not moved out yet. Also, The AoO occurs before the character that provoked it finishes the action, not after.
11) You can only get the free 5' step if you don't otherwise move in your round. If you've already moved, you can't take a 5' step. If you've already taken a 5' step, you can't make a move. A 5' step *never* provokes an AoO in and of itself.
12) Other than in special cases such as the 'many shot' feat and such, one must take a full action to make more than one attack. One cannot take a full action and a move action in the same round; though a 5' step is allowed.
13) When leveling up, you choose a new feat by character level only after taking a new level in a class. So you can't use a feat to fulfill the prerequisites of a class at the level you take the feat.
14) Intimidation is not just being big and angry; it is also force of will and personality. Dr. Hannibal Lector was a lot more frightening (intimidating) than Rocky, even though Rocky could stomp Dr. lector any day.
15) The game is balanced around having the proper number of encounters per day. This doesn't mean that you 'have' to have that number, merely the threat of it. Also, a 'day' here could also refer to 'the period between rests' rather than '24 hours'. If a group is only having one or two fights between rests, spell casters will be much more powerful.
16) Some things, pacing, expectations etc... are well informed by getting out from behind the DM screen and politely joining another game. DMs should show the kind of manners they want players to treat them with.There is a lot to learn by being a player. Conversely, some of your players might learn a lot by being a DM.
17) Resist the urge to make Paladins fall from grace at every opportunity. A fallen pally trying to regain his powers might make a great story, but generally ticks off the player involved.
18) The ability granted by the travel domain is not exactly like the spell 'Freedom of movement". The travel domain ability only works against magical effects, such as a web spell. It does not work against non-magical effects, such grappling. The spell, on the other hand, works on both magical and non-magical effects.
-Tatsu
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