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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Harzel" data-source="post: 7244448" data-attributes="member: 6857506">This.I am quite confused about the folks saying it is 'unfair' that the DM knows what PCs are casting, but not vice versa. The DM knows all the PCs stats, including saving throws and HP, their goals, probably their strategic and tactical plans, all terrain details including traps and hazards, all NPC thoughts and capabilities - everything knowable about the world.* Which spell a PC is casting is a minor item amongst all the knowledge that she could use against the PCs. She has to be able to compartmentalize her knowledge for encounters to have any semblance of fairness.**Yes, if done to increase fun, that seems great, but if it is viewed as necessary, then it just seems silly because it is such a small part of what the DM has to be trusted with.* There are playstyles for which this is not true, or at least is lessened, but to the best of my knowledge those aren't common in D&D.** For Critical Role fans who might currently be, well, sensitized to omniscient NPCs - yes, that would be the exception.  I think part of Mercer's fun recently has been having an NPC who "knows ev-er-y-thing" (read that in Vecna voice), so that he has to compartmentalize very little.  That grin is only partly acting, me thinks. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /></blockquote>