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<blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 4643300" data-attributes="member: 12377">Here's a way to think about the issue that avoids semantics.Portions of the rules are meant to be fully-specified.&nbsp; For example, can a halfling rogue wield a longsword?&nbsp; The answer is completely within the PHB:&nbsp; Yes, provided he is wielding it in two hands.&nbsp; He won't get the +3 proficiency bonus to attack, though, unless he takes Weapon Proficiency (longsword).&nbsp; And, he can't use it to execute rogue exploits, or add Sneak Attack dice to the damage with it, since longswords are heavy blades and those rogue features require light blades.&nbsp; These answers require combining rules from several areas of the book and understanding how those rules interact, but there's no DM discretion required.&nbsp; Obviously the DM could house-rule that longswords count as light blades or something, but that's clearly a house rule; the rules don't specifically call for DM adjudication and adjustment of weapon-wielding, they spell out what happens.Portions of the rules are meant to require DM judgment.&nbsp; For example, can a halfling rogue use Acrobatics to somersault between the giant's legs and appear on the other side?&nbsp; The rules for acrobatic stunts are deliberately open-ended.&nbsp; There's no conclusive way to say whether somersaulting past a monster is &quot;legal,&quot; because the question is unanswerable in the absence of a DM, because the rules specifically say that the DM decides.The MM races are like that.&nbsp; The rules say that you should use them for creating NPCs; that part is fully-specified.&nbsp; But the question of whether you can use them for creating PCs is specifically left up to the DM.&nbsp; So it's impossible to say whether it's legal or not, unless your DM has already decided, and then the answer only applies to your particular game table.&nbsp; So if someone tells you &quot;Your minotaur PC is not legal,&quot; you can say, &quot;It's legal because my DM permits it, as allowed by the MM.&quot;&nbsp;-- 77IM</blockquote>

[QUOTE="77IM, post: 4643300, member: 12377"] Here's a way to think about the issue that avoids semantics. Portions of the rules are meant to be fully-specified. For example, can a halfling rogue wield a longsword? The answer is completely within the PHB: Yes, provided he is wielding it in two hands. He won't get the +3 proficiency bonus to attack, though, unless he takes Weapon Proficiency (longsword). And, he can't use it to execute rogue exploits, or add Sneak Attack dice to the damage with it, since longswords are heavy blades and those rogue features require light blades. These answers require combining rules from several areas of the book and understanding how those rules interact, but there's no DM discretion required. Obviously the DM could house-rule that longswords count as light blades or something, but that's clearly a house rule; the rules don't specifically call for DM adjudication and adjustment of weapon-wielding, they spell out what happens. Portions of the rules are meant to require DM judgment. For example, can a halfling rogue use Acrobatics to somersault between the giant's legs and appear on the other side? The rules for acrobatic stunts are deliberately open-ended. There's no conclusive way to say whether somersaulting past a monster is "legal," because the question is unanswerable in the absence of a DM, because the rules specifically say that the DM decides. The MM races are like that. The rules say that you should use them for creating NPCs; that part is fully-specified. But the question of whether you can use them for creating PCs is specifically left up to the DM. So it's impossible to say whether it's legal or not, unless your DM has already decided, and then the answer only applies to your particular game table. So if someone tells you "Your minotaur PC is not legal," you can say, "It's legal because my DM permits it, as allowed by the MM." -- 77IM [/QUOTE]

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