D&D 5E "I Forgot I Had It"

[Lanefan]

This happens to my groups all the time. I tend to plan encounters a few sessions in advance, and if I know they're going to want fire resistance, I make sure to drop a few potions or scrolls in their way long before said encounter.

My group, however, tends to do one of two things: sell it if you can, or forget it to even write it down in the first place.

Hey, at least they a) find it and b) pick it up. That alone is an improvement over some...

 

[James Gasik]

Hey, at least they a) find it and b) pick it up. That alone is an improvement over some...

That's true. When I get a chance to play, I'm always squirreling away consumables and utility items for a rainy day, but alas, I'm usually the DM.

 

[iserith]

In discussing this situation with a few people on our Discord, I did get a reasonable question that I'm surprised nobody asked me here:

Did I as DM remember they had the heartstone?

The answer to that question is "No." And even if I did remember, I didn't actually realize it cured diseases until the player said so. But that raises a follow-up question:

If the DM knows the players have a solution to a problem in their possession, are they obligated to say something about it?

 

[billd91]

Heh.

Going into the original Ravenloft, I forgot I had a scroll of Wish until 5 party members were down...

So… you saved it to a point when it would have maximal impact? That’s the spin to put on it.

 

[billd91]

If the DM knows the players have a solution to a problem in their possession, are they obligated to say something about it?

Obligated? Maybe not. But I’d agree it‘s a good idea to do so. As DM, one of my roles is to help my players be successful at playing their characters, and that may mean helping them make sure they know what they and their gear can do. And that may include helping them remember what they have.

 

[GMMichael]

The druid killed the first of the sporpses in their midst and it exploded into a cloud of spores that covered the druid, the ranger, and the rune knight. The ranger failed the save and, as a result, he was badly diseased with only 18 hours to live . . .

Aragorn would be soooo disappointed.

The heartstone can cure all diseases. "I forgot I had it," the rune knight's player remarked. What an epic night with a perfect ending!

Epic fails are the best! What I want to know (maybe skimmed over): how did no one else in the party remember this fact, either?

A painful lesson I've failed to learn over and over again. It cracked me up when I learned PF2 has a feat you can take that let's the DM just tell you when you're chasing a total red herring.

I'd like to suggest that this isn't a joke; it's meta, but not necessarily in a bad way. My take on it goes like this:

Oracle (perk)
You get information from a higher power. Spend a hero point to get a hint from the GM.

 

[el-remmen]

If the DM knows the players have a solution to a problem in their possession, are they obligated to say something about it?

Might steal this and rephrase it for one of my T/F polls.

 

[Lanefan]

If the DM knows the players have a solution to a problem in their possession, are they obligated to say something about it?

If there's no NPCs in the party, IMO no the DM is not; though in fairness if it's something the PCs knew about two in-game days ago and it's been two or three real-world weeks for the players, I'll either give them an easy roll or just remind them.

If you have an NPC in the group - a hench or whatever - then if that person had knowledge of the item maybe that's where the reminder comes from (I'll usually roll a check of some sort to myself for this). If, however, the NPC has no in-game knowledge of the item then said NPC's lips remain sealed.

That said, items come and go so often that half the time I've no clue what they're carrying - other than weapons and armour for the warriors whose properties come up every time the fightin' starts, and a few other things that constantly get used.

 

[Seramus]

I'd like to suggest that this isn't a joke; it's meta, but not necessarily in a bad way. My take on it goes like this:

I honestly like that it exists, but in a meta "this is for groups that think red herrings are a problem. If you are not a group like that, you don't have to take it. It's there for people who want it" way.

Same for the feat that lets you automatically detect a clue when you walk into a room. For some, it undermines the enjoyment of actually sleuthing and using your noggin. While others are happy to move the game along, or just be the person who delivers the clue based explosion.

 

[overgeeked]

Have you ever forgotten you had something in your inventory that would have been clutch had you just remembered to use it?

Yes. I'm incredibly forgetful about things that aren't right in front of me. If it's not something I need to use regularly, I forget it entirely. Unless I make a point of reading over my entire character sheet and all my relevant notes about random tchotchkes I've collected as we play...they might as well not exist. Magic items are a bit less likely to be forgotten. But if it's some random miscellaneous item that has a really limited use...forget about it.