D&D 5E Little rules changes that still trip you up

[Rhenny]

I always mess up cover. I started 4e where allies don't provide cover. Then Pathfinder where there are so many cover penalties range is nearly useless. 5e back to cover, but much more reasonable, and for range focused characters they even give you a bonus to negate allies' cover, plus feats to ignore it.

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Definitely. People who play lots of different rule sets tend to get mixed up more often. I remember during the playtest, sometimes it was hard to remember which rules I was using and which rules were replaced/changed. Switching between 2e, 4e, 5e, Pathfinder, etc. does make it more difficult to keep focused on the RAW.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I always mess up cover. I started 4e where allies don't provide cover. Then Pathfinder where there are so many cover penalties range is nearly useless. 5e back to cover, but much more reasonable, and for range focused characters they even give you a bonus to negate allies' cover, plus feats to ignore it.

As a DM, I'm conservative in applying interposing creature cover in melee. If, for instance, there is nothing but one ally between you and your foes, I'll often let you just say "duck!" and shoot over your buddy's shoulder without any cover nonsense.

 

[cooperjer]

Hex and Hunters Mark end at the end of combat if the target has dropped to zero HP and the caster does not move the spell to a living creature.

I'm not 100% confident in this interpretation of the RAW, but the word "subsequent" could be interpreted in this way. In another interpretation, the spell persists on the dead creature until the casting character uses a bonus action to move the spell. This bonus action could occur in a different encounter than when the original spell was cast, as long as the duration has not reached it's maximum time limit.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

In another interpretation, the spell persists on the dead creature until the casting character uses a bonus action to move the spell. This bonus action could occur in a different encounter than when the original spell was cast, as long as the duration has not reached it's maximum time limit.

That's generally the favored interpretation, as it makes more sense of the way the duration scales with spell slot (so automatically for a warlock).

 

[flametitan]

Interesting that there are more people than I expected being surprised by the sage advice clarification on death saves - when reading that article I was thinking "that's a silly question to ask", but I guess it was easier than I thought for people to not realize "Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a special saving throw..." at the beginning of talking about death saving throws meant you save at the start of your turn.

I know the one time it came up in my game (NPC hobgoblin ally downed by a bugbear, and then rolled a 20 within a round or two shortly after), I leaned towards start of the turn, but wasn't sure, so I had the NPC take the turn to instead reorient himself and get a feel for what happened for the 2 rounds he was out for.

Good to know for certain what the rule is

 

[Magister Ludorum]

I am constantly asking for Will, Reflex and Fortitude Saves.

 

[guachi]

I did a "Let's Read" when the Basic rules pdf came out. I hadn't played D&D since 2000 and had never played or seen 3e or 4e. When I got to a section discussing Advantage/Disadvantage I assumed it was from an earlier edition. But replies said it was a brand new mechanic. It wasn't hard to grasp but it appears very early in the Basic rules (page 4) and it was the first new rule I encountered. The existence of Advantage/Disadvantage actually made me excited to get back into gaming. It's simple and elegant (even if not very balanced).

Other things that took awhile to grasp -
- Initiative not being every round
- Rounds not really existing. I don't think there are any spells that have a duration of one round. It's all "until the beginning of your next turn" stuff. I still see people make mistakes about rounds and say things like "you only get one reaction a round" when that's not technically true.
- No morale
- The exact nature of how bonus actions worked took time to grasp considering they didn't exist in 1e/2e/BECMI.
- Without meaning to dredge up the discussion, I was confused at first on how surprise worked in 5e.
- It took me awhile to realize how backgrounds functioned in that there is a rigid structure to how they are laid out unlike how kits worked, which could be all over the map regarding power level.
- It also took me awhile to grasp the simplified weapons and how their properties functioned. No longer is there a massive list of weapons with one-off properties and functions.
- I was not aware at first that Initiative is a Dex check and therefore gets a bonus from Bard and Fighter abilities.

I think the only rules change that continues to trip me up is inspiration as I keep forgetting to award it.