New Sage Advice: Class Features, Combat, Spells, & Monsters

There's a new Sage Advice column up from D&D designer Jeremy Crawford. This month he tackles class features, combat (bonus actions; reach weapons), spellcasting, and monsters. It's quite a long edition, covering 18 questions in total, all questions asked via Twitter.

You'lll find the article here. All Sage Advice material is added to the Sage Advice Compendium, which is a 6-page PDF of questions and answers.

 

[CapnZapp]

Still no explanation of Barkskin?

 

[Jester David]

Can you trust your players not to intentionally "break" the game?

Nope.
Well... two aren't optimizer. One really likes sticking with their character's hook even if it leads to inoptimal choices. So they won't.
But the other two try to build powerful characters. One is only so-so and his characters seldom break the game, while the other can shatter balance if they want. But he's great at roleplaying as well, so generally a boon to have at the table.

But, they shouldn't be given free rein and sometimes I need to put my DM foot down. If I ask they'll play nice, but unless I explicitly draw the line they'll go for broke.

 

[iserith]

Nope.

But, they shouldn't be given free rein and sometimes I need to put my DM foot down. If I ask they'll play nice, but unless I explicitly draw the line they'll go for broke.

Hmm. I have players that optimize, but they understand that we all have the same goal - having a good time together and creating an exciting, memorable story. Thus, they wouldn't intentionally "break" the game. I don't have to put my foot down. For this reason, I trust them to take whatever creatures they want when they cast summon spells.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

But, they shouldn't be given free rein and sometimes I need to put my DM foot down. If I ask they'll play nice, but unless I explicitly draw the line they'll go for broke.

I'm this way too. The DM defines what is physically possible in the world, and the PCs will (quite reasonably) game the system as hard as they can, because they expect the universe to game them right back (even if the players know better). If Conjure Animals is banned I'll live with that, but if it exists it is one of the first spells my Lore Bard will steal, and if he can use it to beat CR 9 encounters solo at level 5, he will. That's not breaking the game, that's playing the game.

YMMV of course.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I would say that players have a more limited opportunity to express creativity and impact the overall game world than do DMs. Their obligation, as individuals, in some ways is to press the limits that constrain their characters.

 

[Jester David]

Hmm. I have players that optimize, but they understand that we all have the same goal - having a good time together and creating an exciting, memorable story. Thus, they wouldn't intentionally "break" the game. I don't have to put my foot down. For this reason, I trust them to take whatever creatures they want when they cast summon spells.

They're not going to bust the game so that the campaign falls apart. They're a great group and willing to sit on the rails for a session or two (or an AP) if so needed.

But if they find an obvious "I win" button they're going to press it. They might keep it in their back pocket for a while, but eventually it's going to come out. And when it does, there'll be three pixies casting sleep, three casting confusion, and one firing off a dispel magic.
Because while they don't want to break the game, they also don't want to lose.

 

[Remathilis]

But, they shouldn't be given free rein and sometimes I need to put my DM foot down. If I ask they'll play nice, but unless I explicitly draw the line they'll go for broke.

This.

While my players aren't often the kind that look for the best "winning combos", I like the idea that I can put my foot down and have "the rules" backing me, especially as new monsters get added to the summon list via additional books. I really don't want another "war troll" debacle like in 3e...

I probably will ask my players "what they want to call", and I'll usually agree, but if they pull something I don't agree with, I can alter it.

 

[iserith]

They're not going to bust the game so that the campaign falls apart. They're a great group and willing to sit on the rails for a session or two (or an AP) if so needed.

But if they find an obvious "I win" button they're going to press it. They might keep it in their back pocket for a while, but eventually it's going to come out. And when it does, there'll be three pixies casting sleep, three casting confusion, and one firing off a dispel magic.
Because while they don't want to break the game, they also don't want to lose.

There's only one way to lose though according to the Basic Rules: Failing to achieve the goals of play (having a good time together and creating an exciting, memorable story). The Basic Rules even go so far as to say that the characters can fail their objectives or die horribly and everybody (meaning the players) still "wins" as long as those goals of play are achieved. I have found that when players buy into this notion, they don't do the things you say your players will do.

 

[Li Shenron]

In case it's not yet clear, I think the ruling on "conjure" spells is a little bit bogus.

This was so great. Agreed, bogus ruling.

The RAW is deceiving and often leads to sour arguments at the table, or on forums. That's why we have Sage Advice, so look past the RAW and see the intent. And the intent is not bogus just because it doesn't suit the RAW, rather it's the RAW which is bogus because it didn't deliver the intent. I learned most things about D&D through 3e, and because of that I just assumed the caster always picks the summon, and the 5e RAW did not make me question that assumption, it didn't ring a bell... I had to read the Sage Advice to find out the spell is different than 5e.

That said, you can always disagree with the intent if you want.

 

[Celtavian]

They're not going to bust the game so that the campaign falls apart. They're a great group and willing to sit on the rails for a session or two (or an AP) if so needed.

But if they find an obvious "I win" button they're going to press it. They might keep it in their back pocket for a while, but eventually it's going to come out. And when it does, there'll be three pixies casting sleep, three casting confusion, and one firing off a dispel magic.
Because while they don't want to break the game, they also don't want to lose.

Screw losing.