(Poll, please read 1st post) What does the DM have the right to restrict?

[green slime]

I'm trying to figure out what the baseline expectations are that people carry around with them for getting into new games. I think the answers are complicated because there isn't as much 'casual D&D' out there as there once was (people tend to play with regular groups more now then when I was coming up in the seventies) but I'm curious about what today's expectations are.

But you're talking about different things.

1) The intention to run a long-lasting, carefully crafted campaign world, where the DM wishes to invoke a certain flavour. I'd expect the DM to have cut out large swathes of various things.
2) An informal, slapdash, chuck-it-all-together, lets slay some kobolds over lunch. Easily done, best to keep it simple and minimal rules editting.

 

[Nifft]

Basically, the only DMs I'd play with are ones I trust to do one of the following things:

1/ Make a game satisfying no matter what the specifics; or

2/ Know when players aren't having fun, and end a game gracefully.

So, I chose option #1. Because I'm sure whatever my friends come up with will be either cool or short-lived.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

I went with Option #3 as a general rule of thumb.

Unless the GM has campaign-specific reasons why race/class/item X isn't present in the campaign world, then it should be fair game for the players, since the PHB stuff is the foundation for characters.

Anything beyond PHB is strictly within the realm of DM approval. If he doesn't want to use prestige classes or supplmentary books, then that's his right as DM.

 

[Papa-DRB]

I allow any of the WotC and much of the 3rd party material, subject to Veto, so when we begin a new campaign, I ask my six players, most of whom I have been the DM for over 15 years now, to mostly "plan" out there character for 20 levels (classes, and prc's) so I can tell them yes/no on some of the more unusual things.

Much of Unearthed Arcana is not allowed. The only hard-fast rule is no "net" stuff. I had a player, the newest one do a net "dwarf battlerager" class, and he did not understand one of the penalties. He was really po'd when I told him his character was fatigued and at minuses for the rest of the day after the days first battle.

-- david

 

[pbd]

I picked number 1, but expect that most DMs will allow the core books.

As for the other books, I think there is a lot of material for the DM to be familiar with out there. I think anything non-core should be looked at on a case by case basis. A lot of stuff will be OK, but some (frenzied berserker anyone) might need to be excluded...

 

[maddman75]

#1. GM's game. Heck, I pretty much consider them the book of suggestions rather than the rules, and GM's judgement for a specific situation > letter of the rules. If I can't trust you or you can't trust me, why are we gaming together. If the GM has arbitrarily banned something I'll assume he has a good reason.

When I'm running (which is most of the time), I keep my options pretty open. While for D&D I'm a core rules kind of guy if someone has a cool idea for their character I'll try to think of a way to make it work.