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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8503430" data-attributes="member: 82106">How is this not equivalent:Player: the wall is slippery? What is the DC to climb it?GM: It is going to be hard to climb, DC20 (here we have an inquiry in which the GM reveals how the fiction will impact the mechanics)Player: OK, I will throw up a grappling hook on a line (knowing that the GM will likely grant a bonus/advantage if he shifts the situation in his favor, the fiction is supplying 'position', that is bounding the types of acceptable mechanical responses that will produce a positive result).GM: OK, that is feasible (here the GM is probably extrapolating the situation to decide that the hook is likely to find some purchase, we can't say if it references already established fiction or not, but it is likely to be mostly based on "it is fair to allow this kind of thing" vs actual reasoning about the fiction, which is likely too vaguely formed to be useful in that respect).Player: I got a 19.GM: OK, good enough, the hook catches and seems to be secure, you can take advantage on your climb check because you have a rope to hang onto. (I'd note here that it is perfectly likely that the 'because' part is unstated and it is exactly equivalent to the alternative formulation "assistance gives you advantage" which is perfectly mechanical in nature).or again:Player: I attack the goblinDM: OK, you take the attack action, you need a 14 to hitPlayer: I rolled a 19! OK, it takes 9 damageDM: The goblin is still upPlayer: I use my bonus action to make an off-hand attackat most my version lacks a prompt to the player giving some information about the goblin's remaining hit points. However I would argue this is not super revelatory, as the hit points of goblins are pretty well known. It might be more useful info in other cases, but the GM could as easily say "it has 4 hit points left." There's really nothing in 5e's process which suggests that I NEED to know the fiction. Who's smuggling anything? Its all right there in front of us. I'd note that I don't really feel good about your 'canonical' goblin fight example either. It seems to me that a situation where the PC is surrounded by hostile knife-wielding enemies (some are presumably behind him, etc.) is quite nasty. While I don't have an argument with the initial hack and slash, isn't the INEVITABLE consequence that 5 or however many goblins are now all going to shiv the PC at once? How can he possibly, given the move he made, avoid being turned into an analogue of Julius Ceasar? I will say there's a question of 'tone' here, maybe the dwarf is so bad-assed that he can just shrug off half-a-dozen goblins, and that's a perfectly cromulent way to play things, if you are consistent about it. I'd however note that such a case probably doesn't warrant considering the fight to be anything beyond color though! Personally if it was me my hard move in response wouldn't be "you take 4 damage" it would be more like "6 goblins pile on you with murderous intent from all directions, what do you do?" and presumably whatever the answer to that is, it will be some sort of DD check. Yes, the dwarf is almost surely going to take some damage, regardless, lets see if he can think of a way out! I think my main point is, your example feels a bit 'mechanical' for me. When I run DW, and especially if there's combat, there is a LOT of fiction, and outcomes are largely shaped by it, with the various rolls telling us whether things got better or worse for the PC(s).</blockquote>

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