D&D 5E Should player's assume if it's in the DMG then it's RAW?

[Mistwell]

Basically, should people just stay away from the DMG if they aren't DMing?

Yes, for this edition in particular, absolutely. In fact, I am not even sure anyone should be arguing RAW for this edition anymore, with it's tremendous focus on rulings over rules. But yes, my players are not to touch the MM or the DMG.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

my players are not to touch the MM or the DMG.

not just you mistwell, but a lot of people say this... I just can't wrap my mind around it.

the first game I ran was using another player's DMG and MM because I didn't own them yet. I can't think of a time where I ever had that happen. I mean for 5e I have the PHB from my birthday and the MM and DMG I am getting for x-mas...

 

[Joe Liker]

Yes, for this edition in particular, absolutely. In fact, I am not even sure anyone should be arguing RAW for this edition anymore, with it's tremendous focus on rulings over rules. But yes, my players are not to touch the MM or the DMG.

There are plenty of players who are also DMs (myself included), but I would hope those players have the sense to understand that they should defer to their DM's preference on options presented in the DMG.

At the very most, a polite mention of the option in private, whereupon the DM decides whether to open it up to group discussion.

 

[Dausuul]

so what is your rule?

Can't speak for the OP, but if you ask me, you can always sell a magic item. If you want to offload your +3 longsword, you can walk into any town and do it. The town guards will happily pay you 25 gp for that nice, well-crafted longsword. When you demonstrate how you can drop a wisp of fleece onto the blade and the razor edge slices it neatly in two, they'll be quite impressed. They'll give you 40 gold for a sword like that, maybe even 50!

The question is what it takes to find a buyer who'll shell out big money for your oh-so-precious-magic-item-that-still-isn't-good-enough-for-you-to-keep-and-use-yourself.

The DMG guidelines are a good starting point, but they aren't the be-all, end-all. If you're in a small town out in the boonies, ain't nobody going to lay out thousands of gold pieces for your magic items. It just won't happen no matter how hot your dice are. Nobody here has thousands of gold pieces, and if they did, they wouldn't spend them on a sword--they'd buy a house, hire some servants, propose marriage to the mayor's daughter. You need to go to a city if you want a good price, and then other complications arise. Lots of places have strict laws on who's allowed to carry even mundane weapons, let alone magical ones. If the local lord gets wind of what you're up to, she might decide you're a dangerous troublemaker and your magical weapons must be confiscated... for the good of everyone, of course.

 

[Pickles JG]

Yes, for this edition in particular, absolutely. In fact, I am not even sure anyone should be arguing RAW for this edition anymore, with it's tremendous focus on rulings over rules. But yes, my players are not to touch the MM or the DMG.

Well my 2 overlapping playgroups have 6 DMs & 2 others. One of the others is thinking of getting a MM so he can stat up summons for summoning spells to speed play.

The DMG is very conversational & clear that it's all suggestions though being big on player buy in & empowerment I feel that is a matter for some discussion rather than DM fiat.

 

[Nebulous]

Yes, for this edition in particular, absolutely. In fact, I am not even sure anyone should be arguing RAW for this edition anymore, with it's tremendous focus on rulings over rules. But yes, my players are not to touch the MM or the DMG.

I have a player who has REFUSED to even look at the 5e Monster Manual. He wants to be surprised by friggin everything.

 

[Mistwell]

I have a player who has REFUSED to even look at the 5e Monster Manual. He wants to be surprised by friggin everything.

That's how most of my players are, at least right now. They don't want to know in advance how the medusa mechanics work this time around - what's the fun in spoiling it?

 

[Nebulous]

That's how most of my players are, at least right now. They don't want to know in advance how the medusa mechanics work this time around - what's the fun in spoiling it?

I'm surprised he's had such restraint. Another player just told me his DMG is on the way from Amazon. He's never DMed in his life, and never will, but he likes to have the books. And we've agreed to go over the optional rules together and pick out ones we want to try.

 

[was]

The player did overlook some listed points in the DMG and some results of such searches.
1. The search must be conducted during 'downtime'. Adventuring time does not count towards the total.
2. The search requires time spent in a large, wealthy city with multiple citizens rich enough to afford such an item. Probably not a lot of cities this large in a given country. Two or three at the most.
3. The purchaser will most likely be a middleman, wanting to buy the item as cheaply as possible. To make a large profit, and knowing the pc has few alternatives, they won't be willing to pay nearly as much as the pc wants.
4. The search will attract unwanted attention. Thieves who want to steal it. Tax collectors who want their share of the sale. Government agents who want to make sure powerful items are not falling into the hands of 'undesirable' organizations.
5. The buyer maybe a very disreputable person. They maybe a member of thieves', or assassins', guild or maybe a rebel group. Providing support, or powerful items, to such groups could result in arrest or worse.

 

[Riley37]

The PHB and DMG include some rules mechanics: this is how an ability test works, these weapons are versatile, etc., these are some standardized conditions (paralyzed etc.)

They also include some setting info: these are the races which become PCs, here are some races which do not, here's the languages they speak and the scripts they use to write, here's the coins used in any D&D world, here's the default ratio, EVERYWHERE, of gold pieces to pounds of wheat (that is, the commonly accepted price).

Any magic item less generic than a +1 Sword is an aspect of the setting. Some players want their characters to have more encyclopedic knowledge of the game world, than you or I have of our own world. (If I run into a bear in the woods, I'll know what it is, and I know it can sprint faster than I can, but I personally don't know whether a brown bear or black bear has more HP.) Some DMs are fine with this. Some are not. Some players WANT their DM to introduce monsters and magic items that are new to both the PC and the player!