D&D 5E Silly/Senseless Rules You Have Found

[Zardnaar]

Ok several examples.

1. Armor has maximum dex penalties associated with it. Wearing heavy armor for example you cannot add your dex modifier to it. However if you get paralyzed you get to keep your dexterity bonus. RAW armor is more restrictive than getting paralyzed.

2. Dual wielding. RAW you can dual wield short swords but you cannot dual wield a rapier and a dagger without a feat. I suppose you could argue anyone skilled neough to use a rapier and dagger is using the dual weld feat but you do not need that feat for short swords.

 

[Klaus]

1. Not true. A paralyzed creature grants advantage on all attacks against it, and any hit becomes a critical hit. That's far more taxing than not adding a Dex modifier. Also note that heavy armor also precludes you from adding a *negative* Dex modifier.

2. Nothing precludes you from wielding a rapier and a dagger, and alternate between them with your regular attacks. You just can't use a bonus action for an extra attack without special training.

 

[Paraxis]

Ok several examples.

1. Armor has maximum dex penalties associated with it. Wearing heavy armor for example you cannot add your dex modifier to it. However if you get paralyzed you get to keep your dexterity bonus. RAW armor is more restrictive than getting paralyzed.

2. Dual wielding. RAW you can dual wield short swords but you cannot dual wield a rapier and a dagger without a feat. I suppose you could argue anyone skilled neough to use a rapier and dagger is using the dual weld feat but you do not need that feat for short swords.

1. I don't see the issue here. In light or medium armor you add or subtract your dex modifier with medium limiting the bonus to +2, in heavy armor you don't add or subtract dex mod at all it is a set value.
Paralyzed condition doesn't change your AC at all it just gives people advantage to hit you.
Paralyzed is equal across the board to everyone.

2. You could just house rule it to any combination of damage dice that don't add up to more than 12. So two d6 short swords is good, and so is a d8 rapier and d4 dagger. Anyone with the feat is just going to dual wield two rapiers anyway and forgo the dagger.

 

[Zardnaar]

1. I don't see the issue here. In light or medium armor you add or subtract your dex modifier with medium limiting the bonus to +2, in heavy armor you don't add or subtract dex mod at all it is a set value.
Paralyzed condition doesn't change your AC at all it just gives people advantage to hit you.
Paralyzed is equal across the board to everyone.

2. You could just house rule it to any combination of damage dice that don't add up to more than 12. So two d6 short swords is good, and so is a d8 rapier and d4 dagger. Anyone with the feat is just going to dual wield two rapiers anyway and forgo the dagger.

We have been allowing rapier+dagger but not rapier+short sword RAW can take a back seat.

 

[Plaguescarred]

The Impenetrable darkness?

5E's Impenetrable Darkness syndrome all over again! This happened during 4E early days during first PHB release for those who remember and still happen here. As written, when you are in darkness, you are blinded and cannot see any remote lit area and people within, which is a problem RAW. Also any obscured area by darkness block vision which makes you not see through them. That is okay for magical darkness, but natural darkness should not act that way.

Not many will surly run it that way, but it should probably be updated at some point like 4E did, for consistency reasons.


BR65 Heavily Obscured: A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A creature in a heavily obscured area effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see the appendix).

BR65 Darkness: Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit dungeon or a subterranean vault, or in an area of magical darkness.

BR105 Blinded: A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.

 

[Kai Wren]

The main weirdness I've noticed is with tool proficiencies.

People who are proficient in the skill gain no benefit from using tools associated with that skill (climbing, survival, medicine etc). This seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but adding a fix may go too far in the other direction.

 

[Gretkatillor]

1. I don't see the issue here. In light or medium armor you add or subtract your dex modifier with medium limiting the bonus to +2, in heavy armor you don't add or subtract dex mod at all it is a set value.
Paralyzed condition doesn't change your AC at all it just gives people advantage to hit you.
Paralyzed is equal across the board to everyone.

Thanks for pointing out this armor class rule, Paraxis. I always assumed that heavy armor limited your dexterity bonus to 0. But, like you say, it takes your dexterity modifier out of the equation entirely, which is good news for melee fighters, paladins, and clerics. I've adjusted my character sheet accordingly.

 

[SilverfireSage]

The main weirdness I've noticed is with tool proficiencies.

People who are proficient in the skill gain no benefit from using tools associated with that skill (climbing, survival, medicine etc). This seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but adding a fix may go too far in the other direction.

People have made the distinction between being a doctor and being an EMT in regards to the Medicine skill and healing kits. With one, you know all of the details that go into medicine, but you rarely know how to work the specific devices with it. In the other, you know how to do one specific thing well, but couldn't tell anyone how it actually works.

 

[SilverfireSage]

The Impenetrable darkness?

5E's Impenetrable Darkness syndrome all over again! This happened during 4E early days during first PHB release for those who remember and still happen here. As written, when you are in darkness, you are blinded and cannot see any remote lit area and people within, which is a problem RAW. Also any obscured area by darkness block vision which makes you not see through them. That is okay for magical darkness, but natural darkness should not act that way.

Not many will surly run it that way, but it should probably be updated at some point like 4E did, for consistency reasons.


BR65 Heavily Obscured: A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A creature in a heavily obscured area effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see the appendix).

BR65 Darkness: Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit dungeon or a subterranean vault, or in an area of magical darkness.

BR105 Blinded: A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.

I'm confused, how is this a problem?

 

[KarinsDad]

People have made the distinction between being a doctor and being an EMT in regards to the Medicine skill and healing kits. With one, you know all of the details that go into medicine, but you rarely know how to work the specific devices with it. In the other, you know how to do one specific thing well, but couldn't tell anyone how it actually works.

Huh? Could you clarify this? It sounds like neither of them can do or explain their job.