So, What Does CE Stand For Again?

[Chainsaw Mage]

ACtually, the only prtoblem with this I see is allowing the players to flip through the MM like that.

Uh, and you prevent him how?

"Gimme that!" (snatches MM from player's hands)

"Hey, that's mine, you bastard!" (player angrily snatches it back)

"I don't care! Stop reading your Monster Manual!" (DM kicks over chair and lunges for MM while player angrily swats DM with book)

"Sweet!" (other players get comfortable to enjoy brawl)

 

[Crothian]

Uh, and you prevent him how?

I actually perfer the polite way and ask players not to read the MM like that. Amazingly enough that seems to work. But it does help that I play with people that respect my wishes when they are reasonable.

 

[TheGM]

I actually perfer the polite way and ask players not to read the MM like that. Amazingly enough that seems to work. But it does help that I play with people that respect my wishes when they are reasonable.

I have a "you can own any book you want, it's your money and your time, but only player materials are allowed at my table" rule that my players generally honor... I couldn't imagine playing with a group that would flip through the MM at the table. That's about as far out on the Metagaming line as you can get...

 

[Chainsaw Mage]

I actually perfer the polite way and ask players not to read the MM like that. Amazingly enough that seems to work. But it does help that I play with people that respect my wishes when they are reasonable.

Hmmm. Maybe I should try that one of these days. I'm typically of the "snatch the book and beat them upside the head with it" school of thought. That's what we did back in the old days of AD&D 1e, you see.

 

[Brain]

was he playing a gnome?

Gno :\

 

[Crothian]

Hmmm. Maybe I should try that one of these days. I'm typically of the "snatch the book and beat them upside the head with it" school of thought. That's what we did back in the old days of AD&D 1e, you see.

If its old school, then there character does or gets beaten and robbed badly. In adidtion to wapping the player upside the head with the book. But this new school game we have to be nice and polite.

 

[Black Omega]

I'd just ask the player not to use the MM, my players are good guys, most of them don't even try.

It's rarely an issue since I change so much. On one occasional my players faced a ice blue skinned figure in white Mandarin robes holding a spear made from solid ice. He announced himself as 'Hyushin, who's heart is trapped in ice.' The PC's didn't figure out he was an ice demon stat wise.

 

[Chainsaw Mage]

I'd just ask the player not to use the MM, my players are good guys, most of them don't even try.

It's rarely an issue since I change so much. On one occasional my players faced a ice blue skinned figure in white Mandarin robes holding a spear made from solid ice. He announced himself as 'Hyushin, who's heart is trapped in ice.' The PC's didn't figure out he was an ice demon stat wise.

Seriously, THAT is the kind of thing more DMs need to do. I've seen WAY too many DMs who say to the players, "Your party encounters an ice demon. Roll for initiative!"

[Groan]

 

[ThirdWizard]

Typically, I ask to borrow their monster books, since my players own more than I do.

 

[Grover Cleaveland]

Have the character in game research monsters and go by what creatures he actually has expeince with.

Wise words. If the character has seen a white dragon, he can become a white dragon. If he's just heard about them in stories and myths it doesn't make a lot of sense to let him become one - the spell doesn't come with instructions for making every monster there is. At the very least, force the PC to make a knowledge check at a fairly high DC so he knows what their wings are supposed to look like.