Strangest Rule Lawyering

[buzzard]

OK, I experienced a wierd bit of play at Gen con in one of the Living Jungle modules. It was a rules interpretation by the DM which managed to floor the whole table.

Here's the situation. My character, a front line fighter, is up against some spectres and three Tamara (BBEGs from the campaign). The spectre next to the Tamara is quite injured (I know this from the spells and whatnot that have hit it), so I hit it and expect to use cleave to hit the Tamara.

As according to plan, I smack the spectre, destroying it, and start to roll for the cleave and the DM interrupts -
"No, you can't cleave on that creature, because it doesn't drop. I've read this very carefully. The spectre doesn't drop, it dissipates, so you can't cleave."

This prompted a rather heated argument which caused him to back down. Later the DM ruled that stone skin only applies it DR once per round, but at that point we didn't bother to argue (much) since it didn't have much effect.

I am curious if y'all have seen such a twisted rule interpretation.

buzzard

 

[Zogg]

I think your DM was whacked out. My opinion of cleave is that your PC is so psyched about killing/destroying/"dropping" an enemy that they get a bonus attack based on a temporary morale boost. Granted, I'm applying some thought to the point of the feat and not dissecting the language as written in the PHB, which is more than I can say of your DM.

Quite simply I would have told him he was being an ignorant jerk and ruining the game based on dunder-headed semantics.

 

[Bagpuss]

No I think the reason for the extra attack is in the title, you physically cleave your target in two. And your attack continues on to the next person. At least with swords, with other weapons make up your own visuals. As for the DM he sounds like he just wants to weaken the players, for his own silly reasons.

 

[Darkness]

Looks like he was scared of letting PCs play with the power they have in 3.0/3.5.

Me, I don't mind PCs having fun with their powers; I just throw more and tougher monsters at them if they have it too easy.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I think the best example of Cleave that I've seen given is what Sauron does to the poor warriors in the Prologue of Fellowship of the Ring...though that's more Great Cleave.

 

[buzzard]

Looks like he was scared of letting PCs play with the power they have in 3.0/3.5.

Me, I don't mind PCs having fun with their powers; I just throw more and tougher monsters at them if they have it too easy.

What makes his reaction so odd in this case is that this was the final confronation in the campaign against the main bad guys. These guys so outclassed the PCs that it wasn't even funny. For him to nitpick a cleave was just mind boggling.

buzard

 

[MarauderX]

Report him to the Gen Con authorities! Get a posse together! Get some torches! Form a mob! Lynch the punk DM!

Yeah, sounds like this DM was screwy and hope he never gets the chance to run a game at a convention again, although there are a lot of those types on my list. On average I think only half of the DMs at conventions are worthwhile as the others are sketchy, screwy, or just make up the rules as they go.

 

[Zogg]

As for the DM he sounds like he just wants to weaken the players, for his own silly reasons.

Exactly. If I encountered such a DM tactic, I would tell him "If you want to see my character die I'll just have him slit his throat. But don't make up or bend rules to your favor because you don't like seeing us live through your encounter."

 

[Bagpuss]

Report him to the Gen Con authorities! Get a posse together! Get some torches! Form a mob! Lynch the punk DM!

Yeah, sounds like this DM was screwy and hope he never gets the chance to run a game at a convention again, although there are a lot of those types on my list. On average I think only half of the DMs at conventions are worthwhile as the others are sketchy, screwy, or just make up the rules as they go.

Unfortunately there are always considerably more people that want to play than people that want to DM so if you didn't get those DM's that are "sketchy, screwy, or just make up the rules as they go" you wouldn't get any game at all. So suck it up and be thankful someone has been kind enough to run a game for complete strangers.

Or better yet if you think you can do better volunteer to DM!

 

[Oleg]

I think the DM was just thinking in a too detailed way. Some people are just like that and you cant change them. Simpler thinking always offers better and more convenient solutions.