D&D 5E The Gloves Are Off?

[Paul Farquhar]

In 39 years of playing this game, I've not once had someone describe their normal clothing bought out of the book as having gloves. They will either specify that they want gloves for some RP reason, or the armor comes with it. I have several times had players try to make up reasons for why they shouldn't have to make the saving throw. It's a natural reaction to bad stuff happening.

Traveling gear would not come with gloves, so they don't have gloves unless they tell me they have them or they automatically and explicitly come with what they are wearing.

Don't you live in California? In the UK, it's reasonable to assume regular travelling clothes include gloves!

In other words, what defines "regular clothes" in you location would depend on the climate.

 

[corwyn77]

Clearly written by someone unfamiliar with cold weather, while having a beer on the deck in mid-August.

I'm not sure I get this. Here, in Saskatchewan, I'm quite familiar with cold weather while still being quite hot enough in August to have a beer outside.

 

[corwyn77]

Are we going to try saying that wearing plate mail increases your falling velocity so you take more damage, but less damage since it prevents most of the pointy sticks at the bottom from penetrating. This is what to-hit and saving throws simulate.

This is really starting to remind me of the old "gravity is a house rule" threads way back when.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I on the other hand specifically created an item that works like Schrodinger's Toolbox,

You don’t know if the wrench is Imperial or Metric until after you’ve tried to use it? Yeah, I have one of those toolboxes.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Simpler for all if you kit yourself out beforehand and write it all down, then if you've got it you've got it and if you don't, you don't; and you at least vaguely know how much bulk and weight you have to deal with. Schroedinger need not apply.

I'd argue it's simpler to write SAP on my character sheet rather than an itemized listing of each and every doodad I've crammed into my various packs.

If you like using encumbrance rules or to focus on player skill then the SAP clearly isn't going to work for you. Not every table cares about such things, though.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I don’t have the books handy, but are shoes/boots mentioned? If not, do we assume characters are barefoot unless they state otherwise?

 

[TwoSix]

I can also easily envision such a game, and even more easily envision myself walking away from it while saying a few choice words...

But I would hope you can accept it's a perfectly valid playstyle even if it doesn't appeal to you.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Meta-constructs like this, where mundane things can conveniently come into being (without use of magic) just when they happen to be needed, blow up any sense of grounded realism in the game for me.

I find it strange to be willing to accept all the complexities of combat, or social interaction, being reduced to simple dice rolls, but then to insist that packing for a trip must be precisely itemized and weighed.

Maybe the game should be called Rucksacks and Rations.

 

[TwoSix]

"Wearing gloves" and "being protected from toxins" aren't the same thing.

Anyone who's ever had to get HAZWOPER certifications can tell you: when you're handling harmful substances, not just any glove will do. A glove made out of leather, fabric, chainmail, or other porous material isn't going to protect you from chemical contact.

I call for the Constitution save regardless of what the character was wearing. Ordinary clothing does not a HAZMAT suit make.

Yea, that was my first thought as well. "Tell me what your gloves are made of. Oh, just some leather? That isn't going to cut it against THIS poison..."

 

[Alzrius]

The problem with this is you are deciding what the PC is doing, which is IMO out of bounds for the GM.

Commandment One: Thou shalt not violate Player Agency.

Player agency is important, but this take on it strikes me as going too far, because there are times when the DM is supposed to violate a player's agency of their character.

Has the PC failed their save against some sort of mind-affecting effect? Then the DM is going to dictate what they do to some degree.

Is the PC repeatedly acting in a way that violates their alignment? Then their alignment is going to change accordingly, whether or not they like it.

Is the PC acting on player knowledge that their character couldn't possibly have? Then they'll be told that their character couldn't possibly be undertaking the action(s) that they're undertaking.

In the early days of the hobby, the DM was referred to as a referee, and like a referee sometimes they need to make a call that the player can't do something with their PC, no matter how much they want to.