thecasualoblivion
First Post
Why do you worry about having to factor in the DM?
A good DM will not stop you from attempting what you want to do, provided what you are attempting is within the bounds of reason. A good DM should not force you to roll for trivial/non-pressured situations. A good DM is there to challenge you and to ensure YOU have an enjoyable game - not to hinder you.
A system that lets a good DM do that to the best of their ability is a system which in turn and as a direct result, empowers the players.
5E explicitly does this, by putting the adjudication back in the hands of the DM moreso than in a mountain of rules.
Because I want to know how something is going to work in advance, so I can make an informed decision. If I am dealing with codified rules, I can do this. If it depends on DM discretion, I can't know in advance since the DM's mind is hidden from me, and I can't make an informed decison.
Now, rules can't cover everything, and a certain level of DM discretion is inevitable, but it's a sliding scale. You can have more or you can have less. I prefer less.