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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swarmkeeper" data-source="post: 8088063" data-attributes="member: 6921763">Ok, one last try here:1. The DM describes the environment.If the DM has done a good enough job - explicitly or implicitly - of describing the environment, then the player certainly can invoke part of the environment as part of describing what their character is doing, thinking, or saying.2. The players describe what they want to do.The actual actions, thoughts, and words of a PC are the domain of the player.  The consequences of those actions, thought, and words are the domain of the DM.  You are possibly conflating the two.3. The DM narrates the results of the adventurers’ actions.The DM can absolutely throw it back to the player to describe what the success or failure looked like in terms of the actions, thoughts, and words of the PC.  That does not change the game we're playing nor does it change the mechanical outcome nor do the rules preclude it.  "You failed the roll and your PC trips on the rock, falling flat on his face.  Describe how that happened".  In fact, such a simple technique enhances gameplay in that it gets the player more involved in developing the fun, memorable story.Do you feel the rules of 5e are forcing the DM to foresake their role when a player is deciding to knock out an enemy rather than kill it?  (PHB 198:  The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt.)DM:  Nice attack roll! Now roll damage.Player:  15! DM:  You take a mighty swing and the blade slices off the orcs head!Player:  Wait a second!  I wanted to knock out the orc!DM:  Too late, I already finished step 3 of the play loop.Of course, this is bit of an exaggeration but do you see the issue here?  Either the DM must insist that the player declare a knock out preemptively every round they think the PC might slay the orc OR the DM prompts the player every time potential killing damage is done OR the DM lets the player describe what the action looked like.  The first two options seem quite tiresome to me over the course of a campaign.  It is literally impossible for the player to know a specific amount of damage drops the orc without the DM resolving the action.DM:  Nice attack roll! Now roll damage.Player:  15! DM:  The orc is going down!  What did that look like?Player:  Actually, I used the flat of my blade that time to hit the orc powerfully across the temple in an attempt to knock it out.DM:  The orc crumples to the ground, in rough shape and unconscious, but still breathes.Nope.  No forsaking going on.  Still talking about 5e here.</blockquote>

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