What is the most overlooked rule in dnd?


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My list:
Encumburance: We just estimate it.
Spell components: Mostly you can ignore this, but remember you should have a hand free to retrieve the item, etc.
Casting and free hands: As others have pointed out, clerics violate this a lot. Particularly if they have to get a component.
Spell recovery schedule for divine casters: They are supposed to pick one time (morning, night, noon, whatever) and stick to it, but in practice it's always in the morning when the wizard does it.


Sejs said:
"Spells: A sorcerer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list."

That's cause they can't learn that "Mages Lucubration" spell.
 
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sjmiller said:
This one is ignored so often because even the game designers thought it was stupid. They only put it back in when a lot of players of older editions complained about it being taken out. Just ask Monte, or Skip, or anyone else involved with the creation of 3.0.
Stuck though, didn't it? If the designers really did think it was daft, how come it managed to survive the upgrade to 3.5?
 

Dragonhelm said:
That, and the one that says that rules are suggested guidelines, not edicts etched in stone.

Actually, I think rules zero and yours both get used WAY TOO OFTEN by people too lazy to learn the mechanics that would rather hand-wave everything as DM fiat...but maybe that's just IME.

I've yet to find the full plate needs an assistant rule, but most probably forget to have their loot plate refitted (200-800gp).

Encumberance is probably most often overlooked, as are free hands, but not IMC ;)

The most often overlooked rule that I experience is how many actions are in a round. Seems that people always want to do far too many things in the time provided.
 
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The holy symbol issue has always bugged me. Two crossed sticks or some paint on your shield does not a holy symbol make. You should have to hold your holy symbol in your hand, just like a wizard has to present their spell components. Also, since there has never been any other classification of a holy symbol, other than the two presented in the PHB, I assume that there is no substitution. No, it's not a hard rule, but I think clerics are powerful enough of a class on their own right to be able to cheat the rules.

The other one is the potion/ wand bandolier. I can't find one shred of evidence that this thing has ever existed on any equipment list ever anywhere. How do players just get to make up rules like this? If something's going to be in a bandolier, then it's eligible for sunder, fireball, etc. We already know that to "hide" something on your person (other than completley stowing something, which is a full round action to retrieve), requires a successful sleight of hand check.

Players making up their own rules may be part of the reason DM's have to work so much harder in their games.

jh (a DM :)


..
 

Many of the over looked or ignored rules are just things that slow the game down.

Encumbrance - this is something that just screams for a computer
Upkeep (water/food/etc) - again something that needs software to manage
Spell Components - this was so bad that in our HB game we gave everyone Eschew Materials
Massive damage - we got rid of the rule since we have characters at Epic levels too
XP Penalties - we find other ways to make players pay instead of XP penalties.
Wealth by level - we consider it a guide, but basically ignore it. It only is an issue if the players have less than the recommended

Spell recovery schedule for divine casters - in our HB the religion determines the prayer time....it caused some fun when we had multiple different religions in the group.....all those different rest periods when I had monsters either regroup or attacking....good times :D
 

Emirikol said:
The other one is the potion/ wand bandolier. I can't find one shred of evidence that this thing has ever existed on any equipment list ever anywhere. How do players just get to make up rules like this? If something's going to be in a bandolier, then it's eligible for sunder, fireball, etc. We already know that to "hide" something on your person (other than completley stowing something, which is a full round action to retrieve), requires a successful sleight of hand check.

Wow I havent posted here in ages...

I cannot speak for the wand bandolier, but the FRCS has a potion belt available for purchase that allows PCs to draw potions as a free action.

Cheers,
 

Gregor said:
Wow I havent posted here in ages...I cannot speak for the wand bandolier, but the FRCS has a potion belt available for purchase that allows PCs to draw potions as a free action.Cheers,


Great, don't tell my players. Anything in any book that someone might actually own? Complete books for instance?

:)

Jh
 

sckeener said:
Wealth by level - we consider it a guide, but basically ignore it. It only is an issue if the players have less than the recommended

Wealth by level has primarily one use: establishing how much wealth "replacement" characters come into the game with. I do like the "attunement" thought though which limits PC's to not being able to use more than their wealth/level in magical items.
bankuei.blogspot.com/2006/05/dd-gamehack.html

We play lower-magic now that we're older though so it's less relevant...

jh
 

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