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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7021077" data-attributes="member: 996">To mis-quote Cool Hand Luke:  "What you have there, is a failure to associate."  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />You're seeing a disconnect between the resolution of the action and the visualization of the action.  It's fairly straightforward, really.   Consider a video-game where you have an attack with a morningstar animated one way, say an overhead swing:  it'll look fine some of the time, and odd when there's a low ceiling or you're attacking a creature whose size or shape or own animations don't match up.  In an RPG, you don't face that restriction.  You (typically the player) can declare whatever action you want, then you (typically the DM) decide which resolution mechanic applies & how, then you (all) visualize how that resolution plays out.If those fall out of whack, you can adjust one or more of them.Using your example, above, and working backwards:1) Change how you visualize the resolution:  The rogue swipes his poisoned blade over the swarm, close contact with even the fumes of the toxin, lethal in the bloodstream of a much larger creatures, kills and debilitates many of the spiders.  His barbarian friend helps him up, brushing off or crushing most of the remaining spiders with the handle of his massive spiked club.2) Change the mechanics used to resolve the actions:  "You cant just stab a sword into a swarm and expect to poison any of them, make a DEX check plus (insert references to the Thule rogue special ability with poisons) to deploy your poison effectively."  "You cant hit many spiders with a giant spiked club, so make a STR check to pull your buddy free of the swarm and shake some of them off him."3) Change the action declaration in the firs place:  "I pour soak my cloak in some of my poison-making solutions to create an impromptu insecticide and use it to brush the spiders off of me."  "I help by brushing off the spiders he can't reach and stomping any of them on the ground."You (as the DM) should try to avoid gotchyas, like ruling against the perfectly clear rule after the fact and in a way that badly messes with the players.  "Yeah, swarms normally have taken half damage from weapon attacks, but in this case it took no damage - oh, and you poisoned yourself."  ... and the differences between poisoning a large creature with a closed circulatory system vs a minuscule one that breathes through spicules.  I mean, if the tone of the game is all junior-high-science-class like that.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />   (He said as someone who played D&D in junior high & enjoyed science class almost as much.)Having a swim speed is different from being able to swim.  Buy yeah, tritons with great swords instead of tridents doesn't seem right.</blockquote>

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