Rules as Written? | 5e Dungeons & Dragons | TTRPG | Web DM
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2024
- Are Rules as Written the best way to play Dungeons and Dragons? Rules mastery is useful, but our philosophy has always been that YOUR game belongs to YOU and the other players at your table, and harnessing that knowledge makes your game better.
This week's sponsor is DUNGEON CRAFT! Customizable, affordable, beautiful battle maps and monsters for your table live on Kickstarter now! CLICK HERE: www.kickstarte...
Thanks for watching! Don't forget to subscribe, comment & share. New episodes every Wednesday.
Web DM Podcast - bit.ly/2g49sUV
Check us out on Facebook - bit.ly/2oGKLOg
Twitter - / webdmshow
Instagram - web_dm
Want more? Check out:
Our Player Race playlist: • Bird People! Aarakocra...
Our DM Inspiration List: • Cosmic Conflicts: Worl...
MONSTERS! • Vampires, Ravenloft an...
Our PC Class Playlist: • Warlocks: Classes in 5...
Written & Hosted by Jonathan Pruitt & Jim Davis
Produced, Directed & Edited by Travis Boles
Complete 5e Classes Playlist: bit.ly/2oGuhG1
New to 5th Edition D&D? Check out this playlist - bit.ly/2pbZN1K
Castle by Dwarven Forge bit.ly/2MwH0Ld
Music by John Branch -branchoutguita...
Web DM Theme by
Kyle Newmaster - kylenewmaster.com
Motion Graphics & Logo Design by
Ryan Wieber - ryan-w.com
WebDM Fan Art by Adam Miller - www.adammillerart.net
Table by Forest and Hammer www.forestandhammer.com
5e Dungeons & Dragons is here to stay, and Web DM is here to help!!! Jim Davis & Jonathan Pruitt have been playing Dungeons & Dragons for a combined 30+ years, and on Web DM they demystify, dethrone, and defrock this Dungeon we call Dragons! Subscribe to our channel for weekly videos on 5e Classes, Monsters, DM Tips, and more! Join Pruitt & Jim as we kick down the door and talk some serious Dungeons & Dragons!
Thanks for watching! Get DUNGEON CRAFT: www.kickstarter.com/projects/dungeoncraft/dungeon-craft-build-your-own-ttrpg-battle-maps?ref=5m4cq3
GET MOAR WEB DM- Podcast, Show Audio Discord: www.patreon.com/webdm
Web DM would you guys talk about the new alien RPG at some point really interested in your guys thoughts after having played it.
Really wanted to back it but that wasnt possible as they do not send to my country (Denmark). Too bad for them - thought such limitations were a thing of the past, especially with such easily shipped products as a binder...
Matwok I’m in the same boat :-( would have been keen to grab the complete bundle as well
@@erueratait-jamieson480 wrote them on their Kickstarter and we seem to be able to get it after the Kickstarter ends. Although it sounded like the shipping most likely will be pretty steep (not sure though)
Web DM 🐉 Thank You 😊
Funny hearing you , Brings back time first played age 11 and it was only time I played and the flowing it the best ever , what’s the rules about going live stream on You Tube ?
With D & D ...... Please is there anything about this ?
I was at Church Yesterday & youth wants to help farmers kids be safe too.
It was at Pizza 🍕 night .
I don’t think D M is stressful at all I love it 🥰 lol 😂
Feel the energy of others and care about who you invited in .
What’s that purple bag for on table please?
My church night do gamers night with pizza 🍕
"D&D is a game, you are not disarming a bomb!" Put that on a shirt! Truer words have never been spoken!
But what if you are playing a campaign where you have to disarm a bomb?
you can clip a wrong wire in d&d - pruit
Loved the intro. One of the few DND channels where I don't have to skip an awkward into.
*sideeyes nerdarchy*
@@aidanmundell4501 dont forget the awkward as heck "dungeon dudes" intro
i never skip WebDMs awkward intros, theyre the best of awkward intros
@@aidanmundell4501 it needed to be said. WebDM has best intros and overall tone.
Sometimes the cringey intros are the funny
Rules as written say the DM can change the rules.
Touché
Yep!
Or even better, a DM can use RAW against other parts of RAW. E.g. using weight/carry capacity rules in place of grapple rule when pushing/dragging other creatures.
And then they wonder why their player characters stomp all over their bbg
But what is the RAI of that rule? I don't understand!
/s
The DMG straight up says on the first few pages "these rules are the base but you are free to change as you see fit "
pasha salih yep, and you should know what the rules are before you go fucking with them. Or you’re going to get players who actually read the books and nothing about your game will meet their expectations
@@IndyMotoRider Yeah, most crunchy RPG's don't have the "change the rules as much as you like" because the designers were trying to make a game that works when all the rules are in play. DnD has rule zero because AD&D 1st and 2nd editions were just just Gygax's house rules put into print because the customers kept demanding it. DnD was originally designed to be a simple loose framework to build your own game with.
Once you get to a certain level of complexity, especially rules designed to create emergent complexity, changing even simple rules can alter the entire game by breaking fundamental features. I have played and GM'ed for a long time now and the reality is most people just don't understand enough about the design and workflows of a game's mechanics to make a house rule or core ruling that doesn't break stuff. Especially in more tightly designed games like 5E.
The actual design scope for home brewing mechanics in 5E is really small when you look at how it fits together. It should day in the DMG "these rules are really tightly fitted together so if you change anything in the core it will either make a hole or distort the entire system to the point where it might fall apart". It should also say" There is really only one pillar, combat, we included the other 2 to hide the fact that this really a boardgame company with less staff assigned to this product line than are employed by your local hair salon and close to the same budget for salaries" ;-)
I believe that changing the Rules must have a clear objective, because what most people complain about is when the DM changes the rules just because they dind't understand it.
I change rules a lot, but my objective is always to make them fit my setting. Like if magic is a little different in my world the rules must match it, or if the campaing is exploration or combat heavy, it needs tweaks to better the flow of that game, otherwise it may limit it so much that playing in that world is just not possible or even fun.
Not a D&D player, but I am getting interested in it. Yet if I was DMing I would adhere by RAW, but I would tweak minor things and use homebrewed content within the context of RAW. Maybe add in a negotiate option before combating sentient NPCs.
@@zacharygadzinski3147 That's great! just be carefull not to create too many rules, because there are a lot of things that are just narrative related and don't really need rules for it, like in your negotiation example.
Too many rules and mechanics make the game feel really slow and not as fun.
@@odinforce29 I'll keep that in mind whenever I get time to look more into D&D. Right now my life is too busy. I might check it out after I get into the military since my current job doesn't offer me much free time.
Also, as someone who wants to be a video game dev this could help with game design when I eventually go to grad school. Yet I may wait for Talespire to come out before I try D&D since it's a virtual tabletop for games like D&D.
@discoandherpes l sort of just got interested recently, yet I'm not aware how negotiations would take place. Hopefully when I have more time on my hands I can look at the rules and then get a group together to play with. Right now I don't have the time to look further than RUclips videos and some info online.
A buried gem in this video is Jim's explanation of the job of a DM, "The role of the DM is to facilitate the game, to make rulings, to present situations for the players to overcome, to play the adversaries that they face, and to play the rest of the world as it reacts to the players actions." This is a great summation of the role.
To add on to this, Matt Colville says the DM's job is to create drama and conflict, and a good DM will create verisimilitude - the idea that the world is real to you which makes it real for the players.
Matt Colville is not wrong, however, a well designed game will create much of that drama for you. This is an area where 5e could use some additional rules and concrete toolkits for GMs.
@@peterwrang4344 I'm not sure that the system needs to be bogged down by more rules (doing so would be a little counterproductive to what 5e is about), but more tools to build drama and adventure would be nice. I feel like that part is a little outside of the scope of the rules books, though.
Learning to create good drama and weave it into the game you run takes years of experience and learning from people who are good at it (watching RUclips DM videos, streams, podcasts, etc.). Honestly, it would be rather difficult to boil that down into a text supplement.
@@quartino_ Having it take years to learn how to GM is not good design. There are plenty of rpg systems out there that provide excellent tools for GM to run a good game with conflict and drama, in just a few hours.
Older editions used to have tools, guidelines and even concrete models for creating OK and fully functional adventures. I would like to see some of the older, useful GM stuff make it back into the books instead of all the lackluster "tips" that are in the 5e DMG.
Before you Homebrew I suggest you do read the rules first. Then make sure you share those changes upfront. That ended a dnd campaign in one session *with family*.
Ya, communicating changes is big when changing things from RAW so that everyone is on the same page.
AMEN!
Dael and Webdm; The crossover we never knew we needed. Make a collab already!!
and they said Infinity War was the most ambitious cross-over ever...
I once saw someone online argue something along the lines of "how dare anyone think their tinkering is equal to the work of people at Wizards who are experienced and who write and playtest D&D". And, I mean, there's totally something to be said for the reach and resources to practice with such a huge sample group, but I think there's still a danger of forgetting that these are also humans who are also tinkering with a pre-existing ruleset! You nailed it when you said that those people can't make rules custom for your game.
That's Dael Kingsmill her channel Monarch's Factory has the most interesting thieves cant breakdown I've seen!
Yeah she has some great unique takes on a lot of things. She's someone who puts the magic back into D&D. The game needs more people like her, because the modern editions of D&D have become so sterile and mechanical.
@@taragnor I disagree. It's the opennes and flexibility of 5th Edition that facilitates creativity like that. It's the older editions that had a rule and mechanic for everything.
@@taragnor I have no issues with DMs doing any of the things you've mentioned. I have the 5e ToH and it does have some save or die traps, especially towards the end. On the subject of traps, one also has to consider the assumed strength of the people the builders of a tomb believed they'd have to contend with. The other point to consider is player expectations and enjoyment.
If everyone at the table understands and agrees with the stakes set in a given dungeon (or entire module) that's fine, but not every table is there for the save or die experience. I know for a fact no-one at the table I play at is and we lost a player over this very issue for something much less unavoidable than what you've said.
I've incorporated stronger elements from other versions in my own games but at the end of the day I'm there to present a story for the players to interact with, as opposed to a Saw movie.
Expectation is everything. Everyone is coming to the table with their conceptions of how the game works according to the books. This is why session 0s are crucial; not just for character creation, but for letting players know what to expect. That includes rule changes, homebrews, exclusions, etc... Gut the game as much as you want, but don't surprise your players by shattering the expectations you set.
Also don't get upset if they turn you down because they would rather play something else.
And even more also, if you feel the need to make a lot of changes try finding another game system that already does the things you want and run that instead.
The Dael encounter was the BEST!
Roll for initiative!
Advice from the PARANOIA XP handbook:
_Don't waste time looking up rules! _*_You Are Always Right._*_ Even if it turns out later you're wrong, you were right _*_at that time._*_ If you change your mind about a rules judgement later, you have become righter than ever._
@discoandherpes It is written in that way because the GM in PARANOIA is a AI that is trying to kill everyone, so it is sort of tongue in cheek.
@discoandherpes I think it fits paranoia better than DND
@@Psychodegu an insane AI that believes lots of contradictory things
@@CBGB42 it sure does.
My favorite RAW is the built-in tool for the Warforged Envoy. I have a Warforged in my pirate campaign and he transforms into a boat.
"it is okay to clip a wrong wire in D&D." Is probably the best advice I've seen for dming and a long time.
Whenever the people from the different channels I follow randomly meet in person, I feel as if my D&D worlds are colliding. Seeing Dael at the end was a real treat. Thanks for sharing that moment.
I love by one rule: RAW is LAW
Anyway that's how I got chlamydia...
At first I totally thought you had a typo, then I read the rest of it. Lmao
If someone had no experience playing D&D, then I'd recommend holding off on homebrew. WebDM is a resource I'd say to watch to prepare themselves in that situation.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with one of my first DMs, coincidentally a guy named Jim. I was struggling, I was in high school. And I wanted to make my own world, and everybody was telling me to calm the hell down. Jim said to me, "Those people, they don't get it. They think they're under some contract with TSR and Gygax. They're afraid to rip the tag off the pillow. Rip that tag off man, you'll feel a lot better if you do."
Now, I should mention my Jim looked a bit like a cross between Conan and the Dude from the Big Lebowski.
So, I say the same thing don't be afraid. Rip off that tag.
Time for a 9 person campaign including the elderly unkempt bard, an eldritch knight with liquid swords, a rogue with a spirit face and all the others
lmao
New boxed campaign "The 36 Chambers" 😱🙏
@@johnsnow9210 guaranteed hit
Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me?!
@@kylewoodward9006 toad style is immensely strong, when used properly it's almost invincible
The best Jazz players learn the original song backwards and forwards before adding improvisation. I agree full knowledge isnt needed before homebrewing but better mastery of RAW makes improvisation easier.
Truth
When talking about RAW I always think about Chesterton's Fence. Imagine you are driving down a road and you come to a fence. You're first instinct might be to just move the fence away and continue driving, but in actuality the fence was put there for a reason. Just because you don't understand what that reason is doesn't mean that the reason doesn't exist or that you are immune from the consequences of ignoring it. Same idea here, for many of the rules they are worded the way that they are for very specific reasons so as to avoid degenerate play, where some combo becomes so overpowered that anything is useless in comparison. I would urge new DMs to avoid deviating too much from RAW unless they can clearly tell themselves why they are making the change, or to at least be aware that if they are going to tweak the rules then it's possible the game might spiral out of control. Many players love that chaotic spiral, in which case go ahead and overhaul whatever you want. Just know that it's a potential outcome and be prepared to just have to revel in the insanity.
Yes! The mechanics are there for a reason. Sometimes it takes play experience or an unexpected question before the why comes apparent.
Oh I love Dael Kingsmill! I actively watch the vids from both this channel and her's. Would recommend for sure.
Rules as Written; You get to summon INFINITE 1-MINUTE NOODLES as a 2nd Level Conjuration Wizard.
Rules as Intended; You get to summon Arrows or some crap as a 2nd Level Conjuration Wizard.
The object disappears after 1 hour. You can summon and eat the noodles, but they won't keep you full.
@@Jpteryx Sounds great to me
@@Jpteryx they also wont make you fat.
Akav Akaku HP/MP restored... but you’re still hungry.
@@Jpteryx You're assuming it will even be digested :P The object disappears if it takes damage. Arguably, food takes acid damage the moment your stomach begins digesting it
I gotta gush for a bit: WebDM is easily my favorite subscription on RUclips, and Wednesday WebDM drops are at least as important as Thursday CR episodes for getting my nerd fix. I watch these vids over and over, and it's just such great content. Even videos on topics that I think won't interest me have something awesome in them. I could rave all day. Your passion for this hobby is evident, from the creative discussion, to the insight on out-of-character conflicts. Thank you, for the hard work you all do to bring this quality content to us.
Thank you so much Matthew!!!!!
I take the "new players should stick to the rules" as a way to actually understand what you are changing and why. Instead of the gut reaction "that rule doesn't make sense! I'll do this instead" that DMs just do without even trying it out, and yes they end up breaking parts of the game.
Real life examples: a DM deciding "sneak attack does not make sense, if the enemy sees you! you can only sneak attack if you're stealthed, also only on humans because logically you wouldn't know where the artery in every beast of monster is!" which translates to: Rogues suck now.
Another example: A DM that just kept taking fighter abilities away because they "didn't seem realistic".
Houserules need to be spelled out, and there should be a reasoning to it, and preferably write down: what's the original rule, WHY are you changing it, what about the original rule is so bad that you need to change it.
@Regular Slime yup yup yup
Don't go back to linear fighters and quadratic wizards.
People talk about the 20d6 max falling damage "not being realistic". None of this is realistic, but if your wizard can say the right words and jiggle his fingers just so then zero damage from falling of a cliff. Meanwhile, the tiny human fighter who just killed a huge dragon with a normal sized sword can fall off a cliff and just die.
I've had a dm who didnt know you added dex to damage to ranged weapon attacks who heavily homebrewed so ya, that is just the fastest example I can think of and things got convoluted
Yes! Had a DM refuse to do short rests and complained that the warlock never had spell slots and that eldritch blast was too strong.
@@docnevyn5814 A maximum to falling damage is realistic cos terminal velocity :P (just being a pedant because it's fun)
Yo! Thank you masters of the dungeons for all you do. The intro is soo intense. Haven't laughed that hard in a while. Thank you so much.
Glad to give you a good laugh!! Hope you like the rest of the video
Hey Jim Davis and Jonathan Pruitt: that girl at the end there expresses all of your fans feelings. Any one that follows Web DM would be astonished to meet you in person and does, in fact, think of you as legends. Thank you guys for all that you do, really.
Years of not being able to play but always looking up builds and advice etc. After two years of first time dungeon mastering my players like it better than video games, and it was 80% homebrew
Wow. Amazing. I was just answering a comment on one of my videos and my reply almost echoed your own comments! Great video! Excellent for new players and old.
Oh yay! Dael! I've just recently started watching some of her videos and she's pretty great! Definetly recommend give her a watch to anyone who hasn't!
Jim was trying not to lose it during the intro and it was fantastic.
Didnt know you guys were so approachable at events. Thats cool, like real human cool.
Absolutely! We will be at several cons towards the end of the year-- PAX Unplugged for sure. We love saying hi to people!
Dael has good videos on going more in depth in some mechanics we take for granted. Like she has a discussion on fleshing our rituals to summon familiars and her own method of travel.
Been binging this show. I'm new from Pathfinder and these have been incredibly helpful.
I would like to try pathfinder.
@@johnsnow9210 It's basically 3.75. If you know 3.5 you can play pathfinder. If you like lots of rules and systems and such, you'll like it. I like pathfinder, but man is 5e very intuitive
I have a whole list of homerules and changes which is 95% buffs or quality of life changes to classes for my players to read when it comes to making their character, like changing rangers to prepared casters and switching favored enemies on a long rest as I see them preparing themselves to fight a certain way or oiling their equipment and so forth. Trickster cleric can use its first ability on themselves and giving them the minor illusion cantrip.
I really like those examples. Always felt weird to me that rangers would specialize themselves to the exclusion of so many types of enemies
I would generally advise against tinkering with things like class balance when starting off mainly because you probably don't know what these things actually look like in play. Some abilities look better in the book then they will ever be in game, and some things that you think are underpowered may not be much of a problem when you actually get into the game. So from that side, I understand doing RAW at first, but that is more checking if something is broken before fixing it. But even for that, if you/your group already know what is broken for you, fix it.
Also, 5e is built for the game to be adjusted, homebrewed, and changed. It is not a game where one change will bring everything crashing down, that's just not the design philosophy of 5e.
I agree with your first statement and disagree with the second. I don't see very much scope for changing the finely balanced mechanics in 5E without breaking stuff. Note how they mentioned in the video how the Flanking optional rule changes all sorts of player decisions and the entire flow of combat. The rule zero philosophy is a legacy Gygax statement carried over for marketing value IMHO.
You all make me so happy - Thanks guys. Please keep up the great video. I probably look forward to new videos on this channel probably more than anything other. Just great work! Shout out to your great camera team.
Thank you so much Joshua!!!!
My games have 3 rules that I enforce with an iron fist:
1. Watch out for falling rocks
2. Don't be afraid to punch the big man in the face
3. Fireball is a good way to start a campfire
(+Z Chavez) 2 reminds me of something that happened in a tavern in a game I played.
Paladin: “I punch him in the face with thunderous smite!”
DM: “You punch him in the face and a loud thunderous boom knocks everyone else in the room on the ground.”
NPC who got punched: “Nice punch.”
The paladin to Kiri Jolith (LG deity who brings people together with combat) then instantly became great friends with the NPC who believed that a bar fight is the best way to get to know someone.
One day I wore a DnD shirt to our weekly game. I stopped to get food first and the manager at the place came over to talk to me about it. While we were talking a cashier there came over and started talking about it and started asking me questions because she wanted to start a campaign and be the DM. She kept saying that she didn't know the rules well enough to even try starting the campaign and her manager and I kept telling her that the rules are difficult abstracts until you actually start playing the game and so she should start playing the game. Part of me wishes I could have done more to help her but I hope she got into the game.
My game has a house rule that when flanking, the help action becomes a bonus action, only to aid the person you are flanking with. We did this to encourage a bit more strategy from the players and the monsters.
Great to see Dael Kingsmill at the end! She has an AMAZING channel. Thursday night the group is going to be talking about our home brewed rules vs RAW. Tensions have risen over the past few sessions due to poor communication. I will be referencing this video. Watch Dael!
MR JIM AND PRUITT IT MADE MY DAY TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT MEMORY AND ADD BECAUSE I HAVE ADHD TOO!!!!! BEING A DM WITH ADHD IS SUCH A CHALLENGE!!!!
Keep preaching guys! I completely agree: I changed the entire character creation to fit the narrative of my campaign.
Interesting. May I ask what your method is?
Thomas Eddy 4 months of work and a lot of balancing. I am planning on selling my campaign and system at a later date, but if you would like more details, contact me on Twitter @sleeplessmaster
Whenever I've spoken to early DMs about this, my opinion has been worded as, keep RAW as a base unless something doesn't make sense, and start off with small additions rather wholesale removing or replacing until you feel comfortable with it, and make sure your players know
This is an excellent discussion on how to approach rulings at the table, having a productive talk with your fellow players, and not being afraid to learn on the fly. Great video guys!
1st time play by the rules, if you think you need to 'fix' a bad rule, re-read it, it is almost certain that you are misreading it...
.. but once you have played a bit, customise, tinker, and make your own items, monsters etc... you are supposed to..
There are definitely some rules as written that can be abused. Take a Kobold and give them the magic initiate feat with summon familiar. Advantage 100% of the time you're hiding them in your cloak.
@@vxicepickxv but what is the fix without breaking legitimate play?
I got into a recent debate with my DM (not during a session) about dominate person vs dominate monster, with his contention being dominate monster doesn't affect humanoids but dominate person could affect certain fiends.
I told him what was RaW, but he as DM has the prerogative to rule a different way. I sinply let him know if he wished to rule that way to be aware that he would be weakening one higher level spell while making one significantly better. In the end, he agreed with my stance after assessing the spells but decided to limit the damage factor to being from the caster or one of their allies.
3:30 - that "advice" right there is and has since 3e actually been the exact opposite of RAW, since as per every version of the DMG (and some MM and equivalents), it explicitly tells you "these are the base stats of these monsters, add class levels and/or features as you see fit and/or to make them appropriate enemies for whatever level the game is at".
RADBDMAADWTP is my preferred mode. Rules as decided by Dungeon Master After a discussion with the players.
David Bowie candle in background. 10/10 would see again
It's an awesome candle. Will try to take a pic next shoot.
I've tinkered and made a heavy homebrew with base in the DMG, over the course of 5 years gradually. It's quite fun
Thanks for the video guys, I enjoyed listening to your thoughts , but I would throw one perspective out that didn't really come up in this video ( realizing of course that it wasn't necessarily your intent to cover this angle).
Over the past five years I've kind of shifted in some of how I utilize The Hobby. I've really tried to take a more deliberate approach to using the game as a Ministry help facilitate community and friendship to people who have a hard time getting it otherwise... As such I've actually ended up introducing the game to a lot of people who maybe haven't done any RPG before, let alone specifically D&D. I've noticed that it can be very comforting for my players to have a very defined adherents to systematic rules when I'm dealing people who either lie along the autism spectrum, or who are dealing with OCD, or even just certain personality quirks. Eventually as Trust and other things begin to grow at the table, certain things can become deviated from that ruleset, and might even help individuals learn that leaving the comfort of a highly regulated rule system can be free and is not cause for anxiety , but I have found that it's best to start with as a rigid adherence to the rules as I can generally pull off... Again this isn't every table, when I'm getting together with my close friends for a wild weekend of high adventure, tons of house rules, Homebrew, and shenanigans are of course going to come into play... So again, I don't think any of what I'm saying stands in contradiction to your observations, just saying that I think it's worth acknowledging that rules as written and adherence thereunto can actually be a very comforting, or even necessary, aspect of the game to certain people.
Hmm...maybe that's why I'm so adamant about sticking to the rules, especially if a a GREAT explanation can't be given why.
I've always been a strong believer in appreciating games as a piece of art in isolation, testing the boundaries of what's already present, and appreciating the emergent experience of play instead of insisting on my presupposed idea of what the experience should be (I don't even mod Skyrim). However, that assumes 1. a level of craftsmanship on the part of the designers that's perhaps giving them too much credit and 2. that there is an intended experience in the first place.
I was not expecting that intro. LMAO Oh, that was hysterical!
honestly the first thing i think someone should do, is mess with whatever they want to about the rules, see what breaks, see what the results are, did nothing really change when you changed a thing, did like 40 things change, it gives you a really good idea about why those rules were made the way they were
I believe in rules as guidelines
Or RAG
My first time DMing was a one off homebrew dungeon run with all new players. It was hard, but so much fun. I love homebrew
What rules did you change?
Nick Williams I didn’t change any rules per say, but it was a completely improvised dungeon all made in the moment. I didn’t prepare anything.
@@Kritical_Blink
Okay, glad it went well. Kind of different topic though.
Nick Williams yeah that’s more sandbox versus storyteller.
@@IndyMotoRider
I hope that was a joke.
Back in the day AD&D (aka 1st edition) Started by saying it was a "framework written in broad strokes" lol. We had so much fun, sure there were some rules but there was a lot of wiggle room to play as you wanted to.
Is that a mother fucking ODB reference? This is quickly becoming my favorite channel
Please, please do an episode on role playing Lizardfolk. I'm REALLY planning on doing a Lizardfolk Wizard named "Izard Gizzard the Blizzard Lizard Wizard" who has developed an unsympathetic, cold sense of ironic humor, by way of an 'Awaken' spell gone wrong.
they probably have an episode on being "that guy"
Thanks for making this. I'm Dming at Adventures League for the first time tomorrow. It's an Epic. I'm nervous. This was just the pep talk I needed.
Ah, the debate almost as old as Alignment itself. As you guys said, the real answer is finding the proper balance for all three styles (thank you for bringing forth the often overlooked third option: Rule of Cool) and not letting others tell you how to run your game.
Bringer: Pruitt has slain both Davis and I.
Stinger: "Wait that voice seems familiar... DAEL!!! :D"
That begs the question: what are your house rules?
If they're too many, then a top 10, top 5...
Thinking back on the homebrew stuff, I remember in 2nd ed, way back there was a chapter about homebrewing classes. And it pretty much flatly told you to make custom classes be bad so they wouldn't outshine the standard ones. Maybe some of the aprehention stems from more insular editions.
I use RAW but then add stuff from homebrew and RAI to enhance the experience. I don't like to take things away, especially race or class abilities, but adding certain things has proved to be good. My goal in the end is to entertain my players, and I have found that by allowing them to go beyond what is in the books, it adds to their experience.
RAW is very important in a couple of specific but pretty obvious and common cases.
First is for discussing the game with outsiders. You need to know what's in the book as distinct from what's at your table just as a way to ensure a degree of common ground. This is especially important for things like character optimization stuff online.
The second is also a matter of common ground. The Adventurer's League is meant to work such that a given character sheet works exactly the same way at each table. There a concessions to a specific and finite list of variant rules, but in the AL you are very beholden to official materials and RAW.
I have had many different experiences with many DMs and players alike, but the one thing, I insist every player or DM does, if your following RAW or homebrew, or RAI. . . You have to keep the rules consistent.
I was playing with a DM who said he had a lot of experience, don't know if this was true or not, it didn't matter, but his rules of engagement or how certain creatures, abilities worked, would changed depending on how he personally wanted them to work, as he saw fit, and he would argue every time we would point out this hypocrisy, claiming it was the rules as written, or that this is how he was running this rule.
an example is needed here. While exploring a dungeon, the party was being very careful, as we had been getting surprised attack in every single room no matter what we did. So we were peering around every corner, one time we rolled for stealth, roll for perception to try and peer around a corner, we nailed the rolls and were welcome with a fire ball, right out of no where, everyone took damage then roll for initiative. about an hour later, same thing only reverse. we nailed the rolls spotted the enemy and decided to throw a fireball at them before combat started.... He told us, we could not do this, and we had to roll initiative first. which we did, and the monsters rolled higher. so even though we snuck up on the enemy creatures, they still attacked us first.
Keep your rules the same. If you have established a way the game is to be played, do not change that without explaining them to your group well ahead of time
This was a real good video. I’m glad you both said things that needed to be said and for the most part I agree with all of the points. 5th Edition especially I feel is very modular allowing players to cut out a part or insert a part. Doing so I feel is part of the DnD experience.
All of that being said, I do feel rules are very important and that modifying the rules sort of “breaks the warranty” given to you by the designers. I feel also that rules are important because they shape the experience of play at the table. The reason you play 5th opposed to 2nd or DnD opposed to Dungeon World is because you are selecting a set of rules that will shape your group’s play experience.
I try to play as closely to the RAW as possible, though I admit to tweaking a few things just based on the tradition of my table and group. However I feel that if you begin to change a rule here or a rule there, are you truly still playing the game your group selected to play? It’s in this way that I mean you “break the warranty”. Your experience will differ from an experience of playing RAW. And the experience may be different from what was intended by the designers.
My first time GMing was after playing in a 3.5 campaign and in a Dresden Files campaign. I decided to run a game in the Pokémon Universe for like 8-9 players using a modified version of the Fate system. It was nowhere near functional, but I was able to entertain my fiends for a few months. My advice to new GMs is to try and start small. a One-shot for 3-6 players in a system you're familiar with is much better than what I did. Of course you're free to tweak rules, but they're there for a reason. Most of the time, it's to make your life easier as a GM.
I've dmed for a little over a year and I'll just say. Use the rules as a foundation, preparation and improvisation as the pillars and the goal of fun as a blue print and remember practice sets up the walls.
Pruitt with the ODB opening? God damn I love it
Guys, please do a show on Initiative alternatives and explain that idea with a bit more details! =)
Thanks for the suggestion!
That idea is literally just what they outline in the show- doing one thing? You go first. Doing two things? Go second. Work out the order as players.
Some of the various Unearthed Arcana books have had initiative variations. When I'm DM'ing, I tend to go with PCs get individual initiative based on the usual roll (D20+Dex mod+feats, if any), but enemies get clustered initiative, based on groupings that I pre-determine. Groups might be determined by type of enemy (mooks/minions vs boss), or when/where I want them to show up (surprise/ambush, "Round 3 addition", etc), or even creature type/attack type (artillery, then infantry, then cavalry). Basically it makes my job easier to resolve the monsters/enemies in batches, and allows me to adjust for maximum drama (or comedy, if that's how you roll).
Love watching your videos. Pruitt asks great questions and Jim gives great answers. Ill always sub to you guy.
And Jim you have lost some real weight! Great job!!
Thanks for being with us Jesse!
RAW can give a good agreed upon framework so players and dms are on the same page. I'm good with house rules as long as they are communicated at the start or discussed with the group rather than a GM only ruling.
RAI I lean on when RAW isn't clear.
For homebrew, it should build on the framework already existing rather than completely changing things.
I appreciate your commentary on this! I very much agree that DMs should experiment with homebrew. Hell, a large part of my income stems from my products on the DMsGuild. By that same token, I can say that, the more RPG content I write, the more appreciation I have for RAW, and understand that there are, almost always, very good reasons why things are the way they are. Speaking from experience, I promise you that your homebrews will be much better for your table if you understand the RAW first. If you do, contrary to what Jim says, you CAN tell if a homebrew is going to be good for your table before you try it. I'm not saying you have to be a master, but at least read the Dungeon Master's Guide cover to cover (DMs should do that anyways). You may actually find a rule variant you're looking for is in there! In fact, knowing the RAW can inspire you creatively, so go forth and homebrew!
This is such legitimate advice. I almost never use rules as written, XGtE is explicit in the fact that the rules are there for the DM to use or ignore as the DM sees fit. I lock in armor class and that's it for my enemies. For my bbegs I don't give them HP. They have as much HP as the story, in the moment, demands.
Love this take on rules in 5e. Also, much love for Dael Kingsmill. She has some seriously cool content on her channel.
Agreed!
I think the only "rule " you should understand is the core mechanic (d20+modifier vs AC/DC)
Best video, for our hobby, I've seen in a while.
Web DM & Killa bees on the swarm!
Best intro yet,..
"on the high seas, or in hell"
Sounds like a typical D&D adventure to me!
Great 'Vidi' guys but I thought you would touch on all of the Variant Rule Sections as a whole. Flanking, Facing, Mixing Potions, Madness, Proficiency Dice etc. These are all Variant & Optional Rules that are found within all the various books. None the less they are all Official Rules that could be toggled on or off. This can vastly effect the game experience AND STILL be within "the box" of Official Rules and Rules as Written.
Long time player, currently DMing my 2nd ever campaign: I do not know all the rules and am running a very "seat of pants" and "rule of cool". It's completely murderhobo fun, but it is exactly what they are in the mood for. Rules are just a help to interpret how things CAN be done. Not how they always have to be done. Everyone is having fun, so that's what is important.
That end bit is amazing to hear! Dael Kingsmill is awesome, and I also have ADD.
Immediately smashed my like for that odb reference
Dael! Always fun to see DnDtubers cross over!
We love Monarchsfactory!
I found great joy in reading the rules
I generally run the game RAW because it's the simplest and easiest way to ensure fairness for everyone involved. There's a single, objective source we can all consult when there's a rules question or we want to resolve something, even if we make a ruling in the moment and want to apply the official rule in the future. No favoritism, no controversy, just a simple, practical solution.
Pruitt, you nearly slayed Jim in the intro. I thought that man would explode.
I love Dael's channel!
So do we!
Magic is supposed to be this mystical thing - something I've been thinking about playing with is if RAW makes it sound like a spell could theroetically do something you roll an arcana check to see how well you can shape the spell to do *that* thing instead of what it normally does - if it's something like trying to use a fire spell to burn something the DC might be 5 - if the spell specifically says that it can't burn items maybe now it's a 25 (it's still a FIRE spell - if you REALLY try and know what your doing it's still a fire that might be able to at least catch something) this prevents a bit of 'well you said this spell could do this earlier...' or potentially worse 'well you said this spell COULDN'T do this earlier' which makes since but if you want to reward ingenuity I think the best solution is 'hey - that makes a lot of since - but you have this really easy check to make' or 'that ... is almost completely impossible with the spell but if you are that good with it...'
I come from late 1e to early 2e era originally. There are rules in 5e that are, even after all these years, strange to me. There are some things that I just change. Mind you I don't go back to thac0 but I've been tempted once or twice.
There are rules that are very compatible between a lot of the different versions that I like for immersion into the world.
If I'm running a campaign I make sure that these rules are generally well known before we start. I have yet to have any complaints but I'm sure there's always a first.
The key is that I'm consistent.
My advice is similar to the start but I go about it a different way. Just keep it simple. I recommend either the starter set or the essentials set as they have simplified rules. If you want to just jump in you should read the PHB and the DMG through at least once. You should have a basic understanding of how the game is played before trying to run it. When you sit down and run your first games just play, when a issue comes up just make a quick choice and go with it. Maybe make a note about it but keep the game moving. Once the session is over look it up take a note of how the book says it should be done and decide what you like better. Unless I am referencing a stat block or the situation depends on how exactly something is worded I try not to look things up at the table.
Homebrewing for a new DM I would still advise against. Play a few sessions first and if you would like to change something try it but get a few games under your belt.
Premade adventures are nice but some people just can't run games that way. If you think it would help to have some stuff prebuilt and battle tested go ahead if you like it but want to run your own stories you can use these as reference for how to structure yours. I just can't run my games that way I run my games off the top of my head and for some people that would never work. Try things out see what works for you and what does not.
I'd never heard of the song you were talking about in the intro but I'm laughing like a maniac rn hahaha. I love this channel; one surprise after another.
Thanks for giving notice of Dael Kingsmill of "MonarchsFactory" channel! For new people, besides gaming & addenda, she also does funny and "commentary" retellings of classic mythologies, general world development, and they did their own year-long web-series called "Wolfgang" about what happens when people (okay, werewolves) have to bunker up in close quarters every month for security.
As for "by the book" GM'ing, I've played with many groups since the 1970's, and I've never seen it. I've heard of it for public events where there's just no time to explain & develop house rules for a weekend one-shot at a convention or something like that, but never in a home game. Everyone comes up with their own twists and ideas on how to make it work better for them, which is part of what makes each GM & each campaign special.
I liked your example of flanking, which seemed OP in game experience. Truth is, it should feel like that. Have you ever flanked someone or been flanked in real life? It fucking sucks you're screwed by the obvious. It's why my monsters try to hug to a wall, or a boulder or tree, and my players learn to do the same. Hard cover is life to any degree you can find it!
No amount of "rule balance" can overcome playing with basic sense and tactics. You can't save the idiots from themselves with a book. You would have to do what all the big RUclips DM's seem to do: just cheat to keep them alive. Clueless theater majors would wipe their party every session if they had honest fights in an honest world.
Anyway, I've always told my prospective players: "This campaign is BASED ON [xyz-whatever system], so that's the feel we're going for, so if you're familiar with that it may help at first. In the long run, it will be what we make it." That works great for taking the pressure and the lawyering out of the whole thing, and people can just play.
yay Dael!!! she's such a good story teller. love her myth/faerie videos and dnd videos have been good too. hope you guys can do something together one day
also, great video :) agree with RAW as a starting point, but to be careful with changes as they can have big unseen consequences to game play choices. in my experience, making class features useless
A wild Dael! Very cool!
Freewheeling is great and all but don't forget that rules are not just there to help the DM. Players make decisions based on how they expect the rules work. Occasionally you have this one player with a Phd. in 5e D&D rules and your take on how the game should work is going to confuse the hell out of him.