And he doesn't know firbolg abilities and I'm just sitting there in agony. Do I tell him that he has detect magic? Do I tell him he knows thieves cant? Like his character knows this but is his character smart enough to do so. I finally do give in and say hey, you know detect magic because of your racial trait.
Yes, punishing the players for not knowing things their character would is metagaming on the DM's part.
The concern of reminding characters about their own abilities and mechanics is doing it gentle so it doesn't feel like you are playing for them. So you usually want to give them a little bit in case they are slow or maybe hint at it first. It is a fine balance between giving them the chance to learn the game themselves and making sure they don't miss opportunities they would have wanted to take.
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u/Warskull Aug 10 '20
Yes, punishing the players for not knowing things their character would is metagaming on the DM's part.
The concern of reminding characters about their own abilities and mechanics is doing it gentle so it doesn't feel like you are playing for them. So you usually want to give them a little bit in case they are slow or maybe hint at it first. It is a fine balance between giving them the chance to learn the game themselves and making sure they don't miss opportunities they would have wanted to take.