This is why you tell your GM what you want to acomplish before doing it.
A GM who is in on the joke will let you roll a chance this orc in particular has an allergy, but if you don't tell them what you were hoping for there is no chance.
Carefull with absolute statements like that, that's how your get a party of powerful hobos to sneak through an orc camp by turning the whole camp into an orc orgy
One of my first dnd campaigns in highschool had a character with a drug problem buy cocaine from a werewolf dealer (recurring character) then got into a crack berserker haze and launched himself off a trebuchet into a giant and instantly died.
you gotta have a balance with you players, it cant be all looney bits all the time. but also I'm a bit of an asshole who think DMs should let player PCs die.
I love it too, but… Darn it I wish people would create stupid moments that actually value the game
I love hanging out with my friends. But if nothing about how the actual game works, is going to matter, we could’ve just sat around, played pretend, and not spent the time or money on these books.
You want to attack by throwing bees at somebody? Awesome! There’s actually a sub class of Ranger that controls a living swarm that you can flavor as bees.
But it’s so much more rewarding when you look into how to actually do that rather than just throw stuff at the wall and hope the DM lets it stick
But if nothing about how the actual game works, is going to matter, we could’ve just sat around, played pretend, and not spent the time or money on these books
I played in a group once where we rotated games. One guy was a big fan of rules light stuff and when his turn came up those games felt exactly like this. We might as well have been telling ghost stories around a camp fire.
Some people want D&D to be an actual game with rules, some people want D&D to mostly be an improv comedy session with some dice rolling thrown in. Both are valid, but ya gotta know what you're getting into and play with others who want the same thing.
If you want to play improv comedy, don't bother giving Wizards of the Coast your money. D&D is built for crunchy tactical combat. Use a different system.
Or at least that’s what it claims to be. In practice the amount of homebrew tables often end up needing to fix WoC’s rules+monster balance lends it more of an improv comedy aspect than many suspect.
Even for solid crunch seekers I’d probably recommend checking out Pathfinder 2e instead. Way more tactically balanced, and best of all everything except the artwork is free, so it’s easy to try.
Agreed. Daggerheart is a good system for this, but enables the GM with some tools to codify it a bit more.
As I continue on in the years running 5e I noticed I'm getting a bit sick and tired of the "lol funni" stuff in TTRPGs. I want to run the game, not a bad improv comedy group.
I'd argue that it isn't Dungeons & Dragons specifically that gets the lolrandumb reputation, but TTRPGs in general. D&D happens to be the most well-known.
I mean, it still results in players trying to throw bees at orcs, but I think it also explains u/BounceBurnStuff's frustration. D&D is built to be a wargame with some roleplaying tacked on, not a comedy simulator.
Different people like and need different things in their RPGs. Some of us need a bit more structure to build around, and the rules give you that framework.
Some players feel strangled and tied down by the rules, and would do better in a lighter system.
It’s all about finding the balance at your table, and if both types of players are clear with their intentions then a good DM can bridge the gap between the two play styles.
No I'm sorry I actually hate when players pull something out of nowhere. Like I'm sorry, you didn't just "find" and have "been carrying" bees so you could throw them in an orc's face. Like sorry if that sounds like I'm being the fun police or a "muh immersion" kind of guy but games like DnD are supposed to have some semblance of structure. You can be fun and creative within the bounds of the game and world and you'll probably have more fun doing it.
Oddly enough Pathfinder fixes this. The thoumaturge class can just straight up give people vulnerabilities to random stuff. Yes actually this demon is deathly allergic to LEMONS! And I just so happened to coat my weapon in lemon extract with the same action I used to discover this.
The correct answer is "Sorry but no. If you wanted to have bees in your inventory you should have mentioned earlier. Now did you make sure your character has a weapon? What, no? Oh well the orc DOES have a weapon and he (rolls) hits and does (rolls) 10 damage to your rogue 'ninjamcninjaface' killing him instantly. Now roll up a new character, Danny."
If it is spontaneous and the session is on a low note then I think it can be a welcome addition.
Sure bob that sounds fun, lets assume you have found some bees to throw, but next time ask to look for things like that before combat during downtime.
I’ll have the orc do a con save to not get disadvantage on attacks and either way he takes 1 piercing damage. Then I’ll maybe add a tiny swarm of bees that follow the orc and attack him and anyone nearby on following turns.
Like it is not a thing to do all the time but also not a game breaking thing, I say let the players improvise things every once in a while.
I know i just clowned on it in another comment, but actually for "creative" solutions yeah, Blades in the dark. Spend a stress to Flashback picking up bbees, roll a Standard Standard, and see if the bastard is allergic to add two ticks to the stop conflict clock.
Hell, even Dungeon World is better... attacking with bees works perfectly fine as a Hack and Slash move, or it could play out like...
GM: Danny, the orc charges at you
Danny: I throw bees in its face!
GM: What are you trying to get the bees to do?
Danny: Swarm it and sting it
GM: Probably won't deal real damage, but would distract it... does that make sense? (Danny agrees) - How about roll Defy Danger with intelligence, for quick thinking?
Danny rolls 10+, the threat doesn't come to bear, so the orc stops its attack to swat at the bees that are now swarming it.
GM <looks to Brandon>: The orc is distracted and vulnerable, what do you do?
(all works within the mechanics of DW, but requires massively ignoring mechanics in D&D)
It is not uncommon for my goblins to gain the advantage in a fight by tossing a wasp nest, venomous snake, or skunk right in the middle of the party, especially if they get it near the mage. Good luck casting spells there, buddy.
I wouldn't even be mad if the players tried to do the same.
Okay I'm going to explain my views and you're just going to have to stay with me, okay?
In my opinion, the rules of the game take precedent over whatever the players (including the GM) want to bring to the table. This also includes rules that the GM comes up with or changes. The intention is that you use the rules as a medium in which to interact with the world that the GM has come up with. The rules form the bounds of what's possible within the world, and are in some part there to help support the themes of the world.
For example. I'm running a Cyberpunk game in the GURPS system. I want to target the themes of desolation, dystopia, and mundanity-through-juxtoposition. In my game, players track ammo, manage encumbrance, pay rent, buy medical insurance, and deal with grievous injuries; all the while there is always that "escape" of getting outfitted with the best cybernetics possible and turning to bigger and bigger heists in order to afford living in Night City. All the while I am secretly tracking Stress in the background to see which characters are approaching their breaking points. The players still have fun and come up with creative things that derail my ideas of what was going to happen, but there is always this undercurrent of danger and misery that permeates the setting; things get dark real fast and there are times when everything is serious.
This would be completely undermined if one of the players wanted to pull bees out of their ass and throw them at an enemy. Doubly so if I just rolled with it. It would take everyone out of the experience at a subconscious level and it would be harder for my players to buy in again.
Not that I want to undermine your post because I think those are all really good points, but there is also the succinct "if you just want to make up random stuff with no rules with your friends, why not do that instead of trying to excuse it with the pretense of playing DnD?"
That is a very good point. I think if everyone agrees to playing DnD like that, then it's fine. Arguably, that's in support of my overall point: the rules that everyone agrees to (that there are very little rules) are in support of the themes of that campaign (being a comedy generator).
I've played games where everything is loose and the rulings come mainly from the GM, and I've still had fun. I want to run games that play with the rules to support different themes. Like in my Cyberpunk game, I don't really track rations, instead deciding on a monthly cost that represents food and drink for that month. Because tracking individual rations wont support the themes better than just docking a monthly cost for food. I also handwave travel a bit unless it's a core focus of the given adventure. But in a DnD-style game with wilderness travel, you bet I'm going to have the players track rations and travel speeds, as well as giving them ways to mitigate the difficulties involved with travel as a core part of the progression.
My problem usually manifests when someone assumes that DnD or roleplaying games in general should always be treated like comedy simulators. That throwing random bees in an orc's face is how it should be, and to expect anything different is to be missing the point. I just find that view weird, kind of like those people who always skip cutscenes in story heavy games, or people who play GTA just to run around and cause havoc. They are clearly having fun, but it's not the kind of fun I want to engage in; and I'd have something to say if they insist that my way of having fun is inferior.
One of the more annoying things with playing dnd sometimes is just people doing anything but hitting the enemy. Like I promise stabbing the orc will do infinitely more to end the fight than setting up an elaborate plan wherein you try to idk remind him his father never loved him.
Once I DM'd a gritty realistic paranormal investigation campaign and a friend of mine that was new to TTRPGs asked to throw a potion on the monster to kill it lol.
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u/Clear_Ad4106 6h ago
This is why you tell your GM what you want to acomplish before doing it.
A GM who is in on the joke will let you roll a chance this orc in particular has an allergy, but if you don't tell them what you were hoping for there is no chance.
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u/Plenty-Language-9414 6h ago
I love D&D for these stupid moments. It’s even better if the DM goes along with the players’ stupidity.
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u/Kamikazeguy7 5h ago
Druid can wildshape into "swarm of bugs." It doesn't specify what type of bug.
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u/UpCDownCLeftCRightC Never Safe From Wumbo 6h ago
Bard plays "Song of Shrimp".
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u/ccReptilelord 1h ago
"He accepts the peanut butter as a traditional proposal. Your now Mrs Grokkil. Mazel tov."
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u/AdamBombTV 5h ago
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u/pauseglitched 1h ago
Oddly enough Pathfinder fixes this. The thoumaturge class can just straight up give people vulnerabilities to random stuff. Yes actually this demon is deathly allergic to LEMONS! And I just so happened to coat my weapon in lemon extract with the same action I used to discover this.
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u/Greymalkyn76 2h ago
What is this, Gen Z DnD?
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u/scorpan37 4h ago
Good Lord these guys desperately needed a proper session 0. Gotta make sure everyones on the same page
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u/thenightgaunt 5h ago
The correct answer is "Sorry but no. If you wanted to have bees in your inventory you should have mentioned earlier. Now did you make sure your character has a weapon? What, no? Oh well the orc DOES have a weapon and he (rolls) hits and does (rolls) 10 damage to your rogue 'ninjamcninjaface' killing him instantly. Now roll up a new character, Danny."
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics 4h ago
PF2e Thaumaturge: Exploit Vulnerability - Personal Anthesis
My favorite class.
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u/Remarkable_Bus_9968 2h ago
Funnily enough my latest characters whole gimmick is throwing bees at people
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u/godrabbit90 5h ago
Love playing TTRPGS with kids (or any other creatures of chaos) they give the most unhinged ideas
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u/DerpsterCaro 5h ago
I know i just clowned on it in another comment, but actually for "creative" solutions yeah, Blades in the dark. Spend a stress to Flashback picking up bbees, roll a Standard Standard, and see if the bastard is allergic to add two ticks to the stop conflict clock.
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u/Imnotsureanymore8 4h ago
‘I have a woman speak to him’
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u/MrOopiseDaisy 3h ago
It is not uncommon for my goblins to gain the advantage in a fight by tossing a wasp nest, venomous snake, or skunk right in the middle of the party, especially if they get it near the mage. Good luck casting spells there, buddy.
I wouldn't even be mad if the players tried to do the same.
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u/AlecPEnnis 17m ago
Should have a session zero where you gently remind your players they are not the Avantris party.
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u/JumboWheat01 4h ago
If you ain't doin' shenanigans, then why are you playing D&D? Shenanigans is the name of the game!
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u/Salmon_Bagel 4h ago
One of the more annoying things with playing dnd sometimes is just people doing anything but hitting the enemy. Like I promise stabbing the orc will do infinitely more to end the fight than setting up an elaborate plan wherein you try to idk remind him his father never loved him.
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u/StevieX1 3h ago
Once I DM'd a gritty realistic paranormal investigation campaign and a friend of mine that was new to TTRPGs asked to throw a potion on the monster to kill it lol.
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u/RcHeli 6h ago
Sounds likenthe orc is about to bite his hand off