D&D (2024) Rules that annoy you

[Li Shenron]

What rules annoy you (either mechanically or conceptually)? What, if anything, do you like to do about them?

Interestingly, or not, I think the small bunch of rules in 5e which annoy me all do so at a gamist level, while no rule annoys me because of lack of realism.

1) Guidance cantrip originally annoyed me because it could be used over and over, not only because it meant too good compared to other cantrips but also because it would be really annoying to hear it cast every single time a PC is trying to do something, especially if you want to run adventures with lots of exploration and want dice resolution for them often. I learned to keep Guidance under check in a variety of ways, first of all not relying on checks too often (make player's ideas count more and often grant automatic success, or grant no check at all if they don't have any idea), and then also not allowing Guidance on longer tasks including lore checks.

2) Druid armor/shield restrictions bothered me because it is the only relic of past editions on ethical-based restrictions. 5e Paladins can be evil without losing powers, for example. A game with many characters being restricted by ethics is OK, a game without restriction is also OK, but a game where one single class has such restriction is not OK. However, because there is absolutely no penalty for failure defined, I just decided that nothing at all happens if a Druid PC chooses otherwise.

3) Multiclassing ability score requirements because they serve no good practical purpose 99% of the times, and serve an actual bad purpose 1% of the times to block players to have characters that are a bit less mainstream therefore slightly more interesting. I didn't do anything about this rule because none of my 5e players has ever been interested in multiclassing.

4) Passive perception is potentially the most annoying rule if enforced as in the DMG explanation about how to manage hidden doors and objects, because it totally removes randomness. If I want to remove randomness and have the PCs automatically find something hidden, then I don't even need this rule. But if I want the dice to decide at least sometimes whether something is found or not, this rule gets in the way. I generally just ignore all the DMG cr4p and use passive perception only when I say so, which is usually only in opposed checks but not against static DCs.

 

[pukunui]

Another fail is that Warlocks now canonically have no idea who their patron is before level 3. Warlock coming in with built-in excuse to include powerful NPC they are tied to, but who may have their own agenda, was a big selling point of the class for me as a DM. Now it just makes me ban Warlocks for games that don't start at third level due to how much of a flavor fail this is.

That’s just fluff that you can easily ignore without having to ban anything! I liked how the designers described levels 1 and 2 for the warlock as being a “try before you buy” type of thing.

It’s no more nonsensical than paladins who don’t swear an oath until 3rd level, druids who aren’t sworn into a circle until 3rd level, bards who don’t join a college until 3rd level, and so on.

 

[KYRON45]

What's even dumber is when a character drops and another player says I'll give them a healing potion. I'm not a doctor but I don't think its physically possible to swallow and drink while unconscious. I seem to recall a Sage Advice entry in Dragon Magazine where someone asked that question and Skip Williams, I believe it was, said that a character has to be conscious and able to drink to benefit from a healing potion.

Isn't it also not physically possible to drink a magic potion and come back to life?
Giant flying lizards who breath (insert breath weapon of choice), brain eating extra dimensional beings and vampires are all ok, but were drawing the line on the physics of magic potions?

 

[Nijay]

I am constantly irked by hand slot rules. Like a Cleric not being able to hold a holy symbol in the same hand as a shield or otherwise wear it. And the clumsy procedure to swap a weapon, though this seems improved in 5.24.

 

[Nefermandias]

Reloading a heavy crossbow within six seconds and without the help of a windlass, cranekin or at the very least a goatsfoot lever is beyond ridiculous.

Thieve's Fast Hands makes zero sense.

Spell focuses and component pouches greatly trivializes the need for spell components to the point where they should already just make up their mind and remove the need altogether.

Cantrips in general, especially utility ones should just go away.

Rituals should not be a thing.

 

[Shardstone]

Weeps in Fighter.

It's not a fair world, but it is a flashy one.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

That’s just fluff that you can easily ignore without having to ban anything! I liked how the designers described levels 1 and 2 for the warlock as being a “try before you buy” type of thing.

It’s no more nonsensical than paladins who don’t swear an oath until 3rd level, druids who aren’t sworn into a circle until 3rd level, bards who don’t join a college until 3rd level, and so on.

Warlock's relationship with their patron is such a key roleplaying component it's stupid to push it away and spend two levels pretending you have no idea who your patron is. I can actually see reasons why Paladin, Druid or Bard need to prove themselves before being accepted to a group within their class' society in-universe. But Patrons now hiding from their Warlocks for two levels is just weird.

Spell focuses and component pouches greatly trivializes the need for spell components to the point where they should already just make up their mind and remove the need altogether.

Cantrips in general, especially utility ones should just go away.

Rituals should not be a thing.

Well, these all run into flavor fails. We have cantrips because it made no sense an archmage would just...forget how to cast most basic spell after too many daily uses. Rituals we have because utility spells were eating intoother s-pells so much people found them a chore and hampering the fun of playing a character the same way being forced to take a Cleric or Paladin has. Spell Components were always part of busywork that people ignored and prove Gary Gygax had no idea how people wanted to play his own game.

 

[aco175]

All the kids these days are pouring the potions under their tongue to make them absorb faster.

 

[Corinnguard]

Shouting at them to not die?

I am not sure if this is correct, but didn't the Hulk in the first Avengers movie roar Iron Man back to life?

Giant Strength too; which should be a can of spinach

Does this mean that a Potion of Haste could be any caffeinated beverage? If so, I would like to have my Ranger bring that glowing green potion he calls a Mountain Dew.

 

[R_J_K75]

Isn't it also not physically possible to drink a magic potion and come back to life?
Giant flying lizards who breath (insert breath weapon of choice), brain eating extra dimensional beings and vampires are all ok, but were drawing the line on the physics of magic potions?

No, I'm drawing the line at the physiology of the human body. Even though there is magic and magical creatures as far as I'm concerned, the game has to be grounded in some things that are known in our real world. That's why there are rules for drowning, eating and drinking requirements, freezing to death, etc.