I totally agree with BurgerBeast re: "Couldn't care less".

I disagree with everything other point he's trying to make in this thread.

Quote Originally Posted by BurgerBeast View Post
Except that D&D is not that type of game, and the rules traditionally go to pains to explain that. It is a part of the design intent of D&D that the players will try to have their characters do things that are not covered in the rules and that the DM will improvise. This is very different from other games, such as board games, where the assumption is the exact opposite.
There are things that are covered by the rules, and things that are not covered by the rules.

Although it is true that a defining feature of RPGs in general is that players can do things not covered by the rules and the DM will improvise, is is dishonest to say that the DM is expected to 'improvise' when the players are doing something covered by the rules! The DM is expected to follow the rules in those cases where the situation does have rules which cover it. Like, y'know, 'attacks'.

For the things that the rules do not cover, improvise away. The humble platypus is not covered by the rules, so improvise. It's not a challenge to realise that the game would treat it as a creature.

But for the things that the game rules definitely do cover, USE THOSE RULES! It's dishonest to pretend that the game expects DMs to improvise how to resolve an action when they took the trouble to write a rule for it.

In those parts of the rules, where the rules do cover the situation, the game is prescriptive. Combat is the most defined part of the game! Combat rounds, initiative, attacks, spells, actions, bonus actions, ALL of these things are prescriptive. You CANNOT do something, unless the rules say you can.

It is utterly dishonest to represent the 5E rules as if they expect you to understand that when they define something, they don't really mean it! When the rules say, for example, "As an action....", your response of, "Well, it never says that I can't do that as a bonus action! It is 'silent' on the subject, so the rules allow me to do that thing any way I want: action, bonus action, free object interaction! So I'll cast that fireball as a FREE action thank you very much, and the rules NEVER say that I can't!"

That is your argument for, "Well, it says what 'attacks' are, but it does not say what 'attacks' aren't, therefore I can totally say that anything I fancy counts as an 'attack'!"