I have this player who takes a sentence and tries to twist it to his benefit and argues about it. What to do?
So here is his argument. In Monsters of the Multiverse he chose the race of Shadar-Kai. After your trance you gain 2 proficiencies that you don't have, each one with a weapon and a tool of your choice.
Well he thinks it's 2 proficiencies in anything, like slight of hand or stealth. But I keep telling him it's a weapon and/or a tool. He continues to want to argue.
Am I right or am I wrong in the reading of the RAW? Please let me know what to do!!!!
"I find it to mean the proficiencies must be a weapon or tool. This will be the rule for the campaign. If you cannot accept that, you may change character or leave."
And you're done.
It doesn't matter in the slightest what it says in the book. The DM has the final say and may remove, change or add rules as they see fit. The books aren't true rules - they're guidelines. The actual rules are whatever the DM wants them to be.
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It's more awkwardly phrased than it ought to be. For some reason, TTRPGs seem to go out of their way at times to make things less clear than they have to be. I'd say you're correct, but I'd have phrased is as "you gain one weapon proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice from the PHB, which you can change after each time you complete four hours in a Trance", or something similar.
If they're refusing to accept your ruling...options are limited. The axiom the rules are built on are that they're mutually accepted and that both DM and player can mutually agree on how to interpret them. If they don't agree with you, you're choices are to ask them to take it as DM fiat, let them get on with it using their interpretation or to give them the boot. If you can persuade them that you're correct, that's brill, otherwise it'll come down to one conceding (perhaps against their own judgement) or not playing.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I'm honestly curious to hear what he thinks the second part of the sentence means because I see no way to understand this feature as other than "Choose a weapon/tool from the PHB"
you right by RAW imo, and even if you aren't you have DM position to have game played through your lense of rule interpritation. Meanwhile player who want contradict dm from the start to gain advantage is kind of giving red flag already
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I have this player who takes a sentence and tries to twist it to his benefit and argues about it. What to do?
So here is his argument. In Monsters of the Multiverse he chose the race of Shadar-Kai. After your trance you gain 2 proficiencies that you don't have, each one with a weapon and a tool of your choice.
Well he thinks it's 2 proficiencies in anything, like slight of hand or stealth. But I keep telling him it's a weapon and/or a tool. He continues to want to argue.
Am I right or am I wrong in the reading of the RAW? Please let me know what to do!!!!
I assume you're the DM?
The answer is easy then.
"I find it to mean the proficiencies must be a weapon or tool. This will be the rule for the campaign. If you cannot accept that, you may change character or leave."
And you're done.
It doesn't matter in the slightest what it says in the book. The DM has the final say and may remove, change or add rules as they see fit. The books aren't true rules - they're guidelines. The actual rules are whatever the DM wants them to be.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
It's more awkwardly phrased than it ought to be. For some reason, TTRPGs seem to go out of their way at times to make things less clear than they have to be. I'd say you're correct, but I'd have phrased is as "you gain one weapon proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice from the PHB, which you can change after each time you complete four hours in a Trance", or something similar.
If they're refusing to accept your ruling...options are limited. The axiom the rules are built on are that they're mutually accepted and that both DM and player can mutually agree on how to interpret them. If they don't agree with you, you're choices are to ask them to take it as DM fiat, let them get on with it using their interpretation or to give them the boot. If you can persuade them that you're correct, that's brill, otherwise it'll come down to one conceding (perhaps against their own judgement) or not playing.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Thank you Linklite and Cyb3rM1nd! This was helpful
I'm honestly curious to hear what he thinks the second part of the sentence means because I see no way to understand this feature as other than "Choose a weapon/tool from the PHB"
you right by RAW imo, and even if you aren't you have DM position to have game played through your lense of rule interpritation. Meanwhile player who want contradict dm from the start to gain advantage is kind of giving red flag already