Is it reasonable to ask the DM what the reach is for a creature you're fighting, if it hasn't attacked you? What about if it has attacked you, but only from 5'? Mostly wondering whether you can "plan" your move to avoid OAs, without knowing beforehand your enemy's reach.
Like any other monster statistic, I think in many cases it should be possible for players to get an accurate estimate, but there could be cases where the monster's appearance is deceiving. I can't think of any official monsters off the top of my head that could have deceptive reach, but suppose I homebrewed an ooze that attacks by protruding part of its body into a sharp spike up to 15 feet. As DM I wouldn't volunteer that information to the players unless one of them has a reason to know about this monster.
Still, in most cases I have no problem telling players something like "it's a large creature, looks like it could reach up to 10 feet with its tail."
I'm with InquisitiveCoder. These things are often based on the description - the character can judge the height of that ogre and its club and figure out a relative distance of safety, usually, but stranger monsters the characters have never met before may hide surprises.
Depending on the game style (narrative, strategic, etc), the DM may answer such questions directly, or not at all (opting for a description), or perhaps ask for a roll.
As for my favorite monster in the "deceptive reach" category? The Roper. Come on, look at it. How long do you think those tendrils are? :p
Is it reasonable to ask the DM what the reach is for a creature you're fighting, if it hasn't attacked you? What about if it has attacked you, but only from 5'? Mostly wondering whether you can "plan" your move to avoid OAs, without knowing beforehand your enemy's reach.
Like any other monster statistic, I think in many cases it should be possible for players to get an accurate estimate, but there could be cases where the monster's appearance is deceiving. I can't think of any official monsters off the top of my head that could have deceptive reach, but suppose I homebrewed an ooze that attacks by protruding part of its body into a sharp spike up to 15 feet. As DM I wouldn't volunteer that information to the players unless one of them has a reason to know about this monster.
Still, in most cases I have no problem telling players something like "it's a large creature, looks like it could reach up to 10 feet with its tail."
The Forum Infestation (TM)
I'm with InquisitiveCoder. These things are often based on the description - the character can judge the height of that ogre and its club and figure out a relative distance of safety, usually, but stranger monsters the characters have never met before may hide surprises.
Depending on the game style (narrative, strategic, etc), the DM may answer such questions directly, or not at all (opting for a description), or perhaps ask for a roll.
As for my favorite monster in the "deceptive reach" category? The Roper. Come on, look at it. How long do you think those tendrils are? :p
Thanks!