TET: A fish called Wanda, a sheep called Violet

[Ethel mermania]

The magic makes perfect sense. The sprite has an inate ability, much like a red dragon has an inate ability to resist fire spells. Sprites have the ability to discern the soul.

The book says that they discern it via heartbeat. I would have accepted a plain "soul-seeing" ability, but they gave it the flavor of hearing heartbeat, which ruins my suspension of disbelief.

That's ridiculous. The animals magical abilities can be based on anything, it's magic. You certainly can dm any way you want. But there is nothing wrong with how they designed the magic system.

[Luziyca]

Fuck it. Am gonna take summer classes. Because why not.

[Aromanticism]

The magic makes perfect sense. The sprite has an inate ability, much like a red dragon has an inate ability to resist fire spells. Sprites have the ability to discern the soul.

The book says that they discern it via heartbeat. I would have accepted a plain "soul-seeing" ability, but they gave it the flavor of hearing heartbeat, which ruins my suspension of disbelief.

It's not like you can literally change the canon...

[Auremena]

Fuck it. Am gonna take summer classes. Because why not.

I might. Possibly art history, so I don't have to take them as foundation classes.

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

The book says that they discern it via heartbeat. I would have accepted a plain "soul-seeing" ability, but they gave it the flavor of hearing heartbeat, which ruins my suspension of disbelief.

That's ridiculous. The animals magical abilities can be based on anything, it's magic. You certainly can dm any way you want. But there is nothing wrong with how they designed the magic system.

What bothers me is how it implies

the speed and rhythm of a heartbeat = a person's objective moral classification.

It's bafflingly stupid.

[Erinkita III]

The book says that they discern it via heartbeat. I would have accepted a plain "soul-seeing" ability, but they gave it the flavor of hearing heartbeat, which ruins my suspension of disbelief.

It's not like you can literally change the canon...

As far as any given game goes, the canon is what the DM says it is.

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

The book says that they discern it via heartbeat. I would have accepted a plain "soul-seeing" ability, but they gave it the flavor of hearing heartbeat, which ruins my suspension of disbelief.

It's not like you can literally change the canon...

Well, D&D technically has no definitive "canon" and the rules set forth are technically suggestions. This is because of Rule #0:

The Dungeon Master has the final say in matters of rules and worldbuilding.

[Erinkita III]

Fuck it. Am gonna take summer classes. Because why not.

Whatcha gonna study?

[Ethel mermania]

It's not like you can literally change the canon...

As far as any given game goes, the canon is what the DM says it is.

Only as far as the specific dm's universe is concerned. A dm is under no obligation to accept players, items and attributes from another dm' s game.

[Erinkita III]

As far as any given game goes, the canon is what the DM says it is.

Only as far as the specific dm's universe is concerned. A dm is under no obligation to accept players, items and attributes from another dm' s game.

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

Only as far as the specific dm's universe is concerned. A dm is under no obligation to accept players, items and attributes from another dm' s game.

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

That's correct. I was merely expressing mild frustration about how mindbogglingly idiotic the "default" portrayal of Sprites in the 5e Monster Manual is.

[New haven america]

Fuck it. Am gonna take summer classes. Because why not.

I might have to, if my grants force me to take summer classes.

[Erinkita III]

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

That's correct. I was merely expressing mild frustration about how mindbogglingly idiotic the "default" portrayal of Sprites in the 5e Monster Manual is.

Have you ever played Mutants & Masterminds? It's a great system both as a player and GM.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

No, Prestidigitation is magic. A potion of healing is magic. A heart is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body. How the flying [EXPLETIVE] would an organ that pumps blood tell your entire (objective, mind you) moral classification?!?

I mean, the way I see it is kind of how a polygraph works. By using ECG a polygraph can tell you whether or not a person's lying.

Of course you can beat a polygraph test, but in D&D you also have to make skill and ability checks, and the DM usually can assign ability checks to abilities that by default don't have any, so it is possible to also fool a Sprite.

[Ethel mermania]

Only as far as the specific dm's universe is concerned. A dm is under no obligation to accept players, items and attributes from another dm' s game.

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

I mean, the point is kind of absurd, yes, because DMs can, usually, assign skill/ability checks to an ability that otherwise wouldn't have it in vanilla D&D. So yea, I am with you on that.

[Erinkita III]

Sure, of course. But I don't think Swaglord was talking about making anyone else change how sprites work.

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

Okay, if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. I can see his point, but I don't think it's that big a deal, just a bit of flavour.
I'm not sure what you were talking about with obligations of DMs to accept houserules from other DMs.

[Ethel mermania]

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

I mean, the point is kind of absurd, yes, because DMs can, usually, assign skill/ability checks to an ability that otherwise wouldn't have it in vanilla D&D. So yea, I am with you on that.

Tbh, I don't think I never used a sprite as a npc. Sprites didn't fit into the unIverse u was creating

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Also, the ability Swaglord is talking about is Heart Sight, I think, which is not that complicated and it also has a save roll associated with it:

Heart Sight: The sprite touches a creature and magically knows the creature's current emotional state. If the target fails a DC 10 Charisma saving throw, the sprite also knows the creature's alignment. Celestials, Fiends, and Undead automatically fail the saving throw.

Meaning you can't just use it nilly-willy against a human NPC/Playable character. They have to use a saving throw and fail it first.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

Okay, if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. I can see his point, but I don't think it's that big a deal, just a bit of flavour.
I'm not sure what you were talking about with obligations of DMs to accept houserules from other DMs.

Well, a DM doesn't have an obligation to do anything that other DMs have been doing in the first place.

Even if the universe is the same for a group of DMs, the particular DM can make up their own rules and accept any characters he or she wishes.

[Erinkita III]

Okay, if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. I can see his point, but I don't think it's that big a deal, just a bit of flavour.
I'm not sure what you were talking about with obligations of DMs to accept houserules from other DMs.

Well, a DM doesn't have an obligation to do anything that other DMs have been doing in the first place.

Even if the universe is the same for a group of DMs, the particular DM can make up their own rules and accept any characters he or she wishes.

But nobody ever said there was such an obligation. It was brought up out of nowhere.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

I mean, the point is kind of absurd, yes, because DMs can, usually, assign skill/ability checks to an ability that otherwise wouldn't have it in vanilla D&D. So yea, I am with you on that.

Tbh, I don't think I never used a sprite as a npc. Sprites didn't fit into the unIverse u was creating

I'll be fair and say that, while I have read the D&D 5e manual, I have never played a single game of it.

No people to play with = no games.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Well, a DM doesn't have an obligation to do anything that other DMs have been doing in the first place.

Even if the universe is the same for a group of DMs, the particular DM can make up their own rules and accept any characters he or she wishes.

But nobody ever said there was such an obligation. It was brought up out of nowhere.

Because in the specific context, he is right also. Whatever D&D rules are in the manual? The DM doesn't have to follow them either. He can make up whatever kind of universe he or she wants without the guide's canon as well. The D&D manual is a guide, nothing more. If the DM wants to break canon, he or she can do so.

Heck, I remember reading through several variations of Cyberpunk 2020's manuals of games. Including one where there are freakin' vampires.

[Ethel mermania]

Swaglord was saying the logic behind a sprites magical abilities is inconsistent, and ranting about it. And that point is absurd.

Okay, if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. I can see his point, but I don't think it's that big a deal, just a bit of flavour.
I'm not sure what you were talking about with obligations of DMs to accept houserules from other DMs.

The only thing i think is fair to ask of a dm was that the universe was consistent within itself. (Except when playing Monty hall campaigns) so if sprites could read alignment, they always could, of it they couldnt, they nevery could.

In one dm's ga me I had a magic user skin a red dragon the party he was in killed, and made it into armour for the magic user. The dm allowed it, and we fought over the attributes and limitations of the armour. It would be unreasonable to ask another dm to accept thst character and armour.

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

Also, the ability Swaglord is talking about is Heart Sight, I think, which is not that complicated and it also has a save roll associated with it:

Heart Sight: The sprite touches a creature and magically knows the creature's current emotional state. If the target fails a DC 10 Charisma saving throw, the sprite also knows the creature's alignment. Celestials, Fiends, and Undead automatically fail the saving throw.

Meaning you can't just use it nilly-willy against a human NPC/Playable character. They have to use a saving throw and fail it first.

The fluff behind the ability, however, portrays it as relying on a literal heart, and portrays the ability as infallible, much like popular perceptions of the polygraph. Even though, in reality, there's massive debate within the scientific community regarding the validity of polygraph tests.