Analyze This: The Dangers of the Rule of Cool
I was recently reading an article recently where the writer proclaimed that they made their Dungeons & Dragons character however they wished, ignoring the rules that might get in the way. They did this because their Dungeon Master subscribed to the “Rule of Cool”, and would do whatever work was necessary to make their character playable.
Now I have heard of the Rule of Cool before. Popularized by world famous DM Matt Mercer, the rule pretty much says that when possible, let your characters break the rules if it makes the game more fun. Now I can understand the value of this rule, and there are times that I follow it myself. But it is important to remember that this rule came with several stipulations:
Establish the level of craziness your game will support. Players should understand that Cool has its limits.
Apply the Rule of Cool sparingly. To much cool makes everything cool. And when everything is cool, nothing is cool.
Gauge which player actions are viable, and which are abuse. People should use cool for fun, and not just to win. When they do the opposite, stop them.
Now with these rules about rules, do I think a player should just do whatever they want, expecting the Rule of Cool and a generous DM figure it out? No, I do not. One of my favorite things about 5E is the designers attempt to keep things balanced. Many of its rules (concentration, attunement, bonus actions) are designed to keep the player’s power level in check, and thus, keep it balanced against their opposition. A Rule of Cool, applied without restraint, will do the opposite. So what should one do?
First, remember that handy list of conditions that come with the Rule. They really are there for a reason and will help keep things from spiraling out of control. Second, whenever possible, increase your game’s level of Cool purely through the use of flavor. For those not familiar, flavor is when you change how something is described, without changing the underlying rules. So does you player want a pistol instead of a hand crossbow? Ok, tell him he has one. But… just use all the rules for a hand crossbow. If the rules are mechanically identical, it wont unbalance the game (at least no worse then the the hand crossbow does already). In some cases, DnD directly tells you to do this. such as with spells cast by Artificers. But there’s no reason you can’t flavor up any part of the game you’d like. Just remember, flavor means zero mechanical changes to the game.
So there you have it. Be Cool, but don’t destroy the game. And perhaps most importantly, don’t do whatever the heck you want and expect your DM to make it work.
And with that said,
Happy roleplaying, and may the dice be ever in your favor.
Beholder Encounter
By Gido
https://www.deviantart.com/gido/art/Beholder-Encounter-879612606
