"You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses." 🤮 I try not to be negative, but this D&D rule and its like in other RPGs are garbage. They're unnecessary for balance and unnecessarily sad-making overall.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) September 8, 2018
In most cases seeing your roll first gives you a pretty good idea if it’s time to use that feature, but I feel you.
Which is why I let players know if shield will be effective or not, I don’t force them to guess and gamble a spell slot. True but not true enough. The rule is in no way worth the space it takes up in the book, the game, or anyone's brain.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) September 8, 2018
Agreed, and horrible for table flow.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) September 8, 2018
I disagree. The capacity for failure, and trying hard and still falling short, makes for some pretty great table reactions and can lend weight to an encounter. Giving players choices, even if the choices are bad, can lead to good DMs rewarding the party with addition hero points, inspiration, roll play exp, etc.