New DM Handbook: My Philosophy on Mechanics
Introduction
Integral to this series is my initial philosophy on how to run my D&D games. In all honesty, I have no 
idea how to run a game without breaking it. For a vast majority of it, I’m not going to stray very far from the books, but I also recognize that 5E isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t fulfill all of my needs. As an example, I intend on being somewhat flexible with the Backgrounds, as is necessary, but really only if none of the preexisting ones don’t fit the character concept. Beyond that, my DM cornerstone is going to be if it’s logical.
Does it make sense?
My foremost directive when applying any decision or rule is if, as I just said, it’s logical based on game mechanics, my lore, and whether it makes sense. As an example, according to the rules, the Ranger Beast Master must use an action to give their Beast Companion (different than a pet) a command whenever they want them to perform an action. That follows the rules of how a Beast Master works, but it doesn’t make any sense. If every round is six seconds long, that means that the Beast Master makes a command, the Beast Companion follows the order, then sits back down without any command to stay. 
When was the last time an attack dog stopped attacking before the target is dead or down without a command to do so? Common sense would dictate that the Beast Companion would continue their last order until their target is dead or a new order is given. Without any kind of real-world experience, the balance in my mind is that the PC has to manage the Ranger and the Companion. If they’re not careful, they could be put in a situation that one or both are at risk to die. A smart DM would maneuver them to force them to choose between their Ranger and their Companion. That makes the most sense to me.
Logical Settings
