+1 to the OP
- Surface effects should only be created if DnD description says so. There are many surface effects in DnD (grease, web, spike groth, and so on)
- Attacks that miss the target should not cause damage for that target
It is fine that oil starts to burn if you use fire on it. But solid ground should not burn because of a fire arrow and a missing fire arrow should not set the target on fire.
Enemies should not bleed fire or poison.
The bite of a spider is toxic. The inside of a spider may be disgusting, but your chars wear shoes and cloth. They do not drink that stuff ( well, Astarion might ;-)
Sure, the effects are exaggerated. However assuming that something shouldn't work as it works because it's not in the rules is not a good option for discussion.
As for the poison, well, the fumes themselves can be very dangerous.
Many enemies are much stronger than they should be, but it is justified.
The basic creatures in D&D don't really have a lot of options to do.
Opponents using only AA are not very interesting enemies in a game focused on tactical combat.
Adding new skills to them is by far the best method. Another would be to increase their base damage or by increasing the number of them (turn-based combat problem).
