D&D 5E Volo's Guide to Monsters: General Discussion.

[Zene]

Summoning a Darkling Elder is at at will Darkness on command and they have blindsight.

Whoah. What CR is Darkling Elder? This is likely a huge boost to Lvl 11-plus Warlocks w/ Devil's sight.

A Lock 11 / Sorc X could now even more consistently get advantage on every one of his quickened and regular eldritch blasts, while also having a summoned buddy doing a good deal of damage. Did the multi-target DPR king just get even better?

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

[Bolding added.]
Are pixies summonable, though? Their entry in the MM doesn't provide any built-in way to deal damage, and they are described as abhorring violence; their greatest value in combat might be 1/day Confusion and Sleep. Otherwise, if not summonable, their stated CR of 1/4 seems justified.

They're summonable via Conjure Woodland Beings, but even if they weren't they'be be incorrectly-rated. Three Drow Elite Warriors working with three Pixies are not the same difficulty as three Drow Elite Warriors and three goblins. Between Confusion, Polymorph (Drow Elite Warrior into Giant Crocodiles or Hulking Crabs), Entangle, Dispel Magic, Phantasmal Force, Fly, Sleep, and their high natural Stealth (to keep Pixie safely hidden while they're concentrating on e.g. Polymorph), the Pixies are going to cause their foes an awful lot of grief.

I call them CR 2, the same as Dryads.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Is the Korreds' conjure elemental the spell or an ability of the same name? If it is the spell, I could see cunning PC's breaking its concentration and letting the summoned elementals do the hard work when it turns on the korred.

Note that an elemental which goes "hostile" will not necessarily immediately attack its summoner. It might be just as hostile to the PC or monster which is busy hitting it with a giant sledgehammer. Or it might just leave. DM's judgment call, based on how hostile he thinks it is to whom.

"Hostile" in 5E just means "it wishes you ill."

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Note that an elemental which goes "hostile" will not necessarily immediately attack its summoner. It might be just as hostile to the PC or monster which is busy hitting it with a giant sledgehammer. Or it might just leave. DM's judgment call, based on how hostile he thinks it is to whom.

"Hostile" in 5E just means "it wishes you ill."

I will give you that if the barbarian is wailing on the elemental. However, if the PC ranger shoots the korred with an arrow before any of his/her buddies attack the elemental, it has no reason to be hostile to the PC's (unless it is a gargoyle who are hostile as a general state of being). If you are angry towards one party, and indifferent towards the other, which one is it going to attack?

The Galeb might be smart enough to leave if it becomes hostile to its summoner, but the rest of them seem like they would just attack. Of course, if the Galeb recognized its fleeting existence as a summoned being, there would be no point in leaving (you are going to disappear shortly anyway).

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I will give you that if the barbarian is wailing on the elemental. However, if the PC ranger shoots the korred with an arrow before any of his/her buddies attack the elemental, it has no reason to be hostile to the PC's (unless it is a gargoyle who are hostile as a general state of being). If you are angry towards one party, and indifferent towards the other, which one is it going to attack?

The Galeb might be smart enough to leave if it becomes hostile to its summoner, but the rest of them seem like they would just attack. Of course, if the Galeb recognized its fleeting existence as a summoned being, there would be no point in leaving (you are going to disappear shortly anyway).

Well, maybe. Do Elementals have a sense of self-preservation? Do they feel pain? What are their goals for the short time they're on the Prime Material? What happens to them if you "kill" them on the Prime Material? The MM doesn't say AFAICR, so you have to ask your DM or make something up that appeals to you if you are the DM.

The point I'm making is that "hostile" and "kamikaze" are not synonymous in 5E.

Edit: Also, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is not necessarily a thing. An elemental that goes hostile doesn't switch sides and automatically join the PCs against its Korred summoner--it turns a two-sided combat into a three-sided combat. How does it know the PCs aren't going to opportunity-attack it if it goes for its summoner?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Whoah. What CR is Darkling Elder? This is likely a huge boost to Lvl 11-plus Warlocks w/ Devil's sight.

A Lock 11 / Sorc X could now even more consistently get advantage on every one of his quickened and regular eldritch blasts, while also having a summoned buddy doing a good deal of damage. Did the multi-target DPR king just get even better?

2.

But they can only use Darkness once every short or long rest.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Well, maybe. Do Elementals have a sense of self-preservation? Do they feel pain? What are their goals for the short time they're on the Prime Material? What happens to them if you "kill" them on the Prime Material? The MM doesn't say AFAICR, so you have to ask your DM or make something up that appeals to you if you are the DM.

The point I'm making is that "hostile" and "kamikaze" are not synonymous in 5E.

Edit: Also, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is not necessarily a thing. An elemental that goes hostile doesn't switch sides and automatically join the PCs against its Korred summoner--it turns a two-sided combat into a three-sided combat. How does it know the PCs aren't going to opportunity-attack it if it goes for its summoner?

It is true this is area ripe for table variation.

As a DM, it occurs to me that "the conjured elemental flees" is entertaining once, and then not so entertaining (I would probably save it for a special occasion). If this comes up, I will have the conjured elemental be unhappy with everyone around it, but particularly unhappy with conjurer.

 

[gyor]

2.

But they can only use Darkness once every short or long rest.

Your right my bad.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It is true this is area ripe for table variation.

As a DM, it occurs to me that "the conjured elemental flees" is entertaining once, and then not so entertaining (I would probably save it for a special occasion). If this comes up, I will have the conjured elemental be unhappy with everyone around it, but particularly unhappy with conjurer.

I'd probably go down that road too, but I'd also extrapolate from there to create a cosmology and mentality for elementals that makes attacking the summoner an understandable thing to do, which may also imply potential countermeasures and/or exploits. For example, if elementals are ephemeral beings with the illusion of immortality (if, like demons, they are created with a belief that "death" on the Prime Material simply equates to a rebirth on their home plane) and enormous pride in themselves, they may attack the summoner as a punitive measure against hubris and to discourage further summoning. But, a summoner might then be able to get around the concentration limit by releasing the elemental immediately after summoning and flattering it (Panache anyone?) into cooperating with him, with the promise of future favors. Or he might be able to fool it with an illusion, by casting the initial spell in the guise of an enemy (Disguise Self) and then dispelling the illusion once concentration is lost, so the elemental goes seeking his enemy.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I'd probably go down that road too, but I'd also extrapolate from there to create a cosmology and mentality for elementals that makes attacking the summoner an understandable thing to do, which may also imply potential countermeasures and/or exploits. For example, if elementals are ephemeral beings with the illusion of immortality (if, like demons, they are created with a belief that "death" on the Prime Material simply equates to a rebirth on their home plane) and enormous pride in themselves, they may attack the summoner as a punitive measure against hubris and to discourage further summoning. But, a summoner might then be able to get around the concentration limit by releasing the elemental immediately after summoning and flattering it (Panache anyone?) into cooperating with him, with the promise of future favors. Or he might be able to fool it with an illusion, by casting the initial spell in the guise of an enemy (Disguise Self) and then dispelling the illusion once concentration is lost, so the elemental goes seeking his enemy.

I tend to go with elementals viewing conjuring as slavery: I was swimming along in the elemental chaos, and this wizard snags me up, violates my mind, makes me fight (which hurts), and doesn't pay me.

That also has the benefit of creating adversaries for the party if the wizard/druid use conjure elemental a lot: The Elemental Liberation Front. I am just going to say there is a lot of gold in elemental planes, and gold can hire a lot of assassins.....