Level Up (A5E) Monster preview thread!

[dave2008]

One other new thing in the Unicorn is the "Good" aura. It doesn't give any description of what this is, so I can only assume this is a general rule somewhere?

 

[Kozos]

@Morrus @dave2008 my main concern is that monster hp skyrockets around cr 1/2 and cr 2 and then increases at a steady pace (15 hp per CR up to CR 19) all of a sudden you can have cr 1 or 2 creatures with 100 hp but a cr 8 creature can have like 150. This compared with the way that hp increase for pcs (linearly) means that you have a very small spot of creatures that can be affected by hp based effects like sleep etc.

 

[Morrus]

@Morrus @dave2008 my main concern is that monster hp skyrockets around cr 1/2 and cr 2 and then increases at a steady pace (15 hp per CR up to CR 19) all of a sudden you can have cr 1 or 2 creatures with 100 hp but a cr 8 creature can have like 150. This compared with the way that hp increase for pcs (linearly) means that you have a very small spot of creatures that can be affected by hp based effects like sleep etc.

There are no CR 1 or 2 creatures with 100 hp. Or even half that. 100 hp kicks in around the CR 6 level.

 

[dave2008]

@Morrus @dave2008 my main concern is that monster hp skyrockets around cr 1/2 and cr 2 and then increases at a steady pace (15 hp per CR up to CR 19) all of a sudden you can have cr 1 or 2 creatures with 100 hp but a cr 8 creature can have like 150. This compared with the way that hp increase for pcs (linearly) means that you have a very small spot of creatures that can be affected by hp based effects like sleep etc.

I think Morrus answered the question, but I want to point out HP spells are still effective on creatures with higher HP. You just have to wait until you drop the creature below that Threshold. This is the case with O5e as well. I mean Power Word Kill (a 9th lvl spell) requires the opponent to be 100HP or below, yet the monsters you would face at that level will have hundreds of HP. You are expected to whittle them down a bit before you use it.

 

[dave2008]

@Morrus @dave2008 my main concern is that monster hp skyrockets around cr 1/2 and cr 2 and then increases at a steady pace (15 hp per CR up to CR 19) all of a sudden you can have cr 1 or 2 creatures with 100 hp but a cr 8 creature can have like 150. This compared with the way that hp increase for pcs (linearly) means that you have a very small spot of creatures that can be affected by hp based effects like sleep etc.

As another counterpoint, most of the issue with O5e monsters, with regard to their CR, is focused around higher CR monsters. It starts around CR 5, and then really starts to become an issue around CR 10+.

I am not on the LevelUp team, but I would except a lot of changes to HP on creatures below CR 5.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

This recent tangent makes me wonder: @Morrus Are we going to see a lot of revised NPC/basic humanoid Stat blocks? (I am thinking of "monsters" such as the O5e Archer, scout, thug, apprentice wizard, etc). I am curious to see what you might have done with those.

 

[Morrus]

This recent tangent makes me wonder: @Morrus Are we going to see a lot of revised NPC/basic humanoid Stat blocks? (I am thinking of "monsters" such as the O5e Archer, scout, thug, apprentice wizard, etc). I am curious to see what you might have done with those.

Yep, a 30-page appendix filled with them.

 

[tetrasodium]

With this recent discussion I can't wait to see vampire wraith & zombie for a good cr spread of reliable scary & popcorn critters even more now.

 

[duneguy]

I definitely like the UA unicorn, but I am curious why is it no longer a Legendary creature?

My belief is that there should be a continuum of monster complexity. At one end are the types of monsters that are likely to be character allies and minions. That's why you've seen some previews like the Hippogriff that aren't significantly more complex than the MM version: these monsters are likely to make their attacks alongside a character, perhaps during most or all battles. If the hippogriff is complex, then the hippogriff-rider's turn becomes more complex.

At the other end of the spectrum are campaign bosses: dragons, vampires, and so on. They're likely to be fighting the characters on their own or with much weaker minions. In order to hold their own against a party, they need to have a rich action economy. These are usually the monsters that get the "legendary" treatment.

To me, a unicorn is miscast as a legendary creature. I think its most common purpose isn't as a final boss but as an ally. Sure, you could have a big bad unicorn as the final adversary, or maybe a big good unicorn against an evil party... but I bet that most unicorns in D&D are used as plot devices, allies, or even steeds.

Since I designed the unicorn as a potential ally/steed, I don't want it slowing down combat with lots of legendary actions where the GM attacks the GM. I wanted it to be fairly streamlined. (That said, I love unicorns and I also wanted it to feel magical.)

 

[dave2008]

To me, a unicorn is miscast as a legendary creature. I think its most common purpose isn't as a final boss but as an ally. Sure, you could have a big bad unicorn as the final adversary, or maybe a big good unicorn against an evil party... but I bet that most unicorns in D&D are used as plot devices, allies, or even steeds.

Since I designed the unicorn as a potential ally/steed, I don't want it slowing down combat with lots of legendary actions where the GM attacks the GM. I wanted it to be fairly streamlined. (That said, I love unicorns and I also wanted it to feel magical.)

Thank you for the reply! Yes, that is basically what I thought you were going for and I agree with that choice. I am glad to see you are thinking about monsters that way.