D&D 5E D&D Studio Blog - Sage Advice - Creature Evolutions

There's a new D&D Studio Blog - Jeremy's posted about "Creature Evolutions": Creature Evolutions | Dungeons & Dragons

Some quick takeaways:

• Some creatures that were formerly humanoids will, going forward, be monstrosities, fey, or something else. ("Humanoid" is reserved for creatures with similar "moral and cultural range" to humans.)
• Alignment got put in a "time out".
• They've started using class tags so that DMs know that a particular NPC can attune to magic items limited to a particular class.
• Bonus actions get their own section in the stat block now.
• They've merged the Innate Spellcasting and Spellcasting traits and have gotten rid of spell slots.

Also some stuff we've already guessed based on the stat blocks and playable races in Wild Beyond the Witchlight.

There's also some Sage Advice on "rabbit hops" for harengon PCs.

 

[dave2008]

Could, but I dont think thats the direction they are taking.

They dont want to be the ones to define what a race is, outside of a few special rules.

It very clear though that they do not, and I mean do not, want fairies to be humans.

 

[dave2008]

Make is simple. It is Humanoid if Humans can cross-breed with it.

So dragons are humanoid now?!

 

[dave2008]

This line in the new article leapt out at me: "A magic-using monster’s most potent firepower is now usually represented by a special magical action, rather than relying on spells."

That distinction confirms that these actions are not spells. Unless they revise the wording on Counterspell, RAW for these revised monsters/NPCs seems pretty clear to me. What's surprising to me is that the change appears also to be a change to RAI.

I'll be houseruling this distinction out of existence, of course, because I think it's preposterous to tell my players they can counterspell most of an enemy spellcaster's spells, but not its most potent firepower because that's not technically a spell anymore despite it obviously actually being a spell from an in-world perspective. In this case, the cure WotC concocted seems much worse than the disease. (And I say that as someone who thinks at least two-thirds of the changes outlined in the article are improvements.)

I expect a clarification on this at some point. Has anyone asked the Sage for clarification?

 

[Maxperson]

I think that one depends on whether or not you want warforged to be able to receive healing via cure wounds and the like.

They could just write into the race that it's a construct that is also alive, so cure works.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

So dragons are humanoid now?!

Okay, if they can crossbreed without needing magic (including the draconic Change Shape ability).

 

[J.Quondam]

Just like how we're descended from Fish, but most people wouldn't say that humans are a type of fish.

This raises a question:

Are locathahs humanoid?​

​

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

This raises a question:

Are locathahs humanoid?​

​

Humanoid doesn't mean "mammal/primate".

 

[Azzy]

I'm cool with most of these changes, but there are a few that rub me the wrong way:

• A PC races' Age and Size. Did a suggested age range need or height/weight range really need to be dropped?
• The "not-spells" in the action section should be tagged as spells with a level, for the sake of Counterspell and such.

 

[J.Quondam]

Humanoid doesn't mean "mammal/primate".

(* I know. I should've made clear it was a joke. sorry! )

 

[dave2008]

I'm cool with most of these changes, but there are a few that rub me the wrong way:

• The "not-spells" in the action section should be tagged as spells with a level, for the sake of Counterspell and such.

I agree and it seems they missed the boat on this one. At this point I think we have two options for an official correction:

1. The revise Counterspell to target "magic" and not just spells.
2. They add your suggestion to the updated MM in 2024 (they say they are going to have surveys) and just have the books before then be outdated.