D&D (2024) 2024+ Monster Statblock options

[FitzTheRuke]

Well what you suggest was the 2014 standard. However, I know from experience (and WotC seems to agree) many people are confused by reactions and I think the trigger and response adds clarity. However, they take up space, so I do need to consider them some more.

I think that the confusing comes from the fact that there wasn't actually much of a standard way of presenting the trigger and the response. I'm not sure that it needs the actual words to be in every statblock, but the concept needs to be explained. Fortunately there's both a DMG and a MM (presumably in sections on Adjudicating Reactions and Reading a Statblock, respectively) where Trigger and Response could be discussed without resorting to putting it in each block. Too late for that, though. I'm just speaking to my preferences, not what I expect to see, of course.

 

[Gorck]

Also, thinking about it, I'm not fond of the use of Trigger and Response.

I think that it works just as well, yet smoother, to replace "Trigger" with "When" and "Response" with a comma. I think the concept of Trigger and Response should be talked about in the rules, but it doesn't need to be called out over and over in the statblock.

So, for example, the above block would read:

Burst of Ingenuity (2/day): When the Sphinx or another creature within 30 feet makes an ability check or saving throw, the Sphinx adds 2 to the roll.

Or they could go the computer programming route with:

Burst of Ingenuity (2/day): If the Sphinx or another creature within 30 feet makes an ability check or saving throw, then the Sphinx adds 2 to the roll.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Or they could go the computer programming route with:

Burst of Ingenuity (2/day): If the Sphinx or another creature within 30 feet makes an ability check or saving throw, then the Sphinx adds 2 to the roll.

The only problem I can foresee with that is that it sounds like you have to use it when the trigger occurs, not that it's a choice. Of course, you can probably fix that with the use of the word "can" - which was used often in 2014 and surprisingly dropped up there on the sphinx. Then we'd have:

Burst of Ingenuity (2/day): If the Sphinx or another creature within 30 feet makes an ability check or saving throw, then the Sphinx can add 2 to the roll.

Although it has that usual issue of being more correct using may. I have to admit, it seems a little clunky.

 

[Zaukrie]

You have to realize that because you know, doesn't mean everyone does. These should work for all players. I have heard people pine for the old 1e era abbreviated state blocks in modules. I had those, to me, being, among other things, dyslexic, they look like a jumble of numbers and letters and not something I can extract useful information from. An action devoid of any descriptions would trend to close to that for my personal preference.

How long would it take a DM to know melee is five feet unless told? At some point, there is short hand in every block. What's AC, for example? I guess we disagree. I'm ok with that

 

[grimmgoose]

I prefer the new statblock to the 2014 one for sure, but there's still so much I would change. That being said, I love the passive initiative.

I absolutely hate d20 initiative systems, so passive initiative feels like a much-needed quality-of-life change.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I prefer the new statblock to the 2014 one for sure, but there's still so much I would change. That being said, I love the passive initiative.

I absolutely hate d20 initiative systems, so passive initiative feels like a much-needed quality-of-life change.

My only problem with using Passive Initiative is that if you use it for every monster, you wind up with 90% of them in the 10-13 range, all clumped together.

I've been using a thing where I have four cards - Villains, Enemies, Rabble, and Events - and I shuffle them and place them at 20, 15, 10, and 5. Villains are the bosses, enemies are regular monsters, and rabble are minions (whether I'm using actual MCDM-style minions, or just the leftover montsers), Events are lair actions, or terrain features, or that sort of thing. Sometimes, If say, the party is fighting a group of monsters that are all the same, they'll just go two per card. OTOH, if they're fighting a Solo monster, I'll split its actions and legendary actions, etc, across multiple cards.

At any rate, the Players will roll Initiative (if I don't just shuffle the deck) and I'll put their individual cards where they'd go compared to those - it keeps the excitment split up over more of the round, generally.

 

[grimmgoose]

My only problem with using Passive Initiative is that if you use it for every monster, you wind up with 90% of them in the 10-13 range, all clumped together.

That's true, but easily remedied by giving them a +2 bonus, or a +4 bonus, etc etc. 5E statblocks have always required tinkering (I wish they didn't, but still).

I like the card initiative; reminiscent of Savage Worlds, which I think does initiative very well.

My personal favorite, though, is what MOTHERSHIP does. In D&D mechanics, it'd be:

1. set an initiative DC (for example, DC 15)
2. Players roll their Initiative modifier against the DC
   1. Succeed, and you go before the bad guys
   2. Fail, and you go after the bad guys
3. Reroll every round.

Quick, easy, dramatic. I really dislike losing momentum by having to write down everybody's initiative, so just doing a real quick, "raise your hand if you succeeded - you're up first!" is lightning fast.

 

[dave2008]

How long would it take a DM to know melee is five feet unless told? At some point, there is short hand in every block. What's AC, for example? I guess we disagree. I'm ok with that

I don't think we disagree. I just think the line where something changes from shorthand to written is different for the two of us.

 

[dave2008]

That's true, but easily remedied by giving them a +2 bonus, or a +4 bonus, etc etc. 5E statblocks have always required tinkering (I wish they didn't, but still).

I like the card initiative; reminiscent of Savage Worlds, which I think does initiative very well.

My personal favorite, though, is what MOTHERSHIP does. In D&D mechanics, it'd be:

1. set an initiative DC (for example, DC 15)
2. Players roll their Initiative modifier against the DC
   1. Succeed, and you go before the bad guys
   2. Fail, and you go after the bad guys
3. Reroll every round.

Quick, easy, dramatic. I really dislike losing momentum by having to write down everybody's initiative, so just doing a real quick, "raise your hand if you succeeded - you're up first!" is lightning fast.

With the new statblock the initiative DC could be the monster's passive initiative score with modifiers applied if needed. Already set!

 

[Chaosmancer]

My only problem with using Passive Initiative is that if you use it for every monster, you wind up with 90% of them in the 10-13 range, all clumped together.

True, but I think this also allows for quicker set-ups in a 1v1 situation, or a situation where a monster grabs something from the player and they want to know if they are fast enough to catch it, or if you have the common situation of more waves coming into the battle, you can just have the passive initiative state when people go.

And if you want to shake things up, then rolling is there for you.