The Sentinel Feat. It now allows the attack you make as a reaction using it to be an opportunity attack, meaning it applies the zero movement buff (I guess it didn't before, technically) so we have to remember that locking an enemy to zero movement with a single attack roll and no save.... does already exist.
Sentinel is a good feat (a very good one in D&D 2024), but not all that similar in practice. It being one swing, conditional, and melee changes things up a lot. Plus a lot of current monsters of that caliber (what we are using to test 2024 mostly currently due to necessity) can move as a Legendary Action, which works vs. Sentinel (since its to the end of the turn, not the whole round; you can only stop them once per round and they can try to move twice), so that makes it much less of a problem in testing. Maybe it will be different with 2024 monsters.
And it is interesting that you mention high level spells, because LOW level spells do allow this. Glimmering Smite, Blinding Smite, Ray of Sickness and I'm sure there are others. So... are all of those also problem spells? Are those also unintentional?
I don't know what Glimmering Smite is; if its in the book, I haven't seen it yet; could have missed it, but taking a quick look now I don't see it; should be right next to Glibness if my alphabeting is good (which it isn't), and I don't see it there.
Ray of Sickness is indeed on my list for a similar reason, though it only really begins the same degree of problem when combined with Summon Undead to Paralyze without a save. Harder to set up than Giant Insect, but in many cases even more problematic.
You need to read the dragon more carefully. It triggers on a legendary resistance... or being hit with a ranged attack.
That's a fair point! I did misread that; still puts a huge dent in the offensive CR and strips it off its most dangerous ability. If spells of much higher level than 4th cannot do that, it seems weird a 4th level spell can. Since we already know they made one typo in Giant Insect, it seems fair to call into question, but your mileage obviously may vary.
So you have seen the 2025 Monster Manual and can confirm that the web bolt ability does not exist on the Giant Spider in that book?
My point is that how the monster works isn't a good argument for how the player ability should work, and I'm not sure why it ever would be. Monster abilities have always worked different than PC abilities.
Ah, that was not how it was explained to me. It still doesn't activate again at the start of the creature's turn, so it will usually end up being half the damage it used to be.
Not at all, since you can do that damage on the turn when you cast it instead of the start of their turn; so doing the same thing will result in the same damage, you'll just deal it earlier. It's definitely seems like a more powerful spell now and I've yet to see anyone view it otherwise.
Anyway, anyone is free to make up their minds as they get the book, play the game, and try things out. This is just my list of problems after I've done just that. A light house on the rocky shoals of D&D 2024, if you will, so that less ships will run aground in their journey. If you are confident the rocks don't apply to you, sail onward bravely and heed not my words!
I'm not here to change hearts in minds (even if I did end up getting bogged in the line by line stuff I was trying to avoid!)
