D&D (2024) Its till just me or is the 2024 MM heavily infused by more 4e influences?

[AlViking]

Those are problems with the specific numbers, not with the general design. We also know now that the HP problem was due to a last-minute across-the-board change.

Monster design was okay but had various issues for my group. I don't want to belabor the point other than to say that the general design was not universally loved.

 

[Reynard]

IMO, if you start with narrative elements and then design gameplay to match, a lot of that problem goes away.

I think you missed my point. GMs will want to change the narrative elements more often than the gameplay elements, and will do a better job of it. That is why the game designers should focus on gameplay elements. I'm okay with absolute minimal lore for D&D monsters, to be honest.

 

[Charlaquin]

Monster design was okay but had various issues for my group. I don't want to belabor the point other than to say that the general design was not universally loved.

I didn’t say it was universally loved. Indeed, I said the opposite.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think you missed my point. GMs will want to change the narrative elements more often than the gameplay elements, and will do a better job of it. That is why the game designers should focus on gameplay elements. I'm okay with absolute minimal lore for D&D monsters, to be honest.

I am not. Lore is what inspires me to play at all, even if I change to better suit my purposes. I don't want mechanics-first monsters.

 

[nevin]

5e is very simple and playable great to get started. But I suspect it suffers more for new DM's and players at high levels than 4th E that may be why. Of course every new edition the designers look lovingly at the older stuff that might patch the bones of what they built last time.

 

[Nefermandias]

The most terrifying thing was Chris Perkins (i guess) in a video where he wanted to showcase how brutes are great melee characters... and then found the ogre which did more damage at range than melee.

What? I'm with my 4e MM open right now, and the Ogre Savage (lvl 8 brute) doesn't even have a ranged attack in it's stat block. The other four ogres are two high level Minions, one Skirmishers and one Elite Brute, and the only one with some ranged capacity is the Skirmisher one.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

What? I'm with my 4e MM open right now, and the Ogre Savage (lvl 8 brute) doesn't even have a ranged attack in it's stat block. The other four ogres are two high level Minions, one Skirmishers and one Elite Brute, and the only one with some ranged capacity is the Skirmisher one.

Oh. It was the hill giant. Sorry.

On a side note: when I browsed through the book I noticed 2 things:

1. Monster (graphic) design overall was very cool. I liked the look of the book.

2. Dragon (graphic) design is terrible. They all look alike. Just the colour is different. Only the white dragon is a bkt more brutish.

 

[mamba]

I think in a game of "never have I ever," I would win with "Wonder how a monster does that." To me the whole thing is "Is this interesting."

guess you win that game, the 'how is this done' is basically the first question on my mind

Obviously others disagree but if I had to choose between a fun and interesting monster that had wacky powers and one that was a bag of hit points, I'd choose the fun one.

I'd prefer to not have to choose, the two are not mutually exclusive

 

[Reynard]

I am not. Lore is what inspires me to play at all, even if I change to better suit my purposes. I don't want mechanics-first monsters.

That's not really an argument for the designers not to focus on design first.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's not really an argument for the designers not to focus on design first.

No argument about what I want is an argument for WotC to do it...