D&D (2024) Wizards have a problem with Spellcasting stat blocks

[UngeheuerLich]

I do agree that if they've gone to the trouble of writing that text for healing word, they could have saved some trouble and written in the amount healed instead.

I just thought the same yesterday...

Same for guiding bolt.

LEVEL 4 VERSION. Why not 7d6?

 

[jayoungr]

If I were cynical, I'd say they're not concerned about making the books easy to use because they want everyone to use D&D Beyond and/or their new VTT instead.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I thought they were going to move away from giving monsters spells and instead give them spell-like powers, guess not.

I guess they changed their minds cause of all the people complaining about how that messed with counterspell.

Anyway I am more or less fine with the current form, but I do wish that Gold Dragon had it's Spell Attack listed, even if it's very easy to math out. (PB plus Casting ability so 16 in the case of the Gold Dragon)

 

[MonsterEnvy]

If I were cynical, I'd say they're not concerned about making the books easy to use because they want everyone to use D&D Beyond and/or their new VTT instead.

It's not going to make it that much easier with Beyond. I doubt it's malicious thinking, they just thought it was the best solution.

 

[mamba]

It's not going to make it that much with Beyond.

I doubt that…

I doubt it's malicious thinking, they just thought it was the best solution.

that is even worse…

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I doubt that…


that is even worse…

I use Beyond in games. Spells being the statblock is not much faster than quickly looking them up in the book.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

If I were cynical, I'd say they're not concerned about making the books easy to use because they want everyone to use D&D Beyond and/or their new VTT instead.

Oh, no, there's no need for such cynicism.

They've been screwing up monster statblocks since...hmmm. When did D&D Next start again?

 

[Pedantic]

That is just astonishingly the worst of all worlds. I'm quite pro universal and consistent spellcasting rules, but then you would drop the weird reminder text, put in calculated numerical bonuses and maybe PHB page references if you actually wanted to support that.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I guess they changed their minds cause of all the people complaining about how that messed with counterspell.

I think this change is for the better. And it has nothing to do woth counter spell.

I hated the 4e format where every ability is "unique". Because they were not. Many abilities were similar but with little changes.
So with those abilties, you actually had to read the stat block very carefully.

If you read "fireball", you usually know how that works with no need to look it up at all. 8d6 damage in 20 ft radius.

The only information I might want is the DC. So listing it as Fireball (8d6, 20ft radius, DC 14) would be convenient.

For "healing word" the casting modifier is needed. So spelling that out would also be nice: healing word (2d4+5) would be nice.

Maybe they fear that if the spell is somehow nerfed later, the stats are wrong. In that case I would have been happy with
fireball (DC 14) and healing word (Cha: +3)

But yeah. That text is an abomination (I hate cross referencing)

Anyway I am more or less fine with the current form, but I do wish that Gold Dragon had it's Spell Attack listed, even if it's very easy to math out. (PB plus Casting ability so 16 in the case of the Gold Dragon)

I think that was just an error.
Creatures with spells that don't cast spells with a DC or attack list neither.

The empyrean has both values listed.

I think the Gold dragon was an oversight.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So, Guiding Light - need to check PHB for how Guiding Bolt works

It works the same as all other attack spells, why do you need to look it up?

, then Spellcasting for the ability score, then CR for the proficiency bonus, then add the PB and the Cha modifier to get +16.

The proficiency bonus (+7) is in the stat block. Admittedly it could be more prominent, but there is no need to look anywhere else. Unlike the 2014 MM, where you had to do reverse engineering if you wanted to find out the proficiency bonus.

As for the original stat block, the Empyrean can't cast any spells where the casting stat, attack bonus or save DC matters. I've long noticed the old stat blocks contained information that was not actually relevant.