D&D (2024) I have a Monster Manual. AMA!

[DEFCON 1]

Ok. But you're also the one who has said many times that rules don't matter, so your point of view is just as specific and personal as mine.

Sure. But you made a Reply to me, not the other way around. So you obviously had something you felt like you needed to say about mine. I only responded back to be polite.

 

[TwoSix]

What do you mean? Do you stat 'em up like PCs or handwave them or something in between?

Handwave! Jot down base stats, give them a weapon or two, and maybe a special ability if relevant. Humanoids generally fall into either "special villain" territory and require some hand-crafting, or groups of mooks who don't need a lot of differentiation.

Going into the MM to look up a CR 1/2 "grunt" seems like an enormous waste of time.

 

[Reynard]

Handwave! Jot down base stats, give them a weapon or two, and maybe a special ability if relevant. Humanoids generally fall into either "special villain" territory and require some hand-crafting, or groups of mooks who don't need a lot of differentiation.

Going into the MM to look up a CR 1/2 "grunt" seems like an enormous waste of time.

You play your game how you want, but when my players are angrily rolling up new characters I want to be able to point to the perfectly balanced, by the rules CR I used to TPK them.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Correction: toughs lost multiattack and now just have pack tactics.

Yes, I was coming on here to point that out - that I was mistaken that Toughs are the same as 2014 Thugs. They have a higher DEX so their range attack doesn't suck quite as bad, and they lost multiattack (and they lost Intimidation proficiency). Otherwise they're the same. But definitely not as overbalanced as Thugs.

 

[Scribe]

You play your game how you want, but when my players are angrily rolling up new characters I want to be able to point to the perfectly balanced, by the rules CR I used to TPK them.

I dont think thats going to happen, especially in a game as loosely balanced as 5e/5.5.

This isn't PF2 here.

 

[TwoSix]

I just don't see this change (making the same creature two different types in two different parts of the book) as having enough value to counteract how jarring and off-putting it is to me.

But it's not the same creature; it's more than one distinct individual.

What you're basically saying is that one species should have exactly one type, and that should be unalterable. I think that's a spot of worldbuilding that isn't necessary, or even good worldbuilding.

 

[TwoSix]

You play your game how you want, but when my players are angrily rolling up new characters I want to be able to point to the perfectly balanced, by the rules CR I used to TPK them.

All of my players (and fellow DMs) customize monsters extensively, and have no problem with getting killed by a custom stat block.

That being said, you have to be really bad at the system math to mess up a humanoid soldier of CR 1 or less.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Do you like it better than the 2014 MM?

I do. Much like all of 2024, I think that it is a - slightly - better version of 5e D&D (overall).

And I like 5e D&D. I don't think that it's perfect.

There are bits and pieces that I think aren't great, but overall? Perfectly playable D&D.

 

[Micah Sweet]

But it's not the same creature; it's more than one distinct individual.

What you're basically saying is that one species should have exactly one type, and that should be unalterable. I think that's a spot of worldbuilding that isn't necessary, or even good worldbuilding.

I don't see why earth magic lizardfolk have to be elementals as opposed to humanoids like the rest of their species. Earth magic-using monsters if other species aren't elementals. Why the difference, except that they wanted a former humanoid to fill in the "earth" box on their elemental chart?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I do. Much like all of 2024, I think that it is a - slightly - better version of 5e D&D (overall).

And I like 5e D&D. I don't think that it's perfect.

There are bits and pieces that I think aren't great, but overall? Perfectly playable D&D.

Worth throwing another $150 at WotC?