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

[pukunui]

The intro includes this sidebar with some useful advice for new DMs:

 

[Reynard]

That part is easy. They literally undergo a ritual to change their planar nature.

For some species, the transformation happens gradually as future generations adapt to the new plane. But some individuals do it on purpose by means of magic.

Or any number of other explanations.

Maybe that clan of dwarves delved too deep and released the Bane, and its presence has warped the survivors into fiends. Maybe that tribe of goblins took up residence in the elder wyrm's lair to serve it and are now dragon-typed. Maybe that cult of humans devoted themselves so thoroughly to the Fallen Sister that they have become evil celestials.

The point is, it is an interesting way to do types with story behind it.

 

[Reynard]

The intro includes this sidebar with some useful advice for new DMs:

View attachment 395358

YES. "DMs -- use these monsters to the fullness of their capacity to tear PCs new ones." I am on board.

 

[pukunui]

I had previoussly noticed that the designers had removed the "one target/creature" bit from attack lines in the new stat blocks. The MM intro explains why. Under Attack Notation, it states, "An attack is against one target unless its entry says otherwise."

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I think some of the things about NPC creature stat blocks started as early as that free Spelljammer adventure on D&D Beyond, when they describe the Bandits (in the simulation) as being all sorts of things, like having a fishbowl head with a floating or a second head.

 

[Yaarel]

I had previoussly noticed that the designers had removed the "one target/creature" bit from attack lines in the new stat blocks. The MM intro explains why. Under Attack Notation, it states, "An attack is against one target unless its entry says otherwise."

And "target" means "creature or object"?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I literally don't care about that one whit and wasn't talking about it. Killing orcs or gnolls or zombies is all the same to me.

What I was talking about was people not being able to wrap their brains around some lizardfolk being type: humanoid and some being type:elemental.

I don't care that they're doing it. I care why they're doing it.

 

[dave2008]

The eyebrow raise is: Humanoids cannot be demonized, but Nonhumanoids can.

Because some of the Nonhumanoids are playable species, it is the Orc dilemma all over the again.

With Humanoids, they are humanlike. Done.

But with the Nonhumanoids, it remains unclear when it is ok to lean on demonizations, stereotypes, etcetera, and when it isnt.

What is unclear to you?

 

[CM]

Are the NPC stat blocks really just sorted into the general monster list and not in a separate appendix? That's going to make a lot of needless searching.

 

[dave2008]

I don't care that they're doing it. I care why they're doing it.

But you will never know that. You can only make guesses heavily influenced by your own biases. On top of that, it matters absolutely 0 to actual game play.