Recent content by Just Tom

You keep saying that a Balor's sword in 5E is pretty much exactly what a standard vorpal sword is. Except it is not, standard damage bonus for a vorpal longsword is 1D8+3+strenght bonus, on a critical hit against a foe that cannot be decapitated the damage is 7D8+3+strength bonus. A Balor's...

The sword used by Balors in AD&D were +1 swords. The relevant text is "The favored weapons of these monsters are a large +1 sword and a whip with many "tails"" Balors got vorpal swords in 2E and lost them in 4E.

A Balor's sword does 6D8 as normal damage, not as a critical hit. Below is the text from the MM. So a Balor on a non-critical hit does as much damage as a vorpal blade critical hit on a monster that cannot be decapitated. A Balor with a critical hit with its sword would do 18D8 damage. Whatever...

Nowhere does the MM specify that Balors wield vorpal swords. The longsword wielded by a Balor does 3D8 slashing + 3D8 electrical damage, and 3x damage on a critical hit. That is in no way a vorpal sword. Repeating that Balors in 5E carry vorpal swords doesn't make it so. In AD&D Balors carried...

I am fairly new to the 5th edition, I am back to RPGs after a 15 year hiatus, and I might be ignorant of what you are talking about. But I have not seen gross inconsistencies in how the rules are presented to indicate there is a difference in how the world works for PCs and NPCs. A human fighter...

The DMG says nothing about sparing PCs from the effects of vorpal blades. The only limitations listed are creatures immune to slashing damage, creatures with no heads, have no need for heads, has legendary actions, or is too big to be decapitated. Why would a vorpal sword ignore PCs? What other...