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It wasn't. The fact they were extremely rigid and balanced to a point boredom was the issue which was 4e in nut shell.

But...they are have infinite versatility and adding spell slots reduces it? Pacing is a noticable concern but once again spell slots aren't adding anything. It's just adding extra steps for a false sense of familiarity.

Why. The slots are purely in place as a pacing mechanic for players so what purpose do they serve for NPCs?

Not true. Spell casting is the only thing they have in common sort of sometimes. Multiattck vs attack action, taunt vs cutting word, leadership vs battle master dice, grapple/restrained on hit vs grapple/shove/feat, twf vs just more attacks, and so on.

I think you think CR is a lot better than it is. It's nothing more than a rough estimate so trying to figure out how isolated changes effect it is a waste a time. If you want him at will force cage then just do it. How it effects his CR is irrelevant because it only matters for your table.

The point is "character like" is 100% subjective because the game doesn't make any clear parallel or pattern connecting them to each other. You are adding them in and getting angry that those perceived normalized constants aren't holding. 5e has horrible DM support but so does 3.x, pathfinder...

Some did. Some didn't. There wasn't a default unless you added in thematic ties ( all wizard use spell books or whatever) About half the MM used in the "other" category of magic. Sure humanoids tend to follow closer to the PCs rules but they never fully did and it wasn't defined default. No one...

A PC wizard≠NPC wizard. NPCs don't have a class unless the DM gives them one so they aren't forced to remain within those restrictions. If a DM wants to build every caster to follow the same rules as PCs they are free to do so and is a suggestion in the DMG as an option.

He does have spells just not listed individually in the block. He has basically every evil/dark/necromancy/secret for his eyes only spell you can think of. Should they have actually made that clearer? Definitely. The stat block isn't anything more than a single snapshot option for the DM. He...

Continuation Marid- water jet Storm Giant- lightning strike Hags- illusory appearance, invisible passage, change shape, nightmare haunting, Harpy - luring song Homunculus - telepathic bond Intelligent devourer- devour intellect, body thief Kraken- lightning storm Lamia- intoxicating...

A non-extensive list of MM blocks that have options that bypass counterspell, paladin of ancient aura, and so on Aboleth - enslave (charm) Angels- healing touch, change shape, searing burst, teleport, flying sword Banshee- corrupting touch Beholder kin- all eye rays and cones Cambion- fire...

Aye. If I want a true villain(s) to stay as a constant in a setting they are best left in place not in direct view of the party of God killers For eberron I'd make him lady Illmarrow's father or something like that related to the house of Vol. Alternatively he could have the knowledge she is...

A good reason to never expect DMs to run NPCs as printed and to never do so as a DM. aaaannnnddd that's Vecna. Unless you are in a party with Pelor, Tyr, and probably a small army of celestials you aren't going defeat him. Even they would have to settle for binding or trapping him on a...

Aye. I have a 3x5 card rule. If it doesn't fit on that it's too much. Helps I wrote it in steno so doubles as code for nosey players.

This can be true but that's one of the reasons I just avoid placing someone like Vecna in a position to be targeted at all. He is a force that should be untangible in regards to the party. If you stat it the potential for your party to destroy something that supposedly has thousands of years...

If played true to type getting off any attack on him is going to be rare enough to not have warrant that. One of the reasons kas could cut off arm/and gouge an eye out is that no one else has had an opportunity to even get that far. This is a guy who made skill lords as a punishment after...

Then it's not actual Vecna or it is but not really more than an avatar. It even has time travel paradoxes to protect it so strong DC villain logic to keep it coming back. Like vandal Savage and reverse flash had a super genius emo son.

They are just to on the nose for me I think. I love a good true to trope concept but dragons are so blah. The eberron take isn't bad for them as a theme though.

Yep. Lol I did something similar with an elder evil BBEG who prefers to focus on plant life. basically could sow seeds of corruption and grow clones that are not quite clones of itself to spread it's influence. Party spent the entire campaign tracking and killing what turned out to be nothing...

Hmm depends but mostly I would make shadows of Vecna the primary stat block. leave him closer to archdevil where they are so powerful you won't see an actual block. That means each shadow can be molded for a specific task.