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I use this a lot in my campaigns. For my latest Waterdeep game, the clergy of Lathander is split down the middle regarding beliefs about his origins: Those who believe him to be reincarnated Aumanator, old Netherese god of the sun, keeper of time, and master of law. This faction would like to...

I don't think they are materially different. They both belong to a family of monsters that are a subcategory of monster type. I also don't think the organization is internally coherent. Sometimes, the alphabetization takes precedence; other times, the category takes precedence. See dragons and...

I'm with those who think the Mearls era of D&D was much better - I enjoyed the releases far more back then. There are multiple reasons for this: I think the adventures were more interesting. Curse of Strahd, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Tomb of Anhilation, etc. The adventures in Winniger era have...

Oof, I think I’ve never disliked a pair of WotC covers so much in the 10 years of 5th edition. I can see what Jones was going for, even if I don’t like where it landed, but the Staples cover I just find baffling. Surprised that there are some here who seem to like it, and glad for them.

This organization choice is so absurd that I’m at a loss at how it was made. What would possess WotC to do this? The only option I can see is that WotC were thinking first and foremost of DMs buying premade adventures rather than DMs creating their own, but even then, I think it helps very...

Surprised that the Aboleth did not receive a higher-CR variant, as that is one of the most popular additions I see in other monster manuals. Brief correction: the Aboleth did have a reform ability in the 2014 Monster Manual, but it was in the text, not in the statblock. (This was common for all...

I think that this is a constant debate because Chaotic and Lawful have changed definitions through editions, and the 5e wording can often be inadequate in retrospect. We often have to rely on our own judgment to resolve alignment, which makes things murky. For example, we know from the 2014 MMs...

Is your line of reasoning truly “Why should guidance for X be included in the new DMG, when it’s in the 2014 one?” The new DMG isn’t a companion piece to its 2014 version. It intends to update and replace it. Like most things in the DMG, variants are part of a toolbox that help the DM to run...

This is not what Micah was referring to. Yes, all rules are subject to the DM’s overrule. Nonetheless, some rules were not part of the assumed shared ruleset of the game, they were variants that provided alternatives to the baseline guidance in order to achieve a certain effect. These rules...

I’m not sure this is quite accurate, at least not in absolute terms. As I understand it, they are both demons who tempted mortals with lust during sleep: one male, one female. The incubus fathers children (Merlin probably being the most prominent example?), but that’s more to do with the sex of...

I am also a DM that does not plan on switching, but I don't see any issue. The players will use 2014 rulebook, which I am happy to lend to them if they don't have. I will not allow 2024 rules, subclasses, or any other player-facing material. That is the extent of it, really. Some people still...

Thank you for the pictures! I like it better as a small detail, and it does look weird when increased in size (does it hurt when the dragon coils?). Nonetheless, the art piece is still fantastic. Love the puppeteering angle.

I do not intend on switching, because I do not like the rule changes. Thus far, it seems like unnecessary bloat, and I’m happy without all these other abilities to slow down play. I also liked the text flavor in the 2014 PHB, and that has mostly been deleted. The art varies, but I don’t find it...

Thank you for the response — Bizarre that they didn’t name options under the cleric domains.

Do the appendices list any pantheons, or any other similar lore?

My bad; I did not intend to venture too far away from the statblock element. Change of topic: art is great, as is the serpentine dragon design, but I find that inverted horn that it has on its chin bizarre. Does it serve any purpose? Is it a beard? I don’t recall it in the concept art.

It has always been RAW to change monster alignments, going back to the 2014 MM. You didn’t need MotM’s permission to do so, nor any house rule. Nonetheless, MotM still had a very strict description of the Abishai: “In all cases, abishais are fanatically loyal to Tiamat, ready to lay down their...

I’m certain that there’ll be a section in the beginning of the book stating that the alignments are mere suggestions. It makes little sense to repeat that in every statblock. The dragons were always an odd case, anyway, since their lore is color-coded. Fiends (and all outsiders, really) are a...

Thank you for the video and the explanation, tetrasodium. I entered the hobby with 3e, but I was perhaps a bit too young to play it as intended or even as written in the core books, so the description of the experience then is most appreciated. This is an excellent point. I had let slip...

I agree with Micah's post. I see no reason for a strength differential; they cast spells differently, and that's it. I haven't ignored you. I mentioned rituals before; here is such an instance: "Rituals are nice, but they are also not often part of a class fantasy, and players use them well...