Search results

  1. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    That's fair, I guess. Is there anything that came before that the change invalidated, though? Was there an adventure that had something that didn't work or fit anymore?
  2. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    Some posters keep conflating lore with metaplot. They're not the same, not at all. Metaplot is something like "This world-shaking cataclysm happens to campaign world X! Now everything is different!!1!!" It needn't be that extreme, but it's an event or events that future products assume happened...
  3. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    Some of A, some of B.
  4. the Jester

    D&D General The Jester's Perfect D&D

    Note: I don't think the kobold alchemist's tanglefoot bag and alchemist's fire are consistent with those in the gear section. KOBOLD Small humanoid (canine, kobold, lizard) AC: 12 Speed: 30' Shifty: Spend 5' of movement to not trigger OAs until end of turn. Hit Dice: 1d4 (2 hp) Str 7, Dex...
  5. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    That's why I said "depends on what you mean by ranged brutes"- I mean, in 4e, brutes were specifically melee monsters, so if you're sticking to that definition, it's a bit like asking if there are any dogs that aren't dogs.
  6. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    Depends on what you mean by ranged brute. If you mean something that is more effective at range than in melee, yes, absolutely- 4e had an entire category of monsters like this: artillery. The best example (which, unfortunately, doesn't have an exact equivalent in 5e) was the arbalaster (there's...
  7. the Jester

    D&D General The Jester's Perfect D&D

    HELL HOUND Small or medium beast (fiend, dog) AC: 13 Speed: 40' Hit Dice: 4d8 (18 hp) Immune to fire Str 14, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 8 Senses: scent Languages: usually can't speak but understands Infernal Bite: +5 to hit, 1d6 piercing damage plus 1d6 fire damage. Pack Tactics...
  8. the Jester

    D&D General Why Were the Dragon and Dungeon Magazines Discontinued?

    Not to even mention homebrew. That's the real killer for me- any online system that won't easily support and integrate my homebrew material is a red hot failure for my game. I have too many custom races/species, subclasses, magic items, monsters, and spells to count. And my players and I use...
  9. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    I have literally run Basic, 1e, 2e, 3e, and 4e adventures in 5e, adapting them by importing 5e stat blocks for monsters and traps, with no other real changes (except for those necessary to make it fit into my campaign setting). That doesn't mean they were all the same edition- it just means...
  10. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    How about doubling healing, increasing many spells' damage, massively boosting monks, significantly increasing the abilities of other martials, completely rewriting a bunch of magic items, and changing the stats of many or all the monsters, including in ways that completely change how they play?
  11. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    Charm person is 1st level. Charm monster is 4th level. I would say that, given that goblins are a quintessential first level foe, requiring a 4th level spell to charm them is a bit weird. On the other hand, bringing charm monster down in level makes it very overpowered.
  12. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    Well, spells that target humanoids now don't work on them- things like hold person, charm person, etc. Which have always worked on them in the past.
  13. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    To be clear- I am fine with variants of monsters having non-traditional abilities. A "stone golem forcecaster" with that stat block would be fine. Hell, I have dozens of variants of monsters that break their traditional molds in a lot of ways. But I prefer to have older versions, especially...
  14. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    The stone golem: Again, not a huge fan of adding abilities that have never been there. And in this case, adding a ranged attack means it's harder for pcs to make meaningful tactical choices to make an encounter easier to manage. That said, there's a right way to do it. This isn't quite on the...
  15. the Jester

    D&D General Let's list/complain about things we don't like

    I'm still not over Drow as pcs. Also their seeming ubiquity. Drow should be scary monsters known only in legends and spoken of only in whispers. Personally, I only use them about once or twice per edition, and I treat them like 1e did before G3- nobody knows about them except for a few elven...
  16. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    I am fine with monsters being multiple types, or having the same stat block representing multiple monsters via changing the Type line only- I have will-o-wisps as both Undead and Fey, for instance. I'd be fine with a simple paragraph in the MM suggesting that goblinoids (again, f'rex) could be...
  17. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    But that doesn't have anything to do with their history in dnd. It's not a surprise, but it's still a disappointment. Goblinoids have been quintessential examples of "Humanoids" since before we even had actual creature types, and now they aren't. Not a fan.
  18. the Jester

    D&D 5E (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

    I have mixed reactions to this. The blink dog: Dislike the removal of keen hearing and smell. This change really seems to me to be one of many that are basically designed for VTT play at the expense of flavor and world building elements. Moving the teleport to a bonus action, I really like...
  19. the Jester

    D&D General The Jester's Perfect D&D

    Here in the giant frog entries you'll see one of my pet peeves removed: the whole idea that a monster can grab you from out of your normal reach and you can't attack the limb grabbing you. Not in my perfect D&D! Also, I notice that my write up of filth fever under the giant rat doesn't use...
  20. the Jester

    D&D General The Jester's Perfect D&D

    DIGESTER Medium beast AC: 13 Speed: 50' Hit Dice: 7d8 (31 hp) Str 13, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 8 Senses keen vision Rake: +5 to hit, 1d8 slashing damage. Acid Spray: +7 to hit, 3d6 acid damage plus ongoing 1d10 acid (Con save ends, or ends if washed off with a gallon of liquid or...
Top