D&D 5E Changes to D&D's Spellcasting Monsters: Streamlining Your Way To Bliss

WotC's Jeremy Crawford talks about the way they are changing spellcasting monsters in D&D.

• Making the game more fun, easier to learn, shorting "the pathway to getting to your bliss".
• Making monsters easier to run.
• "Rumors of the death of spellcasting [in monsters] are not true". Innate spellcasting has been streamlined with spellcasting into a single trait.
• Spellcasting options are consolidated whenever possible.
• Removing options that a DM is unlikely ever to use.
• In some cases, new magical abilities in the monster statblock which exist alongside a list of spells they can cast.
• For example, the mind flayer's mind blast is not a spell, and other abilities are magical but not spells and aren't as easy to interact with with things like counterspell.
• Things which make archmages say "How is this functioning, and why can't I stop it?"

 

[darjr]

I’m not completely on board with some of the changes but I get it. And I can always make my own or use third party.

However some of the actions are very cool.

 

[Zaukrie]

Interesting. And what most of us thought. I am not opposed to it, but I'm not sure I love it for, say, wizards. Unless we get some kind of ability to use powers that aren't spells (not that I need NPCs and PCs to play by the same rules.....certainly not monsters....but a wizard casts spells, imo).

 

[Weiley31]

It should be noted that some Actions list themselves as either Melee or Ranged attack spells.
A majority of the Spell like attacks, especially ones that require a Recharge roll are not. But then one can always view them as somewhat of a special/signature action that is unique to the stat block of that particular monster.

 

[Weiley31]

Interesting. And what most of us thought. I am not opposed to it, but I'm not sure I love it for, say, wizards. Unless we get some kind of ability to use powers that aren't spells (not that I need NPCs and PCs to play by the same rules.....certainly not monsters....but a wizard casts spells, imo).

As a DM, one can always craft or make magic items that can possesses unique actions/"spell like attacks" like the stat blocks have.

 

[Zaukrie]

As a DM, one can always craft or make magic items that can possesses unique actions/"spell like attacks" like the stat blocks have.

Then they would be carrying magic items. Like I said, I'm not opposed to the idea, it just seems internally inconsistent for a wizard to do magic in a way other wizards can't (as opposed to a sorcerer or other class with more innate or gifted powers, like cleric). Sure, a god could give a cleric power it hasn't given others....but how does a wizard have such powers without an item?

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Still not as annoying as "Spell like abilities, Supernatural Abilities, and Extraordinary Abilities", so I'll take it

 

[Scribe]

Still not as annoying as "Spell like abilities, Supernatural Abilities, and Extraordinary Abilities", so I'll take it

Give it time.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Give it time.

SIGH.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Then they would be carrying magic items. Like I said, I'm not opposed to the idea, it just seems internally inconsistent for a wizard to do magic in a way other wizards can't (as opposed to a sorcerer or other class with more innate or gifted powers, like cleric). Sure, a god could give a cleric power it hasn't given others....but how does a wizard have such powers without an item?

Solution: Sorcerers and bards only.