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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 8533074" data-attributes="member: 7635">This seems fine if you're not a DM prone to tinkering with stat blocks, but it looks like a nightmare if you are. Before, I had a vague idea of what class equivalent a character was supposed to be. This was very useful for NPCs, where I could use different stat blocks to simulate characters of roughly similar levels to a PC (for example, a Mage was roughly equivalent to a 9th level wizard in terms of magic, so if I wanted to make an NPC who was to help the PCs, I knew a Mage stat-block was akin to having a 9th level wizard, except a little hardier but less versatile). Now, I've looked at a few examples (especially from Witchlight and Strixhaven) and I can't figure out how to reverse engineer them. There doesn't seem to be any guidance on creating these new "not spell-spells" like holy fire or cacaphony, assigning utility spells, designating caster level when that's relevant, etc. Taking Strixhaven for example: Each of the NPCs for the five schools have a class tag (silverquill are bards, prismari are sorcerers, etc) but I don't see what actually MAKES them bards, sorcerers, etc. The professors at each school have 2-4 cantrips, a few utility spells they cast x/day, and some magical attack actions and reactions. Save for those cantrips and utility spells, they share nothing in common but their PCs students! The warlocks lack invocations and pact effects (and many lack eldritch blast), the bards lack bardic inspiration, the sorcerers lack metamagic, etc. They don't even use the spells from their classes spell lists as they often have utility spells that aren't on their "classes" spell list (the druids getting revivify). Forget trying to design of customize my own NPCs; it's too much work now to figure out how to do it. I guess if you're the kind of DM who just wings it and it doesn't matter if the math makes sense, it's liberating. But I liked the idea that an archmage represented an 18th level wizard (though simplified) rather than just being some collection of magic attacks and a few utility spells pulled from any and all spell lists. The old stat blocks were a good compromise between building complex characters like a PC and using monster stat blocks. Anyway, if anyone wants to make a few bucks, make a giant book of generic 1500 NPCs, especially spellcasters. I don't think I'll be making my own anymore, so I might as well pay for enough of them to not get bored with the same 30 NPC stat blocks...</blockquote>

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