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Changes to D&D's Spellcasting Monsters: Streamlining Your Way To Bliss
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<blockquote data-quote="Jer" data-source="post: 8533379" data-attributes="member: 19857"><p>Take a look at the new stat blocks for Orcus or the Drow Matron that were floating around. They still have spells. And even where the spell has been moved into the attack block and given a different name, it's still a spell. Orcus no longer "casts chill touch as a 17th level caster" instead Orcus now has a "Necrotic Bolt" Ranged <em>Spell</em> attack that has a +15 to hit and does 5d8+7 necrotic damage. Still a spell - it's still even mechanically a chill touch spell - except now it's called out in the stat block that he has it and that he's expected to use it and it's not hidden in there as a cantrip that you might ignore because you might be thinking "why the heck would Orcus be casting chill touch - that's a cantrip?"</p><p></p><p>Here's a tweet where the two versions get compared - you can see the side by side of the stat blocks for yourself:</p><p></p><p>[MEDIA=twitter]1483881885436715009[/MEDIA]</p><p></p><p>From everything we've seen the only places where they're taking spells away and making them magical non-spell attacks are on monsters where it fits the theme of the monster. Like the Mind Flayer (which also suggests that a) they're still thinking of bringing in psionics, and b) they're not thinking of psionics as spells).</p><p></p><p>(Another good bit that they did there is add the Necrotic bolt to Orcus's Multiattack and upped the number of attacks he gets to make from 2 to three. So where before he could make 2 Wand of Orcus attacks now he can make 3 attacks mixing in his Wand attack, his necrotic bolt, and his Tail attack. It ups his power level, which demon lords can always use IMO, but also indicates how he's supposed to be used.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jer, post: 8533379, member: 19857"] Take a look at the new stat blocks for Orcus or the Drow Matron that were floating around. They still have spells. And even where the spell has been moved into the attack block and given a different name, it's still a spell. Orcus no longer "casts chill touch as a 17th level caster" instead Orcus now has a "Necrotic Bolt" Ranged [I]Spell[/I] attack that has a +15 to hit and does 5d8+7 necrotic damage. Still a spell - it's still even mechanically a chill touch spell - except now it's called out in the stat block that he has it and that he's expected to use it and it's not hidden in there as a cantrip that you might ignore because you might be thinking "why the heck would Orcus be casting chill touch - that's a cantrip?" Here's a tweet where the two versions get compared - you can see the side by side of the stat blocks for yourself: [MEDIA=twitter]1483881885436715009[/MEDIA] From everything we've seen the only places where they're taking spells away and making them magical non-spell attacks are on monsters where it fits the theme of the monster. Like the Mind Flayer (which also suggests that a) they're still thinking of bringing in psionics, and b) they're not thinking of psionics as spells). (Another good bit that they did there is add the Necrotic bolt to Orcus's Multiattack and upped the number of attacks he gets to make from 2 to three. So where before he could make 2 Wand of Orcus attacks now he can make 3 attacks mixing in his Wand attack, his necrotic bolt, and his Tail attack. It ups his power level, which demon lords can always use IMO, but also indicates how he's supposed to be used.) [/QUOTE]
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