D&D (2024) Creature Stat Blocks in 2024 Player's Handbook

[occam]

Just took a stroll through the Creature Stat Blocks appendix in the new PHB, and discovered the following interesting things (interesting to me, at any rate):

• We knew that the Bloodied condition was making a comeback, but I wasn't expecting to run into this so soon:
  • Bloodied Fury. While Bloodied, the boar has Advantage on attack rolls.
  • The boar is the only creature to have this in the PHB; I wonder to what extent the Bloodied condition will be utilized in the Monster Manual.
• There are no creatures with Keen Senses; this was a common trait for creatures in the 2014 PHB. I wonder if this has been removed completely for new creatures.
  • I was going to check on whether they were making the same error as in the 2014 books, and forgetting to apply the +5 to Passive Perception for having advantage on Perception checks, but it turns out to be irrelevant!
• I believe they've removed all instances of attacks that require both an attack roll and a saving throw. (See, for example, the pseudodragon's sting, which now only requires a save.) We've seen this in some of the spell revisions as well; it'll be interesting to see if this is a strictly implemented design guideline in all cases.
• It looks like they're going back to the original 2014 reliance on general language about alignment being flexible. We've seen this in example stat blocks already, however, I wasn't sure if it was going to be applied across the board. But there isn't a single "usually" or "always" in these stat blocks; every creature just has an unqualified alignment.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It looks like they're going back to the original 2014 reliance on general language about alignment being flexible. We've seen this in example stat blocks already, however, I wasn't sure if it was going to be applied across the board. But there isn't a single "usually" or "always" in these stat blocks; every creature just has an unqualified alignment.

Waffle House doesn't waffle as much as WotC does on alignment.

 

[Scribe]

It looks like they're going back to the original 2014 reliance on general language about alignment being flexible. We've seen this in example stat blocks already, however, I wasn't sure if it was going to be applied across the board. But there isn't a single "usually" or "always" in these stat blocks; every creature just has an unqualified alignment.

Considering Alignment was explicitly noted as being variable for the DM to change, those 'usually' or 'typically' type words are pointless.

Its not the text's fault people fail to read.

 

[Dan Dillon]

• There are no creatures with Keen Senses; this was a common trait for creatures in the 2014 PHB. I wonder if this has been removed completely for new creatures.

Keen Senses has been a deprecated design element for a while now, looking at recent 2014 rules books you won't see it, going back to at least Monsters of the Multiverse. Instead, you'll see Proficiency or Expertise in Perception for creatures that used to or otherwise would have Keen Senses.

You can see it in the 2024 Wolf stat block with its +5 to Perception (Wis +1, PB +2 doubled).

 

[bedir than]

I have yet to see a monster that has a save that's different from its attribute bonus. It seems having three stats for every attribute is wasted space

Correction: The CAMEL! Has proficiency in CON saves

 

[dave2008]

I have yet to see a monster that has a save that's different from its attribute bonus. It seems having three stats for every attribute is wasted space

Correction: The CAMEL! Has proficiency in CON saves

The green dragon preview had saves different from its attribute bonus (Dex & Wis):

 

[Zaukrie]

I have yet to see a monster that has a save that's different from its attribute bonus. It seems having three stats for every attribute is wasted space

Correction: The CAMEL! Has proficiency in CON saves

Still a waste for 90% of monsters.

 

[Dan Dillon]

Still a waste for 90% of monsters.

I suspect we'll see more in the full MM. These are mostly Beasts and other low-level critters so I don't expect to see much in the way of save proficiency.

 

[Charlaquin]

Still a waste for 90% of monsters.

The fact that it has utility for the other 10% makes it worth including, since it doesn’t take up any more page space than ability scores were already taking up anyway. In fact, this formatting takes up less page space for monsters that have save proficiencies than the 2014 standard of having an extra line for save proficiencies did.

 

[Charlaquin]

We knew that the Bloodied condition was making a comeback, but I wasn't expecting to run into this so soon:

I’m not seeing the Bloodied condition in the free rules. Am I just not looking in the right place?

EDIT: Found it. Turns out, I was not looking in the right place, because for some reason it isn’t a condition. It’s just an isolated entry in the rules glossary.