NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Charlaquin" data-source="post: 7974145" data-attributes="member: 6779196">I think reskinning is fine, and at times useful. But, I think a design is at its best when you can tell what it’s supposed to be without the description. Like, take this custom monster I designed for example:[spoiler][REDACTED]Medium [REDACTED], neutral evilArmor Class 8Hit Points 6 (1d8 + 2)Speed 20 ft.STR 13 (+1) DEX 7 (-2) CON 15 (+2)INT 3 (-4) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 5 (-3)Damage Vulnerabilities fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from weapon attacks that target the [REDACTED]’s head (imposing disadvantage on the attack)Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from weapon attacks that don’t target the [REDACTED]’s headDamage Immunities poison, psychicCondition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisonedSenses passive Perception 8Languages —Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)[REDACTED] Fortitude. If damage reduces the [REDACTED] to 0 hit points, it must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw unless the damage is fire or from a weapon attack targeting its head. On a success, the [REDACTED] drops to 1 hit point instead.ActionsGrab. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 2 bludgeoning damage, and if the target is Large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 11).Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled creature. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, and the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease. Until the disease is cured, the target can’t regain hit points except by magical means, and the target’s hit point maximum decreases by 3 (1d6) every 24 hours. If the target’s hit point maximum drops to 0 as a result of this disease, the target dies and rises as a [REDACTED] 1d4 hours later.[/spoiler]I’d be surprised if anyone could read that stat block and not immediately figure out what it represents, even with the name and creature type redacted. Likewise, I’d be surprised if players could fight a group of them and not immediately figure out what they represent, even if I didn’t name or even describe them.The same can’t be said of a different statblock reskinned to be the creature in question. Reskinning, by its nature, relies on DM description to communicate what the mechanics being reskinned are supposed to represent narratively, and in my opinion that makes a reskinned design element inherently weaker design than something tailor-made to feel like the thing it represents.</blockquote>

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