D&D General Drow & Orcs Removed from the Monster Manual

[Reynard]

Out of curisoty (and to avoid having this thread just be yet another version of the same thing) what NPC stat block(s) are they suggesting for Drow?

 

[Remathilis]

Personally, I'd rather the MM include stat blocks for all the humanoids (including humans, elves, gnomes, dwarves, etc., ala the 1e MM), but that's just me. I view it as an opportunity to explore the unique cultures for each species - for example, the differences between wood elves, high-elves, and drow. That's probably a slippery slope for WotC though.

Ok. Create a setting-neutral human stat block for the Monster Manual. I'm interested to see what a "Human" monster Stat block looks like.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I'm sure at some point someone will create a "non-humanoid" statblock for certain Orcs and Drow. Won't be in the core 5E24 MM... but I'm sure somewhere else someone will make it. Or DMs will just use the 5E14 MM statblocks for them instead.

If a DM acquires a statblock from whatever book or website or app they get it from... does it really matter if it's not from WotC's 5E24 MM?

 

[Remathilis]

Out of curisoty (and to avoid having this thread just be yet another version of the same thing) what NPC stat block(s) are they suggesting for Drow?

Here you go

 

[Clint_L]

I would have included an entry for each playable species, I would have kept the cultural description fairly broad and emphasized “typically, not always,” I would have all of them as “any alignment,” and I would have included stat blocks for two representatives, probably a warrior and some specialty type. And added language directing the DMs to the NPC pages for more options, along with the modifications they should add to convert the generic stat block to an orc, goliath, human, or whatever (dark vision, tremor sense, resistance, etc.).

Because as much as I like the new MM (got it today on DDB) I agree that these absences feel odd.

 

[Stormonu]

There's good and bad points to it. Not having a full block for various humanoids leaves space for other creatures to be included, and if you CAN build an "orc warrior" by taking a Warrior stat block and applying a line or two of orcish flavor, it works. A table of various humanoid traits takes up a lot less space than repeating a stat block with only a one-line change.

It does take a bit more brain processing to remember those traits though, when not baked right into the stat block in front of you.

However...

I think that there is space for unique creatures that are specific to a race, like the Earth Lizardfolk I heard about. Having a stat block for say, an "Eye of Gruumsh" only available to orcs would be acceptable to have a full stat block for, assuming it has some fairly unique mechanics.

While I haven't seen the actual 2025 MM, from what I've heard of how other creature blocks were done, I do think that orcs and drow unfairly got the shaft in this version. If goblin warranted a full stat block, Orc should have as well.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Isn't there already a thread on this?

 

[Krachek]

They could tag old Orcs and Drows as Fiend and keep them, but they don’t.
Maybe they will release old orcs and Drows lore into supplements book for « mature» audience with warnings and disclaimer.
Who knows? We will se in the coming year.

 

[Stormonu]

My big question about the 2025 MM is how much space is actually devoted to reserved to talking about orcs? If the stat blocks are missing is there at least an entry that discusses what an Orc is? As far as I recall, the half-orc was stripped out of the PHB, and if there's no dedicated Orc stat block, how do I find out about 2025 Orcs?

 

[Remathilis]

My big question about the 2025 MM is how much space is actually devoted to reserved to talking about orcs? If the stat blocks are missing is there at least an entry that discusses what an Orc is? As far as I recall, the half-orc was stripped out of the PHB, and if there's no dedicated Orc stat block, how do I find out about 2025 Orcs?

They are in the Players Handbook as a playable species.