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

[Lidgar]

As others have already pointed out in various places, when you look at D&D that had species specific statblocks for humanoids, they didn't vary much anyway. They were already vanilla.

What they've provided, instead, are ROLE specific statblocks. I find that more useful, as a GM, than species-specific.

Yes, but my point is to have both. The roles are just that - roles only, with no other flavor.

 

[Bedrockgames]

There are lots of ways! You can make the doors mimics. You can have the doors be brittle and filled with green slime. You can make the doors explode like a fireball when kicked. Tons of solutions.

Two words: Carpenters Union

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'd tell them you can't expect D&D to be all things to all people, but they're free to handle orcs however they'd like in their own games. Or just replace orcs with gnolls. It's still okay to kill them on sight.

I agree that D&D specifically (by which I mean the official game) by this point shouldn't have to be all things to all people. There are many, many alternatives available. Unfortunately, all of those alternatives are so much less well-known than WotC's game that there is a strong current to make the market leader cover everything.

I really wish that wasn't true.

 

[Azzy]

There seems to be an overlap in the Venn diagram of those that say "they're just stat blocks" and the "muh verisimilitude" crowd.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Monster Manual actually sounds pretty confrontational to me, perhaps we could start a petition to have the name changed to Role Manual, What is the general feeling on this?

 

[Remathilis]

The problem with defaulting to generic NPC blocks for many of the humanoids (especially playable ones) is they all become vanilla. Yes, I can re-skin, but that's putting the onus on me.

Species-specific statblocks allow you to introduce flavor - e.g., a drow guard having unique abilities different than what a drow PC would have. It allows you to explore factions and different societies/backgrounds. In short, you can diversify NPC characteristics instead of everyone having one set of vanilla stats with some species-specific traits tacked on for every humanoid guard in the game.

Again, I know this is something the DM can do, but why not provide at least a handful of these to spur on the creative process?

The issue is you get orc guard, elf guard, goliath guard, aasimar guard, etc, etc. That ends up a lot of redundant statblocks.

 

[Reynard]

the "muh verisimilitude" crowd.

That feels a little unnecessarily combative.

 

[Dire Bare]

The problem with defaulting to generic NPC blocks for many of the humanoids (especially playable ones) is they all become vanilla. Yes, I can re-skin, but that's putting the onus on me.

Species-specific statblocks allow you to introduce flavor - e.g., a drow guard having unique abilities different than what a drow PC would have. It allows you to explore factions and different societies/backgrounds. In short, you can diversify NPC characteristics instead of everyone having one set of vanilla stats with some species-specific traits tacked on for every humanoid guard in the game.

Again, I know this is something the DM can do, but why not provide at least a handful of these to spur on the creative process?

If your orc warrior and genasi warrior that use the exact same stat block are "vanilla" . . . it's not the stat block that is the problem.

Sure, it's cool to spice up the stat block a bit by maybe adding levitate to the genasi, but the real flavor should come from the narrative. IMO.

For combat, there isn't much difference between a genasi warrior and an orc warrior. Using the same stat blocks works just fine. Again, IMO.

 

[AnotherGuy]

The issue is you get orc guard, elf guard, goliath guard, aasimar guard, etc, etc. That ends up a lot of redundant statblocks.

What happened to the Orc Drudge, Orc War Chief, Orc Eye of Gruumsh, Orog, Orc Blade of Ilneval, Orc Claw of Luthic, Orc Raider, Orc Bloodrager, Orc Berserker...etc?

 

[AnotherGuy]

Sure, it's cool to spice up the stat block a bit by maybe adding levitate to the genasi, but the real flavor should come from the narrative. IMO.

For combat, there isn't much difference between a genasi warrior and an orc warrior. Using the same stat blocks works just fine. Again, IMO.

Seems like we've already forgotten why people appeared to like the 4e monster stat blocks....I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of the narrative.