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<blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 9248322" data-attributes="member: 57383"><p>So it wasn't so much as feeling energetic as I got bored and didn't have anything else to do, but I whipped up my own version of the Grassling.</p><p></p><p>Before doing so, I had a more thorough look through CaseyReeseKunst's version and noticed a few things:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Firstly, it has multiple abilities the original <em>Pathfinder</em> version does not.</p><p></p><p>I'm wondering why a grassling would have <em><strong>Fey Ancestry</strong></em> when it's already is a fey and didn't have any special resistance to charm, and there's no mention of co-ordinated tactics in the flavour text that would support <em><strong>Pack Tactics</strong></em>. It's also had darkvision added despite being a surface-dweller.</p><p></p><p>It doesn't end there!</p><p></p><p>This version has a pile of rogue-style abililties like <em><strong>Evasion</strong></em> and <em><strong>Cunning Action</strong></em> the original monster lacks and has decent Damage Resistance despite the Pathfinder version not having any Damage Reduction.</p><p></p><p>One of the new abilities, <em><strong>Aversion to Fire</strong></em>, does make the grassling weaker but has no support in the original text, which says:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">"Most grasslings have a keen fascination with fire. …the fairy stories about them that circulate among humanoids nearly always end with a grassling becoming entranced by fire, approaching it too closely, and burning up… these stories aren’t true—grasslings are too green to be particularly flammable and too clever to accidentally immolate themselves—grasslings do indeed enjoy watching the chaotic dance of open flames and aren’t above creeping near a traveler’s campfire or setting something ablaze just to watch the flames."</p><p></p><p>Finally, a few of the abilities appear to be over literal copies of 3E Feats that I personally wouldn't have bothered with. Particularly <em><strong>Claw Finesse</strong></em>, which is pointless since in 5E D&D a monster can always just use DEX instead of STR for its natural attacks.</p><p></p><p>Look at the Fifth Edition <strong><a href="https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#badger_mm" target="_blank">Badger</a></strong>. It has a Bite with a +2 to hit since it uses its DEX 11 instead of its STR 4 with no need for a "Bite Finesse" trait.</p><p></p><p>Speaking of its claws, the actual <em><strong>Claws</strong></em> action is rather wonky. Firstly it has "four targets" meaning it can claw four <em>different</em> opponents but can't claw the same opponent four times.</p><p></p><p>The original just made four claw attacks distributed as it likes.</p><p></p><p>That's a <em><strong>Multiattack</strong></em> in 5E.</p><p></p><p>Secondly, its damage is off. CaseyReeseKunst has dropped the grassling's Strength lower than the Pathfinder version, so the damage should either be 3 (1d6) if based on its STR 10 (+0) or 7 (1d6 + 4) if it uses its DEX 18.</p><p></p><p>Anyhow, that's enough nit-picking.</p><p></p><p>My main objection is all of these abilities make the monster way more complicated to run than it needs to be, especially if you're running an encounter with a tuft of them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cleon, post: 9248322, member: 57383"] So it wasn't so much as feeling energetic as I got bored and didn't have anything else to do, but I whipped up my own version of the Grassling. Before doing so, I had a more thorough look through CaseyReeseKunst's version and noticed a few things: Firstly, it has multiple abilities the original [i]Pathfinder[/i] version does not. I'm wondering why a grassling would have [i][b]Fey Ancestry[/b][/i] when it's already is a fey and didn't have any special resistance to charm, and there's no mention of co-ordinated tactics in the flavour text that would support [i][b]Pack Tactics[/b][/i]. It's also had darkvision added despite being a surface-dweller. It doesn't end there! This version has a pile of rogue-style abililties like [i][b]Evasion[/b][/i] and [i][b]Cunning Action[/b][/i] the original monster lacks and has decent Damage Resistance despite the Pathfinder version not having any Damage Reduction. One of the new abilities, [i][b]Aversion to Fire[/b][/i], does make the grassling weaker but has no support in the original text, which says: [indent]"Most grasslings have a keen fascination with fire. …the fairy stories about them that circulate among humanoids nearly always end with a grassling becoming entranced by fire, approaching it too closely, and burning up… these stories aren’t true—grasslings are too green to be particularly flammable and too clever to accidentally immolate themselves—grasslings do indeed enjoy watching the chaotic dance of open flames and aren’t above creeping near a traveler’s campfire or setting something ablaze just to watch the flames."[/indent] Finally, a few of the abilities appear to be over literal copies of 3E Feats that I personally wouldn't have bothered with. Particularly [i][b]Claw Finesse[/b][/i], which is pointless since in 5E D&D a monster can always just use DEX instead of STR for its natural attacks. Look at the Fifth Edition [b][url='https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#badger_mm']Badger[/url][/b]. It has a Bite with a +2 to hit since it uses its DEX 11 instead of its STR 4 with no need for a "Bite Finesse" trait. Speaking of its claws, the actual [i][b]Claws[/b][/i] action is rather wonky. Firstly it has "four targets" meaning it can claw four [i]different[/i] opponents but can't claw the same opponent four times. The original just made four claw attacks distributed as it likes. That's a [i][b]Multiattack[/b][/i] in 5E. Secondly, its damage is off. CaseyReeseKunst has dropped the grassling's Strength lower than the Pathfinder version, so the damage should either be 3 (1d6) if based on its STR 10 (+0) or 7 (1d6 + 4) if it uses its DEX 18. Anyhow, that's enough nit-picking. My main objection is all of these abilities make the monster way more complicated to run than it needs to be, especially if you're running an encounter with a tuft of them. [/QUOTE]
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