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Heat Metal Rules Interp / Minor Nerf
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<blockquote data-quote="discosoc" data-source="post: 6712667" data-attributes="member: 6801554"><p>And in the customizing NPC's section of Appendix B in the Monster Manual, it states "One way to customize an NPC spellcaster is to replace one or more of its spells. You can substitute any spell on the NPC's spell list with a different spell of the same level from the same spell list. Swapping spells in this manner doesn't alter an NPC's challenge rating."</p><p></p><p>As far as I can tell, what you're referencing is the "Innate spellcasting and spellcasting" section of DMG that deals with creating a new monster. Even there, it doesn't specify anything about 'maximum damage output' but rather mentions that if a spell does more damage that it's "normal attack routine" it needs to be considered (normal attack routine being somewhat close to the listed value on page 274). There's no formula to go by that really works according to the MM stats, and even page 82 mentions that CR should always be weighed against the capabilities of the party, especially at low levels.</p><p></p><p>So I guess my final point is that a very specific spell selection can in fact make an encounter easier or harder, but that's part of the GM's job to identify it when designing the encounter, because every group is different. CR will only take you so far.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="discosoc, post: 6712667, member: 6801554"] And in the customizing NPC's section of Appendix B in the Monster Manual, it states "One way to customize an NPC spellcaster is to replace one or more of its spells. You can substitute any spell on the NPC's spell list with a different spell of the same level from the same spell list. Swapping spells in this manner doesn't alter an NPC's challenge rating." As far as I can tell, what you're referencing is the "Innate spellcasting and spellcasting" section of DMG that deals with creating a new monster. Even there, it doesn't specify anything about 'maximum damage output' but rather mentions that if a spell does more damage that it's "normal attack routine" it needs to be considered (normal attack routine being somewhat close to the listed value on page 274). There's no formula to go by that really works according to the MM stats, and even page 82 mentions that CR should always be weighed against the capabilities of the party, especially at low levels. So I guess my final point is that a very specific spell selection can in fact make an encounter easier or harder, but that's part of the GM's job to identify it when designing the encounter, because every group is different. CR will only take you so far. [/QUOTE]
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