D&D 5E Help me peg the CR for this villain

[Boarstorm]

[*] Spells aren't set properly. Need to indicate how many slots for each spell level. E.g., 5th level (1 slot): contact other plane, hold monster

Actually, if you read the trait carefully you'll see that it uses pact magic rules, as set forward in WotC stat-up of Farideh.

The monster has 3 spell slots of 5th level.

 

[surfarcher]

Actually, if you read the trait carefully you'll see that it uses pact magic rules, as set forward in WotC stat-up of Farideh.

The monster has 3 spell slots of 5th level.

Convention is to show these in braces after the spell level, not by putting the unclear "...he has 3 spell slots..." in the Spellcasting description. I've not seen Spellcasting outlined this way yet.

I'd suggest removing that part from the description and updating the spell list to the standard & clearer form...

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, minor illusion, prestidigitation, true strike
1st level (0 slots): expeditious retreat, hellish rebuke, hex
2nd leve (0 slots)l: darkness, misty step
3rd level (0 slots): counterspell, dispel magic
4th level (0 slots): dimension door, hallucinatory terrain
5th level (3 slots): contact other plane, hold monster​

 

[Boarstorm]

There is no convention for pact magic yet that I can find. So I chose to use the format WotC used the only time we've seen the trait from an official source. Should they change it (which is likely), I'll reformat.

 

[surfarcher]

There is no convention for pact magic yet that I can find. So I chose to use the format WotC used the only time we've seen the trait from an official source. Should they change it (which is likely), I'll reformat.

There's a convention for Spellcasting tho and honestly it is clearer than hiding the slots away in the description. Then again I guess you are the only one using this critter so it's sort of a moot point...

 

[Boarstorm]

I agree on the issue of clarity, but again it is what WotC chose to do the only time we've seen a monster stat block that utilizes it.

 

[Tormyr]

There is no convention for pact magic yet that I can find. So I chose to use the format WotC used the only time we've seen the trait from an official source. Should they change it (which is likely), I'll reformat.

There's a convention for Spellcasting tho and honestly it is clearer than hiding the slots away in the description. Then again I guess you are the only one using this critter so it's sort of a moot point...

The wizard and sorcerer method of writing a spell block does not take into account that the spell slots return on a short or long rest. Once you add that the spell slots are recharged on a short or long rest, it is a small step to add that there are 3 at 5th-level. It keeps all of the information about the spell slots in 1 line of text. It could go either way in terms of how to label the spell slots. The only example we have so far is the Farideh stat block, which has a few issues in general. Maybe we will get an example of a more official warlock at some point. For what it's worth, I prefer the way that Farideh's spell block was a written.

 

[Boarstorm]

Questions of formatting aside, thank you everyone for your feedback. When I get a chance to sit down and work on him, I will take your observations and suggestions into account and get to tweaking.

Thank you @Tormyr, @surfarcher, @Quickleaf, [MENTION=53135]Jack99[/MENTION].