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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 6924009" data-attributes="member: 6775031">A Balor wields a vorpal longsword, which they don't bother to spell out for anyone because it might be confusing. The way a vorpal sword works in the DMG is that it just decapitates someone on a critical hit, unless they're too cool for that (i.e. they have legendary actions); if they're too cool, and just decapitating them instantly would be lame, then it does a bunch of extra damage instead. The way the balor's sword works in the MM is that it just does a bunch of extra damage on a critical hit; the designers automatically assume that it's going to be fighting PCs, and decapitating them instantly would be lame, so they cut to the chase and go straight to the extra damage step. You can see how they designed it, and that it basically gets you to the same place, but they've tried to hide the underlying logic by simplifying the game mechanics so players don't have to think about it. Except for those players who are veterans of certain previous editions, who expect the game mechanics to stay intact through the whole process, and are left questioning why they would bother using two different mechanical subsystems to represent the same in-game reality.A better example of the same principle can be found in the NPC listings in the back of the MM. I forget which NPC best demonstrates it - it was either like a bandit leader, or a gladiator or something - but you can clearly see that it's intended to dual-wield and has extra attacks. Instead of just using the normal dual-wielding rules from the PHB, and having the Extra Attack feature, it has the Multiattack action that you see in monsters: it can make two attacks with its main-hand weapon, and one attack with its off-hand weapon, as an action. It doesn't require a bonus action to make the off-hand attack (not that it has any other options for what to do with a bonus action), and it adds its full stat modifier to the damage roll. It's basically a high-level fighter-type, but they present it using monster rules, which means it doesn't quite line up exactly. But it mostly works in practice, if you don't think about it too much.</blockquote>

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