D&D (2024) I have a Monster Manual. AMA!

I wonder if there are any instances when it isn't the highest of the three spellcasting stats. I'll bet a blanket rule could have been made that monster spells are cast with the highest of the three.
I haven't specifically looked through the whole book yet. The lich's Spellcasting action indicates it uses Intelligence as its spellcasting ability. So the book is telling you that when it casts Counterspell or Shield as a reaction (or casts Clairvoyance while in its lair), it uses Intelligence.

It's possible there may be some monsters in the book with multiple spellcasting abilities, or this is just future-proofing for that eventuality, or it's worded that way in case you want to have a lich that uses Charisma instead (like a sorcerer-based lich?) ... but it still feels unnecessarily wordy.
 

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Well, well, look at this blast from the past in the book, @pemerton

20250204_182103.jpg
 

No, there is no special name for [Elemental lizardfolk]. What I posted above is the everything the book says about lizardfolk.
Happily, I just got my Monster Manual, and I can say there actually is an in-world name for Elemental lizardfolk. Two, in fact: Geomancer and Sovereign.

The only stat blocks that mention lizardfolk with the Elemental subtype are the Lizardfolk Geomancer stat block and the Lizardfolk Sovereign stat block. There is no generic Lizardfolk stat block specifying their default creature type, Elemental or otherwise. (In contrast, there's a generic Troglodyte stat block which identifies the generic, default troglodyte as a Monstrosity.)
 

Happily, I just got my Monster Manual, and I can say there actually is an in-world name for Elemental lizardfolk. Two, in fact: Geomancer and Sovereign.

The only stat blocks that mention lizardfolk with the Elemental subtype are the Lizardfolk Geomancer stat block and the Lizardfolk Sovereign stat block. There is no generic Lizardfolk stat block specifying their default creature type, Elemental or otherwise. (In contrast, there's a generic Troglodyte stat block which identifies the generic, default troglodyte as a Monstrosity.)
Oh, I thought you meant some sort of in-game name for them (like "blackscale lizardfolk" or something). We had already established that the two elemental lizardfolk stat blocks were the geomancer and the sovereign.
 

Happily, I just got my Monster Manual, and I can say there actually is an in-world name for Elemental lizardfolk. Two, in fact: Geomancer and Sovereign.

The only stat blocks that mention lizardfolk with the Elemental subtype are the Lizardfolk Geomancer stat block and the Lizardfolk Sovereign stat block. There is no generic Lizardfolk stat block specifying their default creature type, Elemental or otherwise. (In contrast, there's a generic Troglodyte stat block which identifies the generic, default troglodyte as a Monstrosity.)
Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding was that the conversion guide listed the NPC "scout" as the conversion for the standard lizard folk.
 



Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding was that the conversion guide listed the NPC "scout" as the conversion for the standard lizard folk.
I don't think that is what the conversion guide is for. It doesn't tell you what a standard lizardfolk looks like. It tells you what statblock to use when the module you are running calls for a lizardman. That's a different thing.
 

Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding was that the conversion guide listed the NPC "scout" as the conversion for the standard lizard folk.
The conversion guide is basically just: "If you're using a 2014 era adventure with the 2024 era rules, and the adventure says to use X stat block from the 2014 MM, and you'd like a quick replacement from this book, then we suggest you use Y stat block instead."

So it's not saying that all generic lizardfolk are scouts any more than it's saying that all generic orcs are toughs. It's just a quick-and-dirty guide for people who don't want to look for something more suitable or make something themselves.

EDIT: Ninja'd by @Reynard!
 


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