D&D 5E June 20 Q&A Legendary Creature Questions

[Sage Genesis]

Why yes, Medusa should break the rules. She should be a one-shot kill, just as she was in the legends! I really don't understand why so many people complain about one-shotting a boss monster when that's a perfectly acceptable way for the heroes of legend to end such a fight. Not all the time, of course, but once in a while it makes the players feel like their characters really are heroes! And that's part of what makes the game fun... isn't it?

First of all, what works in a real-world myth doesn't necessarily works in a collaborative game. Saying "it's just as in the legends" doesn't prove it's good, nor does it prove it's bad. It says exactly nothing.

Second, why are you bringing up one-shotting a boss? That is impossible now thanks to legendary resistance, and physical damage is certainly not high enough to pull it off. The thing you claim to be good is exactly what Next is making harder to achieve.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

First of all, what works in a real-world myth doesn't necessarily works in a collaborative game. Saying "it's just as in the legends" doesn't prove it's good, nor does it prove it's bad. It says exactly nothing.

Second, why are you bringing up one-shotting a boss? That is impossible now thanks to legendary resistance, and physical damage is certainly not high enough to pull it off. The thing you claim to be good is exactly what Next is making harder to achieve.

I hate when sarcasm doesn't come through on the interwebs. The point I was trying to make was precisely that it takes away one of the things that some (a lot?) of people find fun in RPGs. I wasn't trying to prove anything, just making a point.

 

[Sage Genesis]

I hate when sarcasm doesn't come through on the interwebs. The point I was trying to make was precisely that it takes away one of the things that some (a lot?) of people find fun in RPGs. I wasn't trying to prove anything, just making a point.

Ah right. Carry on then.

 

[Philousk]

I'm not sure that Medusa should be considered a legendary monster. As well as for Dispater (an infernal prince) and the Tarrasque this is not debatable, as it is for Medusa more, although my doubt wants ambivalent. I mean if Medusa deserve this privilege, creatures such as the Chimera, the Sphinx, the belhoder and so should they also deserve this tag too? Otherwise, beyond the question of merit, how his legendary title should it be treated for Medusa? How his lair should feel Special? What advantage would say legendary Medusa vs a Medusa most common? (Well, I do not have my bestiary and I do not know if it is a single creature).

 

[Cyberen]

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Ed, were I not afraid to derail this thread, I would point you to the Warlord thread, which at some point inevitably became a debate about HP. Some people would consider the wearing down of HP as tactical skirmishing, and only the final "hit" of Perseus counting effectively as "one shot".
Debating which legendary monsters are *Legendary* sounds a bit silly, doesn't it ?
(but, instead of a binary tag, the size of the Legendary pool could add some granularity to this distinction, even for PCs)

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Cyberen, just to make it clear, and I hope this is the end of it as other things deserve more forum time, I did say some people, not all of them. (Needless to say, I'm one of them.) While I haven't seen that particular HP debate, I have seen plenty of others where the same points are made, I'm sure. Like most things, HP have their pros and cons.

 

[Warbringer]

... And that's part of what makes the game fun... isn't it?

Only if you don't gripe at one-shotting PCs... but, great sim

 

[Savage Wombat]

I'm not sure that Medusa should be considered a legendary monster. As well as for Dispater (an infernal prince) and the Tarrasque this is not debatable, as it is for Medusa more, although my doubt wants ambivalent. I mean if Medusa deserve this privilege, creatures such as the Chimera, the Sphinx, the belhoder and so should they also deserve this tag too? Otherwise, beyond the question of merit, how his legendary title should it be treated for Medusa? How his lair should feel Special? What advantage would say legendary Medusa vs a Medusa most common? (Well, I do not have my bestiary and I do not know if it is a single creature).

Clearly this is where building rules come in. It should be a simple exercise (for an experienced DM at least) to add the Legendary suite of powers to the common medusa and create The Medusa. That should be a goal of the rules when published.

 

[Nymrohd]

I do wonder if we will get something like templates in general (with one of them being the "upgrade to legendary" kind).
E.g. I can see your average Medusa be a reasonably common monster. But there should be a legendary version; the Queen of Stone in Eberron, the Gorgon of Greek legend etc.