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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 6951860" data-attributes="member: 12731">If you think I mean any old blob or goon should have sophisticated scry and teleport abilities just because they're high CR you're mistaken.Of course I mean for the monsters that have the mental capacity to use them convincingly. That said, you can take "realism" too far. It is a game, after all.You can never excuse or justify how a "battlefield general" isn't equipped to deal with the most basic of kiting strategies. Juibilex is perhaps the perfect example. He's basically just a huge giant blob with no strategy to speak of. Surely it's correct to not give him spells or battleplans?Sure, but it is still a grave error to not let him(?) project a threat to parties capable of the most basic of control tactics.As a designer you could have done your work without giving him things only intelligent creatures should be able to utilize.For instance, I had to improve the Juibilex stat block or even my then mid-level party could take him out without breaking a sweat. I have him two essential upgrades:a) the ability to eject an ooze that flies across the room, like popping a zitb) the mystical ability to switch places with any ooze, described as the essence of Juiblex suddenly moving into the ooze expanding and deforming it, while the old one is reduced to a mostly empty husk(details available on request)Together they vastly increase the threat level of the Juiblex stat block to truly match its CR 21(?) rating. Do note neither requires any "intelligence" beyond a basic hunger. They operate on "mystical instinct". Point is: there is no reason to abandon the goal of making D&D a good game, just because you desire it to make sense too <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Yes, that's true. I'm not increasing his rating when I give him these abilities. Instead I'd say his published CR is vastly overrated. Yes, against a standard hack and slash party that insists on meeting him face to "face" he's dangerous. But any real level 15ish party will not defeat him that way. And my party would probably have killed him back when they were single digit level:- one character to negate regeneration (trivial with chill touch)- one character to make sure a continual retreat isn't problematic, and/or making sure Juiblex never catches up to the heroes- three characters pouring everything they have into ranged fire Do note that even adding a handful of allies changes the equation dramatically! Sure it sounds awesome to kill a demon lord at level 9, but add even half a dozen other critters (even low CR oozes) and such a party does not have the stamina to complete the victory before starting to take unacceptably high risks.But as a SOLO monster (remember I'm mostly discussing BBEGs here. If the MM had had any CR 19 run of the mill henchmen they would probably be alright) it does not function.With my quick two changes, it stands a much greater chance of actually projecting any danger to a level-appropriate party. Now it can 1) create its own allies and 2) use them to reach its enemies in a way that is 3) not immediately easy to shut downNot even Forcecage can defeat it, since with no allies there's no point to the spell. (You could use it to flee the scene though, which is a use I have no problems with). Point is, with no ranged attacks or teleport Forcecage is an instawin button. There should be no instawin buttons on epic demon lords. Conversely, if there are instawin buttons, the monster isn't epic, and should have a CR lower than 21.</blockquote>

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