D&D 5E Let’s Read Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

[Azzy]

Thank you for this post, it's really nice to read such a good rundown of the monster. I wish to point you to this DMSGuild product Dungeoncraft Wild Beyond the Witchlight Designers Pack - D&D Adventurers League | Dungeon Masters Guild , it's a designer pack for the Adventurers League adventures with guides and informations. One of this is a designer document for monsters that explains the change between the statblocks old and new, and it's pretty technical. Maybe you can read it if you want some more info about the changes. Hope you like it

Cool. Anything like this for creating/updating races?

 

[Remathilis]

Thank you for this post, it's really nice to read such a good rundown of the monster. I wish to point you to this DMSGuild product Dungeoncraft Wild Beyond the Witchlight Designers Pack - D&D Adventurers League | Dungeon Masters Guild , it's a designer pack for the Adventurers League adventures with guides and informations. One of this is a designer document for monsters that explains the change between the statblocks old and new, and it's pretty technical. Maybe you can read it if you want some more info about the changes. Hope you like it

Thank you. As someone interested in how stat blocks changed, this is a godsend.

 

[JEB]

Thank you. As someone interested in how stat blocks changed, this is a godsend.

Yes, and I hope something like this is in the 2024 DMG. (Also, that list of deprecated design feels rather like the 3.0->3.5 monster changes...)

 

[Leatherhead]

Choker (MToM)​

Chokers are a monster that I am sure was thought up when some DM just really wanted to choke a player, but decided against it because that would be assault.

Chokers are another underground monster that likes to ambush people. For some reason people in the D&D world still go into caves despite the fact everything wants to kill them there. The Choker’s main gimmick is that it likes to choke people, and can do so because it has long, rubbery arms that have cartilage instead of bones. Chokers can speak, but are barely more intelligent than most animals. It should be easy for most PCs to trick them if need be.

Today is a rare treat, in that the lore block for the Choker actually goes into details on how they hunt. Chokers abuse their boneless biology to sit in small cracks inside of cave walls, then use their long arms to lash out and choke anyone who comes close enough, while their main body is protected by stone. It’s such a simple yet effective way to do things. Granting the Choker ¾ cover and a massive +5 bonus to AC, over their already decent natural armor. Chokers can also climb up walls and ceilings thanks to their Spider Climb ability. As I am fond of saying: If you can grapple someone, you should grapple them in the air where they will take fall damage even if they escape. Chokers can choke up to two targets at once, and if they grab their target with a critical hit, the target cannot speak or breathe, which prevents spellcasting and also breath attacks. On a final note, the Choker has Aberant Quickness, which functions like Action Surge, allowing an extra action in combat whenever the Choker needs it the most. Ideally, this should be used as part of their opening ambush. Hitting a target with 4 attacks, each with advantage, should not only deal some okish damage, but stand a good chance of triggering a Crit for the added bonuses. Should combat turn against the Choker, they will retreat deeper into their hidey-hole, safely away from the retaliation of their would-be prey.

In the changeover, the Choker lost some damage on their Tentacle attack.

 

[Azzy]

@Leatherhead Thanks for this thread.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Thank you for this post, it's really nice to read such a good rundown of the monster. I wish to point you to this DMSGuild product Dungeoncraft Wild Beyond the Witchlight Designers Pack - D&D Adventurers League | Dungeon Masters Guild , it's a designer pack for the Adventurers League adventures with guides and informations. One of this is a designer document for monsters that explains the change between the statblocks old and new, and it's pretty technical. Maybe you can read it if you want some more info about the changes. Hope you like it

This is actually quite insightful. I had wondered why the "rogue" in the Netherdeep Rivals had poison damage instead of sneak attack.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes, and I hope something like this is in the 2024 DMG. (Also, that list of deprecated design feels rather like the 3.0->3.5 monster changes...)

I strongly suspect there will be no overt reference to the previous printings. WotC doesn't want people to refer to the older books.

 

[Sulicius]

Cadaver Collectors - A nerf, and not like they needed it. Great flavour, but a boring creature to use and fight, IMO.

Cave Fisher - Let's go! With tossing out the filament as a bonus action, these horrible things can now do use their signature ability and still take an action. Interesting thought for the coming monsters to review: is there an action turned into a bonus action? Why not just add it to the multiattack?

Choker - MTF Chokers were probably the scariest CR1 monsters, who can destroy a level 1 to 3 PC in one turn. I am not surprised their damage was turned down, they will still be a considerable threat when encountered in a group.

For many monsters I had wished they changed them more, but we gotta keep things backwards compatible...

 

[Marandahir]

I strongly suspect there will be no overt reference to the previous printings. WotC doesn't want people to refer to the older books.

If anything, it should be in the errata documents.

 

[JEB]

I strongly suspect there will be no overt reference to the previous printings. WotC doesn't want people to refer to the older books.

I meant in the sense of including the why of the new monster design paradigm, rather than for conversion purposes (though that would be nice too). TBH, I expect them to do more updated products like MOTM rather than expecting folks to do their own conversions, especially since that would erode the impression of backwards compatibility. Or they'll hope folks on DM Guild handle it.