D&D (2024) Monster Manual 2025 Monstrosities Video

[Reynard]

Huh. I’d consider that bad DM etiquette to not just say “they’re monstrosities now. Would you like to do something else instead?”

I think I'd call for an appropriate skill check to get that knowledge. DC 10 Arcana check, or Nature check.

That is an interesting distinction, and sort of suggests a familiarity with the "fantastic" elements of the setting.

Who are the PCs? Are they farm kids from a remote village suddenly out in a big bad world full of new experiences? Or are they people integrated into the fantastic cultures that exist in the world? How much do casters know about their own magic? Stuff like that.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I think Aacrocka will be Elementals.

I had the exact same thought, also Tritons & Merfolk maybe or they might end up Fey. Sahuagin too maybe.

I think Troglodytes, Grimlocks, Gith, and maybe Sahuagin & Duargar aberrations. We know Kua-Toa are aberrations.

Drow & Orcs will be reduce to generic NPCs like Bandit and Acolyte.

Gobliniods & Bullywogs are Fey.

Werecreatures, Thrikreen, Kenku, Purebloods, Quaggoths are all monstrosities, Jackleweres probably are too.

That leaves Lizardfolk and Deep Gnomes as the question mark for humanoids, will they get turned into NPC stats or become some kind of none humanoids. Duegar is iffy as well.

 

[Charlaquin]

That is an interesting distinction, and sort of suggests a familiarity with the "fantastic" elements of the setting.

Who are the PCs? Are they farm kids from a remote village suddenly out in a big bad world full of new experiences? Or are they people integrated into the fantastic cultures that exist in the world? How much do casters know about their own magic? Stuff like that.

For me it has nothing to do with what the characters would know and everything to do with avoiding an easily avoidable feel-bad moment for the player. Kenku appear pretty much indistinguishable from humanoids, and if the player has experience with D&D outside of the 2024 rules, they’re probably used to Kenku being humanoids. Effectively losing a turn and a spell slot over what is to my mind an entirely arbitrary back-end change just sucks, and I don’t want to put my players through that if I don’t have to.

 

[Mistwell]

That is an interesting distinction, and sort of suggests a familiarity with the "fantastic" elements of the setting.

Who are the PCs? Are they farm kids from a remote village suddenly out in a big bad world full of new experiences? Or are they people integrated into the fantastic cultures that exist in the world? How much do casters know about their own magic? Stuff like that.

It's roughly from this article from DnDBeyond, but really dates back to 3e.

Article

 

[Reynard]

It's roughly from this article from DnDBeyond, but really dates back to 3e.

Article

Sure, but you only ask for skill checks if there is a possibility of failure. Should there be a possibility of failure for the caster in this case? Why don't they know what their magic can and cannot do? Magic in D&D is precise and without variation in the vast majority of cases. Don't they learn what a "person" is when they learn Hold or Charm PERSON?

 

[Mistwell]

Sure, but you only ask for skill checks if there is a possibility of failure. Should there be a possibility of failure for the caster in this case? Why don't they know what their magic can and cannot do? Magic in D&D is precise and without variation in the vast majority of cases. Don't they learn what a "person" is when they learn Hold or Charm PERSON?

They know their magic can charm/hold a humanoid.
It is not, however, a humanoid-detector. That's not part of either spell. Indeed, there are even explicit powers mentioned in the game to detect/sense a type of creature.
If you cast a spell on an invalid target, generally you waste the spell.

 

[Parmandur]

That leaves Lizardfolk and Deep Gnomes as the question mark for humanoids, will they get turned into NPC stats or become some kind of none humanoids. Duegar is iffy as well.

Deep Gnomes: NPC retool or Fey
Duergar: Aberrations?
Lizardfolk: NPC retool or, weirdly, perhaps Beast?

 

[Reynard]

They know their magic can charm/hold a humanoid.
It is not, however, a humanoid-detector. That's not part of either spell. Indeed, there are even explicit powers mentioned in the game to detect/sense a type of creature.
If you cast a spell on an invalid target, generally you waste the spell.

So when their school was teaching them that, no one mentioned who it worked on?

 

[Mistwell]

So when their school was teaching them that, no one mentioned who it worked on?

I don't assume a school but yes I'm sure it was mentioned, but they don't know all the possible creatures on all planes of existence so it's not like they will know on first seeing a humanoid-shaped-but-unusual creature what it is necessarily. I mean sure they will know all the standard races. But if Kenku are rare in a setting and they've never seen one before, would they know what type of creature it is automatically? I'd generally say no, that requires a check.

They're certainly not going to know a werewolf in humanoid form is not a humanoid on looking at it, right?

 

[mamba]

Entertaining, though. I am a big fan of the designers having fun and being excited about the things they create. Almost certainly it means that the design will be better.

pretty sure the previous designers also had fun and liked talking about it