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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ezo" data-source="post: 9559559" data-attributes="member: 7037866">Stating natural armor was better than what they do now... nothing.And they actually always did enough to explain the AC as far as I can recall. I'm not familiar with every monster WoTC publishes, of course...But again, with this Kuo-toa, we have AC 13. How? Does that include the shield? There is no gear listed so is it natural armor or something else? I know there DEX mod is 0, and they don't list any special feature like adding WIS or CON to AC.I know I can describe it "either way" but it creates ambiguity which the old way didn't, so why change it and possibly make things more confusing for new DMs?Consider this scenario: I am a new DM and I have a group of kuo-toa near a cave entrance "on guard". A couple are watching, with spear and shield wielded. Others are sitting or lying around without their "gear" (which was can't call gear because it isn't listed as gear...). The PCs win initiative, rush them and one kuo-toa without his shield is attacked.According to the stat block, it is AC 13---even without the shield. Right? The "sticky shield" feature doesn't specify it grants +2 to AC, there is no gear listed (unlike other stat blocks) so I can't assume the sticky shield is gear that needs to be equipped, etc. or functions like a normal shield in bumping AC by +2.As I said before, is "AC 13 (natural armor, shield)" that hard to put in the stat block? No. And that tells the DM that without a shield the kuo-toa is AC 11. Since there is no DEX mod and no other AC influencing feature, I know the natural armor gives them AC 11. I can describe that natural armor however I want, but WotC could have been even more specific if they had wanted. But now I know what the numbers are and where they come from, as where simply AC 13 leaves some ambiguity and is not a necessary or even good change IMO.Yeah, the Skeleton statblocks are even worse offenders! Just ridiculous!! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes    :rolleyes:"  data-smilie="11"data-shortname=":rolleyes:" />SkeletonAC 13, DEX mod +3, yet it has the same equipment it had in life... so I guess none of them wear any armor? They don't list any under gear, so I guess not.Warhorse SkeletonAC 13, DEX mod +1, so 2 points of AC are what? Natural armor? The "text" says they wear scraps of barding... so is that the extra 2 points? Or is the barding 1 point and 1 point of natural armor? I have no way of knowing as DM or player. They have no "gear" listed (which they SHOULD! if the barding helps their AC--it is armor then), so I guess whatever scraps of barding they have it isn't "armor"...?Minotaur SkeletonAC 12, DEX mod +0, so again 2 points. Natural armor I guess. No armor of any sort in the fluff text, no "gear" listed. Oh, wait, the fluff text mentions them using battleaxes like regular minotaurs. Makes sense. But their ACTIONS don't... just the slam attack. WTF? In the 2014 it states Battleaxe and does better damage than the "slam" in 2024...Ok... so far I have no armor, "barding" maybe for some armor (or might be natural armor), and then I guess natural armor.Finally, the Flaming Skeleon:AC 15, DEX mod +2, so now 3 points of unaccounted for protection. I suppose we'll have to assume natural armor again...But of course, none of this makes sense. Skeletons get no natural armor, the warhorse might, the minotaur seems to, and so does the flaming skeleton. They are all just skeletal creatures, wouldn't their natural armor be the same? Seems like +0, +1 (maybe), +2, and +3, respectively. Smacks of being arbitrary and without justification.Now, you change all these to the following and there shouldn't be any confusion if someone knows how ACs work in the normal scope of the game:Kuo-toa: AC 13 (natural armor AC 11, shield)Skeleton: AC 13 (no armor)Warhorse Skeleton: AC 13 (barding scraps AC 12)Minotaur Skeleton: AC 12 (natural armor AC 12)Flaming Skeleton: AC 15 (natural armor AC 13)You don't even have to include the AC granted by the natural armor, but why not?</blockquote>

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