D&D (2024) Monster manual Fey video up

[Reynard]

Combined with the changes to humanoids using generic stat blocks modified by race, it seems pretty clear that this is in part a way to avoid the baggage of having humanoids innately tied to an alignment. Githyanki can be typically lawful evil if they're aberrations. Githzerai can be typically chaotic neutral if they're aberrations. Gnolls can be typically chaotic evil if they're fiends. Goblinoids as fey can be tied to an alignment in a way that feels iffy for goblinoids that are just folk.

Given that alignment has been completely neutered in 2024 D&D (and it barely had any heft in 2014) I am not sure I buy it.

Alignment is one of those things that has no reason to continue to exist and I would have though 2024 would have finally eliminated it completely. Instead, it's there but completely pointless.

 

[Scribe]

I see no game or design benefit to it, which means to me this is a "If it ain't broke" situation.

Fair enough, but I think your definition of game/design benefit, and what Wizards consider game or design choices are wildly divergent.

If calling a Troll a Fey, instead of a Monster, is a problem, I dont know why that would be the case, for example. Its a type, thats it.

 

[Scribe]

Given that alignment has been completely neutered in 2024 D&D (and it barely had any heft in 2014) I am not sure I buy it.

Alignment is one of those things that has no reason to continue to exist and I would have though 2024 would have finally eliminated it completely. Instead, it's there but completely pointless.

If non-humanoids can get tagged with a (most often) Alignment, and spells such as Protection from Evil still exist...is that not a (the?) point right there?

 

[Chaltab]

Given that alignment has been completely neutered in 2024 D&D (and it barely had any heft in 2014) I am not sure I buy it.

Alignment is one of those things that has no reason to continue to exist and I would have though 2024 would have finally eliminated it completely. Instead, it's there but completely pointless.

Well I'm not disputing that. But they just changed alignment--didn't eliminated it even--in 4E and it was among the things that got a huge backlash. So alignment stays even if it has no mechanical impact in 99% of scenarios.

 

[Reynard]

If non-humanoids can get tagged with a (most often) Alignment, and spells such as Protection from Evil still exist...is that not a (the?) point right there?

Protection from Good and Evil is not related to alignment in any way.

 

[Reynard]

Well I'm not disputing that. But they just changed alignment--didn't eliminated it even--in 4E and it was among the things that got a huge backlash. So alignment stays even if it has no mechanical impact in 99% of scenarios.

D&D's inability to evolve is eventually going to be a real problem.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Even if that is largely untrue? What you are really saying is: they need to admit what you believe to be true is in fact true (even if it is not) for you to believe them.

There is no way to know how true it is, but I cannot believe the level.of truth in my speculation is zero. I wish I could. But in this situation I just can't see how I'm completely wrong.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't know how much a motivating factor that is. Making Bullywugs fey doesn't seem to have any sort of benefit from that perspective.

I prefer to believe them when they say that they were looking at ways to balance out the creature types.

What benefit does it have? Are there too few fey creatures?

 

[Azzy]

If non-humanoids can get tagged with a (most often) Alignment, and spells such as Protection from Evil still exist...is that not a (the?) point right there?

I still think that Protection from Evil should have worked like it did in BECMI (albeit, more streamlined):

"This spell creates an invisible magical barrier all around the cleric's body (less than an inch away). All attacks against the cleric are penalized by -1 to their Hit rolls, and the cleric gains a +1 bonus to all Saving Throws, while the spell lasts.

In addition, "enchanted" creatures cannot even touch the cleric! If a magic weapon is needed to hit a creature, that creature is called "enchanted." However, a creature that can be hit by a silver weapon — a lycanthrope (were-creature), for example — is not an "enchanted" creature. Any creature which is magically summoned or controlled (such as a Charmed character) is also considered to be an "enchanted" creature. The barrier thus completely prevents all attacks from those creatures unless they use missile weapons.

This spell will not affect a Magic Missile (magic-user's) spell. If the cleric attacks anything during the spell's duration, the effect changes slightly. "Enchanted" creatures are then able to touch the magic-user, but the Hit roll and Saving Throw adjustments still apply until the spell duration ends."

 

[Chaltab]

What benefit does it have? Are there too few fey creatures?

It's been observed plenty of times that there are too few creatures of many types of higher CRs, Fey being one of them. Just case in point, the highest CR Fey in a core 5E book is the CR 10 seasonal Eladrin set from MTF/MMPM. There are a few others higher in settings and adventures but if you want a robust set of threats for a high level Fey campaign you'll have to turn elsewhere or make your own.