D&D 5E More 'realistic' Carrion Crawler poison

[coolAlias]

Updated to a much simpler but equally effective change - append the following to the Tentacle attack's description:

"If the target is reduced to 0 hit points by any carrion crawler's tentacle or bite attack while affected by this poison, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way."

Shout out to everyone who provided feedback.

 

[Gadget]

I think the problem in the original post stems from adhering too closely to a 'the PHB/MM rules are the gameworld physics' type of philosophy. There is always a tension between 'realistic' (or verisimilitude) and game pliability. If the CC's poisons a creature such that it allows them to drag it back to its lair to eat later, than that's what it does. It's only when the player's characters become involved (or the DM deems it would make a good part of the story/game), that the save every round thing needs to come into play. Everyone else, it can just be what happens. So all the other victims of the CC whose bones are moldering in its lair, that is what happened. But the PCs are special, and they manage to throw off the effects sooner/easier.

For better or for worse, 5e has kind of put the kid gloves on many of the effects in the game in an attempt to make the game more accessible/playable/enjoyable with design constructs like save-every-round, fail-x-saves-before-passing-x-saves and such. We can disagree with this philosophy and call it a bad idea, and I can sympathize in many cases. But I don't see the point in changing this one instance.

 

[coolAlias]

[MENTION=23716]Gadget[/MENTION], while you are correct, the Giant Centipede as written in the MM already has this effect with its poison bite, so I don't see any harm in adding that to the Carrion Crawler with a single line modification to make its mechanics better fit its description.

Is it necessary? No, not at all. But I think it might make these critters a little more memorable in my own games, and in my book, that's a win.