D&D 5E New Spellcasting Blocks for Monsters --- Why?!

[GMforPowergamers]

But my argument IS that everything should be in the stat block.

lightning bolt lv3 spell 8d6 lightning 100ft line Dex save DC 22 for half
Dominate monster lv8 spell 60ft wis save or charmed, You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn’t do anything that you don’t allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

should be right in the stat block... if a spell list is too long for this you should include it only as 'fluff' for out of combat uses

 

[Vaalingrade]

"Vecna can cast any Wizard spell under 8th level, but he will not bother in combat because check this sh$t out:"

Would be my ideal design ethos.

 

[Minigiant]

That's what small third party products are for, imo. Lots of statblocks.... WotC has bigger targets to aim for.

Nah

I think for iconic baddies like necromancers, death priests, vampires, minotaurs, werewolves, etc there should be sidebar for a long form multiuse version of itself with unique feature swaps without boosting CR for tier 1 and 2 BBEGs.

 

[Shardstone]

That's what small third party products are for, imo. Lots of statblocks.... WotC has bigger targets to aim for.

Third party still still less then a fraction of what WotC's audience is

 

[Shardstone]

Nah

I think for iconic baddies like necromancers, death priests, vampires, minotaurs, werewolves, etc there should be sidebar for a long form multiuse version of itself with unique feature swaps without boosting CR for tier 1 and 2 BBEGs.

I would prefer each stat block do what Multiverse of Foes does, and have it so there's the normal block and then a variant legendary block. MoF just does variant blocks, not legendary variant. However, having a legendary variant of the iconic monsters is what I think is better then just having a template to switch out with. Something like "Werewolf" and "Werewolf Apex" and "Vampire" and "Ancient Vampyr" etc etc

 

[Reynard]

Nah

I think for iconic baddies like necromancers, death priests, vampires, minotaurs, werewolves, etc there should be sidebar for a long form multiuse version of itself with unique feature swaps without boosting CR for tier 1 and 2 BBEGs.

How many times do you really go back to the Necromancer well 5 or 8 levels later?

 

[Bill Zebub]

I really don't think we should use the same stat block for the evil necromancer we face at level 3 and the trio of necromancers we face with zombies at level 12 in a random encounter.

It has always bugged me that common monsters/adversaries come in one CR.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

"Vecna can cast any Wizard spell under 8th level, but he will not bother in combat because check this sh$t out:"

Would be my ideal design ethos.

I can see that... but part of me thinks 1 or 2 spells mixed in with the special vecna only abilities would be nice...

I also would love if that meant sometimes those spells got augmented... like instead of

lightning bolt lv3 spell 8d6 lightning 100ft line Dex save DC 22 for half

imagine if Vecna had lightning bolt lv3 spell 6d10 lightning 3 targets within 100ft Dex save DC 22 for half 1 of the 3 targets has disadvantage.

 

[J.Quondam]

Vecna will prestidigitate you to death, grip your helpless soul in his mage hand, and make it disco dance to his dancing lights.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Nah, see I feel like Vecna especially is the kind of jackass that would absolutely retool and rebrand even the basic spells.

He would have a black Vecna Bolt that leaves people twitching on the floor instead of just dealing damage.

He would have Vecna Missles that deal necrotic damage and raise those killed as zombies.

He'd have Veclight, which is Daylight only it's the neuralizer from MiB that makes people forget.