D&D 5E No Monsters Immune to Stun?

[nswanson27]

Maybe they could be immune to "mundane" stuns but remember that even the monks stunning fist comes from his use and manipulation of chi and that one more level and his unarmed strikes count as magical.

I play a monk, and as a player, if a DM decides to houserule in stun immunity, he/she had better have a good reason beyond just wanting to do it or thinking that monks are "OP". Otherwise, I'm probably not going to sit with that DM again.

 

[futrtrubl]

I play a monk, and as a player, if a DM decides to houserule in stun immunity, he/she had better have a good reason beyond just wanting to do it or thinking that monks are "OP". Otherwise, I'm probably not going to sit with that DM again.

I did specify mundane stuns and then went on to say monk stuns are NOT mundane so....

 

[nswanson27]

I did specify mundane stuns and then went on to say monk stuns are NOT mundane so....

Sorry I clicked "reply with quote" meant to click "reply". Nothing directed at you.

 

[mflayermonk]

As a monk player, I would be perfectly fine with some monsters having stun immunity.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I've got a vague feeling that this might be a consequence of conditions being insufficiently based in narrative.

Like:
What exactly does it mean when a creature has been stunned?
Well, it means you can't move, have trouble speaking, can't act, fail strength and dex saves and grant advantage. But you can still carry heavy loads and resist being grappled just fine (as an example of weirdness).

What actually happened to it?
It heard a word of power (power word stun)
It got a short term madness
It was punched by a monk

So from that list can we get a consistent narrative that might explain why you are immune to being stunned? Not likely. I guess being deaf, insane and immaterial might cover it?

A similar complaint applies to exhaustion, being restrained, being charmed and being incapacitated. From the entry in conditions alone, you can't tell what causes these things, what they're supposed to describe and how being under their effect is narrated. Because of that, it's hard to justify a monster shrugging them off without knowing what the specific afflicting incident is.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I did specify mundane stuns and then went on to say monk stuns are NOT mundane so....

If the stunning fist of a monk is not mundane, then what is? The only other effects which I can think of that can cause stun are all spells, or otherwise obviously supernatural.

I guess a titan's hammer attack isn't obviously supernatural, but I would argue that it's at least as supernatural as a monk's fist.

 

[S'mon]

The Monk IMC getting to stun a dozen times per short rest certainly feels OP to me since it gives the whole group time to defeat the opponent. In general any save-or-disabled abilities in 5e feel OP since saves are usually failed, especially at high level. The Monk has to hit but he gets plenty of attacks so that's rarely an issue.

 

[CapnZapp]

Let me reiterate the original poster's question:

What's up with monsters' immunity to Stunned - or the lack thereof.

At first we maybe thought it was just an oversight, but with Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes I note how several new monsters have specific immunity to Stunned.

I want to know if you can find some kind of rationale - why does monster X have Stunned immunity while monster Y doesn't?

 

[S'mon]

I don't think the MM monsters were written taking account of the Monk's ability to spam stun attacks.

I would suggest a limited approach of giving some monsters advantage on stun saves. The likely result is the monk will have to hit 2-3 times to stun rather than 1-2, using up ki faster and making it more of a decision, while still getting plenty moments of awesome especially vs poor CON foes like wizards.

I think stun save advantage is most appropriate for constructs and for creatures with very alien physiology like oozes. Maybe incorporeal undead, but I would not give it to most corporeal undead.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

If the stunning fist of a monk is not mundane, then what is? The only other effects which I can think of that can cause stun are all spells, or otherwise obviously supernatural.

I guess a titan's hammer attack isn't obviously supernatural, but I would argue that it's at least as supernatural as a monk's fist.

Monks are explicitly magical. A magical attack charged to disrupt the flow of magical or physical energy through a being's body sounds like the kind of thing that would make most things pause for a few seconds.