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<blockquote data-quote="NotAYakk" data-source="post: 8126457" data-attributes="member: 72555">It is a X monster stat block because they started with the fiction, then built the stat block.The T-Rex, for example, has a 4d12 piercing attack that also grabs and restrains medium or smaller creatures.It also has a 3d8 bludgeoning attack that doesn't work on the same target as the piercing attack.You could warp that into some kind of plant monster, yes, but the reason why the tail doesn't work on the same target as the bite is that it would look stupid for a t-rex to whack things in its mouth with its tail.If you where going to make a plant monster with thorny vines, you'd probably not have a tail attack.&nbsp; You might have multiple vine attacks that did piercing damage.&nbsp; Restrained would probably happen if two of them hit the same target.The plant monster is probably not going to have a 50' land speed (the t-rex does because it has long legs, and jurassic park says it runs fast; if science agrees, bonus), but maybe it can climb with its vines.Balance wise, this is going to be quite similar.&nbsp; But the details of what it can do and how it works will be different if you start with the fiction than if you force fiction into the fixed mechanics.5e quite intentionally moves away from that model.&nbsp; Fiction comes first, then mechanics follow, then a balance pass is done informed by the fiction.Yours is closer to &quot;aspect of the brute&quot; than &quot;transform into an animal&quot; mechanics-wise.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="NotAYakk, post: 8126457, member: 72555"] It is a X monster stat block because they [b]started with the fiction[/b], then built the stat block. The T-Rex, for example, has a 4d12 piercing attack that also grabs and restrains medium or smaller creatures. It also has a 3d8 bludgeoning attack that doesn't work on the same target as the piercing attack. You could warp that into some kind of plant monster, yes, but the [b]reason[/b] why the tail doesn't work on the same target as the bite is that it would look stupid for a t-rex to whack things in its mouth with its tail. If you where going to make a plant monster with thorny vines, you'd probably not have a tail attack. You might have multiple vine attacks that did piercing damage. Restrained would probably happen if two of them hit the same target. The plant monster is probably not going to have a 50' land speed (the t-rex does because it has long legs, and jurassic park says it runs fast; if science agrees, bonus), but maybe it can climb with its vines. Balance wise, this is going to be quite similar. But the details of what it can do and how it works will be [b]different[/b] if you start with the fiction than if you force fiction into the fixed mechanics. 5e quite intentionally moves away from that model. Fiction comes first, then mechanics follow, then a balance pass is done informed by the fiction. Yours is closer to "aspect of the brute" than "transform into an animal" mechanics-wise. [/QUOTE]

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