D&D 5E Sphinx

[MoutonRustique]

I'd have preferred for non-combat actions/powers/capabilities to be put somewhere other than the stat block, but I'll agree that there is quite a bit of interesting hooks in there.

Seems like 5e is a consistent bag of simultaneous awesome and head-shaking bad for me...

 

[Sacrosanct]

Am I the only one who is disappointed they made it a high CR 17 creature? That almost assures me I'll never use it, and I've never had PCs reach that high of levels (in 33 years of gaming). And converting modules like S2 just became problematic since it's waaaaay more powerful than the one there (or the one in the early playtest monster conversion).

 

[Mouseferatu]

Am I the only one who is disappointed they made it a high CR 17 creature? That almost assures me I'll never use it, and I've never had PCs reach that high of levels (in 33 years of gaming). And converting modules like S2 just became problematic since it's waaaaay more powerful than the one there (or the one in the early playtest monster conversion).

Huh. I had the exact opposite reaction. Something to the effect of, "Hey, sphinxes are actually as impressive as they should be!" now.

I think you can still use them in lower-level campaigns, just not as combat encounters. It means the PCs have to actually solve the riddle/challenge rather than stab their problems away.

 

[Stalker0]

Am I the only one who is disappointed they made it a high CR 17 creature? That almost assures me I'll never use it, and I've never had PCs reach that high of levels (in 33 years of gaming). And converting modules like S2 just became problematic since it's waaaaay more powerful than the one there (or the one in the early playtest monster conversion).

Actually its the perfect high level monster to put to a much lower level party, because you can guarrantee the party will never have to face it in combat.

You can set up some kind of test. If the players fail or they attack the sphinx, you can just have them be ported away and pull back whatever mcguffin they were trying to get.

 

[MightyZehir]

So, not quite sure how to read this:



Does that mean the sphinx can't use the same effect until it completes a rest, or it can't use any effect until it completes a rest? I'm thinking it's the latter, but what does everyone else think?

I read it as the sphinx can't use the same effect again but it can use the lair action for the other effects.

 

[Li Shenron]

I like it. Teleportation and spellcasting as legendary actions, NOW that's how I want the legendary monsters to feel like!

 

[Dr Simon]

Actually its the perfect high level monster to put to a much lower level party, because you can guarrantee the party will never have to face it in combat.

You can set up some kind of test. If the players fail or they attack the sphinx, you can just have them be ported away and pull back whatever mcguffin they were trying to get.

I reckon you could drop the Lair and Legendary powers easily enough to make a more simplistic and lower challenge creature, if you wanted (the rest of its abilities are pretty much a 1st ed. Androsphinx).

I like it, the flavour text gives a guardian monster that makes sense. Guess the criosphinx and heiracosphinx are posited for a later MM?

 

[pemerton]

This is the best thing I've seen for 5e. The actual stats are neither here-nor-there - as [MENTION=6694112]Kinak[/MENTION] noted, immunity to non-magical weapons can get pretty old pretty fast, and having most of its abilities buried in a spell list does nothing for me.

But I think the flavour text and lair abilities are on a par with the best of 4e.

Those lair actions are a weird mix, from the minimally effective to the argument inducing to the completely brutal. It could make for some cool plot points, but mixing campaign-altering plot point powers with rerolling initiative is pretty odd.

I think these are meant to give a range of options to the GM.

There was a widespread complaint about 4e that it didn't give GM's the flexibility they wanted for out-of-combat monster actions. Now some of us just made stuff up - eg in my game, when the Sphinx wanted to get rid of the PCs, it struck a bargain with them to teleport them somewhere else, and I didn't worry about the absence of "teleport others if they agree via negotiation" from the statblock. But for those who want the book to give them permission, these lair actions do that.

So I don't think a GM is meant to just look down the list and ask "What would the sphinx do now, if it were rational?" In that respect it's quite different from the combat stat block. I think the GM is mean to ask "What would it be cool for the sphinx to do now?" and use the list in that way.

[MENTION=1288]Mouseferatu[/MENTION] gave a good example upthread.

EDIT: I'm surprised that there's been no outrage yet at changing the androsphinx from CG to LN (which fits with the 4e unaligned alignment for sphinxes).

 

[Psikerlord#]

This is my favourite monster so far released. I am really impressed with the art, the fluff, the monsters stats themselves, it's cool abilities - including a spellcasting list, woot! - lair powers AAAANNDDD legendary actions, to boot. Fantastic monster indeed, love it, well done devs. I think the MM is going to be a great read.

 

[Kinak]

There was a widespread complaint about 4e that it didn't give GM's the flexibility they wanted for out-of-combat monster actions. Now some of us just made stuff up - eg in my game, when the Sphinx wanted to get rid of the PCs, it struck a bargain with them to teleport them somewhere else, and I didn't worry about the absence of "teleport others if they agree via negotiation" from the statblock. But for those who want the book to give them permission, these lair actions do that.

The further ones down on the list are certainly cool, but I wouldn't want to play in a campaign where the GM started reading that list and let the fiddly initiative reroll get them into a tactical mindset. Getting shunted to another plane (no save) is usually a pretty solid tactical option.

So I don't think a GM is meant to just look down the list and ask "What would the sphinx do now, if it were rational?" In that respect it's quite different from the combat stat block. I think the GM is mean to ask "What would it be cool for the sphinx to do now?" and use the list in that way.

I think that would come across a lot better if the initiative option wasn't there. There's never a cool time to use that power. Potentially some useful times, sure, but never a cool time.

Cheers!
Kinak