Level Up (A5E) T Rex Clarification

[Stalker0]

So wanted to confirm on the T Rex.

The multiattack says: "make a bite and a tail attack against two different targets".

Now at first glance I assumed they just meant it can't attack the same person with both attacks (aka how O5e works), and that the wording was a bit unclear.

However, the creature itself is noticeably weaker than the O5e T Rex: HP, attack bonus, condition applied, and damage are all weaker than the OG version....resulting in a lowering of CR if you go with core calculations.

So maybe this wording is intentional and its supposed to get 4 attacks per round (2 per target). Could someone confirm?

 

[Larrin]

If you got 4 attacks, it should say you get two bites and two tail attacks explicitly, or else it is very poorly written. Further more, making the T-Rex Bite-tail one target, then bite-tail another seems like an odd restriction. If it gets four attacks, there kind of isn't a reason to put restrictions on who it targets.

I think its supposed to mean, you bite and tail smack, but can't hit the same person twice. But you are correct in saying it is poorly written for that meaning as well. You can logic that given its size and anatomy a T-rex would have a hard time biting someone the same turn they hit it with its tail, and so I can see why it would be a rule, but the wording sure could be a little tighter.

It seems like this is a "teeth and tails are on opposite sides of a T-Rex, so they can't hit the same person in one turn" bit of logic that is absolutely ambiguously written, not at "T-Rex will bite a person, then hit that same person with their tail, then bite a second different person and then hit the second with their tail."

 

[dave2008]

So wanted to confirm on the T Rex.

The multiattack says: "make a bite and a tail attack against two different targets".

Now at first glance I assumed they just meant it can't attack the same person with both attacks (aka how O5e works), and that the wording was a bit unclear.

However, the creature itself is noticeably weaker than the O5e T Rex: HP, attack bonus, condition applied, and damage are all weaker than the OG version....resulting in a lowering of CR if you go with core calculations.

So maybe this wording is intentional and its supposed to get 4 attacks per round (2 per target). Could someone confirm?

Just use my T-Rex instead :

Tyrannosaurus (standard, CR 10)
Tyrannosaurus Alpha (Champion, CR 10)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They probably nerfed the T-rex to stop it from being the only thing that PCs power gamers EVER polymorph into.

 

[Vexxmyst]

They probably nerfed the T-rex to stop it from being the only thing that PCs power gamers EVER polymorph into.

It was the only thing they polymorphed into because it was the only thing you could polymorph into at higher levels. There are no beast-type monsters in O5e D&D of equal or higher CR outside of ones added via adventure books, so once you hit level 8 you had zero progression after the T-Rex.
Nerfing it is pointless now that the Roc exists as a CR 13 beast and will be the new go-to.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It was the only thing they polymorphed into because it was the only thing you could polymorph into at higher levels. There are no beast-type monsters in O5e D&D of equal or higher CR outside of ones added via adventure books, so once you hit level 8 you had zero progression after the T-Rex.
Nerfing it is pointless now that the Roc exists as a CR 13 beast and will be the new go-to.

I was mostly kidding, but you make good points.

 

[Vexxmyst]

Yeah, I hope my enunciation didn't come off as too serious in kind. I'm just concerned in the event that you're correct in motive; the solution to people focusing on one thing when it's the only option isn't to make it weaker to discourage usage, it's to implement alternatives. Granted, the Roc Juvenile is also a CR 8, but it's still going to be one or the other for five levels, and then Big Bird until you hit max level.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yeah, I hope my enunciation didn't come off as too serious in kind. I'm just concerned in the event that you're correct in motive; the solution to people focusing on one thing when it's the only option isn't to make it weaker to discourage usage, it's to implement alternatives. Granted, the Roc Juvenile is also a CR 8, but it's still going to be one or the other for five levels, and then Big Bird until you hit max level.

No worries. For a serious answer on my part - I know that Level Up created their own method of balancing CR - I suspect that they found that the O5E T-Rex was overclocked. I trust that their system is consistent (the math looks good), but it probably will cause a few monsters to look "weird" to us who are used to the O5E ones, which can be a little... inconsistent (at times).

 

[Retreater]

Just use my T-Rex instead

My T-Rex has a hub cab diamond star halo.

 

[Mike Myler]

Can confirm the t-rex only attacks twice on its turn (one attack at a target, one attack at a different target).