Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="DeviousQuail" data-source="post: 8640414" data-attributes="member: 7025431">Using opponents that have "stages" as challenges. After they take X damage they immediately interrupt the players turn. When this happens they undergo some kind of visual change to clue in the players. It can be as simple as shedding a piece of armor or as crazy as morphing into a completely different form. The monster gets a new set of hit points and any directly harmful effects on them are ended. It doesn't end something like hunters mark, flanked, prone, etc but would end most other spells and conditions. The monster then gets one action before the interrupted player continues their turn.I've never had a bad encounter with these monsters and I find it a much better way to handle save or suck effects than legendary resistance. They don't get to just ignore your efforts, which is good. They also don't get steam rolled due to one bad roll, which is the problem legendary resistance was trying to solve. Solo fights are also more tenable since you know a monster with 2 or more stages is guaranteed to get at least one action in. There's nothing worse than an anticlimactic fight where the players kill the big baddy before they do anything. [SPOILER="Example Monster"]From my first 5e campaign that I ran all the way back in 2015: the L-01 Construct. This construct had three stages and each stage was designed to be CR 3. Each stage of the construct has an AC of 15, 50 HP, and the standard immunities of construct creatures.Stage 1 - The Heavy. It looks like a metal statue with electricity running in the crevices like veins. It is Large, has a 15ft speed, 10 foot reach, resists lighting and slashing, and has a stone sword attack that deals 2d6+5 slashing damage.Stage 2 - The Spider. When reduced to 0 HP the Heavy throws off it's cumbersome armor and sword. Nine legs unfurl and the Spider (a metallic drider in appearance) breaks one off to use as a longspear. It is Medium, has a 25ft speed, 10 foot reach, resists lightning and piercing, spiderclimb, and has a spear attack that deals 1d10+5 piercing.Stage 3 - The Core. When reduced to 0 HP the Spider's metallic bits mostly fall to the floor leaving a lightning and metal core floating in its place. It is small, has a 40ft speed, hovers, resists lightning and bludgeoning, has a lightning attack that deals 2d4+5 lightning damage (20/40 range), and when hit it sends out a force wave that pushes back all creatures in a 15 foot radius 5 feet and deals 1d4 force damage (DC 14 Strength save to negate). [/SPOILER]</blockquote>

Verification