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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 8532413" data-attributes="member: 20323">I may be an outlier, but I've found the one-size-statblock-fits-all approach of the Monster Manuals to be... more limited than my personal tastes.For example, yeah I have used a deva and a metallic dragon in combat scenarios, but more often I've used them in tense negotiations. That's one of the elements I feel is missing – holistically thinking about how is this monster intended to be used at the table, and then orienting the presentation of its entry in the Monster Manual towards that intended design.For example: Kobolds use traps, right? So why not include traps in its MM entry? Maybe expand it to 2-pages, or replace the "winged kobold" (can't that just be a sidebar "it can fly 30 ft"?) with a random table referencing traps in the DMG, or even just include one sample trap that's particularly kobold-ish, or maybe include trap design notes for the DM to the effect of "kobold traps often trigger on tripwires strung at human waist-level or via pressure plates that only activate when 50 lbs are placed onto and then removed from the plate."Maybe the couatl entry gets a couple of riddles that require the player to reframe a situation through an ethical lens or otherwise practice selfless thinking?Maybe the deva has a skill challenge or bulletpoint list of negotiation/quest ideas to the effect of "prevent a deva from falling / redeem a fallen deva"?Because I definitely use good-aligned monsters, just not usually as combat adversaries.</blockquote>

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