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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ECMO3" data-source="post: 9843169" data-attributes="member: 7030563">The 2024 Monster Manual clearly identifies a specific "Attack Notation" and a "Saving Throw Effect Notation" which designate different types of actions defined in the beginning of the MM.   The attack notation includes the option for other effects.They really cleaned up the difference for saves vs attacks in the 2024 MM, if you have an attack that does something or causes an effect it just does it on a hit with no save and if something gets a save it just gets a save with no attack roll. The entry for the Pseudodragon Sting follows the syntax for the "Saving Throw Effect Notation" and it was changed from the 2014 MM.  This compares with the Pseudodragon Bite and other things like the Quasit poisoning Rend and the Sprite Enchanting Bow which all use the "Attack Notation" and the latter two do not include a save for being poisoned or charmed, it just happens.The MM further specifies a "monster’s attack identifies whether the attack is a melee or a ranged attack" and the Pseudodragon Sting entry provides neither of these, while those other examples all do.   Unarmed Strike in the PHB is also defined specifically as a "melee attack".I don't think it did fall victim to sloppiness.  2014 Sting was an attack and was explicitly changed in 2024 to NOT be an attack.  It is hard for me to believe they would go through the effort to change it if it was not purposeful.  Instead they would have just removed the save and left it as an attack with no saving throw like they did for the Quasit.Making the Sting an attack would be OP despite the action cost.  Attacks are generally much easier to land then saves, especially since they are not affected by legendary resistance.  If the Sting was an attack your Psuedodragon familiar would put an Ancient Red Dragon to sleep on a hit with no save and no option for legendary resistance.  If it is an oversight, I find it more likely that it is an oversight in the Warlock Invocation section or Find Familiar spell description which do not provide more limiting verbiage on actions.  The spell clearly says "it can't attack but it can take other actions as normal" and considering familiars regularly used their other things like Scare and Invisibility, I just don't think it is likely that it is unintended.</blockquote>

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