Here is an example of monster stats in 2024 D&D:
This is... not bad.
Of course, we could reduce it by half while keeping the information we need 90% of the time. How often do you need to know this monster's Charisma score?
But it has a few advantages over the D&D 2014 stat block: it abbreviates AC, HP and CR, it includes saves right next to abilities, and it removes the armor type since it rarely does anything.
It adds Initiative to monsters, which I don't get.
Here, it is "+5 (15)". I'm assuming that 15 means that:
- You can use that instead of rolling.
- They found it useful to save you the trouble of simply checking Dex modifier.
- They found it useful to save you the trouble of simply adding 10.
- They made a mistake (it was supposed to be 13, due to Dex) and I'm spending more time thinking about this stuff than they did.
But it wouldn't be D&D without some errors and redundancies, right?
It also has a few weird things.
For example, it mentions "Gear Daggers (10)". This is somewhat useful, but it almost creates more questions than it answer:
Are these ordinary daggers or whatever "umbral daggers" are? Does this creature (that has claws) has any unarmed attacked when it runs out of throwing daggers? Assuming it does, can it attack twice when unarmed?
(There is also an apparently baffling concept: this is a dagger that cannot kill you according to its description, but only poison and paralyze you. I'm assuming vampire's prefer warm blood...)
Some creatures that have attacks with swords and bows ALSO have these listed as gear, which looks redundant.
And the "Vampiric Connection" part is a bit baffling, since it seems to be a power particular to the MASTER and not the creature.
Now, about he ability scores... They LOOK fine, but I'm wonder if this wouldn't be more useful:
Similarly, it wouldn't be hard to rewrite the attacks to something simpler:
Umbral Dagger (x2), +5. Melee (5 ft) or Ranged (20/60 ft).
Damage 5+7 (1d4+3 piercing +3d4 necrotic). If reduced to 0 HP by this attack, the target becomes Stable but has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. While it has the Poisoned condition, the target has the Paralyzed condition.
Anyway, the whole thing feels a bit cumbersome but has a few advantages over AD&D, since it lacks the several "none" and "nil" lines found there.
I do miss some of that 2e information (morale, terrain, etc.) but maybe "number appearing" should be included in the random encounter tables instead (does 2024 have those?).
Apparently the MM indicates that D&D 2024 is what we expected: a small improvement over 2014 in some areas, a bit worse in a few, and still maintaining a vague compatibility and lots of redundancies and inconsistencies.
The monster has proficiency in initiative, that's why it has +3 (Dex) and +2 (Prof) = +5 Initiative.
ReplyDeleteThat's the reason why there's a separate stat line for the initiative. Higher level monsters even have expertise in initiative, ensuring that they actually get an appropriate number of turns in combat.
I stand corrected - and, come to think of it, I think this is actually a good idea. Thanks!
DeleteI agree with this (proficiency in initiative on this monster). And after seeing this I am contemplating adding this to own stat blocks, including the Passive Initiative part. Speeds up the part between "Roll Initiative!" and the actual action.
DeleteThe 15 is the initiative score, which you can use instead of rolling. This is a rule in the player's handbook and the dungeon master's guide.
ReplyDeleteGenerally I like what I've seen of the stat blocks. This is probably the closest convergence between 5e & OSR-esque stat blocks we're likely to see, and it's close enough for me. The inclusion of Gear in the middle of the "stuff it can do that isn't combat-immediate" is a little odd; IMO it should move down one or two spots (I also think CR/XP should go to the top, or somewhere it scans a little easier - bottom is alright, but not great.
ReplyDeleteFor most monsters I see no point in listing swords or bows twice, etc.
DeleteSpeculation: Maybe "Gear" is meant to be "loot"? What you get when you kill the vampire?
ReplyDeleteOn the Ability/Save table: I think they dropped the ball here. The idea is a good one, keeping the saves near the abilities, but why fill the field when the monster has no proficiency?
For my own stat blocks I am going for a list-like format, top to bottom abilities (only modifier, no score), and to the right is anything that is attached to that ability, saves and skills.
If the stat block is for myself, I also leave out every ability that is score 10 / modifier 0, to keep the block shorter.
One step further, when making my own monsters, I try to skip -1 and +1 for modifiers, because they make very little difference. -2 and +2 do, however.
(Lets see if blogspot does this right):
STR 4
DEX 3 (Stealth +5)
INT -3
WIS +1 (Save +3, Perception +3)
I don't think gear is loot; it is mostly weapons from what I've seen, no gold etc.
DeleteYeah, then I have no idea what it is for. If it was only daggers, I would say it's ammunition (which would imply onerous ammo tracking, which everybody would ignore). But with swords and bows? No idea. Another line on the sheet nobody needs. ;-)
DeleteThe monster manual intro makes it clear that "gear" is for loot the players can take from the monster or that the monster can give to the players. The daggers are only "umbral" when the vampire familiar itself uses them.
DeleteNikolai: Do you have access to the new book? Would you say it is "worth it" if one already owns the 2014 MM? Or is it basically a reprint with mildly differnt stat blocks?
Delete