Questions tagged [monsters]
For questions relating to either monstrous antagonists specifically, or all enemies of the player characters generally, depending on the traditions of specific games. Use as appropriate for the game in question.
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Is a dead creature's body considered an "object"?
I never really gave this much thought until this question brought it up: Is a dead creature's body considered to be an object? And is it still a creature?
My initial reaction was that it would not ...
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What all is included in a creature's game statistics?
Many features and rules refer to a creature's "game statistics".
For example, True Polymorph says:
The target's game statistics, including mental ability scores, are replaced by the statistics of ...
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Does D&D 5e have a rule for character knowledge about monsters?
In the 3rd and 4th editions of D&D, there were explicit rules for determining if a character knew anything about a monster before them. In 3rd edition, for example, use of the Knowledge skill ...
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Does a spellcaster know when their spell has no effect due to a save or immunity?
Suppose a cleric casts Zone of Truth on a captured enemy. Unbeknownst to them, the enemy is a rakshasa. Zone of Truth says (PHB, p. 289):
You know whether each creature succeeds or fails on its ...
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Ogre CR calculation: is it wrong or am I missing something?
My question is about the basic ogre CR calculation in the monster manual, which doesn't make senses to me. I tried to make a concept of an "armored ogre" with chain mail and pikes (AC 16 and 15 (2d10+...
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What does "+6 to hit, Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4)" mean in a creature's stat block?
My friends and I are very new to D&D, played like 3 times. In a monster's stats next to weapon damage it says stuff like "+11 to hit" and "Hit: 5 (1d8+1)". For the premade ...
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How can I play monsters and NPCs up to their potential?
In many cases discussions about balance in 3.5 will, inevitably, involve one side or another invoking an anecdote of the time they fought this monster, or a member of that class, and they didn't ...
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How do I, as the DM, decide what creatures are conjured by a summoning spell?
The Conjure Woodland Beings spell says
You summon fey creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears.
One fey creature ...
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How much do I tell new players about new monsters?
Background
I am a brand-new DM, about to lead a game for brand-new players. I have a lot of knowledge of rules from playing Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights over and over, leafing through a ...
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Do PCs get the attack and to hit bonus from enemy weapons they may pick up?
I'm new to D&D 5e and monster weapons and attacks are confusing. I want to clear this up before I allow this, because it could be a huge mistake.
If my PCs kill a monster and decide to take the ...
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What happens to swallowed creatures when Banishment is cast on the creature that swallowed them?
If a creature with the ability to swallow other creatures is banished what happens to a still living swallowed creature (i.e. PC)?
The banishment spell has the following key points:
"You attempt ...
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What creatures can cast spells from spell scrolls?
The DMG outlines what it means to be a spellcaster:
If the prerequisite is to be a spellcaster, a creature qualifies if it can cast at least one spell using its traits or features, not using a ...
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Are Trolls immune to all instant death effects?
Part of the Troll's Regeneration feature says:
The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.
Does this case beat instant kill effects, such as Divine Word or ...
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Can a demon or devil be redeemed?
In Chapter 4 of the Basic Rules or PHB p. 122, under "Alignment in the Multiverse", it says:
Alignment is an essential part of the nature of celestials and fiends. A devil does not choose to be ...
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Can animated undead wear armor and use weapons?
A wizard has just killed a group of heavily armored fighters with great weapons. He uses Animate Dead on the bodies. The spell reads as:
This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones ...
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Can a monster with no melee attack make an Opportunity Attack?
Specifically, in D&D 5e is the Flameskull allowed to take opportunity attacks against enemies that move away from it? It has spells and one at-will spell attack (Fire Ray), but no melee abilities ...
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Does a froghemoth's grapple attack prevent characters attacking it?
The froghemoth from Volo's Guide to Monsters has a tentacle attack that can grapple a target from 20ft away. Grappling means that a targets speed is reduced to 0. Does that mean that characters cannot ...
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What is considered a class feature for a monster for the purpose of Change Shape?
It's well understood that Spellcasting in a creature's stat block is a class feature. For the purposes of Change Shape and similar abilities where the term "class features" has mechanical ...
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Does a natural 20 on an animal handling check allow a character to affect a tamed non-animal creature?
One of my players rolled a natural 20 for Animal Handling on a Grick which had previously been trained by goblins. What happens to the grick now? Can he tame it or should it just now be calmed?
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How do I handle active effects on a creature that then splits?
I don't really see an area in the MM, PHB, or DMG that specifies what happens to effects that are active on a creature that then splits.
A case came up where my party was being attacked by an Ochre ...
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Do Druid animal companions go up in size with HD and gain size-based stat increases?
I have an animal companion which has just gained its 5th HD. On page 291 of Monster Manual 1, the Improving Monsters section says that an increase in Size also changes stats.
Do animal companions (e....
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Can beasts benefit from magic items?
Can a non-player beast benefit from a magic item's effects? For example, would a cat that was wearing a headband of intellect get the extra intelligence the item gives?
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How can I convert enemies from D&D 3.5e to 5e?
I'm trying to convert The Forgotten Forge from the back of the Eberron book into 5th Edition to run it, and right now I'm trying to get the enemies inside it converted over, using the UA article as a ...
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Do Gaze Effects work through a Wall of Force?
A lich listed in a WotC Adventure can cast wall of force.
We are trying to determine what the lich could do if it were to cast a spherical Wall of Force around itself.
Wall of force creates a barrier ...
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Can a naga cast spells even though it has no hands?
The rules on somatic components are clear:
A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.
A naga generally ...
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What creatures does Antimagic Field temporarily wink out of existence?
The antimagic field spell has the following effect on creatures:
A creature or object summoned or created by magic temporarily winks out of existence in the sphere. Such a creature instantly ...
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How is an NPC's gear value determined?
A PC's Wealth by Level (DMG 135) is determined by the PC's effective character level (ECL), but how does the DM determine an NPC's gear value on Table 4-23: NPC Gear Value (DMG 127)? Does the DM use ...
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What is a good way to become a better NPC/monster actor?
One of the biggest problems I have as Game Master, (going on 30+yrs) is in portraying NPC and Monsters in any RPG. Is there a good resource for becoming a better 'actor'?
Instead of just saying... ...
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As a Barbarian, how can I contribute to fights against slash-immune creatures?
I play a Totem Warrior with a greataxe. Last night we encountered our first black ooze, and all I could do was throw javelins to contribute damage!
I'm not trying to deal glass-cannon levels of ...
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Is there an iconic monster or creature for each alignment?
In my D&D 5e game, I have a custom cosmology, and I'm currently working on a concept for an afterlife plane where any sentient creature who enters is sorted by alignment and guided to the ...
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Does immunity to fear prevent a mummy's Dreadful Glare from paralyzing a character?
A Mummy has an ability called Dreadful Glare:
The mummy targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the
target can see the mummy, it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving
throw ...
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Does the Daylight spell hurt Vampires?
My PCs have a spear which is able to cast the Daylight Spell. Would this have any effect on Vampires in the spell radius like regular Sunlight would or would it just be considered Bright light for the ...
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What updates should be done to older monsters to bring them in line with MM3 era monsters?
I know that to better balance paragon and epic level players against similar level monsters, WotC changed the math used for monsters for MM3, and I believe that they changed some of the types of ...
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Do monsters have proficiency with all weapons and armors?
As a bit of background, my players befriended a kobold and gave him a javelin (instead of the dagger a kobold usually have, according to his stat block). They later also gave him a leather armor for ...
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Is Innate Spellcasting counterspellable?
On p.85 of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, there’s a section clarifying that you need to perceive a spell being cast (by either a verbal, somatic or material component) in order to counterspell it.
...
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How are swarms considered in terms of number of creatures?
There is, in Adventurers League Dnd, a monster statblock with the following ability :
At the start of his turn, every living creature within 100 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving ...
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What happens with the Drow's poisoned weapons when picked up by a PC?
The Drow Elite Warrior does 3d6 extra poison damage (no save!), it's not a magical sword but an ability of the creature. So that same sword in the hands of another character is just a sword, it's the ...
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Is it possible to have two familiars?
Out of curiosity, is it possible to have two familiars?
As far as I know there are two possible ways to obtain familiars. One is with the find familiar spell; the other is to find a creature with the ...
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Does Antimagic Field suppress or prevent petrification from a creature ability?
Inspired by this question and in particular, this answer. I'm focusing on a specific effect; petrification.
If by a medusa's gaze or a beholder's eye rays (or other creatures with a similar ability), ...
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Why is the D&D gorgon a metal bull?
In mythology, the gorgons were Medusa and her sisters; snake-like beings who petrified those who saw them.
In Dungeons & Dragons, gorgons are bulls with metal scales and the ability to breathe ...
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What's the inspiration for the owlbear?
The standard explanation for the owlbear in-universe is "A Wizard Did It." Which is fine, as far as it goes, because the trope of "madman tinkering with bizarre mutations" is part of our speculative ...
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What happens to a Devil when its alignment is forcibly changed?
According to PHB 122, in the section entitled Alignment in the Multiverse, for most creatures, "alignment is a moral choice." Myth says good-aligned gods created the races that are free to choose to ...
user27327
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What makes the Monstrous Crab so dangerous?
It was recently mentioned that the Monstrous Crab is generally capable of wiping out even a powerful 3rd level party. It seems to me that, lacking any anti-ranged capability whatsoever, it is ...
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Why is the Tarrasque the most dreaded creature?
The D&D 5e Tarrasque does not look that dreadful to me. It seems very vulnerable to airborne attacks. In a world where fly is a third level spell, hippogriffs (among other flying creatures) can be ...
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Is it wrong to use monsters other than how they appear in the Monster Manual?
A one-shot I joined last week was tasked with fighting a bunch of tribal orcs. At one point the orcs drew longbows (with what was at least a +6 to hit as the DM was asking if 25 AC hits). At this, ...
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In what order should one apply max HP reduction and damage?
A character at 10/26 HP is hit by a Wraith and fails the Constitution saving throw. They take 21 damage and their maximum HP is reduced to 5.
Are they unconscious because the 11 excess damage is less ...
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Can creatures without hands (and as a consequence fingers) use rings?
Pretty much what it says on a label. I have a monster for my next adventure that has a pretty interesting ring in his treasure. Since it is intelligent, and would be able to use the ring, I don't see ...
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To Kill a Vampire in Mist Form
There are two different cases for a Vampire being in Mist Form.
By volition: (Shapechanger ability)
Via combat reduction to 0 hit points. (Misty Escape)
Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in ...
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Why do we assume that PHB rules apply to monsters?
The party is deep into my 5e-updated classic Greyhawk Giants series.
They are returning the body of a stone giant killed in the siege of Headwater to the stone giant's clan. The Thane of the Stone ...
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Is it possible to actually kill a Tarrasque? [closed]
I've seen a good bit of conflicting information on this creature. Is it possible to actually kill it? Permanently?
Is the answer to this something that varies from edition to edition of D&D?
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