Mike Mearls Games
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Troglodyte Stat Blocks
🕑 Added 2024-09-10 14:00:12 +0000 UTCI'm using images until I figure out a better way to present stat blocks, perhaps as a PDF.
In any case, I'm starting off this week with some troglodyte stat blocks I've created for my home 5e games. A few things to point out with these creatures.
Stoney Hide: I always like the idea of a creature with a chameleon-like skin, but found a bonus to stealth checks a bit dull. This design makes it difficult for ranged characters to deal with these creatures, while avoiding the need for a lot of extra die rolls for hide and perception checks.
Frenzy: Going back to the idea of an encounter as a three act play, I liked the idea of a creature that becomes much more dangerous while injured. Bloodied means that a creature is at or below half its maximum hit points. For the troglodytes, this means that an area of effect spell could be a very, very bad idea if it damages but does not kill these creatures.
I balanced frenzy by assuming that if this creature survives three rounds, it would get about 1.5 extra actions per encounter and reduced its damage to account for that.
Awful Stench: I've never been a fan of troglodyte stench. It slowed down encounters and didn't do much else. This design aims to work well with the Stoney Hide feature by pushing characters far enough away from the trogs that their invisibility kicks in, provided they're in the right environment.
Dazed: I lifted this from the MCDM monster book, Flee, Mortals! A dazed creature can take an action OR a bonus action OR move, and it can't use reactions. I selected it as another complement to Awful Stench.
Comments
Ian Gray
A thought occurred to help with action economy and to draw out PC resources whilst maintaining balance is that a creature can have powers that act on separate initiative number than the creature itself. This means that it is not tied down by the action economy allowed to a single creature and resources would need to be spent to defend against the off turn abilities.
Mike Mearls
That's great to hear!
Swiss Calavera
I actually love images for the display of stats and things. It makes it incredibly easy to view at a glance, and download.
