Mike Shea

The good news is it kind of doesn't matter because I now have monsters from multiple books, including level up advanced 5e. Let's take a look at theirs. So Level Up Advanced 5e has a CR6 mage as well. And what they did, what Paul Hughes did in his design, first of all, more hit points, right?

More than 50% still has the spellcasting stuff, but in the actions, it has listed the spells that it can use. Firebolts, Fireball, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Kona Cold, Misty Step, Counterspell, Shield. They're listed in the block so that you can just use them right there. Tales of the Valiant, let's see, Black Flag. So the mage in Black Flag is more of the, like, use the arcane bolts.

More than 50% still has the spellcasting stuff, but in the actions, it has listed the spells that it can use. Firebolts, Fireball, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Kona Cold, Misty Step, Counterspell, Shield. They're listed in the block so that you can just use them right there. Tales of the Valiant, let's see, Black Flag. So the mage in Black Flag is more of the, like, use the arcane bolts.

More than 50% still has the spellcasting stuff, but in the actions, it has listed the spells that it can use. Firebolts, Fireball, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Kona Cold, Misty Step, Counterspell, Shield. They're listed in the block so that you can just use them right there. Tales of the Valiant, let's see, Black Flag. So the mage in Black Flag is more of the, like, use the arcane bolts.

Like, this case is CR6. Makes three arcane bolt attacks. Can replace one with a use of spellcasting. So what's interesting is it can cast two arcane bolts and then hit you with a cone of cold. Like...

Like, this case is CR6. Makes three arcane bolt attacks. Can replace one with a use of spellcasting. So what's interesting is it can cast two arcane bolts and then hit you with a cone of cold. Like...

Like, this case is CR6. Makes three arcane bolt attacks. Can replace one with a use of spellcasting. So what's interesting is it can cast two arcane bolts and then hit you with a cone of cold. Like...

that's meaty but also the dagger attacks makes three dagger attacks plus three to hit which is pretty lame but does two piercing plus 13 force damage so it's doing 15 damage three times 45 points of damage arcane bolts are six to hit 16 damage so it still hits at its challenge rating when you're just using arcane bolts which is a nice simple way to say hey i've got this but then you also have these spells i will say that the mage stat block and black flag still buries some of its best stuff

that's meaty but also the dagger attacks makes three dagger attacks plus three to hit which is pretty lame but does two piercing plus 13 force damage so it's doing 15 damage three times 45 points of damage arcane bolts are six to hit 16 damage so it still hits at its challenge rating when you're just using arcane bolts which is a nice simple way to say hey i've got this but then you also have these spells i will say that the mage stat block and black flag still buries some of its best stuff

that's meaty but also the dagger attacks makes three dagger attacks plus three to hit which is pretty lame but does two piercing plus 13 force damage so it's doing 15 damage three times 45 points of damage arcane bolts are six to hit 16 damage so it still hits at its challenge rating when you're just using arcane bolts which is a nice simple way to say hey i've got this but then you also have these spells i will say that the mage stat block and black flag still buries some of its best stuff

like Greater Invisibility and Cone of Cold, in the spell block. It's still pretty effective if you're just going to have the mage throw out Arcane Bolts, though. That still seems better. So I am curious to see what the 2025 Monster Manual does with the mage, as an example. And I hope they don't bury its best abilities inside spell listings. So we're going to have to see.

like Greater Invisibility and Cone of Cold, in the spell block. It's still pretty effective if you're just going to have the mage throw out Arcane Bolts, though. That still seems better. So I am curious to see what the 2025 Monster Manual does with the mage, as an example. And I hope they don't bury its best abilities inside spell listings. So we're going to have to see.

like Greater Invisibility and Cone of Cold, in the spell block. It's still pretty effective if you're just going to have the mage throw out Arcane Bolts, though. That still seems better. So I am curious to see what the 2025 Monster Manual does with the mage, as an example. And I hope they don't bury its best abilities inside spell listings. So we're going to have to see.

So what's really interesting to me is that we're in a very different state for D&D and for 5e now today than we were back, certainly back in 2014. In 2014, there were no other 5e monster books to use. You had whatever the monster manual, when it came out, that was what you had. And that's what you use most of the time. It was a while before there was any other monster book.

So what's really interesting to me is that we're in a very different state for D&D and for 5e now today than we were back, certainly back in 2014. In 2014, there were no other 5e monster books to use. You had whatever the monster manual, when it came out, that was what you had. And that's what you use most of the time. It was a while before there was any other monster book.

So what's really interesting to me is that we're in a very different state for D&D and for 5e now today than we were back, certainly back in 2014. In 2014, there were no other 5e monster books to use. You had whatever the monster manual, when it came out, that was what you had. And that's what you use most of the time. It was a while before there was any other monster book.

I know that like Toma Beast from Kobo Press probably took some time to do. I think it was years before we saw like another real core monster book. Because remember, the system reference document wasn't even out for two years. It was 2016 before we had the system reference document for 2014 D&D. But now we're surrounded by monsters.

I know that like Toma Beast from Kobo Press probably took some time to do. I think it was years before we saw like another real core monster book. Because remember, the system reference document wasn't even out for two years. It was 2016 before we had the system reference document for 2014 D&D. But now we're surrounded by monsters.

I know that like Toma Beast from Kobo Press probably took some time to do. I think it was years before we saw like another real core monster book. Because remember, the system reference document wasn't even out for two years. It was 2016 before we had the system reference document for 2014 D&D. But now we're surrounded by monsters.

You can use the ones from the 2014 Monster Manual if you like those. You can use them from many different books. We have everything from Flea Mortals by MCDM and all of the Tomes of Beasts from Kobold Press. We have the Monster Vault from Kobold Press. We have the Level Up Advanced 5e Monstrous Menagerie. We have so many different monster books. That really, like, we just kind of get to pick.