Sean Merwin

And as you say, it draws the eye, but it's drawing it to something that we rarely see.

Yeah. So I just did an experiment. I'm like, I'm going to grab the first stat block that's in the player's handbook. And I think it was ape. So I took the stat block for the 2014 ape and to put it next to the 2024 ape. And I'm looking at it right now. And The only change is instead of a dash for languages, it says none, okay? Multi-attack, the ape makes two fist attacks.

Yeah. So I just did an experiment. I'm like, I'm going to grab the first stat block that's in the player's handbook. And I think it was ape. So I took the stat block for the 2014 ape and to put it next to the 2024 ape. And I'm looking at it right now. And The only change is instead of a dash for languages, it says none, okay? Multi-attack, the ape makes two fist attacks.

Fist is capitalized now in 2014, so all attack types are capitalized. we got rid of the word weapon. So the fist is a melee attack, not a melee weapon attack, but we added the word roll. which I'm not sure why. Reach is the same. We get rid of how many targets an attack does.

Fist is capitalized now in 2014, so all attack types are capitalized. we got rid of the word weapon. So the fist is a melee attack, not a melee weapon attack, but we added the word roll. which I'm not sure why. Reach is the same. We get rid of how many targets an attack does.

I haven't found a monster that has more than one target per attack for a melee attack, so I don't know how they're going to do that if it's more than one target. The damage is one die less now. It was a d6 for a fist attack, and now it's a d4. Bludgeoning is capitalized now in 2014 rather than lowercase b. And this was the one that was really interesting to me. So, rock.

I haven't found a monster that has more than one target per attack for a melee attack, so I don't know how they're going to do that if it's more than one target. The damage is one die less now. It was a d6 for a fist attack, and now it's a d4. Bludgeoning is capitalized now in 2014 rather than lowercase b. And this was the one that was really interesting to me. So, rock.

In 2014, the ape could throw a rock as a ranged weapon attack. And... do D6 plus three bludgeoning damage. And I thought, okay, cool, yeah. You're playing in some jungle themed game and the rocks are up on the cliffs and they're throwing rocks at you. The apes are up there throwing rocks. Okay, cool. And then I look over for the 2024 and the rock now has a recharge of six. And my thought is, okay,

In 2014, the ape could throw a rock as a ranged weapon attack. And... do D6 plus three bludgeoning damage. And I thought, okay, cool, yeah. You're playing in some jungle themed game and the rocks are up on the cliffs and they're throwing rocks at you. The apes are up there throwing rocks. Okay, cool. And then I look over for the 2024 and the rock now has a recharge of six. And my thought is, okay,

this is a game mechanical change, not a story change. Because in a story, I'm running an adventure and the whole idea is the characters are going down this ravine and up on top are apes throwing rocks. And now they can't. Even though there may be a hundred rocks around them, this thing recharges, so they can't do it.

this is a game mechanical change, not a story change. Because in a story, I'm running an adventure and the whole idea is the characters are going down this ravine and up on top are apes throwing rocks. And now they can't. Even though there may be a hundred rocks around them, this thing recharges, so they can't do it.

And the damage though, when it does hit, goes from a D6 plus three in 2014 to two D6 plus three in 2024. And I'm at a loss to why that change.

And the damage though, when it does hit, goes from a D6 plus three in 2014 to two D6 plus three in 2024. And I'm at a loss to why that change.

What it does is it forces DMs, designers, game masters to treat the ape as a one-shot... ranged monster, and then you sort of have to move up and engage. So you can argue that there is a story element here of the ape. Now, the ape's intelligence is six, so it's not an animalistic intelligence. There are people in my home gaming group whose intelligence is not higher than six.

What it does is it forces DMs, designers, game masters to treat the ape as a one-shot... ranged monster, and then you sort of have to move up and engage. So you can argue that there is a story element here of the ape. Now, the ape's intelligence is six, so it's not an animalistic intelligence. There are people in my home gaming group whose intelligence is not higher than six.

And I don't mean their characters, I mean them. And so... This for me is design meant to give this ape a place in the world. And I don't like that the same way that I was talking about it at the beginning of our last segment about using rules to try to make a setting where you should let the setting make the setting.

And I don't mean their characters, I mean them. And so... This for me is design meant to give this ape a place in the world. And I don't like that the same way that I was talking about it at the beginning of our last segment about using rules to try to make a setting where you should let the setting make the setting.

So I want my ape to be able to throw a rock anytime it wants, and I want to lower that damage. So I can use it in these ways without people saying, why are you changing the way an ape works?

So I want my ape to be able to throw a rock anytime it wants, and I want to lower that damage. So I can use it in these ways without people saying, why are you changing the way an ape works?

And it's just this one small thing that for me makes game design so interesting. It's how the numbers affect the story.