The stat block for Krell Grohlg from Ghosts of Saltmarsh has an issue. He's listed as having +6 to hit with his quarterstaff, and +4 to damage, but as losing two points from each if he casts Shillelagh. This is probably because his stat block has basically everything the same as a druid, per the actual module he's from, but Shillelagh specifically says you "can" use your spellcasting modifier for attack/damage rolls, so Krell should just have +6/1d8+4 at all times.
The stat block for Krell Grohlg from Ghosts of Saltmarsh has an issue. He's listed as having +6 to hit with his quarterstaff, and +4 to damage, but as losing two points from each if he casts Shillelagh. This is probably because his stat block has basically everything the same as a druid, per the actual module he's from, but Shillelagh specifically says you "can" use your spellcasting modifier for attack/damage rolls, so Krell should just have +6/1d8+4 at all times.
His spellcasting ability is Wisdom +2, while Strength is +4. His weapon is a quarterstaff: 1d6 one-handed, versatile, 1d8 when used two-handed. Shillelagh changes the weapon damage to 1d8, regardless of whether used one-handed or two-handed.
The average of 1d6 is 3, the average of 1d8 is 4. So attacks with the quarterstaff will be as follows:
And yes, this does mean it is almost pointless for him to use shillelagh, as it would be for any character whose normal strength is higher than their casting stat. It's there for easy reference and completionism so you don't have to work anything out.
The only real benefit is that when using shillelagh, since it is coming from a spell, it counts as magical for the purposes of bypassing certain resistances.
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The Shillelagh spell is quite specific; "...you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength..." (emphasis mine). Krell still has a +4 strength after casting the spell, so his attacks and damage rolls shouldn't change. He's allowed to use his weaker wisdom, but not required, so should still be attacking with the better modifier. As it's written, it reads to me that the stat block implies his attacks must get weaker. I very nearly made that mistake when I ran this module, especially since the module outright says he "...has time to cast shillelagh on the quarterstaff he wields..." if the party make noise.
At the very least, the way it's written is confusing for new DMs (I had to re-read the spell three times to make sure I wasn't wrong), and should be looked at, since his is one of the stat blocks D&D Beyond put together off instructions in the chapter, rather than being a WotC-provided stat block in the appendix, so there's hopefully a bit more room for them to notate this differently.
As per Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Krell Grohlg is a druid with modified statistics (as outlined in the adventure itself). While we had the ability to create it based on those variants, due to the adventure not outlining any significant changes to the Quarterstaff attack (other than directly changing the Attack and Damage bonuses to accommodate his STR score). While I can appreciate the confusion here, we have to match the original statblock (in this case Druid) unless the text specifies otherwise. We’ll definitely update things on our end if an errata is issued to address this!
Either way - thanks for the feedback!
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The stat block for Krell Grohlg from Ghosts of Saltmarsh has an issue. He's listed as having +6 to hit with his quarterstaff, and +4 to damage, but as losing two points from each if he casts Shillelagh. This is probably because his stat block has basically everything the same as a druid, per the actual module he's from, but Shillelagh specifically says you "can" use your spellcasting modifier for attack/damage rolls, so Krell should just have +6/1d8+4 at all times.
His spellcasting ability is Wisdom +2, while Strength is +4. His weapon is a quarterstaff: 1d6 one-handed, versatile, 1d8 when used two-handed. Shillelagh changes the weapon damage to 1d8, regardless of whether used one-handed or two-handed.
The average of 1d6 is 3, the average of 1d8 is 4. So attacks with the quarterstaff will be as follows:
Normal, One-Handed: +6 [+2 prof, +4 str] to hit, 7 (1d6 + 4 [str])
Normal, Two-Handed: +6 [+2 prof, +4 str] to hit, 8 (1d8 + 4 [str])
Shillelagh: +4 [+2 prof, +2 wis] to hit, 6 (1d8 + 2 [wis])
The entry is correct.
And yes, this does mean it is almost pointless for him to use shillelagh, as it would be for any character whose normal strength is higher than their casting stat. It's there for easy reference and completionism so you don't have to work anything out.
The only real benefit is that when using shillelagh, since it is coming from a spell, it counts as magical for the purposes of bypassing certain resistances.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
The Shillelagh spell is quite specific; "...you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength..." (emphasis mine). Krell still has a +4 strength after casting the spell, so his attacks and damage rolls shouldn't change. He's allowed to use his weaker wisdom, but not required, so should still be attacking with the better modifier. As it's written, it reads to me that the stat block implies his attacks must get weaker. I very nearly made that mistake when I ran this module, especially since the module outright says he "...has time to cast shillelagh on the quarterstaff he wields..." if the party make noise.
At the very least, the way it's written is confusing for new DMs (I had to re-read the spell three times to make sure I wasn't wrong), and should be looked at, since his is one of the stat blocks D&D Beyond put together off instructions in the chapter, rather than being a WotC-provided stat block in the appendix, so there's hopefully a bit more room for them to notate this differently.
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D&D Beyond StaffHey there!
Just to clarify a couple of things here:
As per Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Krell Grohlg is a druid with modified statistics (as outlined in the adventure itself). While we had the ability to create it based on those variants, due to the adventure not outlining any significant changes to the Quarterstaff attack (other than directly changing the Attack and Damage bonuses to accommodate his STR score). While I can appreciate the confusion here, we have to match the original statblock (in this case Druid) unless the text specifies otherwise. We’ll definitely update things on our end if an errata is issued to address this!
Either way - thanks for the feedback!