The recent errata for the 2024 Monster Manual made this change to the Pseudodragon stat block:
Pseudodragon (p. 249). Sting: The final sentence is now “While Poisoned, the target also has the Unconscious condition, which ends early if the target takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.”
The original phrasing of 'Sting' in the printed Monster Manual was:
Sting. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the pseudodragon can see within 5 feet. Failure: 5 (2d4) Poison damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. Failure by 5 or More: The Poisoned target also has the Unconscious condition until it takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to shake it awake.
As of the recent errata, Sting on DnD Beyond has been amended to:
Sting. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the pseudodragon can see within 5 feet. Failure: 5 (2d4) Poison damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. While Poisoned, the target also has the Unconscious condition, which ends early if the target takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.
Now I could be wrong here, but I don't think "Failure by 5 or More:" was supposed to be deleted as part of the final sentence. It's formatted more like a sub-heading - written in title case and followed by a capital 'T' on 'The.' Deleting that subheading means the pseudodragon now KOs targets every time they fail their CON save, provided they're not immune to poison damage. That's a huge power upgrade. That means Warlocks with Pact of the Chain and Investment of the Chain Master will be able to insta-KO creatures at the same hit rate as if they were casting Word of Radiance.
Given that it's a Constitution save (which a lot of things are good at) and the DC is always a fixed 12 regardless of the Warlock's level/stats, it doesn't seem like a particularly egregious issue anyway.
Given that it's a Constitution save (which a lot of things are good at) and the DC is always a fixed 12 regardless of the Warlock's level/stats, it doesn't seem like a particularly egregious issue anyway.
For the first four levels yes, but a Warlock that takes Investment of the Chain Master gets this feature:
Your Save DC. If the familiar forces a creature to make a saving throw, it uses your spell save DC.
That lifts the DC to ~15, and it will keep rising as your spell save DC does.
Poison and poisoned immunity are some of the most common immunities, so I don’t think it’s OP. I do think it’s weird that it doesn’t require an attack roll though.
Hi everyone, sorry basic question: but can the Pseudodragon during the same turn: - make 2 bite attacks and use its sting - make 1 bite attack and use its sting - make 2 bite attacks or use its sting?
My guess is the first option "make 2 bite attacks and use its sting" as if I look in other monster stat blocks, it uses the word "OR" and/or "IN ANY COMBINATION"... but I could be wrong, could someone shed some light on this? thanks in advance
Hi everyone, sorry basic question: but can the Pseudodragon during the same turn: - make 2 bite attacks and use its sting - make 1 bite attack and use its sting - make 2 bite attacks or use its sting?
My guess is the first option "make 2 bite attacks and use its sting" as if I look in other monster stat blocks, it uses the word "OR" and/or "IN ANY COMBINATION"... but I could be wrong, could someone shed some light on this? thanks in advance
It can make two Bite attacks or use Sting.
The Multiattack action option in its stat block says “makes two Bite attacks” without mentioning Sting, so Sting can’t be used as part of a Multiattack.
Sting is not an attack action, you can't use your warlocks action economy to make the familiar sting any more, as it is now an ability and not an attack.
But that also means that you don't need to spend that action economy, but sting is limited to 1/familiar turn
I would say that forcing someone to make a Consitution save or take Poison damage and cause a condition counts as attacking. You can use abilities to attack. Like the Abominable Yeti can for it's Action do either Multiattack or Cold Breath ability. If it uses the Cold Breath ability, would you say it's not attacking, just using an ability?
Combat. The familiar is an ally to you and your allies. It rolls its own Initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
It doesn't say 'A familiar can't take the Attack action', but that they can't attack.
I would say that forcing someone to make a Consitution save or take Poison damage and cause a condition counts as attacking. You can use abilities to attack. Like the Abominable Yeti can for it's Action do either Multiattack or Cold Breath ability. If it uses the Cold Breath ability, would you say it's not attacking, just using an ability?
Combat. The familiar is an ally to you and your allies. It rolls its own Initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
It doesn't say 'A familiar can't take the Attack action', but that they can't attack.
The word "attack" has a specific meaning in D&D rules that is different from its meaning in normal English. In D&D rules, an attack is something that involves making an attack roll; if you are not rolling an attack roll, you are not attacking.
The Abominable Yeti's Cold Breath action is likewise not an attack, since it does not involve making an attack roll.
I know this is off track from the psuedo dragon, but I found an error (ommission) in the Monster manual and am try ing to report it. The Priest acolyte has no spall save DC under spellcasting.
I know this is off track from the psuedo dragon, but I found an error (ommission) in the Monster manual and am try ing to report it. The Priest acolyte has no spall save DC under spellcasting.
You can report things like that in the Release Issues & Support thread for the book in question.
That said, technically this particular stat block doesn't need a spell save DC, since none of the spells it can cast require any kind of saving throw. But you can calculate it using the stats provided, since spell save DCs are equal to 8 + the caster's proficiency bonus + the caster's spellcasting ability modifier. In this case it'd be 8 + 2 + 2 = 12.
yes on the yeti, it is using an ability, it is NOT "attacking" you as how the d&d terminology works. "attack" in d&d is specific to rolling an attack roll against AC.
If pseudodragon sting would be considered an attack, then any "hostile" action, would be an attack, and would mean that the "help" action, would also be considered an attack, due to what the help action describes.
Same for a quasit/imp dipping their stinger/fingertip in an open beverage while invisible (which they can do without dropping invis btw.).
D&D has a host of terminology and word usage that is quite specific and at the same time horribly written in 5e/5.5e, and sting not being an "attack" is part of a long chain of bad wording that is written to be termlogical and legal speak, while having no idea how to write legal speak. That the players have adapted to and attack has been one of the ones that is specific compared to the more esoteric wording, as if it works like you suggest, it breaks multiple things in the game to the point where multiple class features and spells strait up don't work at all, due to wording
The recent errata for the 2024 Monster Manual made this change to the Pseudodragon stat block:
Pseudodragon (p. 249). Sting: The final sentence is now “While Poisoned, the target also has the Unconscious condition, which ends early if the target takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.”
The original phrasing of 'Sting' in the printed Monster Manual was:
Sting. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the pseudodragon can see within 5 feet. Failure: 5 (2d4) Poison damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. Failure by 5 or More: The Poisoned target also has the Unconscious condition until it takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to shake it awake.
As of the recent errata, Sting on DnD Beyond has been amended to:
Sting. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the pseudodragon can see within 5 feet. Failure: 5 (2d4) Poison damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition for 1 hour. While Poisoned, the target also has the Unconscious condition, which ends early if the target takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.
Now I could be wrong here, but I don't think "Failure by 5 or More:" was supposed to be deleted as part of the final sentence. It's formatted more like a sub-heading - written in title case and followed by a capital 'T' on 'The.' Deleting that subheading means the pseudodragon now KOs targets every time they fail their CON save, provided they're not immune to poison damage. That's a huge power upgrade. That means Warlocks with Pact of the Chain and Investment of the Chain Master will be able to insta-KO creatures at the same hit rate as if they were casting Word of Radiance.
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ModeratorI’ve sent that to the devs for review. Thanks!
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ModeratorI've been told the updated text is correct.
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Given that it's a Constitution save (which a lot of things are good at) and the DC is always a fixed 12 regardless of the Warlock's level/stats, it doesn't seem like a particularly egregious issue anyway.
pronouns: he/she/they
Wow! I stand corrected then. Thank you for checking!
For the first four levels yes, but a Warlock that takes Investment of the Chain Master gets this feature:
Your Save DC. If the familiar forces a creature to make a saving throw, it uses your spell save DC.
That lifts the DC to ~15, and it will keep rising as your spell save DC does.
Poison and poisoned immunity are some of the most common immunities, so I don’t think it’s OP. I do think it’s weird that it doesn’t require an attack roll though.
Hi everyone, sorry basic question: but can the Pseudodragon during the same turn:
- make 2 bite attacks and use its sting
- make 1 bite attack and use its sting
- make 2 bite attacks or use its sting?
My guess is the first option "make 2 bite attacks and use its sting" as if I look in other monster stat blocks, it uses the word "OR" and/or "IN ANY COMBINATION"... but I could be wrong, could someone shed some light on this? thanks in advance
It can make two Bite attacks or use Sting.
The Multiattack action option in its stat block says “makes two Bite attacks” without mentioning Sting, so Sting can’t be used as part of a Multiattack.
pronouns: he/she/they
Sting is not an attack action, you can't use your warlocks action economy to make the familiar sting any more, as it is now an ability and not an attack.
But that also means that you don't need to spend that action economy, but sting is limited to 1/familiar turn
I would say that forcing someone to make a Consitution save or take Poison damage and cause a condition counts as attacking. You can use abilities to attack. Like the Abominable Yeti can for it's Action do either Multiattack or Cold Breath ability. If it uses the Cold Breath ability, would you say it's not attacking, just using an ability?
The Find Familiar says:
It doesn't say 'A familiar can't take the Attack action', but that they can't attack.
The word "attack" has a specific meaning in D&D rules that is different from its meaning in normal English. In D&D rules, an attack is something that involves making an attack roll; if you are not rolling an attack roll, you are not attacking.
The Abominable Yeti's Cold Breath action is likewise not an attack, since it does not involve making an attack roll.
pronouns: he/she/they
I know this is off track from the psuedo dragon, but I found an error (ommission) in the Monster manual and am try ing to report it. The Priest acolyte has no spall save DC under spellcasting.
You can report things like that in the Release Issues & Support thread for the book in question.
That said, technically this particular stat block doesn't need a spell save DC, since none of the spells it can cast require any kind of saving throw. But you can calculate it using the stats provided, since spell save DCs are equal to 8 + the caster's proficiency bonus + the caster's spellcasting ability modifier. In this case it'd be 8 + 2 + 2 = 12.
pronouns: he/she/they
yes on the yeti, it is using an ability, it is NOT "attacking" you as how the d&d terminology works. "attack" in d&d is specific to rolling an attack roll against AC.
If pseudodragon sting would be considered an attack, then any "hostile" action, would be an attack, and would mean that the "help" action, would also be considered an attack, due to what the help action describes.
Same for a quasit/imp dipping their stinger/fingertip in an open beverage while invisible (which they can do without dropping invis btw.).
D&D has a host of terminology and word usage that is quite specific and at the same time horribly written in 5e/5.5e, and sting not being an "attack" is part of a long chain of bad wording that is written to be termlogical and legal speak, while having no idea how to write legal speak. That the players have adapted to and attack has been one of the ones that is specific compared to the more esoteric wording, as if it works like you suggest, it breaks multiple things in the game to the point where multiple class features and spells strait up don't work at all, due to wording