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.
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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!
Need help with D&D Beyond? Come ask in the official D&D server on Discord: https://discord.gg/qWzGhwBjYr
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ModeratorI've been told the updated text is correct.
Need help with D&D Beyond? Come ask in the official D&D server on Discord: https://discord.gg/qWzGhwBjYr
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.