What occasionally catches my eye is when i'm looking through the various book entries to find stats for ordinary animals is the somewhat... unexpected... abilities they're given and i have to pause and ponder the train of thought that led to an animal being statted out the way it is.
For example, the common housecat. The 5e writeup for the domestic cat is kind of weird. Most of us are at least familiar with their capabilities: agile, sneaky hunters that tend to slowly stalk prey and then pounce when close enough. They have excellent vision and hearing, especially in darkness. They stalk prey mostly by sight, to the point that it's sometimes possible to surprise a cat by sneaking up behind it if it's focused on another animal. So, how does WotC represent this? Well, they get a perception bonus, and then to represent their most important senses they also have advantage on perception checks involving smell. Yup.
So i was trying to imagine the brainstorming session when they were statting out housecats:
"Okay, domestic cats. In folklore and science what are they known for?"
"Well, they see stuff we don't and their eyes shine in the dark, prowling through dark rooms like they own the place. They slowly sneak up on animals while staring intently at them and then pounce. They're fast and agile. Very independent."
"Okay, so basically they're like tiny bloodhounds that track their prey with keen noses. We'll give them advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks when using their noses, no other sensory abilities."
"Wait, what?!"
"Yup, now on to the next beast."
Do any other mundane beasts come to mind whose in game stats seem slightly at odds with their real world capabilities?
Keen Smell. The cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Ok. So they get a bonus on Perception. That covers using their eyes and ears. Their sense of smell is surprisingly good, so they get a bonus on using their nose. What other senses would they have?
I was unable to find any Tiny Beasts with a zero challenge rating that raised my eyebrows a little. I was a bit surprised by Spiders, as they do poison damage, but then I thought about it a moment, and realized that there are no rules for anything smaller than Tiny. Tiny is about the size of Tarantula. A Black Widow can kill, and that's about the size of a thumbnail.
I've honestly thought before on creating a "Cat (Actual)" statblock for my own games before, correcting their lack of darkvision and their odd focus on scent.
Will admit, have also considered adding the following action.
"Multiattack. The cat makes as many Claw attacks as the DM feels the players have provoked. These attacks are made at advantage if the target of the Claw attacks tried to rub the cat's belly within the previous turn."
As for other surprises, I often find myself more surprised by what's not in the books. There's absolutely no stat block, or even guidance for which statblock to use, for foxes. That seems a weird omission given how often foxes show up in stories, myth and folklore. Honestly, the 'cat' statblock in the book almost feels more appropriate for a fox, and that's been my default for 'Fox' stats to this point - "just use the stats for the cat" - but it's a bizarre omission.
As for other surprises, I often find myself more surprised by what's not in the books. There's absolutely no stat block, or even guidance for which statblock to use, for foxes. That seems a weird omission given how often foxes show up in stories, myth and folklore. Honestly, the 'cat' statblock in the book almost feels more appropriate for a fox, and that's been my default for 'Fox' stats to this point - "just use the stats for the cat" - but it's a bizarre omission.
Just gonna make a small correction here, Yurei. There is actually a fox stat block in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Granted, that adventure has only been out for less than a year, and before then, you were correct about the lack of Foxes in D&D.
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Cats do have an excellent sense of smell, though. Try putting some roast chicken or canned tuna into a ziplock bag, then walk into a random room and open the bag. See how long it take your cat to find you.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
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What occasionally catches my eye is when i'm looking through the various book entries to find stats for ordinary animals is the somewhat... unexpected... abilities they're given and i have to pause and ponder the train of thought that led to an animal being statted out the way it is.
For example, the common housecat. The 5e writeup for the domestic cat is kind of weird. Most of us are at least familiar with their capabilities: agile, sneaky hunters that tend to slowly stalk prey and then pounce when close enough. They have excellent vision and hearing, especially in darkness. They stalk prey mostly by sight, to the point that it's sometimes possible to surprise a cat by sneaking up behind it if it's focused on another animal. So, how does WotC represent this? Well, they get a perception bonus, and then to represent their most important senses they also have advantage on perception checks involving smell. Yup.
So i was trying to imagine the brainstorming session when they were statting out housecats:
"Okay, domestic cats. In folklore and science what are they known for?"
"Well, they see stuff we don't and their eyes shine in the dark, prowling through dark rooms like they own the place. They slowly sneak up on animals while staring intently at them and then pounce. They're fast and agile. Very independent."
"Okay, so basically they're like tiny bloodhounds that track their prey with keen noses. We'll give them advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks when using their noses, no other sensory abilities."
"Wait, what?!"
"Yup, now on to the next beast."
Do any other mundane beasts come to mind whose in game stats seem slightly at odds with their real world capabilities?
Cat (as in a housecat):
Tiny beast , unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR
3 (-4)
DEX
15 (+2)
CON
10 (+0)
INT
3 (-4)
WIS
12 (+1)
CHA
7 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages --
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Smell. The cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Ok. So they get a bonus on Perception. That covers using their eyes and ears. Their sense of smell is surprisingly good, so they get a bonus on using their nose. What other senses would they have?
I was unable to find any Tiny Beasts with a zero challenge rating that raised my eyebrows a little. I was a bit surprised by Spiders, as they do poison damage, but then I thought about it a moment, and realized that there are no rules for anything smaller than Tiny. Tiny is about the size of Tarantula. A Black Widow can kill, and that's about the size of a thumbnail.
<Insert clever signature here>
I've honestly thought before on creating a "Cat (Actual)" statblock for my own games before, correcting their lack of darkvision and their odd focus on scent.
Will admit, have also considered adding the following action.
"Multiattack. The cat makes as many Claw attacks as the DM feels the players have provoked. These attacks are made at advantage if the target of the Claw attacks tried to rub the cat's belly within the previous turn."
As for other surprises, I often find myself more surprised by what's not in the books. There's absolutely no stat block, or even guidance for which statblock to use, for foxes. That seems a weird omission given how often foxes show up in stories, myth and folklore. Honestly, the 'cat' statblock in the book almost feels more appropriate for a fox, and that's been my default for 'Fox' stats to this point - "just use the stats for the cat" - but it's a bizarre omission.
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Just gonna make a small correction here, Yurei. There is actually a fox stat block in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Granted, that adventure has only been out for less than a year, and before then, you were correct about the lack of Foxes in D&D.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Cats do have an excellent sense of smell, though. Try putting some roast chicken or canned tuna into a ziplock bag, then walk into a random room and open the bag. See how long it take your cat to find you.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.