Hi all, a very simple question from me:

I started reading the Monster Manual (5e, 2025) and in the example, it says Vampire Familiar, Initiative +5 (15).

I understand the plus 5, but I don't understand what the (15) means.

Thanks!

It means if you want to save time, you can just use the 15 instead of rolling. It could also be used as an average roll so you know about where thing will lie if you roll a lot. Not so useful for initiative rolls but pretty useful for damage and HP. But in those cases the average HP and average damage is presented first with how to roll them in (XX).

I've been looking around for almost an hour (started looking before posting here of course) and I think it means:

Use the number between bracket if you're a busy DM and don't want to roll the dice.

Is this correct?

Basically, yes. This is explained in the Monster Manual section on "Parts of a Stat Block", under Initiative: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/mm-2024/how-to-use-a-monster#Initiative

Thank you so much! Alright, now I can keep reading. I got completely stuck and stubborn on that one and wanted to know if I was right in my assumption. Have a great day!

This is something a DM could also use for players:

Initiative

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. The combat rules in chapter 1 explain how to roll Initiative.

Sometimes a DM might have combatants use their Initiative scores instead of rolling Initiative. Your Initiative score equals 10 plus your Dexterity modifier. If you have Advantage on Initiative rolls, increase your Initiative score by 5. If you have Disadvantage on those rolls, decrease that score by 5. See also chapter 1 (“Combat”).

IIRC, it was a Combat Option  / Variant in the 2014 DMG.