Hi all, a quick question about the items that monsters carry, and what the RAW says about them. I'm a DM and so I know I can make rulings one way or the other, but I wasn't able to find official rules and I was hoping folks here could help. (I want to know if I'm making a houserule, or actually following RAW already! :P)
For monsters like the Aarakocra Aeromancer or the Death Cultist from the MM, they have attacks that suggest they are wielding special weapons that add typed damage when they strike ("Wind Staff" and "Dread Scythe", respectively). In some monster instances like this, it seems to suggest that this extra damage comes from monster's innate "nature", but in other examples it is less clear.
What are the rules as written for a PC picking up and using these weapons? Does any of their elemental damage remain? All of it?
How this is meant to work is described in the Monster Manual here.
The short version is that the "Gear" section of the monster's stat block lists any equipment that can be recovered from it, and that these things don't retain any special abilities that they have when the monster uses them, unless the Gear section explicitly says otherwise.
DnDBeyondbeta I remember at least a couple of similar threads, in case you want to check them out, but the RAW answer is basically what wagnarokkr linked/said.
Hi all, a quick question about the items that monsters carry, and what the RAW says about them. I'm a DM and so I know I can make rulings one way or the other, but I wasn't able to find official rules and I was hoping folks here could help. (I want to know if I'm making a houserule, or actually following RAW already! :P)
For monsters like the Aarakocra Aeromancer or the Death Cultist from the MM, they have attacks that suggest they are wielding special weapons that add typed damage when they strike ("Wind Staff" and "Dread Scythe", respectively). In some monster instances like this, it seems to suggest that this extra damage comes from monster's innate "nature", but in other examples it is less clear.
What are the rules as written for a PC picking up and using these weapons? Does any of their elemental damage remain? All of it?
Thanks in advance!
How this is meant to work is described in the Monster Manual here.
The short version is that the "Gear" section of the monster's stat block lists any equipment that can be recovered from it, and that these things don't retain any special abilities that they have when the monster uses them, unless the Gear section explicitly says otherwise.
pronouns: he/she/they
It's similar to a PC's equipment. When they wield it, they can use spells or class abilities but those effects don't transfer with the weapon.
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DnDBeyondbeta I remember at least a couple of similar threads, in case you want to check them out, but the RAW answer is basically what wagnarokkr linked/said.
- MM25 - Monster Attack when Magic, Clarification
- If I loot a Hobgoblin's Longsword
Thanks all!