Max damage is a good way to handle weak high-CR monsters but the leviathan still would only do 25 damage when maxed. It should be like 40 to 60 if you ask me. It has a picture of it crushing a boat as its monster image. https://t.co/ARh15h6IWi pic.twitter.com/O035ovHRtV
— SlyFlourish (@SlyFlourish) May 19, 2018
Granted, I’m completely ignoring the big-ass water wave which does a bunch of ongoing damage over rounds. I bet that’s why it has the damage output it does, but when I think of this huge leviathan having a slam attack, 20 damage doesn’t seem thematically right. 40 does. Challenge rating is a holistic measure. Applying it to isolated parts of a stat block is a sure way to drive yourself crazy.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) May 19, 2018
Even just isolating that one leviathan slam attack though, it’s gargantuan but is about this same as a great club. Shouldn’t it be 4d10 to account for the gargantuan size? There is no rule for such things. The rule is that the monster as a whole needs to justify its challenge rating.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) May 19, 2018
Ah. I thought size denotes damage dice. A fire giant with a greatsword does 6d6 for example because it’s two sizes larger than a normal greatsword. 1d10 just seems small for a gargantuan. Thanks for weighing in! I still love the book. This is small nitpicking.
— SlyFlourish (@SlyFlourish) May 19, 2018
That’s for weapons. Doesn’t follow for natural attacks. Those increases are only for weapons. And the increase is an option for the monster designer, not a requirement.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) May 19, 2018