#4th Edition didn't do everything right but its creatures at least had interesting abilities

[capriceandwhimsy]

You know, watching Legend of Vox Machina Season II really reminds me that 5e dragons just got the short end of the stick.

All 5e dragons follow the same template:

A Multiattack

A Bite

A Claw

A couple of Legendary actions which usually include a tail slap and a wing attack.

A breath attack that recharges on a 5-6.

Whereas the dragons in LOVM are using abilities like:

An AOE acid flyover attack caused by the wings scattering acid.

Creating ice walls to separate the party.

Lingering poison gas clouds.

AOE flame attacks that strike a wide area and leave lingering flames.

You know what this reminds me of? 4e's dragons. Like, look at this ability from a 4th Edition Black Dragon.

Sets up a cloud of darkness that blinds everyone within it, allowing the dragon to evade attacks and pick off the weaker enemies.

The Ancient Red Dragon, by contrast, punishes you for trying to fight it. It has an innate aura that makes it hard to shoot it. It has a fire aura that damages anyone who tries to get in close. Anyone who tries to flank it gets slapped away. Anyone who tries to stay at range gets burned by either its Breath Weapon or single target Immolate attack.

And do you see that kicker on the breath weapon? The Red Dragon's flames are so powerful it can overcome damage resistance. There is no safe way to fight an Ancient Red Dragon.

Compare that to 5e's Ancient Red Dragon.

God, that shit is dull. It's just a better Wyrmling. It has some more attacks and a few extra powers. Half its abilities can be hard countered with a Ring of Fire Elemental Command. Lair actions make things a bit more interesting, but it's still mostly variations on "do something with fire."

4e had a lot of faults, but the monsters at least had interesting powers.