Faerie Dragons and Nimble Escape

[Yunru]

Twitter doesn't help, Jeremy's too busy ignoring WotC's research because it's inconvenient for him to answer questions, so to the forums it is!

The Faerie Dragon has a feature, Superior Invisibility, that allows it to turn invisible as a bonus action. According to the DMG, this feature increases it's effective AC by 2. And nothing else.

Compare this with Nimble Escape, which allows a creature to hide as a bonus action. According to the DMG, this feature increases the monster's effective AC and attack bonus by 4.

What the F-?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Superior Invisibility makes the Faerie Dragon Invisible. Nimble escape does not. See PHP 291 and 194.

 

[Yunru]

Superior Invisibility makes the Faerie Dragon Invisible. Nimble escape does not. See PHP 291 and 194.

Exactly. Invisible is superior to being able to hide if you've cover, but affects challenge less?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You haven't read the pages I referenced.

If you are invisible, anyone trying to attack you has disadvantage. You gain advantage against any targets you are attacking. And there is some other stuff.

 

[Yunru]

You haven't read the pages I referenced.

If you are invisible, anyone trying to attack you has disadvantage. You gain advantage against any targets you are attacking. And there is some other stuff.

Yes I did?
Everything you said is why I'm confused that Superior Invisibility affects challenge less than Nimble Escape.
Compared to advantage on one attack and being hidden for a turn, advantage on all attacks and disadvantage to all incoming attacks seems much better, at least offensively.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You are worried about determining challenge rating?

Just make it up, everyone else does.

 

[Coroc]

Faerie Dragons versus good/neutral aligned parties should never turn out into a bloody massacre or such, same goes for nymphs unicorns and all that stuff.
They're mainly meant as pranksters, if you want to harass the party a bit the sylvan way (Combine them with some binged satyrs, nymphs, pixie dust and wands of sleep and have fun) . So normally no attack vs. an AC should have to be resolved and the CR is only a help if you want to give the party encounter XP.

Ok, vs. evil parties that's a difference, but still invisibility is not countered easily at the levels where fairy dragons would be some challenge for a party, whereas a hide runs versus perception to be successful.

 

[neogod22]

Twitter doesn't help, Jeremy's too busy ignoring WotC's research because it's inconvenient for him to answer questions, so to the forums it is!

The Faerie Dragon has a feature, Superior Invisibility, that allows it to turn invisible as a bonus action. According to the DMG, this feature increases it's effective AC by 2. And nothing else.

Compare this with Nimble Escape, which allows a creature to hide as a bonus action. According to the DMG, this feature increases the monster's effective AC and attack bonus by 4.

What the F-?

I understand your question. The difference is, turning invisible is not the same as hiding. Just because you're invisible, it doesn't automatically make you hidden. People can still hear you (with a perception check) and attempt to target you. When a goblin for example uses Nimble escape, they actually hides like a rogue.

Now as a DM, you can rule an invisible creature is automatically hidden after a certain distance, actually I think this is something every DM should do, unless there are circumstances that will give the creature away aka like walking in snow and leaving footprints. Also you should limit the option to hide depending on the environment. If there is nowhere to hide, you cant hide.

 

[flametitan]

Essentially what neogod said. Invisible lets you still be targeted, hidden does not.

As strange as it is, Hidden > Invisible

 

[Yunru]

I've at least partially figured it out.
Nibble Escape is on exactly two creatures: Goblins, and Goblin Bosses. The more common of which are Goblins.
And Goblins only have one attack, so hiding does get them advantage to all their attacks.
(Weirdly enough the Goblin Boss uses the same TWF house rule as me [at disadv, but get ability mod].)

Still doesn't explain why Superior Invisibility is so low, but does explain Nimble Escape being so high.