The main point of this entire post is that they aren't even using 5e monsters as they were designed. They throw tough 5e monsters at players and then Nerf them. Why? They could use different monsters and NOT nerf them. They could create their own and do whatever the heck they want. But why turn imps into baby grunts, intellect devourers into straight up thugs with no real special traits, phase spiders into teleporting spitters...etc?
That's the point, people. Do you want a teleporting, spitting spider? Use phase spider stats and tweak them and call them something new and different. Give players a new breed of spider to have fun with and enjoy and get excited about. Make up new lore about them. Thats how you do homebrew right. You don't call it a Phase Spider and then have it act totally different. That messes with people familiar with the premade monsters.
First time I went into the spider lair, I saw a Phase Spider and prepared myself for a melee fight. Next thing I knew, BAM! Ports over my head and blasts my whole party with poison. I, being knowledgeable about Phase Spiders, was butchered by them because they acted in no way like Phase Spiders.
See my point?
I guess, they think they show how creative they are and we admire that! In reality, they just piss most of us DnD players off.
