Tjyylli

We fought a Mezzoloth (MM, p. 313) last game and in the same turn he could use its Teleport action and then attack, or use magic (like dispel magic) and then attack. As I understand from the Monster Manual, a monster acts like a player character, and I can't see from the monster statblock how it could do both of those actions in the same turn (nothing is listed as a bonus action or whatever else).

Is this a correct interpretation of the mezzoloth's teleportation ability?

Our DM said the teleport was part of his movement, but I can't find any documentation about that. I myself want to start a D&D 5e game in the future, and I'm fairly curious about how to play monsters.

For the standard Mezzoloth your DM is mistaken, but there are caveats to this answer

The Mezzoloth can do the following things in combat (choose one):

• Cast spells using it's Innate Spellcasting trait (all of these spells have a casting time of one action)


• MultiAttack action (one Claws and one Trident attack)


• Teleport action

During combat, under the standard rules, the Mezzoloth has the same set of possibilities as other characters and monsters:

• Action


• Bonus Action


• Movement


• Free Object Interaction

Some monsters also have Legendary Actions, which enable them to act at the end of other creatures turns, however those are both not present in this case (ie the Mezzoloth does not have them), and not applicable as Legendary Actions cannot be used on a monster's own turn.

As all of their stat block options use an Action the Mezzoloth must choose one that they will use on their turn.

That being said, there are some caveats to consider here:

• The Monster stat blocks aren't necessarily laid out in the best way, and it is possible to misinterpret what it allows if the DM is unfamiliar with 5e stat blocks.




• As with anything in the game your DM is free to change how a monster works. They may have decided the teleportation of this particular Mezzoloth works as part of their movement, instead of requiring an action.




• Your DM may have decided that this particular Mezzoloth can take more than one Action in a round.

The Mezzoloth cannot teleport and attack in the same turn as it is in the Monster Manual.

illustro's answer covers the reason why, but I think he is missing an additional proof, and also a potential cause for the confusion.

Compare the Mezzoloth's Multiattack Action:

Multiattack. The mezzoloth makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its trident.

...to the Nycaloth's (MM, p. 314) Multiattack Action:

Multiattack. The nycaloth makes two melee attacks, or it makes one melee attack and teleports before or after the attack.

Emphasis mine.

The Nycaloth is also a yugoloth, found on the very next page in the Monster Manual and features similar features as the Mezzoloth. It is very possible that your DM was confused or inspired by the Nycaloth's Multiattack and applied it to the creature you faced.

It also shows that, since the Mezzoloth's Multiattack doesn't include the teleport+attack part, it is not a valid option.

Of some interest, the Nycaloth cannot use an innate spell and teleport on the same turn, nor is his teleport ability part of his movement.