Runestar
2010-01-28, 06:46 AM
I am wondering if any of you have made any adjustments to revamp monsters with SoD abilities (or the equivalent thereof), while keeping them consistent with their established lore and would care to share them here.
The designers made the first step with a revamped beholder. Perhaps we can continue their work?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20061028a
While I like that the designers apparently made an attempt to fully flesh out monsters as they would appear in an internally consistent setting, I dislike how this tends to result in abilities that just aren't fun in combat.
For instance, a battle with a mindflayer can go either way - either it lucks out and stuns/charms the entire party in the first few rounds, or the party makes their saves/win initiative and focus-fires it out of the fight in the first round. Neither outcome is satisfying to me - there is little finesse involved in this fight, just sheer luck or paranoia.
However, I would like to retain its iconic mindblast and charm monster SLAs. I know MM5 mentioned abilities which removed a player from the game should have very short durations to keep them "fun", but offered no other guidelines.
And please, no "Just play 4e" comments, though I don't mind concepts poached from 4e. :smallamused:
The designers made the first step with a revamped beholder. Perhaps we can continue their work?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20061028a
While I like that the designers apparently made an attempt to fully flesh out monsters as they would appear in an internally consistent setting, I dislike how this tends to result in abilities that just aren't fun in combat.
For instance, a battle with a mindflayer can go either way - either it lucks out and stuns/charms the entire party in the first few rounds, or the party makes their saves/win initiative and focus-fires it out of the fight in the first round. Neither outcome is satisfying to me - there is little finesse involved in this fight, just sheer luck or paranoia.
However, I would like to retain its iconic mindblast and charm monster SLAs. I know MM5 mentioned abilities which removed a player from the game should have very short durations to keep them "fun", but offered no other guidelines.
And please, no "Just play 4e" comments, though I don't mind concepts poached from 4e. :smallamused: