A sense of scale: making big monsters feel big

[Thealtruistorc]

How do other DMs typically handle this? I like throwing a massive monster at the party every once and a while, but I always feel that it doesn't have quite the impact I hope for. When I use a huge or gargantuan monster, I want the players to feel like they are standing at the feet of something immensely powerful, and miniatures don't often fulfill that role.

What is your advice for giving big bads more gravitas? Should they be surrounded by smaller foes? Should they tower over the environment? Should I just ditch minis for these encounters? What do you advise?

[Zaq]

If you truly want to stick with Huge and Gargantuan, it's a little bit hard, since there are rules for those sizes, and making creatures of those sizes bigger than the rules say they should be has other implications. (With Colossal and, more specifically, Colossal+, you can work with truly different scales, but that's not so much the case for Huge/Gargantuan.)

Putting them inside (where they take up and, more importantly, can reach most of the entire usable arena) kind of works, though it can also be awkward (especially if you need to explain how they got in the enclosed space and what they're doing there). Reach is a big part of it—make sure that the PCs feel the brunt of their reach. Giving them Combat Reflexes (so they can take advantage of having a ginormous threatened area) is a good idea, though you may need to houserule it a bit if their DEX isn't very high (as is often the case for really big things).

If you're dealing with Colossal+ and can truly play fast and loose with the rules, you can do something crazy like making the monster into the arena (sort of a Shadow of the Colossus sort of thing), but that doesn't work very well with just Huge. It's a similar situation with making them into "don't fight, just run" sort of scenarios . . . by which I mean less of designing an overpowering encounter and more of making them into a hazard rather than an encounter, which takes finesse to do well with the 3.5 rules (though it's still entirely possible). But, again, that's less interesting with something that just takes up a 3 × 3 space on the mat than with something that can swallow the entire room (possibly literally).

[Graypairofsocks]

If you truly want to stick with Huge and Gargantuan, it's a little bit hard, since there are rules for those sizes, and making creatures of those sizes bigger than the rules say they should be has other implications. (With Colossal and, more specifically, Colossal+, you can work with truly different scales, but that's not so much the case for Huge/Gargantuan.)

Putting them inside (where they take up and, more importantly, can reach most of the entire usable arena) kind of works, though it can also be awkward (especially if you need to explain how they got in the enclosed space and what they're doing there). Reach is a big part of it—make sure that the PCs feel the brunt of their reach. Giving them Combat Reflexes (so they can take advantage of having a ginormous threatened area) is a good idea, though you may need to houserule it a bit if their DEX isn't very high (as is often the case for really big things).

If you're dealing with Colossal+ and can truly play fast and loose with the rules, you can do something crazy like making the monster into the arena (sort of a Shadow of the Colossus sort of thing), but that doesn't work very well with just Huge. It's a similar situation with making them into "don't fight, just run" sort of scenarios . . . by which I mean less of designing an overpowering encounter and more of making them into a hazard rather than an encounter, which takes finesse to do well with the 3.5 rules (though it's still entirely possible). But, again, that's less interesting with something that just takes up a 3 × 3 space on the mat than with something that can swallow the entire room (possibly literally).


There are actually stats for those creatures from "Shadow of the Colossus" in Dragon Magazine 336.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Consider to-scale miniatures? Being able to visually compare your tiny 1" high miniature to a 2' tall monstrosity gives players a visceral sense of the sheer size of the thing.

Also, give big monsters feats that make them feel big. Up to 6 levels in dungeoncrasher fighter, Shock Trooper, Knockback, and Knock-Down are a good combo, especially if you buff its bull rush check. Then describe how the ground and all the structures around shake with every step, and how being smashed into a wall shatters the stone, how the impact makes the unfortunate victim leave a bloody smear, and how there's blood dripping from his mouth after his lungs were lacerated. Give the bigguns something really nasty they can Worf (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWorfEffect), preferably something the players had problems with a few levels ago.

One Punch Man (http://www.daisuki.net/us/en/anime/detail.ONEPUNCHMAN.html) is fantastic for making attacks seem extremely powerful. Try to describe the monsters in such a way that they have the same punch.*





*One Pun, Man.

[johnbragg]

How do other DMs typically handle this? I like throwing a massive monster at the party every once and a while, but I always feel that it doesn't have quite the impact I hope for. When I use a huge or gargantuan monster, I want the players to feel like they are standing at the feet of something immensely powerful, and miniatures don't often fulfill that role.

What is your advice for giving big bads more gravitas? Should they be surrounded by smaller foes? Should they tower over the environment? Should I just ditch minis for these encounters? What do you advise?

You're talking about a world where PCs with the right character choices can successfully wrestle an Ogre, can heal the sick and cure wounds, can create undead monstrosities and walk on water, can turn into a wild animal and fly like a bird or climb like an ape or swim like a dolphin, or shoot lightning bolts and fireballs. And that's if you're playing E6.

And you're asking them to be impressed because your beastie is 50 feet long/tall.

IF it's bipedal, its most impressive move might be to go full scale WWE on your party. Figure out its outline in hexes/squares. When it's half its movement rate away from the party, Reflex save vs 50 ton frog splash. Anyone not crushed under the beastie make a DC 10 REflex save or lose balance. Sure, beastie is prone and vulnerable to whoever is still standing. But he can get up. Not sure we can say the same for the squishies.

(It might be best if the party sees this technique in action on some Other Poor Bastard NPCs if you just want them to be impressed.)