Timewaster's Guide Archive
Games => Role-Playing Games => Topic started by: 42 on April 10, 2007, 12:29:39 AM
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Read it here: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=1525&dep=6
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But does it have CR 1 rats that can chew through metal? :D
My guess is that they're doing it to keep up with the power creep from the new spells and classes they're creating. IMO, just one more reason to, as a GM, disallow the newer books from my campaign settings. Though I do like that they're making it easier to use the books in the game, and not just as reference material.
On an editing note, in the Safari browser the apostrophes and quotation marks are all messed up.
In the article, not the MMIV.
Though I haven't looked at the MMIV with Safari, so they might be messed up there, too.
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It not only has CR 1 rats that chew through metal, they also chew through your soul. :D
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On an editing note, in the Safari browser the apostrophes and quotation marks are all messed up.
In the article, not the MMIV.
Though I haven't looked at the MMIV with Safari, so they might be messed up there, too.
Sorry, it was an encoding issue--I forgot to remove Word's magic quotes.
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Hey Harbinger... you could be right about the power creep, but I think some of this goes one step beyond. Like the Varag, it has a speed of 60 and spring attack as a bonus feat. The earliest a PC could get Spring Attack is 4th level (req: bab +4). There is some kind of construct bug in MM3 that also has Spring Attack as a bonus feat, and it is like CR 1/2 or something. True dragons from MM1 are all very tough for their CR, but the Spawn if Tiamat in MM4 are probably as hard for the CR, and they don't really have the same excuse as real dragons. Let alone some random encounter type monster, like the varag or clockwork bugs.
Something I forgot, that I don't think was mentioned. The monsters all use a new type of NPC statblock rather than the original monster statblock that was used in MM1-3. If you have a newer book (starting around when Stormwrack came out, I think) and look at the NPCs, that is the format (In Stormwrack, DMG2, etc, the new statblock was used for NPCs but not new monsters, they still used the older format). Not a huge deal, but it makes them harder to customize.
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Good thing I already sold my soul, then. ;)
Speed of 60 and spring attack is insane for a cr 1 creature. I don't know what they're up to, then. Maybe book sales were slipping and they needed something to make the earlier ones obsolete, but figured D&D 4.0 would get too big a backlash. Or maybe someone brought in "special" brownies to the WotC potluck.
In any case, thanks for the well-written and informative article. How much do I owe?
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$500. Make the check out to Eric Ehlers.
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If it is about power creep, then its likely MM4 is a preemptive strike. Then when you get owned by this stuff, you will hand over the weekly paycheck to equip your PCs with the latest and greatest.
Most of the monsters are okay, if you are ready to deal with them (as both PC and DM). Like when we first fought those Drowned from MM3. Two of those smashed our group of something like 14th level chars, remember? But then we fought one in your low-magic world at lvl 9, and it wasn't too bad...
Another example, check out the sailsnake. As far as hp, att/dmg rolls/etc its probably about the same as a varag, but its CR 2. Okay, not too bad, you do get more XP for this... oh yeah, forgot to mention its breath weapon, 20-foot cone of blinding venom. Get this, blind for 1d4 rounds, DC 13 Fort for half. So basically it could blind the whole party, even if they made the save! The most balanced stuff in it are the advaned MM1 monsters (and they are still pretty optimized chars, ie CR 4 orc bbn with +13 att 1d12+10/x3 dmg, plus a potion of shield of faith +4. So when he drinks it in front of you, not only does he get a +4 AC, you know that you just lost out on some of the loot.)
What I am getting at, should your PC ever come across a bluespawn godslayer or a pack of bluespawn stormlizards, run for the hills. There is no XP, there is no loot, but there is a quick death. These guys are even tougher than the greenspawn razorfiend (aka harrowblade), and we've seen a harrowblade shred a lvl 8 dwarven defender before he knew what was even going on (harrowblades are listed as CR 7).
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I've learned I can always count on a good Monster Manual 4 creature to shred a few dwarven defenders when I need to. Or just when I want to.
And were these (http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0096446/WILLOW2006.jpg)the "special" brownies (http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0096446/WILLOW2006.jpg) you were talking about at the WotC potluck. If so they are CR 22 now.
Also, make that check out to: Jeff Creer. I think you know the address.