Minions and Temporary HPs

Chowder · May 20, 2008

Khur said:
Minions interact normally with temporary hp rules (that's one reason why they have 1 hp).

If a minion has its hp enhanced by some effect, is it still the case that the minion can't be hurt by effects that do damage on a miss? One could imagine that in an extreme case (where you can probably read "extreme" as "will not be a problem in practice"), you could give a minion a lot of extra hit points and turn it into a surprisingly resilient creature because of its immunity to such effects.

-Chowder

FitzTheRuke · May 20, 2008

legiondevil said:
Including that all temporary hit points are lost at the end of an encounter?

So, a minion who took 4 points of damage collapses after the fight (even if their side wins), since he's takes 4 points of damage to his 1 actual hit point? Or perhaps he then graduates into becoming a non-minion monster.

You're mistaking how Temp HP work. You don't have to keep track of how much damage was done to the temp HP. If you have 5 temp and you take four damage, the 1 left wears off at the end of the fight. If you took 6, you've taken 1 HP of damage and there's nothing left to wear off.

Fitz

Dragonblade · May 20, 2008

legiondevil said:
Including that all temporary hit points are lost at the end of an encounter?

So, a minion who took 4 points of damage collapses after the fight (even if their side wins), since he's takes 4 points of damage to his 1 actual hit point? Or perhaps he then graduates into becoming a non-minion monster.

Damage comes from temp HP first. A minion with 1 HP and 5 temp HP that took 4 damage would still be alive at the end of the encounter. His remaining 1 temp HP would go away leaving him with the 1 HP he started with.

EDIT: Ninja'd!

legiondevil · May 20, 2008

FitzTheRuke said:
You're mistaking how Temp HP work. You don't have to keep track of how much damage was done to the temp HP. If you have 5 temp and you take four damage, the 1 left wears off at the end of the fight. If you took 6, you've taken 1 HP of damage and there's nothing left to wear off.

Fitz

You're both absolutely right. I keep having to remind myself that Barbarian Rage specifically doesn't grant temporary hit points...that's where the error comes in.

Voss · May 20, 2008

Khur said:
Fantastic question! Minions interact normally with temporary hp rules (that's one reason why they have 1 hp). So, yes, the wyrmpriest makes the minions a little bit badder.

Thats... rather odd, since it is contradicted by the MM glossary entry at the bottom of the excerpt.

A minion is destroyed when it takes any amount of damage.

I would have thought that would override how temporary hit points normally work.

FitzTheRuke · May 20, 2008

legiondevil said:
You're both absolutely right. I keep having to remind myself that Barbarian Rage specifically doesn't grant temporary hit points...that's where the error comes in.

It might in 4E when we get to see it...

Fitz

Storm-Bringer · May 20, 2008

Voss said:
Thats... rather odd, since it is contradicted by the MM glossary entry at the bottom of the excerpt.
I would have thought that would override how temporary hit points normally work.

So, 'minion' meshes poorly with 'hit points', or the rules conflict.

The Little Raven · May 20, 2008

Voss said:
Thats... rather odd, since it is contradicted by the MM glossary entry at the bottom of the excerpt.

Exception-based design.

Rule: Minions die when they take any damage.
Exception: Minions gain a hit point buffer when they receive temporary hit points.

No contradiction, no conflict. Completely consistent with stated design goals.

Cadfan · May 20, 2008

legiondevil said:
You're both absolutely right. I keep having to remind myself that Barbarian Rage specifically doesn't grant temporary hit points...that's where the error comes in.

I love explaining to new players the difference between gaining temporary hit points and temporarily gaining hit points. *raises glass in hopes that this distinction is dead, dead, dead*

Shado · May 20, 2008

Mourn said:
Exception-based design.

Rule: Minions die when they take any damage.
Exception: Minions gain a hit point buffer when they receive temporary hit points.

No contradiction, no conflict. Completely consistent with stated design goals.

If minions are allowed to circumvent one-hit-death via temp hit points, then they should be hurt and killable on miss condition powers.