About Those MM1 Minions...

[SpydersWebbing]

So I was looking through the minions of MM1, and thought they were pathetic. I've heard alot of people suggest that cutting their XP in half was a good solution, but more crap is still crap.

So, assuming I leave the rest of the monsters RAW, could I just add half level onto the damage of these suckers without ruining the play balance too much? I'd think it'd make them worth their XP....

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

So I was looking through the minions of MM1, and thought they were pathetic. I've heard alot of people suggest that cutting their XP in half was a good solution, but more crap is still crap.

So, assuming I leave the rest of the monsters RAW, could I just add half level onto the damage of these suckers without ruining the play balance too much? I'd think it'd make them worth their XP....

I've doubled their damage in my game.

Of course I've also halved all the hit points of non-minion creatures and doubled the damage they deal as well.

 

[chaotix42]

Not at all. Experiment with increased damage and defenses and perhaps unique attacks and qualities as well. If after one encounter you like what see keep following the path you've set for yourself. The great part about monster design in 4e is the freedom and ease with which you can tailor your beasties!

 

[Nebulous]

The thing about minions is you can (and often need to) keep throwing them at the PCs to keep up a constant threat. It takes no time for some controllers to wipe your minions from the board, but if they keep coming in unexpected droves the PCs don't have time to retreat or rest.

 

[SpydersWebbing]

I've doubled their damage in my game.

Of course I've also halved all the hit points of non-minion creatures and doubled the damage they deal as well.

How's that working out for you, balance wise? I've been tempted to try that option too, but haven't worked up the guts to do it yet.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

So I was looking through the minions of MM1, and thought they were pathetic.

Uhm. You realize that they're *supposed* to be pathetic, right? Yeah, their XP value might be too high, but the kinda-sorta purpose of them is for the PCs to mow 'em down by the dozens.

 

[Asmor]

How to get the most out of your minions:

1. Just throw a bunch of them out there. My usual way of measuring minions is by the handful (as in, however many minis I can fit in my hand).

2. Keep throwing them out there. Don't be afraid of sending in reinforcements.

3. Keep them moderately spread out. This is easier if you're in a large battlefield, but combats in general are more fun with plenty of breathing room anyways.

4. Use them to set up flanks for combat advantage with deadlier creatures.

5. Use them to aid another. With 4 minions giving combat advantage and 4 aid anothers, we're talking +10 to hit. Minions are a brute's best friend.

6. Don't sweat the exp. Personally, I never calculate exact experience for any given combat. At the end of the session, I quickly tally up everything the PCs did, estimate how much experience they got from combat, and then add some arbitrary amount to account for "story awards" and such as well as to make the number nice and round. Minion exp will come out in the wash.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

How's that working out for you, balance wise? I've been tempted to try that option too, but haven't worked up the guts to do it yet.

It has been working well so far. It even got tested in a black dragon solo battle last week. There are some factors in my group that might be making it work better than it might for other groups. They have alot of healing. Two leaders and a dwarf battle rager. The houserule effectively doubles all damage dealt on both sides, but healing stays constant. If you have a group that can dish damage way better than they can take it this might not be a good option.

My main reason for choosing to go this route was to speed up combat. It wasn't really an issue of grind so much, just a perceived drag in overall time. We've been playing 4E since two weeks following its release and we've only just hit 11th level. We play almost every Friday night for 4-5 hours. By now in 3E we would be close to completing a 1-20 level campaign.