Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Monster Design in D&D Next
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 5942132" data-attributes="member: 2067"><p>I gotta confess, I am smitten by the Hook Horror in general.</p><p></p><p>I don't even know why. Something about a big beetle with hook-hands who climbs around and jumps down onto people is kind of amazing in my head. </p><p></p><p>This design hits all the thigh notes from the Hook Horror. Looking at how it was presented before and deriving from that the basic mechanics is the smart way to do it. </p><p></p><p>If there's something missing, IMO, it's the element of surprise. Hook horrors are hunters (heh), they spring unseen, catch their prey by surprise, and drag them away. An encounter with a hook horror should have the psychological arc of a slasher horror scene: the party slowly becomes aware that they are being followed by something in the darkness, but don't catch a glimpse of it until it springs from the shadows at the smallest and weakest looking party member, grabbing them and dragging them off to the larder in the darkness, leaving only a slick trail of blood and the distant screams of the hapless adventurer. </p><p></p><p>This might just be advocating for better surprise mechanics in general, but that's part and parcel of the combat-as-war mentality, I guess. Surprise SHOULD play a crucial role in combat, especially in combat against a creature that is hunting you. That's why the HH's echolocation is important: it can detect you, without you detecting it. </p><p></p><p>But anyway, this Hook Horror hits most of the high notes of my beloved critter nicely enough that I'm confident they're on the right path of the design.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 5942132, member: 2067"] I gotta confess, I am smitten by the Hook Horror in general. I don't even know why. Something about a big beetle with hook-hands who climbs around and jumps down onto people is kind of amazing in my head. This design hits all the thigh notes from the Hook Horror. Looking at how it was presented before and deriving from that the basic mechanics is the smart way to do it. If there's something missing, IMO, it's the element of surprise. Hook horrors are hunters (heh), they spring unseen, catch their prey by surprise, and drag them away. An encounter with a hook horror should have the psychological arc of a slasher horror scene: the party slowly becomes aware that they are being followed by something in the darkness, but don't catch a glimpse of it until it springs from the shadows at the smallest and weakest looking party member, grabbing them and dragging them off to the larder in the darkness, leaving only a slick trail of blood and the distant screams of the hapless adventurer. This might just be advocating for better surprise mechanics in general, but that's part and parcel of the combat-as-war mentality, I guess. Surprise SHOULD play a crucial role in combat, especially in combat against a creature that is hunting you. That's why the HH's echolocation is important: it can detect you, without you detecting it. But anyway, this Hook Horror hits most of the high notes of my beloved critter nicely enough that I'm confident they're on the right path of the design. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Monster Design in D&D Next
Top