Monsters with Alternate Vulnerabilities

[Dire Human]

The Rules:

1. The monster must have at least one vulnerability to an energy type (fire, cold, lightning, thunder, acid, poison, radiant, necrotic, psychic, force)
2. The monster cannot have the undead keyword and have a radiant vulnerability
3. The monster cannot have the fire keyword and a cold vulnerability, or vice versa
4. The prize is the fuzzy feeling in your heart that you've had more inspiration than the Monster Manual designers

I'll start.

Kobold Blindfencer Level 5 Skirmisher
Small Natural Humanoid XP 200
Initiative +6 Senses Perception +8; blindsense 10
HP 63; Bloodied 31
AC 19; Fortitude 15, Reflex 18, Will 17; see also improved trap sense
Immune gaze; Vulnerable thunder 5
Speed 6

Dashing Strike (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+10 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage
Before or after the attack, the kobold blindfencer may move 2 squares.

Eye for an Eye (standard; recharges when first bloodied) * Weapon
+10 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage, and the target is blinded until the end of the kobold blindfencer's next turn.

Combat Advantage
The kobold blindfencer deals an extra 1d6 damage on melee attacks against any target it has combat advantage against.

Shifty (minor; at-will)
The kobold shifts 1 square.

Improved Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +3 to all defenses against traps.

Alignment: Evil Languages: Common, Draconic
Skills: Acrobatics +13, Stealth +10, Thievery +9
Str 11 (+2) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 16 (+5)
Con 15 (+4) Int 14 (+4) Cha 15 (+4)

Equipment: leather armor, rapier

Kobold Blindfencer Tactics
Kobold Blindfencers use their keen hearing and instincts to flit across the battlefield, harassing targets that it senses are weak. A blindfencer's favorite tactic is to shift out of melee, then use dashing strike to position itself to gain combat advantage. If the kobold can catch a particulary dangerous or frustrating enemy alone, or if it feels that it may be outmatched, it uses eye for an eye to neutralize the threat before returning to combat more conventional targets.

Kobold Blindfencer Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful History check.

DC 20: The blindfencers are trained by ancient kobold traditions, using their natural dexterity and finely-honed instincts to become such intuitive warriors that they choose to fight blindfolded. It's said that their senses become so sharp that they can pinpoint vital spots on enemies that are otherwise invisible.

 

[Dire Human]

I created this thread because I'm frustrated with the vulnerabilities system; the only vulnerability that seems to matter is the undead's vulnerability to radiant, legacy weaknesses like the troll, and the rare elemental creature (and even then, it's usually only a resistance to their own keyword, no actual weaknesses). Sometimes, an enemy with a unique weakness is more interesting than an enemy with a unique power or tactic.

Alchemical Mound Level 7 Brute
Medium natural animate (acid, construct) XP 300
Initiative +6 Senses Perception +6
HP 96; Bloodied 48
Regeneration 5 (if the alchemical mound takes cold damage, regeneration does not function until the end of its next turn).
AC 19; Fortitude 21, Reflex 14, Will 15; see also increased reaction time
Immune disease, poison, sleep; Vulnerable fire 5, cold (an alchemical mound that takes cold damage is slowed until the end of its next turn)
Speed 5; see also increased reaction time

Burning Touch (standard; at-will) * Acid
+10 vs AC; 3d6+4 acid damage

Alchemical Spew (standard; recharge 6) * Acid
Close blast 3; +8 vs Reflex; the target takes ongoing 10 acid damage and takes a -2 penalty to AC (save ends both).

Increased Reaction Time
An alchemical mound that takes fire damage gains a +2 bonus to speed and Reflex until the end of its next turn.

Alignment: Evil Languages: Common, Draconic
Skills: Endurance +12
Str 15 (+2) Dex 12 (+4) Wis 16 (+6)
Con 19 (+4) Int 1 (-2) Cha 4 (+0)

Alchemical Mound Tactics
Alchemical mounds creep their way to the nearest fleshy target, eager to sublimate its components into the mound. If its enemies clump together for safety, it uses alchemical spew to convince them to scatter.

Alchemical Mound Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana check.

DC 20: Alchemical mounds are usually created on accident, the result of years of neglect to a wizard's potion storage or alchemy lab. The resulting mess is a constant stew of chemical reactions; those facing such disgusting creatures can either choose to speed up the reactions with heat, causing it to burn through its components faster, or slow them down with cold, which stops the creature from renewing itself.

 

[Rechan]

There are a few out there with some interesting vulnerabilities. Like the Bralani of Autumn Winds has a Necrotic vulnerabiltiy (slow).

One problem with monsters with unique vulnerabilities is that unless there's a PC with powers of that keyword, they'd never know. For instance anything vulnerable to Thunder, Force, or Necrotic - few powers have those keywords (or don't choose them). Or, there's the issue that if they only have one or two powers with that keyword, those keywords might, well, miss.

 

[DanmarLOK]

There's always a DC25 Lore check to figure out vulnerabilities but you do raise a valid point in giving creatures vulnerabilities to the more 'outre' keywords they'll almost never come in to play.

I actually added something to my site today though that has a vulnerability so I'll repost here (excuse the screwy font size here but it's not letting me edit it properly after the paste, you can see the original here: Key Our Cars » Blog Archive » Stone Children)

Child of Stone Level 8 Lurker Medium Elemental Magical Beast (earth) XP 350
Initiative +11 Senses Perception +7, Tremorsense 10
HP 71; Bloodied 35
AC 22; Fortitude 20, Reflex 20, Will 20
Resist 5 Fire; Vulnerable 5 Cold
Speed 6

Smashing Blow (Standard; at-will) +13 vs. AC; 2d6+5 and target is pushed 1 square. Special: This attack does an extra 1d6 damage when the Child of Stone has combat advantage.

A Stone’s Throw (Standard; at-will) Ranged 10/20; +13 vs. AC;1d8+5.

Shifting Sands (Standard; encounter) Area Burst 2 within 20; +11 vs. Reflex; 1d8+5 and target is immobilized (save ends).

Earth Travel (Move; recharge

) The Child of Stone can meld into the earth or stone in it’s square and move up to its movement through the earth, ignoring difficult terrain. It can reappear as a minor action in any square at the end of its movement or stay melded and continue to move through the earth and does not need to trigger Earth Travel again until it exits the earth.

Embrace of Stone (Minor; encounter) Stone flows up and encases the Stone Child in shielding armour. The Stone Child gains Resist All 10 until the end of its next turn.
Alignment Unaligned Languages Primordial
Str 20 (+9) Dex 15 (+6) Wis 5 (+1)
Con 15 (+6) Int 7 (+2) Cha 8 (+3)

Child of Stone Lore

Chldren of Stone appear as gray to black humanoids from the waist up, where their legs would be is simply a pillar of flexible stone. Their ‘heads’ are typically featureless although they may have slight depressions where eyes would be. They seldom travel alone and typically in pairs or groups of pairs as each child is formed when a block of elemental stone is split in twain by massive storms that occasionally sweep the plane of earth.
A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana check.
DC 15: Stone Children are among the lowest forms of elementals strong enough to make their way from the elemental planes.
DC 20: Stone Children as said to be able to travel through the very stone as swiftly as a man might walk.
DC 25: Stone Children are said to be vulnerable to cold which makes them brittle and prone to causing to shattering.
Tactics

The stone children aren’t shining examples of intelligence but have a certain cunning. They will use their Earth Travel power to get into the best position going after non-armoured characters if they can. A duo will atempt to gain flanking and combat advantage, delaying actions to appear at the same time.

 

[Rechan]

There's always a DC25 Lore check to figure out vulnerabilities

That also assumes the PCs would think to do that. Like in the case of the blind kobold swordsman that's in the first post. Who would think to check for vulnerabilities of a kobold?

Btw, the monster looks really good. I like it.

 

[Quickleaf]

Great thread!

I just wanted to add that more races should follow the werewolf's lead. No other creature is vulnerable to silver (rather, it temporarily stops regeneration). For example, I could see extending this to many fey, only making it iron or perhaps divine magic. Personally I think divine magic is more fitting than radiant, even though the two are most associated in 4e.

 

[DanmarLOK]

Again valid point. My players really only think of it on brutes and solo's and not all the time there. i.e. when they're getting their behinds handed to them and are getting desperate.

That also assumes the PCs would think to do that. Like in the case of the blind kobold swordsman that's in the first post. Who would think to check for vulnerabilities of a kobold?

 

[Garthanos]

Great thread!

I just wanted to add that more races should follow the werewolf's lead. No other creature is vulnerable to silver (rather, it temporarily stops regeneration). For example, I could see extending this to many fey, only making it iron or perhaps divine magic. Personally I think divine magic is more fitting than radiant, even though the two are most associated in 4e.

I like this style accelerated recovery limit. (to me it isn't really regeneration unless they get back up after if they go to negative hitpoints where the damage is real)

Vampire like - no rec. after radiant damage.
Troll like - no rec. after fire damage.
Cold blooded - no rec after cold damage.
Fey like - no rec after iron damage.
Unicorn like - no recovery after necrotic damage.

Not sure what the fighter power boundless endurance is... guess it could be species specific too or for some species like dragonborn or the forgotten realms elemental race it is maybe based on the element of your powers.