So, what monsters should be Elite and Solos?

[frankthedm]

Have gotten to thinking, what monsters shouldn't be showing up in groups?

Just for example, T-Rexes and grizzly bears are not pack animals iirc.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

Have gotten to thinking, what monsters shouldn't be showing up in groups?

Just for example, T-Rexes and grizzly bears are not pack animals iirc.

That's what they want you to think.

 

[Rechan]

Have gotten to thinking, what monsters shouldn't be showing up in groups?

Just for example, T-Rexes and grizzly bears are not pack animals iirc.

To be fair, not all groups have to be groups. There can be little scavengers (beyond the interest of t-rexes and grizzly bears) that follow the big guys around, eating what they leave behind. Or something that follows them, watching the carnage. Then you have a mother with young.

Also, dude: King Kong. 3 T-rexes.

Hmm, I'm trying to think of monsters don't all ready know are elites/solos.

The Tarrasque. Any traditional golem should be Elite.

 

[Lucius Drake]

Disclaimer: This is not because I think they should be, just because I think it would be fun in a certain game setting.

I think it would be neat to build a mythological Greek setting (and I know that it has been done in 3.5) where the traditional solo monsters are solo or elites. Minotaur, Hydra (which I hope is a solo anyway), Medusa and her sisters Stheno & Euryale (had to look up Stheno, it's been a while since I studied this stuff), etc...

If only to see the look of astonishment on my players' faces when they realize that the minotaur is a one-of-a-kind deadly nasty beast. I'd probably play out the campaign as if the mighty heroes of the age were missing or non-existent. I figure that a party of four or five PCs of appropriate level ought to be able to deal with some of the threats that Perseus, Theseus, et al managed

 

[Ander00]

Random thought: the behir would make for a decent elite monster. Or possibly even a solo one.


cheers

 

[MindWanderer]

They can also be pets or the like. I can easily see multiple trained bears under one or two humanoid masters.

I agree that golems should mainly be Elite. Similarly, so should a Warforged Titan or a Juggernaut. Anything at least Huge size should probably be Elite if not Solo (for practical purposes), including many dinosaurs and some giants. The high-end demons (Nalfeshnees, Mariliths, and Balors--the ones that in 1e were demons that had individual names, but no name for their species) should be elites. Dragon Turtles probably won't make it in the PHB1, but they should be solo. Ropers had better be at least elite--those things could get crazy in groups. Hydras, probably solos. Sphinxes, at least androsphinxes and gynosphinxes, make most sense as elites, IMO.

 

[Jhaelen]

Have gotten to thinking, what monsters shouldn't be showing up in groups?

To be honest I can imagine all monsters to appear in groups except those that are unique (no pack of tarrasques, sorry...).

 

[mjukglass]

To be honest I can imagine all monsters to appear in groups except those that are unique (no pack of tarrasques, sorry...).

And to be honest. Monsters that are unique are always 100 times cooler then the nameless group ones.

' Ohh, you mean THE hydra... '

 

[Hellzon]

Since everyone is mentioning the hydra, I thought I'd point out that the Fen Hydra in the Dungeons of Dread preview is a level 12 solo brute. No idea about the Laernean Hydra (if it's even in).

I hope owlbears are at least unique elite, assuming they're not pack animals.

EDIT: Don't type while tired.

 

[Staffan]

A thing to consider about solos should be that they should be designed to handle multiple opponents, not just "be tough." For example, the beholder has all those eye stalks that they can use to shoot different party members, so it's a good solo candidate. A dragon has a breath weapon that's an area effect, and you might add an aura or something like that or an ability that attacks anyone who attacks it. A hydra is a third good example, with its multiple heads.

A T-rex, on the other hand, is still just a big brute with big nasty pointy teeth. It might work as an elite, but not as a solo.