D&D 4E The 4e Solo Thread

This thread is for the discussion of solo monster design & sharing of homemade solo monsters.

Often I hear folks critiquing solos for "false advertising" (i.e. Needing other monsters to be threatening) or being too easy (e.g. Needing L+4 solos to even challenge a paragon party). This is one place where we can present ideas for making solo monsters worthy of the name, solicit feedback on our homebrew solos, and create an ENWorld catalogue of solos our fellow DMs can choose from.

[sblock=List of Homebrew Solos]
Howler Wasp Queen (3 solo brute) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Phantom Fungus Stalker (6 solo lurker) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Enraged Cave Troll (level 7 solo brute) by [MENTION=98255]Nemesis Destiny[/MENTION]
Kobold Horde (9 solo skirmisher) by [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]
Shammu, Psion of the Order (11 solo controller) by [MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION]
Beast of Bechaeux (13 solo brute) by [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]
Terakalir, steam-augmented dragon (14 solo soldier) by [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]
Ghost Council Swarm (15 solo brute) by [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]
Lurpask, Vexing Bugbear (16 solo skirmisher) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Mutated Umber Hulk (16 solo controller) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Trapper (18 solo lurker) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Lurborask, Grimlock Priest of Jubilex (20 solo controller) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Yuan-ti Anathema (21 solo brute) by [MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION]
Desverendi, Spirit of the Land (23 solo controller/brute/lurker) by [MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION]
Genius Loci (30 solo controller) by [MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION]
Shaktari, Queen of Mariliths (34 solo skirmisher) by [MENTION=59411]Pour[/MENTION]
[/sblock]

Many solo issues are described here http://angrydm.com/2010/04/the-dd-boss-fight-part-1/

The Sly Flourish site talks about beefing up solos in other ways, and ways to modify encounters to help protect solos.

One of the biggest problems I have with solos is the type. A fight with a solo brute is like having 5 brutes, and a 5 brute encounter is usually boring. A fight with a solo controller is like having 5 controllers, which means lots of low damage but frustrating effects. I don't find one or two controllers to be like that, but five... The Angry DM's three stage process works quite well if you switch monster types between stages. (I once heard of a lich that starts as a controller or artillery, switches to a lurker and finally a "bad touch" brute.)

One problem I found is the shockingly large number of ways PCs can inflict attack penalties on monsters. I'm not talking about marking, but flat-out (and even stacking) penalties... times five. There's a few condition-removal powers I pretty much put on every monster to avoid that. I'll provide a list when I'm not at work

A mark is more effective against a solo, as you're basically marking 5 creatures. Of course, sometimes it just means a dead defender. (Last session I nearly killed a PC defender twice with an elite soldier, not even a solo brute, as he decided to focus all his attacks on the guy who marked him.)

[MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION]
Absolutely, the staged boss monster is a great way to make solos more interesting. I've done that three times now (cranium rat hive mind, red dragon, dragon mage) and it worked great...only downside is they were insanely long fights that easily took a full 3-4 hour session! They were fun tense sessions though...just I think me and my players' stamina for focused combat-oriented play caps out at 2 hours.

In general I like simplicity of design because I think it frees the DM's brain space and thus makes for quicker fights. OTOH I find nearly all of the "official" solos don't have enough powers/things going on to stay interesting for a long combat. I'm interested in ways to reconcile these two issues...maybe by making design moves that kill several birds with one stone?

I'm in the process of making a solo brute for an upcoming adventure...basically it's a big bad werewolf that will be encountered with other lower-level standard werewolves and some dire wolf minions. Thus I'm not going to be using the 3-stage boss as that would be overkill, but I am looking at ways to make it an interesting challenge that doesn't require a page+ long stat block.

I keep coming back to this: provide interesting decisions/dilemmas for the PCs. For example, save ends effects tend to be not so interesting and easily forgotten in the heat of combat...I'm curious is the effects were much more serious but there were steps the PCs could take to prevent the horrible fate...sort of a "save...and then die" model

Another site I found, technically dead, so yay for the Internet Archive. Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20111220...2010/08/18/solo-monster-≠-fight-vs-1-monster/

I'll throw in a (fairly) random example of a solo I've designed. This is my conversion of a classic monster, the trapper. Note the reference in its description to it as a lurker- I mean that in the sense of lurkers above, trappers, mantari and other related monsters, not in the sense of the lurker role.

A few things:

Its hps are a little lower than standard because it's going to be taking half damage from many attacks. Its damage output is probably going to be equal to four or five monsters' because it's going to be dealing damage to multiple creatures at a time in most instances.

The one thing about this monster that breaks a lot of good solo design advice is that it's really simple- there aren't a lot of options for different types of actions. However, as the trapper is a quintessential trap monster, I'm of a mind that, in this case, it's okay; the party will be scrambling to escape it or rescue their buddies, and terrain will have a tremendous impact on how a fight with this thing would play. It has its inexorable trait to help with action denial; overall, though this thing is a bit dry, I'm satisfied with it.


Trapper --- Level 18 Solo Lurker
Gargantuan natural magical beast --- XP 10,000

Unlike many lurkers, a trapper does not fly. Instead, it crawls slowly through a dungeon until it finds a room in which it can take up residence on the floor. The trapper has a 'lure' organ which is shaped like a chest or box, so a party of adventurers entering the trapper's lair might think they have found unguarded treasure. The truth is far more dangerous; when the adventurers attempt to open the chest, the trapper rolls its body around them, crushing them to pulp. While fully spread out, a trapper can cover an area up to 40' on a side, only rolling up its fighting space when it attacks.

HP 396; Bloodied 198 Initiative +14
AC 32; Fortitude 32; Reflex 26; Will 30 Perception +15
Speed 4 Tremorsense 20
Saving Throws +5; Action Points 2

TRAITS

Blend with the Room

When a trapper is hidden on the floor of its lair, it requires a Dungeoneering check (DC 27) or Perception check (DC 32) to recognize it before it attacks.

Inexorable
If the trapper starts its turn dominated or stunned, it uses crush as a free action.

STANDARD ACTIONS

(melee) Spring the Trap * Encounter
Requirement: The trapper must be hidden from at least one of the targets.
Effect: The trapper assumes its fighting space (4x4 squares) anywhere within the area it is spread out over, and can share enemy spaces. It then makes the following attack.
Attack: Melee 0 (each creature in the trapper's space); +19 vs. Reflex.
Hit: The target is grabbed (escape DC 32). While grabbed, the target takes ongoing 25 damage, is dazed, takes a -4 penalty to attack rolls and has line of sight or effect to no creature other than the trapper. Additionally, no other creature has line of sight or effect to the target. While it has creatures grabbed, the trapper is immobilized.
Effect: As long as the trapper hit at least one target, it uses crush as a free action.
Special: A creature adjacent to the trapper can force it to release one grabbed creature by making an Athletics check, DC 24, or can force it to release all grabbed creatures by making an Athletics check, DC 32.

(melee) Crush * At Will
Attack: Melee 0 (each creature grabbed by the trapper); +19 vs. Fortitude.
Hit: 3d10+10 damage.

MINOR ACTIONS

Snatch * At Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +21 vs. Reflex.
Hit: The target is grabbed (escape DC 32) and pulled into the trapper's space. While grabbed, the target takes ongoing 25 damage, is dazed, takes a -4 penalty to attack rolls and has line of sight to no creature other than the trapper. Additionally, no other creature has line of sight to the target. While it has creatures grabbed, the trapper is immobilized.
Special: A creature adjacent to the trapper can force it to release one grabbed creature by making an Athletics check, DC 24, or can force it to release all grabbed creatures by making an Athletics check, DC 32.

TRIGGERED ACTIONS

Vulnerable Victim * At Will
Trigger: An attack deals damage to the lurker above while it has at least one creature grabbed.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The triggering attack deals half damage to the lurker above. The other half is divided evenly between each grabbed creature (round up).
---
Skills Stealth +18
Str 26 Dex 12 Wis 22
Con 18 Int 2 Cha 16
Alignment unaligned Languages -

[MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION] All good advice, especially the part about solo design changing at each tier. Breaking the rules seems essential to me. While I agree that each solo should be different, I also think we could come up with a nice set of solo design guidelines...since the ones in the DMG flat out don't work.

I'll think on that some more. For those curious the relevant DMG page is 185.
[MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION] Love your take on the Lurker Above, that's a classic Btw, I think you lowered its HP to account for its ability to share damage with trapped victims, but forgot that its ability is an immediate interrupt. Creatures can only use one immediate action per round. Might be better to make it an opportunity action.

Quickleaf said:

[MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION] Love your take on the Lurker Above, that's a classic Btw, I think you lowered its HP to account for its ability to share damage with trapped victims, but forgot that its ability is an immediate interrupt. Creatures can only use one immediate action per round. Might be better to make it an opportunity action.

Click to expand...

I'm almost positive that was an intentional choice. Otherwise, I would have lowered its hit points by closer to 1/3- after all, that would almost be "half damage from everything".

As it is, this thing will usually use two minor actions to grab more victims and then crush them all with its standard. I haven't actually run a fight with it- the pcs bypassed this encounter not too long ago, alas- but I really wanted to while the group was in the right level range!

Solo Fixes: For obvious reasons, do not try to apply all of these to a single monster.

Solos don't act off of their turns: there's numerous ways of fixing this.

Triggered actions, especially those that go off every time a PC starts or ends their turn, work well. The beholder's Random Eye Ray power (zap an enemy that starts close to the beholder, even if the beholder is stunned, is a great example of this).

Double Actions help too, plus they give a boss an extra save per turn (and if they have any effects that go off when it ends its turn, this helps too). I usually give this ability to solo skirmishers, as they need those move actions. I've seen a few monsters that get as many as four or five actions per turn, and one that gets one per opponent. Generally results in utter ridiculousness if you look at its speed ratings, so use with care.

An interesting take on "double actions" is the "Magic Shadow", which is basically a second creature "riding" the solo but sharing its hit point pool. It doesn't get move actions but it gets all other actions, rolls initiative separately, and does not share conditions. (Of course, PCs might be able to stun them both, but the chances are very unlikely.) I haven't been able to word that very well yet.

Here's what I have for Lucan and his soulblade (one of the first few Eberron adventures):

The soulblade rolls initiative (+4) separately from Lucan, and takes a standard and minor action on each initiative result. If Lucan is affected by a daze, domination or stunned effect, the soulblade's actions are not affected. If the soulblade is granted immediate actions, it can use one between the end of one of its turns and the start of another. The soulblade tracks its power usage separately from Lucan.

Click to expand...

The soulblade also had specific actions only it could use, and could use skills separately too (such as Perception).

Prone: Bosses are vulnerable to being knocked prone.

Monstrous Stability
When an effect forces the boss to move, it moves 1 less square (per tier) than the effect specifies. When an attack should knock the boss prone, it can roll a saving throw to avoid falling prone.

Note: my PCs hate it when I do this, but I use it a lot, especially for flying solos. It turns out they also like the -2 penalty to hit, which I hate.

Movement Restrictions: Bosses are vulnerable to mobility restrictions, specifically being knocked prone, immobilized, grabbed, restrained, or slowed.

Need for Speed: When immobilized, restrained, or slowed, the boss instead subtracts 2 from its movement speed.

Utility Power: Any effect that renders the boss immobilized, restrained, or slowed ends, and (describe attack)

Utility Power, or an Effect for an attack: The boss stands up if it is prone. It is no longer immobilized, restrained, or grabbed. (Many of Angry DM's monsters make a move action attack while prone, then use this effect.)

Action Limiters: Bosses are vulnerable to action limiters, specifically being knocked prone, dazed, stunned, or dominated.

Action Recovery (as dragon or Calastryx)

Clearheaded. Trigger: The boss becomes dazed, dominated, or stunned. Effect (No Action): The boss makes a saving throw against the effect. If the save succeeds, the triggering condition ends ends immediately even if it cannot normally be ended by a save.

Instinctive Assault (as dragon). I try to include a move in here. If a monster has an at-will trample attack, for instance, it'll be an instinctive trample.

Save Ends: Bosses are vulnerable to save ends powers.

Double Actions - see above

Brutal Shakeoff/Shake it Off (this ability lets a monster take 5 damage per tier to make saving throws or simply end a condition)

End of Turn Conditions: Bosses are vulnerable to "end of turn" conditions.

Brutal Shakeoff - see above.

Dark Transfer: Trigger: This creature begins its turn. Effect (No Action): This creature can pass one [per tier] current [status] effect to a non-minion ally within 10 squares. // This requires allies. I used it to pretty good effect on a psionic controller (leader) solo. His allies were artillery ... swarms. It also meant he had to stay near his allies, which the PCs could take advantage (either force move him or his allies).

Implacable: as the death knight ability. The creature gets an immediate save as a "no action" against any condition. Death knights are only elites!

Indomitable: If the boss suffers from an effect that ends at the end of a creature's turn, the effect ends at the end of the boss’s next turn. (This is especially handy if a creature has multiple turns.)

Player Resistance
Heroes tend to buff with resistance effects against bosses.

Mounting Power/Rage: While bloodied, the boss adds +5 damage (per tier) to all attacks.

Mounting Aura: Increase an aura by 5 damage, or more.

Long-Ranged Attacks
Donut aura versus ranged attacks...

This aura is inactive within 10 squares of the boss. The active aura is difficult terrain and heavily obscured. Any enemy that ends its turn in the active aura takes X damage and, if flying, falls prone.

Warning: Brutally effective against unconscious PCs. Maybe you could only make it affect PCs that can see it (and unconscious PCs cannot see), or something along those lines.

Conditions in General
While dazed, stunned, unconscious, dominated, blind, or weakened, the boss instead grants combat advantage and is vulnerable 5 per tier to all damage.

Being Flanked: Solos are very vulnerable to this, as the melee heroes can easily surround a single creature.

Anytime they are attacked (miss, hit, or even either), the monster should either be able to shift, or slide an adjacent enemy. Makes a lot of sense for martial artist-flavored enemies.

Another of mine.

This one seems a bit weak against action denial tactics, but I think that's okay, since its aura will still let it dish out some damage. I also blush to note that everything's at will.

About that immediate action vs. opportunity action thing- one again, it was an intentional choice to limit the irradiating gaze to 1/round. This guy can reliably dish out the damage of two creatures each round (via Double Attack); it can almost certainly get a third via its Irradiating Gaze; and it is likely to get one or more via its Confusing Gaze, but this is a really swingy element of its design (intentionally so!).

Mutated Umber Hulk --- Level 16 Solo Controller
Large aberrant magical beast --- XP 7,000

A mutated umber hulk has been exposed to radiation and has gained strange abilities through the experience, growing more powerful without any harmful side effects.

HP 624; Bloodied 312 Initiative +9
AC 30; Fortitude 28; Reflex 26; Will 30 Perception +18
Speed 5, burrow 2 (tunneling) Darkvision
Saving Throws +5; Action Points 2

TRAITS

Confusing Gaze * Aura 4

When any creature ends its turn in the aura, roll 1d4 and consult the following chart:
-1: The creature makes an at-will attack against a target of the umber hulk's choice.
-2. The umber hulk slides the creature its speed.
-3. The creature is immobilized until the end of its next turn.
-4. The creature is dazed until the end of its next turn.
If the mutated umber hulk is bloodied, it instead rolls 2d4 and applies both results to the creature.

STANDARD ACTIONS
(mbasic) Claw * At Will
Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +21 vs. AC.
Hit: 2d12+11 damage.

Double Attack * At Will
Effect: The mutated umber hulk uses claw twice.

TRIGGERED ACTIONS

(close) Irradiating Gaze (poison, radiant, radiation) * At Will
Trigger: An enemy ends its turn adjacent to the mutated umber hulk.
Attack (Immediate Reaction): Close blast 1 (the triggering creature); +19 vs. Fortitude.
Hit: 3d10+8 poison and radiant damage, and the target gains 1d4 RADs.
---
Str 24 Dex 12 Wis 20
Con 20 Int 7 Cha 15
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Undercommon

Something I've found that is very central to having a rewarding Solo fight shows itself in 5e actually; The Lair as adversary.

Like pretty much all fights in 4e, the locale features are exceedingly important. In the case of Solos, the BBEG's lair is even moreso. Runes/Altars/Glyphs that buff/augment/force-multiply, mobile hazards and traps (of an energy type that the BBEG is resistant or immune to) that play off of debuffs (eg vuln) that the Solo inflicts and that are engaging for the PCs to attempt to either avoid or disrupt are a big of the artform of crafting memorable Solo battles. They avoid the HP system so the PCs will have to interact with them in other, more compelling ways (Countermeasures, Skill Challenges, Mobility/Forced Movement that costs Action Economy) than just stabbing a guard in the face or deploying a big AoE bomb to a horde of minions. They're resistant to punitive control effects.

All told, I put just as much focus on constructing a synergistic lair as I do on the Solo itself.