Best and worst of 4th Ed. Monsters

[Starsunder]

Which monsters do you think translated over to 4 th Ed. the best?

For instance, I think that the Pit Fiend was done pretty well. It has its fear aura, fire aura, sumoning abilities, displays mastery over other devils and has a fireball type ability with its Irresistable Command, and can act as a general of sorts with its tactical teleporting ability. Not to mention it's Point of Fear power which is pretty strong. Well done in my opinion without having a bloated stat block ala 3rd Ed (IMHO of course, not trying to start wars here..).

As far as worst translated, I would probably have to say the Balor is pretty boring to me...I understand that its supposed to be this hulking, brutish beast in 4th Ed. to fit the new demon flavor, but come on. I mean, an aura of fire, a sword attack, a whip attack, and an ability to increase acurracy...and thats it? Pretty damn sparce for a monster with what, 600 some odd HP? And dont get me started on Doresain....snore...

Anyways, I wanted to hear some of your opinions on the matter.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Not a specific monster, per-say but I adore what they have done with lots of the more "they aren't unique or rare" type of monsters (especially racial/humanoid ones). I am talking specifically about giving them various different types with different roles and abilities. It is much, much easier to build encounters with a bunch of say orcs with this.

 

[Starsunder]

Not a specific monster, per-say but I adore what they have done with lots of the more "they aren't unique or rare" type of monsters (especially racial/humanoid ones). I am talking specifically about giving them various different types with different roles and abilities. It is much, much easier to build encounters with a bunch of say orcs with this.

Oh, I absolutely agree! The different orcs, kobolds, efreets, and all are great. I just wish they would have spruced up some of the more iconic ones a bit (although not all; like I said there are many that are well done, the Pit Fiend was just one example).

 

[Spatula]

Not a specific monster, per-say but I adore what they have done with lots of the more "they aren't unique or rare" type of monsters (especially racial/humanoid ones). I am talking specifically about giving them various different types with different roles and abilities. It is much, much easier to build encounters with a bunch of say orcs with this.

Yes, definitely. I was going to list off goblins, kobolds, gnolls, etc.

On the disappointing side I would put forth those monsters that are missing that cool defining trait. Ogres are a good example. Also save-or-die monsters who have had their abilities nerfed into pointlessness - the designers went a little too far there, IMO.

 

[Obryn]

Hobgoblins are definitely my fave.

They work together like they should - a well-run and organized military machine. All their different teamwork benefits are amazing... My players learned to fear the Archers' ping-ponging attack bonus, the shield walls, and the commanders' "Everyone get where they should be!" abilities.

-O

 

[jensun]

I like what they have done with the various different low level humanoids.

The worst monster is a competition between the various Hydra and the Purple Worm.

Solo monsters with huge bags of HP and little to nothing in the way of interesting abilities are just a bad idea.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I think Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, humans and the other similar entries are the best without question. They are a lot of fun to use and tend to have strong central gimmicks that hold them together.

One monster type that doesn work that well is the Cyclops. Every last Cyclops and Fomorian has an ability called "Evil Eye", but that ability is completely different for every monster. Even with that aside there doesn't seem to be a strong central gimmick unifying them.

In terms of other big humanoid creatures, though, I really like the Death Giant and Death Titan. They would require a bit of micromanagement, but throwing an encounter involving a few of those and a team of minions against the PCs just sounds incredibly fun.

But on the track of death/shadowfell creatures, I don't like the Sorrowsworn at all. In terms of art, flavor, and name they are one of the worst implementations of the reaper/envoy of death concept that I have ever seen, and while their Black Visage ability is not bad, otherwise their statistics seem a bit bland considering the kinds of creature they are supposed to represent.

I am of more of a mixed opinion on the Hydra. I can't stand the fact that they all use acid and none of them use poison (the original hydra of Herculean myth was famous for its fatal venom just as much as its regeneration, and poison is a perfectly fine attack keyword), but otherwise they seem pretty good to me. Their ability to make a large number of attacks and unique resistance to being stunned or dazed is a pretty good implementation of their multi-headed nature, and I don't really see the need for any kind of decapitation minigame, so their mechanics seem fine.

 

[charlesatan]

Tiamat from the Draconomicon is definitely top-notch. It's everything you could ask for.

I also like how some non-minion Zombies die on a Critical Hit.

Mechanics-wise, the Purple Worm sounds just right but in actual play, it's poorly executed and leaves much to be desired.

 

[Starsunder]

I like what they have done with the various different low level humanoids.

The worst monster is a competition between the various Hydra and the Purple Worm.

Solo monsters with huge bags of HP and little to nothing in the way of interesting abilities are just a bad idea.

Yeah, the purple wurm is among the most poorly designed of the monsters imo.

Tiamat from the Draconomicon is definitely top-notch. It's everything you could ask for.

I also like how some non-minion Zombies die on a Critical Hit.

Mechanics-wise, the Purple Worm sounds just right but in actual play, it's poorly executed and leaves much to be desired.

Tiamat is extremely well done, with plenty of abilitlies to keep the fight interesting.

 

[Stoat]

I'm curious: What's wrong with the Purple Worm?