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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aegeri" data-source="post: 5306558" data-attributes="member: 78116">It comes from the PHB FAQ entry on the Wizards site, which asks "Can an ooze be knocked prone". The response is simply to say that it can be knocked prone and that the condition is just representative - something else happens to it like it is knocked out of shape or similar conferring the same effective penalty. Personally I don't mind this at all and it makes consistent logical mechanics.Often extremely important in both cases. The brawler fighter becomes a neutered worthless defender when swarms can't be grabbed. Many powers become pointless when you can't knock something prone. The odd creature having the odd resistance, immunity or difference is fine though. Whole groups of creatures being immune/resistant to X condition makes for problematic class and power balance. Something that 4E as a whole tries to avoid and it's a very good thing. To me, sacrificing "fluff" is perfectly fine if it makes for a better and more playable game. Where I do make exemptions, they should be for the benefit for the game and not just because I feel it should be that way. Swarms might be difficult to grab, but there is no mechanical reason they need that immunity and so making a whole bunch of monsters blanket immune doesn't make for a more fun combat. Therefore there is no reason for them (or me to remember) they are immune to being grabbed. Same with knocking an ooze prone (there is no tripping in 4E) - there is no mechanical reason they need that immunity and it doesn't make combats with oozes any more fun.The exception is solos and elites. I feel they need their action economy protected, so ways of dealing with being dazed, stunned and dominated. They need these because they represent multiple monsters at the same time and when you don't, being "locked down" makes for a boring, uninteresting and not very fun combat. Hence, the mechanics need to support that. Knocking an ooze prone doesn't trivialize a fight and make it boring - PCs like their powers actually doing something. Being able to permanently stun lock a solo into doing nothing and trivializing the entire encounter makes it completely boring - so mechanics need to address these things. Specific monsters that mix up mechanics therefore become interesting: Like the tembo that cannot be affected by forced movement and is difficult to knock prone. Or the Earthquake Dragons mark and prone mechanic. The high level guardian daemon that is flat out immune to stun is another example. These become interesting monsters and distinct from everything else - without feeling unfair or denying PCs the use of their powers (one reason I don't mind of solos and elites having more uncommon resistances is because such encounters are not the norm in 4E).I couldn't agree with this more. Poison damage in 4E, due to the fact 90% of undead and a lot of other monsters are immune to it makes it virtually pointless for a lot of characters to take without feat investment.</blockquote>

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