D&D 4E 4e Monster Manual excerpt

[AZRogue]

...your 3.5 books came with a guy who'd hold a gun to your head, forcing you to do that?

Mine did. It was only a .38 so I just killed him and took his stuff (he had some Pokemon cards) but he could have been dangerous to the average internet jockey like yourself, so I wouldn't make fun. If you haven't killed yours he's probably under your bed or in your closet right now.

 

[pawsplay]

I'm so happy they threw away all the skill point crap.
More time to design cool interesting encounters and less time to waste handling crap.

I've just never found it burdensome. I simply cannot imagine agonizing over skill points without being a player who knows they have to wait to level up again. NPCs? I'm done in minutes. Even more complex characters tend to come down to "Max out base + Int bonus class skills, then embezzle spell ranks to qualify for Prestige Classes." Unfortunately, I think the MM, without meaning to, gave the impression monster skill ranks were worth agonizing over.

 

[Spatula]

If there's one thing I have found favorable in 4E, it's how much more efficient and direct the NPC/monster stat blocks have been.

Agreed, as far as monsters go, but... have we seen an NPC stat block?

 

[small pumpkin man]

Agreed, as far as monsters go, but... have we seen an NPC stat block?

We've seen Kobolds.

 

[HeinorNY]

Agreed, as far as monsters go, but... have we seen an NPC stat block?

Here is a probable 4E NPC stat block:

Jon the Innkeeper
Human
Insight +6, Perception +8

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Well, making the battles last longer and less deadly is one thing, BUT 1d6+8 and 4d4+8?

At a point where even the pregen wizard would have 108 hp (+x healing surges)?

Gods damn it, a party of characters do not fight only one monster.

That succubus is backed up by, for example, two snaketongue assassins and two crushgrip constrictors. Five monsters, facing five PCs (the assumed default in Fourth Edition).

Do you think the pregen wizard is going to beat her one-on-one? Yes, a party of four or five PCs could whip it in short order, but that's because they're facing one-fifth of a 9th-level encounter.

 

[Primal]

Here is a probable 4E NPC stat block:

Jon the Innkeeper
Human
Insight +6, Perception +8

You forgot his Level, HPs, XP, Defenses.... and, most of all, his 'attack powers'. What sort of attacks would a "tough" innkeeper have? 'Throw Tankard'? 'Mighty Swing of the Broom'? 'Trip the Patron'? And should they recharge on 4, 5, or 6?

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I think/hope the name will be re-used for something closer to its mythological source: either an über-harpy-hag-devil or an angel of vengeance

Along the same lines, I'm hoping that the name "balor" will be reserved for some kind of Feywild creature related to the fomorians, considering.

 

[HeinorNY]

You forgot his Level, HPs, XP, Defenses.... and, most of all, his 'attack powers'. What sort of attacks would a "tough" innkeeper have? 'Throw Tankard'? 'Mighty Swing of the Broom'? 'Trip the Patron'? And should they recharge on 4, 5, or 6?

Why? That NPC is not going to be used in combat. Why waste time generating numbers I'm not gonna use? I have a whole campagin to run, lots of work.

 

[Spatula]

We've seen Kobolds.

We've seen kobold monsters, unless I missed a classed kobold somewhere.

Here is a probable 4E NPC stat block:

Jon the Innkeeper
Human
Insight +6, Perception +8

I meant combat NPCs, obviously. For example, a 7th level enemy cleric, like in Henry's 2e example. Non-combat NPC "statblocks" are trivial in every edition.