Another MV preview: Hurly Burly brothers

[MrMyth]

Argument for it being a combined Elite:
-It includes both names in the stat block.
-If they are each individual Elites, they are really, really, really boring ones.

Argument for them being individual Elites:
-That would be the normal way to read the stat block.
-2 Elites makes for a reasonable encounter as a whole.

In general, I think they are intended to each be an Elite. Just... very poorly designed ones, as these things go. They approach, Action Point, spam Cleave, and that's the fight. Giving them more unique abilities - especially the earlier suggestion about one being a skirmisher, letting Hurly stay mobile and thus force the PCs to react to that in order to know them both out while nearby each other - is very much needed here.

 

[Aegeri]

I think they put both names in the stat block to save space actually more than anything else. If you look at other things like this, like Demogorgon who has specific powers per head normally any unique powers are noted as "X can use" (see Mengu's post on the first page for a good example). I do believe they are just the same stat block and so they named it that way for convenience. They could have just expanded it with some unique powers per troll of course.

What I am doing is trying to find a way to make an encounter with them really interesting. Already begun making some neat interactions, because I feel they wouldn't entirely like one another. Hurly for example gains bonuses to attack rolls on bursts that incorporate Burly and Burly gains extra attacks (albeit he has to direct one against Hurly) when Hurly is in reach. I got the idea from looking at the art, then figuring that they'd be as much a hazard to one another together as they would to the party.

I also made them fight harder when the other was killed - making trying to bring them down at roughly the same time a superior idea.

 

[Neverfate]

I still like the idea of them being 800xp combined. That would actually balance out why individually at 800xp a piece they are on the underwhelming side.

Also I am giving this preview the benefit of the doubt and that their unique power wasn't edited correctly and will be done so in the book.

On on the plus side, where as older monsters need quite a bit of overhauling to work, changing their blood bond wording isn't the end of the world and running that at 800xp (instead of 1600xp) isn't too strenuous either.

(also, the other monsters have in fact looked awesome from prior previews of this set).

 

[dangerous jack]

I think they put both names in the stat block to save space actually more than anything else. If you look at other things like this, like Demogorgon who has specific powers per head normally any unique powers are noted as "X can use" (see Mengu's post on the first page for a good example). I do believe they are just the same stat block and so they named it that way for convenience. They could have just expanded it with some unique powers per troll of course.

What I am doing is trying to find a way to make an encounter with them really interesting. Already begun making some neat interactions, because I feel they wouldn't entirely like one another. Hurly for example gains bonuses to attack rolls on bursts that incorporate Burly and Burly gains extra attacks (albeit he has to direct one against Hurly) when Hurly is in reach. I got the idea from looking at the art, then figuring that they'd be as much a hazard to one another together as they would to the party.

I also made them fight harder when the other was killed - making trying to bring them down at roughly the same time a superior idea.

Can't give you more XP right now, Aegeri, but the idea of bonuses when the other brother is in the area of the attack is fantastic. Although with their existing melee burst attack, that also means that they would want to be within 5 squares of each other.

Off the top of my head, a ranged attack such as the following could've gone a long way:

Throw Tree, recharge 5/6, area burst 1 within 15, +12 vs Reflex, hit: normal damage + knock prone
Special: If the other troll is in the burst, the attacking troll gains an action point that must be used before the end of its next turn.

 

[Aegeri]

Actually the idea isn't to make it so they want to be near one another, the idea was just to make it so when the party moves them closer they naturally become more dangerous. Sort of a catch 22 where the party wants to keep them close together, but wants to carefully control how close they keep them or risk ending up taking some improved attacks.