Assassin Shrouds on Minions

[DracoSuave]

Minions are both problematic and unsatisfying. Good GMs quickly stop using them, or at a minimum will heavily house rule them so they don't resemble the original anymore.

That depends solely on your players.

My group LOVES them.

Massive numbers they can chop down, but will execute them if they ignore them?

Awesome improvement over 1/2 or 1/4 HD monsters of the past.

 

[Piratecat]

Mine loves them as well. No complaints here, except that they're better at 6:1 or 8:1 instead of 4:1 as is standard.

Incidentally, Regicide, see my warning on the previous page; insulting people who disagree with you isn't something we want to see. PM me if this is the slightest bit unclear.

 

[Nifft]

I like minions, as a player and as a DM.

They're tactically interesting, and also it's fun to pile the minis up as the minions go down.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Sanzuo]

As a dm I like the challenge of making minions actually threatening. So far I've made sure they're relatively high level and that they have some other ability besides "attack"

 

[Danceofmasks]

I like minions as comic relief.
Put 'em in red shirts, and have one of them know what red shirts mean.

 

[Destil]

I'd like to think I'm a good DM (or at least not a bad one), and I take some issue with that: I use minions all the time. I also almost always make my own, and I make them annoying. Free basic attack when dropped, stacking auras, a solo can eat them with an interrupt to negate an attack, invisibility and used as flankers for lurkers, reviveable by the real opponents, can only be killed with a certain kind of damage...

For a while I think my players hated them more than any other enemy type, back when they only had a Swordmage, Cleric and Ranger (so just one encounter area attack back at level 1). They had two wizards for a while so some of that has gone away, but they're back down to one now and hopefully I can put some fear back into them...

 

[Lord Ernie]

Same here. I tried the 4:1 of regular (MM1) minions at first, but since our party has both a Wizard and a Sorcerer, they were rather less effective than advertised.

Since then, I've started using minions that do something special, mostly when they die. Whether it's explode in a cloud of acid (or fire, or...), heal/provide THP to one of the bigger guys, being brought back from the dead by the big guys, or having them arrive invisible in the midst of combat and teaming up on one of the squishies.

Of course, I still put in the easily slaughtered version from time to time, but it certainly is possible to make them a threat.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Minions aren't much of an issue if each character packs a spare lightning dagger.
Ok, not feasible at low levels, but once you hit paragon, it's pocket change.

 

[N0Man]

Minions are both problematic and unsatisfying. Good GMs quickly stop using them, or at a minimum will heavily house rule them so they don't resemble the original anymore.

You can put me in the bad GM club, because I think they can be put to great use.

However, I disagree that you have to be a bad GM to appreciate them...

I'm also going to throw in my opinion that a missed attack with shrouds does not kill minions.

 

[Jhaelen]

You can put me in the bad GM club, because I think they can be put to great use.

Well, good DMs know when to ignore bad advice