Comments and dislikes of lore and other changes in the 4th ed MM.

[pawsplay]

Latinate terms for creatures automatically evokes science and knowledge and taxonomy. The inhabitants of this world know very little of what lurks beyond their respective villages, and much less do they have a sophisticated system of categorization for them.

Naturally, they are far more versed in the Hebrew bible and Arabic folk lore.

Dinosaur is a Greek word. So is minotaur, centaur, chimera, daemon, hero, barbarian, and of course dragon.

As for Latin, we have necromancer, adventurer, and mercenary.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Naturally, they are far more versed in the Hebrew bible and Arabic folk lore.

Dinosaur is a Greek word. So is minotaur, centaur, chimera, daemon, hero, barbarian, and of course dragon.

As for Latin, we have necromancer, adventurer, and mercenary.

That's really what it comes down to.

Do you know why latin, greek, etc languages are used to describe creatures? Because peasants DON'T NAME CREATURES. Dinosaurs aren't "bloodspikes" to them, nor are they "thunder lizards." They're "that 'orrible thing what lives in the forests and ate our Jan when he was just trying to get to mum's house."

 

[Scribble]

That's really what it comes down to.

Do you know why latin, greek, etc languages are used to describe creatures? Because peasants DON'T NAME CREATURES. Dinosaurs aren't "bloodspikes" to them, nor are they "thunder lizards." They're "that 'orrible thing what lives in the forests and ate our Jan when he was just trying to get to mum's house."

Not always. There are pleanty of non-latin creatures in folklore.

 

[frankthedm]

My main beef is when they change the size of monsters they've already given us miniatures for (nightwalker, balor, I think mezzodemon, some others.)

Last I checked balors are Large and have been since 1E.

Nightwalker's feet are not that far apart, chopping the base and putting it on a 2" metal washer should work alright.

Thing is, now with the focus is on tactical movement, larger base sizes are a liability, especially since that being big no longer nets HUGE bonuses. Medium creatures can dance around hindering terrain with 1-1-1-1 diagonals. Large creatures might find a way around some bad terrain, Huge critters have little hope of doing that.

 

[IanB]

Last I checked balors are Large and have been since 1E.

Nightwalker's feet are not that far apart, chopping the base and putting it on a 2" metal washer should work alright.

Thing is, now with the focus is on tactical movement, larger base sizes are a liability, especially since that being big no longer nets HUGE bonuses. Medium creatures can dance around hindering terrain with 1-1-1-1 diagonals. Large creatures might find a way around some bad terrain, Huge critters have little hope of doing that.

I could swear they changed the balor to huge. Granted, the Blood War balor is so big it could easily sit on a huge base, but it is still annoying.

 

[Intense_Interest]

Thing is, now with the focus is on tactical movement, larger base sizes are a liability, especially since that being big no longer nets HUGE bonuses. Medium creatures can dance around hindering terrain with 1-1-1-1 diagonals. Large creatures might find a way around some bad terrain, Huge critters have little hope of doing that.

Well another minor benefit to size that groups of Large creatures won't get hit multiple times by a burst attack, limiting the power of a Wizard if you super-size the monsters.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Not always. There are pleanty of non-latin creatures in folklore.

I did say latin, greek, etc

What I'm getting at is, you can't use the argument of "Well, it's called Blood Tooth because that's what the peasants would name it!" Maybe if it was one creature it would be called "Bloodtooth," but an entire race? Again, the peasants wouldn't give it a name. It would be "That monster that's killing us."

It's the learned people who name the creatures.

 

[Doug McCrae]

It's the learned people who name the creatures.

So that explains the CIFAL.

 

[rounser]

So that explains the CIFAL.

Forsooth! Twould that be a protein polymorph in thy bag of tricks or art thou just happy to see me?

 

[I'm A Banana]

It's the learned people who name the creatures.

Ivory tower intellectuals who never once had to kill a swordwing...

...wait, it doesn't have swords for wings?

......Are the learned people retarded?