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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 5025296" data-attributes="member: 51942">Ok, that may be fine for an elite or solo.  It's way, way too powerful for a standard monster, however: an encounter with level+3 standard monsters equal in number to PC's should be surviveable.  Here, however, the giants will simply pin down all PC's most of the time and reliably use the smash.  The only thing PC's can then do is crawl (but that'll be almost impossible when slowed+dazed: a crawl would move just 1 square, and of course it gives up the standard action).As is, the slap is too powerful for a standard monster, particularly in conjunction with the very lethal smash because many giants can do this to the entire party.  Basically, vs. standard monsters, PC's just don't have a choice but to stand ground.  You just can't escape from all of em.Make him elite, and it's OK, though still very nasty.Putting the action into the hand's of the PC's is fun and is a reminder of the special OA rules.  That's one reason why I prefer the action approach. I don't think the difference will actually matter very often.  The real threat is his big smash anyhow, letting PC's spend a minor action to prance around the enemy won't change that.  If you feel this is too easy, then I'd make it a free action 1/round to avoid one OA - that leaves the initiative in the PC's hands (fun) but is more limited.As a standard monster, slap should really go.  Even without it, his big smash will be abnormally effective in enclosed spaces.  I understand it's nice to keep it simple; I really don't think it works here though.  How do you imagine melee characters will fight this giant?  Most melee characters simply don't have the option to do hit+run tactics; they need to either start or end adjacent to the giant.  Such characters shouldn't be useless in combat.  Readied actions are reactions; you can't (normally) ready knowing which way a monster will strike.Maybe that should be a focus first anyhow: how should the battle turn out, eventually?  Then you can design the monster around that.  As a matter of preference, I think it's better not to rely on readied actions anyhow, they slow down combat and initiative tracking when overused.So: what kind of tactics should a bog-standard fighter or paladin use against this monster?  That storyboard should guide monster-design.</blockquote>

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