Do You Like Advanced Monsters and Prestige Class Examples in your Books?

[EricNoah]

There's no reason you have to tell the PCs why the monsters are harder than usual, and once you think of the classes as simple packages of useful skills and abilities you lose your inhabitions against slapping them on monsters for which the class would normally make no sense.

You know, that might make an interesting new rules option -- some kinds of generic "monster classes" that you could slap on to critters (the ones you don't normally think of taking class levels) to toughen them up or add interesting abilities. Perhpas as an alternative to the "advancement" rules. Hmmm .... something to think about...

 

[Psion]

You know, that might make an interesting new rules option -- some kinds of generic "monster classes" that you could slap on to critters (the ones you don't normally think of taking class levels) to toughen them up or add interesting abilities. Perhpas as an alternative to the "advancement" rules. Hmmm .... something to think about...

Second World Simulations' Masters of Arms featured a prestige class called Alpha Beast that specialized in natural attacks intended primarily for savage creatures.

 

[Jdvn1]

What's really fun is NON-intelligent monsters with classes. Want a tougher giant scorpion? Say it has been through many fights and loses its temper when exposed to pain - i.e., add barbarian levels.

Y'know, Dungeon #100 has a Dire Lion with 12 Monk levels.

Ouch.

 

[Nifft]

I lurve advanced monsters. Saves me a lot of work sometimes. I'd like a PDF of more advanced monsters.

NPCs for PrCs? Please. If they gave me a MONSTER with the PrC on it in a really creative way ... like a Succubus Mindbender ... but otherwise, keep the silly NPCs in "web enhancements"... or just keep them.

-- N

 

[Voadam]

Y'know, Dungeon #100 has a Dire Lion with 12 Monk levels.

Ouch.

Mmm, it uses its whole body as a living weapon. Right.

I would be surprised when a big lion starts to bat away arrows shot at it and takes no damage when falling off a cliff but close to the cliff wall.

Any backstory on how or why it got those kung fu fighting mechanics?

 

[rowport]

I like the example NPCs for the PrCs, especially with interesting class combos. For example, reading the Green Star Adept implied a roguish-type to me with heavy skill levels and balanced caster levels, so I was surprised to see the example with a base barbarian 4/sorcerer 1. That was a neat surprise, and made me reconsider how different the characters taking the PrC might look depending on their base classes. That said, I agree with Nifft that even more variety- like monster races or templated core races, etc.- would be even better. But, I can see the need for balancing ideas with complexity to make them most useful for the most readers.

What does bug me (a LOT) is that many of the example NPCs have typos- some of them major mistakes in that they would not qualify for the PrC if corrected (skill ranks, feats, etc).

 

[Sejs]

Any backstory on how or why it got those kung fu fighting mechanics?

The lion studied the movements of men in the wild and based his fighting style on that. He practices Human Style Kung Fu. You should be particularly wary of his Agriculture and Domestication attack, or his Fist of Ow That Pointy Stick Hurts. If you're a particularly worthy threat you may even warrant the use of his Harnessing the Power of Fire technique.






...or wait, do you mean 'kung fu fighting mechanics' in the sense of a group of mechanics that fight using kung fu? Cause I don't know where he would've gotten those. Phone book, maybe.

 

[Jdvn1]

Mmm, it uses its whole body as a living weapon. Right.

I would be surprised when a big lion starts to bat away arrows shot at it and takes no damage when falling off a cliff but close to the cliff wall.

Any backstory on how or why it got those kung fu fighting mechanics?

Yeah, but I guess it kind of skirts the original idea of this thread.

The backstory refers to something called the Order of the Man-Beast, which is described in more detail in the Dungeon #100 web enhancement. Basically, these people join the order and use an 8th level Druid spell called Dire Reincarnation which turns them into a dire animal.

I didn't say it made sense, but I think the idea of an animal with flurry of blows and abundant step is hilarious and cool.

 

[Greatwyrm]

You know, that might make an interesting new rules option -- some kinds of generic "monster classes" that you could slap on to critters (the ones you don't normally think of taking class levels) to toughen them up or add interesting abilities. Perhpas as an alternative to the "advancement" rules. Hmmm .... something to think about...

Check out the Monsters' Handbook and the X Lore series from Fantasy Flight. There are some 5 level classes in them for just this purpose.

As for the original question, advanced monsters are okay*, but I could do without sample NPCs. Advanced monsters are close enough to "new" monsters for me. I can't think of a time I've ever used an sample NPC from a PrC.

*Advanced monsters are okay, regular monsters with a template slapped on as an example are just as much book-padding as sample NPCs. Maybe that's silly, but that's how I feel.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I agree with the general consensus, more advanced monsters, less wasted space on redundant material.