Elder Red Dragon preview is up

[RangerWickett]

Frightful Presence is not so much powerful as a waste of time.
Typically the Dragon uses it's action to stun almost the whole party. So it trades its turn for their turns achieving very little. It requires some work & the use of an AP to make it relevant.

Were it to add it back I would make it a free action when the Dragon first attacks & give the attack roll penalty.

Maybe solos should get some special effect when they use an action point, kinda like with a paragon path?

As a starting point, I like this dragon, but to really put it over the top I'd like to see a) some effects other than damage, and b) a section on designing dragon lairs.

Like maybe wherever the dragon fire-breathes becomes a burning zone for a round or two, giving him a mild controlling aspect. Or because dragons are greedy, they can activate a PC's magic item's powers. Or just a note in the tactics saying that he'd love to grab an enemy, fly up 40 or 50 feet, and then drop him.

And for lairs? Hmm. Lots of possibilities there. Crevasses that the dragon can just fly across. High ledges so he can withdraw if he needs to shake a condition (or so he can drag a victim away and perform grandma unfriendly acts upon him). Lava pockets (fall in and die, no save). And of course the hoard. I've yet to see a dragon combat that actually made the hoard part of the encounter. Why wouldn't a dragon want a jewel-encrusted iron maiden, or just lots of pottery filled with spices that shatter and create concealment and difficult terrain?

 

[Nikosandros]

Hmm, can a solo use both APs in the same round? Obviously I realize that they can bypass the 1 AP per encounter rule, but I thought they still had to be in separate rounds?

You remember correctly, they can't use more than 1 AP per round.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Last time I checked: No!

 

[Mapache]

Stun is a very worthwhile status effect.

I think Stun is a terrible piece of game design. "Lose a turn" mechanics (in pretty much any game) are boring and actively unfun. If you're stunned, there's nothing for you, the player, to do. Just go get a snack and come back next round because you're out of the game. Stunning the whole party is even worse, as the GM gets to play with himself while all the players sit around uninvolved. Daze, by contrast, is fine, in that it limits your actions severely but still lets you be reasonably effective and forces some hard choices. An initial fear effect that Dazed would be interesting, as even trained combatants are a little bit hesitant about engaging the massive killing machine, and it still gives the dragon the opportunity to move into position without concerns about provoking.

 

[Ktulu]

I agree with stalker, and I'll also add that while it's a mechanical "fear", it still ensures the players have to respect the awe of the dragon, for at least one round before bidding on who gets to wear its skin as armor.

 

[Stalker0]

You remember correctly, they can't use more than 1 AP per round.

Can someone tell me where this is mentioned?

The core rule is that you can't use more than 1 AP per encounter....I haven't seen a second rule that said only 1 per round.

 

[Mengu]

Can someone tell me where this is mentioned?

Compendium glossary, under action point:

Once per encounter: After you spend an action point, you must take a short rest before you can spend another. Some monsters can spend more than 1 action point per encounter. Unlike PCs, a monster can spend more than 1 action point in an encounter, but only 1 per round.

 

[Jack99]

It changed between MM1 and MM2

In MM1, the only limit was no AP during the surprise round.
In MM2, there is no mention of AP's during the surprise round, but the 1/round limitation is there.

 

[Nikosandros]

Compendium glossary, under action point:

Once per encounter: After you spend an action point, you must take a short rest before you can spend another. Some monsters can spend more than 1 action point per encounter. Unlike PCs, a monster can spend more than 1 action point in an encounter, but only 1 per round.

It is also explicitly stated in MM2.

 

[Nikosandros]

It changed between MM1 and MM2

In MM1, the only limit was no AP during the surprise round.
In MM2, there is no mention of AP's during the surprise round, but the 1/round limitation is there.

Damn ninja from CPH!

Actually, I'm not sure if it is a rules change, so much as a clarification. I don't think that the intent has ever been that a solo could burn 2 AP in a single round.