Exotic zombies at WotC

[RPG_Tweaker]

Those corruption zombies made me think of the ones from Quake.

That creepy moaning and icky-gooey splash of their attack was quite haunting.

 

[Jhaelen]

I am not sure if they are dead, but they might.

They are still in, that was confirmed quite a while ago. The death knight is one example of a 4E template.

Maybe 4th edition makes it easy to slap on abilities without having to use templates?

The 4E templates are supposed to be exactly like that: easy to slap on.

I'm really glad they kept the template idea, because it was one of the biggest boons 3E had to offer regarding monster variety. Of course like every idea it was eventually taken too far and the implementation could sometimes have been better but you can't have everything...

 

[DaveMage]

Interesting Article. I like what I see so far...... sorta.

Are monster templates are going the way of the dodo? I really hope not, since templates are what made 3.x monsters so friggin cool.

I like variant creatures, but these just beg "template". Maybe instead of templates, they are going to offer up some monster building advice.

Also, is there any indication that the different 3.x monster types and descriptors changing/going away? They made it easy to categorize and "lump" monsters together, and it made the templating easier, but I haven't really heard anything one way or the other about these yet.

I'm guessing that the trend will be to make it easier for designers (both professional and amateur DMs) to stat monsters. Templates are hard because they force more time in stat block creation. The more time taken in stat block creation, the more likely an error. Since it's been proven that no one at WotC has a knack for stat blocks like, say, John Cooper, I'd imagine that templates will be kept to a minimum if they are there at all.

Less variety, but easier to design and use.

 

[HP Dreadnought]

I likese new zombie types and the less-is-more approach to templates. 3.5 I think suffered from over-use of templates as a substitute for interesting creatures. I never even used 85% of them.

Lots of interesting creatures plus a double-handful of templates would be fine.

I was initially very skeptical about 4E, but the WotC marketing deparment is doing their job and bringing me around!

 

[lukelightning]

This reminds me of the blurb I saw in some DMG or MM about customizing monsters, with an example of skeletons that shoot their fingers off like magic missiles.

I've always liked customizing monsters like this. Just a minor tweak here and there to keep the players on their toes. I've given manticores frightening roars (save or be shaken), medusae with spitting cobra hair (which I thought was a good idea... but then a player mentioned "why would a medusa want to blind people?!?!"), ogres that look like giant bugbears (which they were... I wanted a bigger goblinoid so just stole the ogre stats), things like that.

This could be a way to reward PCs with the appropriate knowledge skills. Ah, you have knowledge local? You know that the people of this valley tell of zombies that are surrounded by a pestilence cloud...

 

[Wolfspider]

Chillborn zombies?


Set the Wayback Machine to 2004:

Chilling Bones, from Fiery Dragon's Counter Collection 7: Undead

Great minds think alike?

Oh, I might as well take this opportunity to say how useful and awesome I think the Counter Collection Digital v2.0 GOLD is.

I bought the CCD2G from Drivethrurpg.com about a year ago, and I have fallen in love with using those little counters. Your art is evocative and very cool, and I've always been able to find a suitable monster. In fact, just looking through all the pictures sometimes gives me awesome ideas to include beasties that I would never have even considered before.

Some people call the D&D miniatures "plastic crack," but I much prefer my "laminated crack."

Thank you!

Any chance of an updated Counter Collection Digital v3.0? I would grab that in a second!

Oh, here's a link to the Counter Collection Digital v2.0 Gold if anyone is insterested--and you should be!

http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=12265&it=1

 

[psionotic]

There is also a very mean, icy undead humanoid monster in Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Can't remember what they are called, but they were nasty...

 

[DaveMage]

There is also a very mean, icy undead humanoid monster in Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Can't remember what they are called, but they were nasty...

Crap - now this is going to bother me until I can get home and look....

"Winter Wights" maybe?

 

[Sir Brennen]

There is also a very mean, icy undead humanoid monster in Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Can't remember what they are called, but they were nasty...

Swedish Bikini Team, maybe?

 

[Klaus]

Great minds think alike?

Oh, I might as well take this opportunity to say how useful and awesome I think the Counter Collection Digital v2.0 GOLD is.

I bought the CCD2G from Drivethrurpg.com about a year ago, and I have fallen in love with using those little counters. Your art is evocative and very cool, and I've always been able to find a suitable monster. In fact, just looking through all the pictures sometimes gives me awesome ideas to include beasties that I would never have even considered before.

Some people call the D&D miniatures "plastic crack," but I much prefer my "laminated crack."

Thank you!

Any chance of an updated Counter Collection Digital v3.0? I would grab that in a second!

Oh, here's a link to the Counter Collection Digital v2.0 Gold if anyone is insterested--and you should be!

http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=12265&it=1

We're prepping a v.3.0 right now and there will be an update version for those who already have 2.0.