Kunimatyu
First Post
Now, I like 4e as much as the next guy, but I've got a little bone to pick here.
Monsters like the Goblin Hexer are bad design. You've got a very basic concept here -- goblin shaman-type who casts spells -- and yet it has a gigantic statblock with 7 abilities, 3 of which are immediate reactions. That's hell for a DM to keep track of during a complex combat, and way overkill for the concept (spell-casting goblin). Maybe it would be okay if the Goblin was Elite, but it's not, it's just a normal monster.
Now, I don't mind if certain monsters have lots of abilities; for example, Solos like beholders and dragons need lots of things to keep the party on their toes, and DM can focus entirely on running that one monster. Even Elites like a Mindflayer can be complex, because they're going to be the centerpiece of the whole fight. But a goblin mage?
/rant
Monsters like the Goblin Hexer are bad design. You've got a very basic concept here -- goblin shaman-type who casts spells -- and yet it has a gigantic statblock with 7 abilities, 3 of which are immediate reactions. That's hell for a DM to keep track of during a complex combat, and way overkill for the concept (spell-casting goblin). Maybe it would be okay if the Goblin was Elite, but it's not, it's just a normal monster.
Now, I don't mind if certain monsters have lots of abilities; for example, Solos like beholders and dragons need lots of things to keep the party on their toes, and DM can focus entirely on running that one monster. Even Elites like a Mindflayer can be complex, because they're going to be the centerpiece of the whole fight. But a goblin mage?
/rant