GRZ 34 - Monster Roles Interview (Has new art, and various stat-boxes)

[Fallen Seraph]

From WoTC:

Chris Perkins joins Gamer Zer0 and spends the entire episode talking about the D&D 4th Edition Monster Manual, specifically all the diffent monster roles and what they mean. Complete with examples, monster art, and stat blocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60vAW5SzmQE

My thoughts:

Wow, they need to have some of the artwork shown there on the Daily Artwork.

The Mindflayer certainly has a large Stat-Box and it seems we can now confirm our assumption that Vampire minions burn up in the sun:

Destroyed by Sunlight
A vampire spawn the begins its turn in direct sunlight can take only only a single move action on its turn. If it ends its turn in direct sunlight, it burns to ash and destroyed.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

GRZ has always seemed a little too forced for my tastes. They really need to relax. I know they're scripted (to one extent or another), but they really need to make it look like they're actually having a conversation instead of just being talking heads.

All in all, decent information, but not all that much we didn't already know.

-TRRW

 

[fuindordm]

Dang it! I couldn't quite read the Warforged Captain. One of the powers gave him 11 temporary HP, I think?

I was hoping for a clue as to the racial abilities.

Ben

 

[Family]

GRZ has always seemed a little too forced for my tastes.

What we need is the spokesgnome for fey rights, GamerZer0, and a guest when warrented (all as bobblehead dolls with voiceovers). It's be funny, relaxed, easy, cheap, and then we can concentrate on the content.

 

[Rechan]

The dryad is very disappointing. Even if it can teleport and disguise itself - JUST a claw attack? Hmf.

Wraith looks nasty.

 

[WhatGravitas]

The dinosaur (Macetail Behemoth) at the end... why has he more exciting powers than the Hill Giant, despite being lower level?

Cheers, LT.

 

[pukunui]

They should get Jen to do more of the hosting. She's more relaxed in front of the camera than Mike is. Is it really that surprising that the shows are always kind of awkward though? The guys and gals at WotC are all nerds like the rest of us.

That video answered one of my questions from a different thread ... it looks like the duplicate illustration of Orcus won't be the only full-pager in the MM. That makes me happy (assuming the other full-pagers are actually any good, of course!).

Have they renamed all the dinosaurs so that they're not so obviously "real world" creatures? The macetail behemoth is quite clearly an ankylosaurus (Mike, I mean Chris, even said as much) and the pic they showed also had a stegosaurus in it. I wonder what it will be called?

I'm loving that there's seven different kinds of zombies in the MM! I hope it's pretty easy to make new kinds, too. I've been wanting to do a zombie infestation adventure for a while now and having lots of different kinds will make it way cooler (instead of just having the same boring template applied to a bunch of different base creatures).

 

[Gargazon]

Does anyone know where I can get a higher-def version of this vid? Cause I'd like to be able to read what the Elite Controller Mind Flayer can actually do

Also, I like that they're using the Eberron conventions for Dinosaurs names. It makes sense, given latin isn't a D&D language.

 

[LFK]

Holy crap, did you see the size of the Mindflayer stat block? It's an entire column.

Edit: and the Dinosaurs, yeah, but the names make a lot more sense if these are creatures that exist in the same world as you and try to eat/stomp/kill you instead of being extinct creatures you name after digging up bones.

 

[pukunui]

Also, I like that they're using the Eberron conventions for Dinosaurs names.

That explains it!

It makes sense, given latin isn't a D&D language.

For the record, quite a few dinosaur names are a hybrid of Greek and Latin (Latin doesn't use the letter "y", although Greek does, so names like ankylosaurus and tyrannosaurus are of Grecian origin).

OK. Pseudo-linguistics lesson over now.

Holy crap, did you see the size of the Mindflayer stat block? It's an entire column.

Yeah. My first thought was: "What happened to having shorter statblocks?" But the mind flayer is the exception not the rule so it's ok. Also, I seem to recall reading somewhere, possibly W&M, that much of the mind flayer's statblock is conditional. That is, not everything on the statblock is stuff it can use straight off the bat. Some things can only be used if the mind flayer is sucking brains or whatever.