How do you determine minion damage?

[the Jester]

Like the subject says, how do you determine the damage that minions deal? (For custom minions- I'm already trying my hand at 4e-ifying some of my campaign-specific monsters.)

 

[Traken]

What I plan on doing is just looking at the creature it's based on and taking average damage.

Odd that there are no minion rules in DMG...or swarms... *cry*

 

[the Jester]

Anyone? Any ideas?

mearls or one of the other designers?

 

[Starbuck_II]

Like the subject says, how do you determine the damage that minions deal? (For custom minions- I'm already trying my hand at 4e-ifying some of my campaign-specific monsters.)

I kinda with it with my rules.
1d4=-1
1d6=1.
1d8=2.
1d10=3.
1d12=4.
As base damage add str Mod.
Ever 5 levels also adds +1 damage (added to total).

So a Level 1 minion, with a dagger (1d4) and 12 or 14 Str is 1 damage total(since 1 is minimum)
Same minion with at level 5, dagger with 14 Str=1 +1 from level is 2 damage.

Now redo that example with shortsword:
So a Level 1 minion, with a shortsword (1d6) and 14 Str= 3 damage.
Same minion with at level 5, shortsword with 14 Str=3 +1 from level is 4 damage.

I not have book so this is just my rules that I reverse engineered from previews.

The minions decrepit skeletons follow my thing.
Kobold minions I think do: spears (1d8) is 2 damage. If we add versatile and str mod we get 2 damage total.
Orc Drudge totals 4 so that works.
Orc Warrior Minion is 1 off.
Legion Devils follow it.

 

[the Jester]

Bump for anyone who has any official word or has really done some math or anything.

(Perhaps, just perhaps, I'm being lazy about it.)

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey there!

Try Base 4 + 1/4 Level.

 

[jackston2]

I guess

find another monster with the same CR as four of the minions. Give the minions the same AC and defenses and attack bonus. Then have each minion deal damage equal to half that of the base monster. Roughly averages out to the same damage output, since the damage output decreases as the minions die.

 

[Scribble]

Looks like the average of the "low damage" field of a monster of sufficient level? (round down?) Give or take a point.