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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 4223374" data-attributes="member: 58197">Here's my feeling on the subject:#1: Unless somebody made a Knowledge check to remember it, the DM should not ever reveal a monster's special abilities before it uses them.  Half the fun of fighting new monsters is seeing what crazy-ass abilities they bust out.#2: Generally speaking, any ability that isn't purely mental should have a physical manifestation of some sort.#3: If there is something that the PCs can do to disrupt this ability, they should get a reasonable clue about it.  This is especially the case with martial abilities.So, in this example, I'd start the combat by describing how the hobgoblins form up in ranks, shield to shield.  Then, the first time one used the Phalanx ability, I'd describe it as:"You attack the first hobgoblin, but the one next to him throws out his shield to block your swing."That, combined with the rigid line of hobgoblins on the battlemat, should convey that the hobgoblins are using some kind of formation tactic; clearly, if goblin #2 were not next to goblin #1, blocking like this would not be possible.If the players didn't pick up on this--maybe they mistook it for general combat description--then next time, I might say:"Again, the second hobgoblin blocks for his friend.  Life would be a lot easier if you broke up that formation."It's a tricky business; you don't want to ruin the mystery by handing the players a stat-sheet up front, but you also want them to be able to figure it out over time.  If they never realize that the hobgoblins are getting a benefit from their shield-wall, some of the cool factor is lost.I think it will get easier as players become used to 4E--they'll soon learn that each monster has a particular tactic it likes to use, and whenever you see the monsters executing an unusual maneuver, you probably want to break up that maneuver.  An experienced 4E player would probably notice the hobgoblins lining up and think, "Hmm, they probably get bonuses fighting like that.  Let's try and break them up."</blockquote>

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