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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ltheb Silverfrond" data-source="post: 3258947" data-attributes="member: 39867">Yes, subtlety is indeed a good thing.I think its easier to make a monster from a "What niche does this monster fill or why does it exist" standpoint than a "This thing kills you via powers A, B, C, D, E, and F and feats X, Y and Z." method. 1 to 4 simple, appropriate powers make for a more memorable monster than just a collection of things it *could do*.It just seems easier to have a monster that does just one or two things pretty well than, say, your above Naga example, (No offence intended, just using it as an example since it is readily availible) which is torn between using its magic or it's poison and melee abilities or its charming effect, or using its ability to hide to spring a surprise attack while using its great speed and manuverability to lure foes into traps; It still only has so many actions a round. (Though I do like the integrated Archivist levels; Simple, yet different) But as a player, I would probably only remember it as a "tough naga," not the divine guardian of legend it is supposed to be, (unless there was sufficient build-up or warning) because there doesnt seem to be anything "legendary" (and no, I don't mean the Cosmic power) about it. It doesnt have any unique powers to it. Its venom is deadly and its ability to spit venom is nasty, but its powers are so varied its hard to tell what the thing is "supposed" to do. (Granted, it is a sentient creature; it can do what ever it wants)That is to say that making a monster that only does one thing, but does it rediculously well, like my example of the Hecatonchieres Dervish, isn't the correct method either. It gets tedious as a player to contend with an opponent optimized to use an attack form that a player, or a party, can't match.Believe me, I have designed quite a few "killatron" monsters in my time. (Many were pointless, inflated Hit Die versions of basic monsters or monsters with so many templates it was hard to tell what the base was) The best advice from concept to execution to finishing touches is this (And U_K and others have said it before): "Keep it simple"</blockquote>

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