low level solo monsters?

[Rechan]

I could see a Manticore as a solo monster. Claws, teeth, flying.... and tail spikes it can zing at the party. Could be a rather nasty critter, all told, and may be just right for mid-heroic.

Good catch.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey all!

Known Solo Monsters: Beholders, Dragons, Hydras, Purple Worms

Possible Solo Monsters (3.5 MM1): Chimera, Bebilith, Retriever, Ettin, Frost Worm, Gibbering Mouther, Kraken, Manticore, Medusa (Greater), Mimic, Otyugh, Roper, Tarrasque, Tendriculos, Tojanida, Wyvern, Xorn, Yrthak.

Those in bold are potentially Heroic Tier Solo Monsters.

 

[med stud]

Like Wulf I think they will provide guide lines how to make any monster to a solo monster. A solo goblin would be a funny encounter IMO =)

 

[Xyl]

Monstrous scorpion would make an interesting low-level solo monster. And really, who wants to fight more than one?

 

[Incenjucar]

Solo monsters are basically just multiple monsters rolled into one. Shouldn't be that hard to scale it.

 

[AZRogue]

I'm going to use a young black dragon as my first solo monster because .... doesn't everybody?


Nah, I have the mini though and want to use it, heh. It will be one of my few "minis on the table" encounters, other than the very traditional Marching Order.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I suspect that as well as having multiple actions, a solo monster would need to be a creautre you'd expect to encounter.....solo. Preferably something reasonably epic to fight.

So I doubt we will see solo ogres, trolls, winter wolves, etc. because those are all things you might expect to fight in packs (at least once you get higher level). Similarly a carrion crawler doesn't really have that epic final encounter feel to it, and is something i always imagined in groups.

Presumably it can't be something usually found with minions either. The pit fiend for example would normally seem like a great solo monster, but because it's a general type monster who's whole purpose is to boost others he ends up as an elite instead. For the same reason I might not expect a lich to be a solo monster, because while it's epic and while your unlikely to fight more then 1, you'd usually expect it to be surrounded by undead minions.

Since the Pit Fiend as an Elite monster summons other devils as part of his "challgenge rating", it might be possible that a Solo Lich could do something similar.

The question might be: What does he do exactly? Does he call some ghosts to his help? Or does he animiate skeletons that lie around? The latter seems to situational...

 

[Generico]

Hey all!

Known Solo Monsters: Beholders, Dragons, Hydras, Purple Worms

Possible Solo Monsters (3.5 MM1): Chimera, Bebilith, Retriever, Ettin, Frost Worm, Gibbering Mouther, Kraken, Manticore, Medusa (Greater), Mimic, Otyugh, Roper, Tarrasque, Tendriculos, Tojanida, Wyvern, Xorn, Yrthak.

Those in bold are potentially Heroic Tier Solo Monsters.

Well, given that the Tarrasque is traditionally a unique creature that eats everything, I think it's safe to assume it will be a solo monster. Of course, it's always possible that they changed it and now you could throw a whole Tarrasque family at the players.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, given that the Tarrasque is traditionally a unique creature that eats everything, I think it's safe to assume it will be a solo monster. Of course, it's always possible that they changed it and now you could throw a whole Tarrasque family at the players.

Well, but it's not a potential Heroic Tier Solo monster, is it? (That's why it isn't bolded)

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hey all!

Known Solo Monsters: Beholders, Dragons, Hydras, Purple Worms

Possible Solo Monsters (3.5 MM1): Chimera, Bebilith, Retriever, Ettin, Frost Worm, Gibbering Mouther, Kraken, Manticore, Medusa (Greater), Mimic, Otyugh, Roper, Tarrasque, Tendriculos, Tojanida, Wyvern, Xorn, Yrthak.

Those in bold are potentially Heroic Tier Solo Monsters.

Gibbering Mouther definitely makes sense as a Solo monster. It's reality warping effects fit very well.
In my Iron Heroes campaign, I used a Gibbering Mouther as a base creature for my "3.x Solo monster" equivalent template. (It was fine in theory, but the #attacks of the resulting creature where still a bit too many, I - and my players - think. It's turn took too long, and the 3.x Gibbering ability is also a "fun" reducer...)

I only wonder if it's still a Heroic Tier monste, or if it moves up in the Paragon tier?