Minions above 1st level

[Benimoto]

It was from the RPG stats on a DDM stat card, which as far as I have seen so far 100% reflect the RPG rules.

They don't in this case. The cards for Dungeons of Dread were prepared months before the rules were finalized. Compare the Grick on the cards to the Grick in the DDXP sample Monster Manual.

There are clear differences between what's on the DDM cards from that set to what's in the printed Monster Manual.

 

[Engilbrand]

I'm just going to say that minions die in one hit. If you hit them, you can do anything up to kill them. So, for example, if the player attacks and hits, I'll tell him the guy has minion status. He can then decide to do anything from remove a body part to knock him out to kill him. It also means that they might get cocky and suddenly find a non-minion in the mix who decides to fight back... painfully.

 

[TwinBahamut]

Since the whole "minions die whenever they take damage" thing is supposedly designed to make the game simpler to run by removing the need for DMs to track the hit points of large group of monsters, I think it is something that will probably turn up at any level of play. How minions of different level than the average party level will be handled, I don't know.

 

[psionotic]

The reason, I believe, that Vampire Spawn have 10hp instead of being killed in one hit is that, as 10th level creatures, they are still a threat to local bakers and farmers, who won't be able to one shot them with rolling pins and pitchforks.

1 HP per level seems about right for this...

 

[DandD]

Can't be either, because the vampire minions are level 6, but have 10 hit points.

 

[Spatula]

They don't in this case. The cards for Dungeons of Dread were prepared months before the rules were finalized. Compare the Grick on the cards to the Grick in the DDXP sample Monster Manual.

Hm, interesting. Had not noticed they were different - the DDM grick is 2 levels lower, has half as many hitpoints, and twice as many attacks.

 

[Surgoshan]

That card doesn't have XP, unfortunately, but I suspect a reasonable encounter could include a higher level minion. It'd be hard to hit, and it would do a lot of damage, but would only take one or two hits to take down. Imagine that vampire as an evil hell-mosquito.