Minions are:

[Kordeth]

* To convert a Minion to a Demi Minion, give it (Level + 1) * 4 + half Constitution score hit points, remove the note that it takes no damage on a miss, and double the XP award. 2 Minions = 1 Demi Minion and 2 Demi Minions = 1 standard monster.

Ummm--that would give a level 13 demi-minion with an 18 Con 168 hit points. Compare that to the hill giant, a level 13 brute, with its 159 hp. I think you want to re-check your math....

 

[Raith5]

Same here. Not gonna spoon feed monsters to my PCs just to make them feel "cool" or heroic. They should be able to do that without resorting to minions (seemed to work just fine in all previous editions of AD&D/D&D).

Yes. I like how 4th ed is making PCs stronger but I think they have gone to far with 1 hp mobs.

I hate the idea of 23rd level monster with 1hp with power of a thousand suns.*

* Ironically only one sun is required to heatstroke a 23rd level minion , but hey.

 

[AZRogue]

I like minions. They've worked very well during the 4E-Lite games I've ran. They are a credible threat and the kobold minions alone have dropped quite a few pregen characters if the PCs do something silly like let them swarm the wizard or warlock.

If there was one thing I'd change it would be to roll damage for them. I would rather the players didn't know which ones were minions before striking them. I'll have to see if the DMG goes over the pros and cons of the change or not.

So, I voted for awesome as, in actual practice, they have been.

 

[frankthedm]

Same here. Not gonna spoon feed monsters to my PCs just to make them feel "cool" or heroic. They should be able to do that without resorting to minions (seemed to work just fine in all previous editions of AD&D/D&D).

It won't work with 4E because of the surplus HP monsters will have.

 

[FireLance]

Ummm--that would give a level 13 demi-minion with an 18 Con 168 hit points. Compare that to the hill giant, a level 13 brute, with its 159 hp. I think you want to re-check your math....

There are no brackets around the 4 + half Constitution score.

 

[Fiendish Dire Weasel]

Minions have been good in the games I have played in. They add tactics to the game, even when we know which are minions and lets a level 1 Wizard show his stuff.

I think they are a great addition as-is, but they have to be used appropriately by GMs, making it another thing we need to step away from 3E thinking to 4E thinking.

 

[AllisterH]

Hmm? I'm kinda curious how previous editions handled minions?

You could use lower level CRs but they quickly reached a point where their defenses and attacks were so low as to not be a threat and if they were high enough to be a threat, they didn't function as minions but simply as lower/weaker opponents.

So, how did previous edition DMs create minions?

 

[FireLance]

So, how did previous edition DMs create minions?

In previous editions, the DM didn't need to create minions. The PCs had save or die spells.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I voted "I am worried about 1 HP level 23 mobs but will try them.", but my real answer is "I don't like the Minions RAW, but I've got a House Rule in mind."

 

[kennew142]

I love the minion rules. I've been using mooks in 3e for some time now. They had minimum hp per level and NPC classes. I like 4e minion rules better. Most of the time my mooks died with one hit, and there was no reduction in bookkeeping when they survived a feeble hit. My mooks in 3e will all have 1 hp for the final two scenarios of several year long FR Sembia campaign.

BTW, all monsters and NPCs already do average damage when I GM. No one will be able to get a cue as to which creatures are minions just from the way I determine damage.