Minions require attack roll to be killed

[Kordeth]

Personally, I prefer saves to tracking bloodied because it's a one-time thing. Minion takes passive damage > roll save. Passed? Still alive, nothing to track. Failed? Dead, nothing to track. Compared to bloodied, where I have to remember/mark each bloodied minion, it's a much smaller investment.

I think my next campaign will be using the following rule for minions:

Minion: Any damage resulting from the Hit effect of a power or ability automatically kills a minion (even if the attack roll wasn't directed at the minion). A missed attack never damages a minion. If a minion takes damage from a passive source, it makes a save. If the save succeeds, the minion survives the damage. If the save fails, the minion dies. Minions suffer a -2 penalty on all saving throws.

That wording keeps things like Cleave and splash damage as minion-killers, but gives minions a smidge more survivability. I kept the "no damage on a miss" because otherwise area attacks become even bigger minion-munchers than they are now.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Remove the existing minion rule, change to 'Minion Weakness
If a minion is hit for any damage, it dies. If a minion takes damage without being hit, it is not killed, but it becomes bloodied and dies the next time it takes any damage in any way.'

I really like this houserule! Consider it yoinked.

 

[Henrix]

Minion: Any damage resulting from the Hit effect of a power or ability automatically kills a minion (even if the attack roll wasn't directed at the minion). A missed attack never damages a minion. If a minion takes damage from a passive source, it makes a save. If the save succeeds, the minion survives the damage.

I think I'll follow this line, except the -2 to saves. I have to keep things simple, as I am stupid (in other words; I don't want to many subroutines running in my head for each minion).


I'll see, and perhaps decide on a case by case basis, how I'll deal with minion temporary hit points.
I'd really prefer not to keep track of them, but I can really see the fun in having them bolstered by some inspiring leader.
Perhaps temporary hit points should equate sligthly heightened defenses for minions?

 

[Kordeth]

I think I'll follow this line, except the -2 to saves. I have to keep things simple, as I am stupid (in other words; I don't want to many subroutines running in my head for each minion).

There's nothing to track for each minion; under my rule, minions have a global -2 to saves, like elites have a +2 and solos a +5.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

So we used keterys's "bloodied minion" rules tonight and they worked great! We're playing KotS and the PCs encounter the zombies in the terror rune maze and in the chapel to Bahamut. In both encounters there were bloodied minions, and it wasn't too hard to track them all. It actually only mattered once anyway, when the cleric hit with a half damage AoE and the fighter decided to use Reaping Strick on a minion. And in that instance, it was very satisfying to have the cleric do something on a miss and felt more "consistent" to have Reaping Strike to some effect on a minion even on a miss. So it's definitely a good rule IMO.

 

[Stalker0]

Sounds like we have two solid houserules going on here, and it really depends on your taste.

If you like less tracking and more rolling then do saves for the minions with passive damage.

If you like less rolling and more tracking then do the bloodied minion on a passive, bloodied minion autodies to another passive.

 

[Henrix]

There's nothing to track for each minion; under my rule, minions have a global -2 to saves, like elites have a +2 and solos a +5.

Nor did I say you had to track it, but you have to remember it - and minions ought not have many things to be remembered for.

Statistically it does not matter much - who will notice that only 45% of the minions survived the automatic damage in an encounter, as opposed to 55%?

Rolling 10+ has an elegance and simplicity that 12+ does not have.

 

[NMcCoy]

A third houserule I saw and liked, that I wanted to add here for completeness:
A minion dies from taking damage that exceeds its (level-adjusted) Con modifier, and survives everything else.

 

[keterys]

Well, if you're going for completeness, I also saw (or suggested)

1) Minions have resist X, where X is based on tier (3/6/9, 5/10/15, etc)
2) Minions have a damage threshold of X (based on tier) and damage under that bloodies it

b) X = Con Mod
c) Add a role or monster unique bonus/penalty to X, such as +2 for being brute, -2 for being artillery.
d) resist or DT only applies against automatic damage

Plus the three in this thread (minions require an attack roll, bloodying, saves)

I'm not a fan of some of the implementations, but that should give everyone some options, especially if they're looking to just flat out make minions tougher (just don't tick off your players)