Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Switchback" data-source="post: 4385595" data-attributes="member: 69793">Except that there is a real creature named "Kobold Minion" in the MM, and other minion types likewise have their own unique names, and often lore. They are every bit a unique monster and different a monster as a Kobold Dragonshield is to a Kobold Wyrmpriest. Thus, you don't see Kobold Dragonshield Minion or Kobold Wyrmpriest Minion. A Minion is a new creature role just like artillery or controller. It is not a template that goes over other existing roles. Minions are *not* meant to be doubles of Brutes or Soldiers or other monster types, but only just with 1 HP.  If they were they could have very easily simply told you to use the Soldier, or Skirmisher, or Brute stat package, but assume however many you wanted only had 1 HP and reduce exp by a certain percentage. But instead, they made it a point to give Minions usually weaker armor or weapons or describe them as the most raggedly, or runty creatures of their race. And Mike Mearls further encouraged for the DM to play up the difference and make them recognizable in battle, so that we know they are weaker monsters not just standards that are heroically one shotted into oblivion. They are fodder, both for players and likely in their own clans or tribes. Another way we can tell that minions don't abstract into 'standard' or tougher creatures of their type is because we know the developers initially wanted them to have some actual small amount of Hit Points. Maybe 10 or 15 or so, maybe more for higher level minions. But the only reason they have 1 instead of a real number is to make bookeeping easier. That decision did not change that they are weaker creatures designed in 4e to replace the 'mook' or lower level filler from earlier editions. Now while it is true that the 1 HP is an abstraction, these creatures are still the weakest of their lot. When they return to their clans and are not in combat, they certainly do not die from falling over or being scratched by a cat, but they would get beat to a pulp in a royal rumble with Brutes or Soldiers, because while in theory have more than 1 HP, its not much more.If they had stuck with the low HP number for minions I think it would have made many people much more clearly understand what they were going for with Minions. It's not that these creatures don't exist in the world, its just that they don't exactly have 1 HP like they do when they face players.From the monster manual glossary. Being shock troops or cannon fodder to a standard creature lets us know that minions are weaker and subservient to even the standard creature, they are not themselves just standard creatures that for the fun of the game, have 1 HP. Their role in monster societies makes sense as equal to the role town guards or militia played in previous editions, in civilized lands. Now we have roles like that for monsters. It's not that minions don't exist in the world outside of combat, its just that they don't exist *with only 1 HP* outside of combat vs the players.</blockquote>

Verification