MM4 Questions

[Rut-arak]

I was reading the last MM4 thread where someone besides me had the book but it got locked. Silly reason, really. And too many people are rather hard on Razz, he just didn't like the book enough to buy it seems to me but had some useful parts for him to use too. So maybe I can pick up where the topic starter last left off.

I have received my copy of MM4 today from my favorite local hobby store and I will gladly answer any questions about the book. A lot of neat monsters, but I agree with other people here that the classed monsters truly is a waste of space. I would've like to have seen more monsters. But it's still useful, at least. Maybe MM5 will be a little better?

Any questions people have? I think only the questions on demons the yugoloths were answered so far.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Are the classed monsters interesting and well put-together, using appropriate feats, or are there Orc Cleric5s with the Toughness feat?

EDIT: Oh, and information on the Clockroach and Tomb Spider would be nice. If you've seen ToH2, how does the TS stack up to the Corpsespinner?

 

[Rut-arak]

Are the classed monsters interesting and well put-together, using appropriate feats, or are there Orc Cleric5s with the Toughness feat?

Well, scanning through the first time, it really felt rather silly to see "Orc" in Monster Manual IV. It feels like they're working backwards or something. Didn't feel like a MM when I saw that, it feels too much like a guidebook than a Monster Manual.

Looking them over I see Orc Berserker, Barbarian 4th level; War Howler is Barbarian 2/Bard 2; Battle Priest is Cleric 1; Plague Speaker has Unholy Scion template from "Heroes of Horror" and Cleric 5; Half-Orc Infiltrator is Rogue 3. They're just orcs that seem randomly built with a set number of ability scores, feats, and combat gear. Nothing new nor special about them. Nothing unique and just info on Sample Encounters, Ecology and Strategy and Tactics. I think Ecology on an Half-Orc Infiltrator, though, is rather silly.

It's like this with the Drow, Ogre, Yuan-ti, etc. I personally didn't like it, I felt I was losing out on some new cool monsters or converted ones from older editions. And this book really does have some nice new monsters. I never played 1E or 2E and I have heard or seen some monsters from there that'd be neat to bring back. As a rather new DM, only a year into it, I don't see how these monsters are easier to run. I may have use at some time in my games for the classed monsters, but not as much. Hardly ever. I have better fun and times taking a monster and upgrading it by HD, which isn't so hard, or giving it my own class levels. Plus, such classed monsters won't really help in a higher level campaign, either. I'd have to adjust the stats anyway, I wouldn't call that easy to run.

 

[Rut-arak]

Are the classed monsters interesting and well put-together, using appropriate feats, or are there Orc Cleric5s with the Toughness feat?

EDIT: Oh, and information on the Clockroach and Tomb Spider would be nice. If you've seen ToH2, how does the TS stack up to the Corpsespinner?

Clockroach is a CR 1 creature, has 2 pincers to attack, 1 HD, a line of acid breath weapon, Climb speed, burrow speed. Says they're mostly used as automatons to clean up dungeons, workshops and the like.

THe Tomb Spider is CR 6, 8 HD, healed by negative energy and harmed by positive, can shoot webs, and it's poison causes victims to be healed by negative energy and harmed by positive. They have stats for a broodswarm of them, CR 2, and a Web Mummy template, which are creatures who become hosts to the tomb spiders young.

 

[Shade]

Do the Aspects of Elemental Evil have anything to do with Imix, Olhydra, etc.?

How many CR 15+ creatures can be found within?

 

[Kunimatyu]

THe Tomb Spider is CR 6, 8 HD, healed by negative energy and harmed by positive, can shoot webs, and it's poison causes victims to be healed by negative energy and harmed by positive. They have stats for a broodswarm of them, CR 2, and a Web Mummy template, which are creatures who become hosts to the tomb spiders young.

Bah. I'll take a Tome of Horrors II Corspespinner any day of the week. The poison is mildly interesting, and that's about it.

 

[Mark CMG]

Is there an OGL page and what, if any, is the Open Game Content included, please?

 

[A'koss]

Some of these sounded interesting - Concordant Killer, Verdant Prince and the Necrosis Carnex. Can I get a brief rundown on these?

 

[Agent Oracle]

I was reading the last MM4 thread where someone besides me had the book but it got locked. Silly reason, really. And too many people are rather hard on Razz, he just didn't like the book enough to buy it seems to me but had some useful parts for him to use too.

Well, what we didn't like about him was that he was pretty blatantly telling us that the book sucked, but that he was stealing it anyway. it's like finding out that a friend is a shoplifter that only steals one doughnut, but tore open the box to get to them. He's doing a disservice to the gaming community by not buying it, but using it's contents. If he dosn't like the book, he shouldn't be using it.

Now, you apparently like the book. What's the LOWEST CR critter in that manual, and how well does it fit into the current D&D ecology?

 

[Rut-arak]

Do the Aspects of Elemental Evil have anything to do with Imix, Olhydra, etc.?

How many CR 15+ creatures can be found within?

They do, each one is actually an avatar of each of the Elemental Evils.

Since there aren't that many new monsters in the book, which I still find odd, not many CR 15+, just 6 really. Concordant Killer (19), Black Rock Triskelion (18), Deathdrinker Demon (17), and the other 3 avatars of the Elemental Evils (15)