Monster Design--from a designer's standpoint

[RangerWickett]

Try publishing your adventures. They make you show your work

Seriously, though my players were always cool, 3E had such a precarious balance built in that you really felt you were screwing it up if you didnt do all that math--even if they didnt see your monster sheets.

Boy howdy. For the last year I was growing to hate 3rd edition because I had to edit all the monster stats for War of the Burning Sky. But for the last two adventures I just decided, "Screw it." Stuff works the way I think will play well. I think I even put in an entry for a wizard, when detailing his cantrips prepared, that said, "Who cares?"

I designed the final beastie for adventure 10, and I actually had a lot of fun just giving it powers that would play well.

 

[Lizard]

Yeah, that used to kill me, just like all outsiders, even peaceful and cerebral ones; had a warrior's BAB, just because.

Color me agreeing with this. I hated wuss fey. I ended up giving some arbitrary combat bonuses to make them more macho.

 

[Dausuul]

Color me agreeing with this. I hated wuss fey. I ended up giving some arbitrary combat bonuses to make them more macho.

See, for me it was undead. That lack of a Constitution bonus sucked when you wanted to create tough undead warrior types.

Although, I have to say... people seriously complained if you gave a published 3E monster a special power that didn't correspond to any spell or PC special ability? That's so bizarre. I can't imagine complaining about such a thing, nor can I imagine any of my group doing so. Who does that?

 

[Grazzt]

I remember the original bonesnapper as a bit dull, but it has been a while - this version comes off as something more vicious and aggressive, who will (literally) go for the jugular.

Cheers,

Now we just need to jazz up the Carbuncle, Flumph, and Flail Snail.

 

[hong]

Clark Peterson may be speaking of his experience with the Tome of Horrors, which was the first monster book for 3E. It came out while the zeitgeist for the game was still in its infancy, and people might have been expecting more closely-integrated monster design at the time.

 

[BryonD]

Boy howdy. For the last year I was growing to hate 3rd edition because I had to edit all the monster stats for War of the Burning Sky.

Interesting perspective.
It seems to show a disconnect between playing and publishing.


Long before 4e was announced I hated the 3E locks on creature advancement by types. This is a huge area for improvement.

On the other hand I'm concerned that while it may be really really easy as a publisher to say creature 1 has a +X ranged 1d10 necrotic attack and creature 2 of the same level has a +Y ranged 1d8 fire attack, the new locks on "the math works" will make encounters play a lot more like one another.

 

[Grazzt]

Although, I have to say... people seriously complained if you gave a published 3E monster a special power that didn't correspond to any spell or PC special ability? That's so bizarre. I can't imagine complaining about such a thing, nor can I imagine any of my group doing so. Who does that?

Yes. Peeps did/do complain. My group = never (most have been with me since the early/mid 80s of 1e, so they dont mind the difference between monsters and PCs). But- I've been to a few Cons or gaming gatherings around here where I've seen and heard players complain when a monster could do some "uber-cool" trick that couldn't be replicated by spell or magic item.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Boy howdy. For the last year I was growing to hate 3rd edition because I had to edit all the monster stats for War of the Burning Sky. But for the last two adventures I just decided, "Screw it." Stuff works the way I think will play well. I think I even put in an entry for a wizard, when detailing his cantrips prepared, that said, "Who cares?"

I designed the final beastie for adventure 10, and I actually had a lot of fun just giving it powers that would play well.

You can't do that!

If I am not mistaken "DM Fiat" is a mechanic unique to 4e. Unless you've ponied up the 5k, I think you just broke a law or something.

 

[Grazzt]

Clark Peterson may be speaking of his experience with the Tome of Horrors, which was the first monster book for 3E. It came out while the zeitgeist for the game was still in its infancy, and people might have been expecting more closely-integrated monster design at the time.

Not Tome. That was the Creature Collection by SSS/WW

 

[Wormwood]

I can't imagine complaining about such a thing, nor can I imagine any of my group doing so. Who does that?

The Internet.