Monster Design--from a designer's standpoint

[Nymrohd]

Recharge is quite different from probability. An action that has a chance to function is still wasted time if used and failed. A recharge power will function if it is up. Availability and probability are unrelated.

 

[Pinotage]

I also think that all Clark is saying is he's enjoying making monsters under 4E more than making monsters under 3.X. Perhaps the amount of work & material that Clark & Necromancer have produced under 3.X should be a factor.

It's hard to miss his enthusiasm! But at the same time he's making statements that in most cases are vast exaggerations. I just don't get where he's coming from with those statements and I find it strange that a reputable 3.5e designer would say such things when in most cases they're clearly not true.

Pinotage

 

[Pinotage]

Recharge is quite different from probability. An action that has a chance to function is still wasted time if used and failed. A recharge power will function if it is up. Availability and probability are unrelated.

Not if we're talking probability that a function is available, which is what recharge is in my limited understanding. Recharge checks every round whether an ability is available. There's a probability associated with that, based on a d6 roll.

Pinotage

 

[Lizard]

Not if we're talking probability that a function is available, which is what recharge is in my limited understanding. Recharge checks every round whether an ability is available. There's a probability associated with that, based on a d6 roll.

Pinotage

The main thing this replaces is the "recharge in X rounds" mechanic, like dragonbreath.

3e:The dragon breathes! He will breathe again in...3 rounds! DM flies dragon out of range for 3 rounds.

4e: The dragon breathes! Next round, the DM rolls. A 6! The dragon can breathe again, and will as soon as its optimal.

By making it a round-by-round check, you avoid the problem of the DM 'knowing' when the next time to use a powerful ability will be. Each round, the DMs toolbox of tactical options chances.

I don't know where the other poster got 'percentage chance to function' from. That's not a mechanic I've seen in 3e or 4e; it's always been 'chance to have available'. 'Chance to function' is abstracted in attack rolls, saving throws, etc.

 

[Grazzt]

One Hill Giant I wanted to be real challenging for most of the party, so I said it was like a hill giant version of Blaster from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Who run Barter Town?

 

[PeelSeel2]

What I'm seeing now is that 4e has open the shutters of the windows that blinded people within the 3e framework. I never thought those shutters were there in the first place.

Pinotage

The majority of people are blinded by the frameworks that exist in our lives. It is an uncommon individual that can look at the framework from the outside and realize the intent behind the structure. That is why I am jazzed about 4th edition. I think it is a fine evolution and synergy of everything that makes D&D work from all the previous editions of D&D. Every edition did some things right that no other ones did. I think they have done a good job of extracting those concepts and applying them in a new edition.

 

[LowSpine]

Gooooooood, gooooooooood.

You want this, don't you?

Take your weapon. Strike me down with it.

If that isn't homoerotic I don't know what is.

 

[Knight Otu]

And still do. When the Bugbear Strangler's meat shield ability was mentioned, the forums exploded with complaints about how a monster could do that, but there wasn't a way for PC to do the same.

Well, that I can understand on the other hand. That is, in most people's mind, a humanoid combat maneuver rather than an innate monster ability.

 

[Pour]

I'm so happy monster design is easier!!!

I expect we'll see a lot more would-be designers finally take the plunge and create their own material, likely in e-book and pdf formats. If the math and mechanics are simple enough, this boom should provide players with a ton of legitimate, cost-effective options at the touch of a mouse.

Nothing like new blood for a new edition.

 

[StarFyre]

well

but you can do that..you can always pick up someone if you are strong enough and try and use them as a shield. EVen in real life you can do this. ( a friend did this to me during a game of full contact no rules Ultimate frisbee!!! he was huge!!!) heheh

the wayi house rule that stuff is when people do stuff like that, if i don't know a set easy rule for it, we do the str vs reflex of the enemy, or vise versa and make it happen.

It's great

I will take the monster concepts even further though for what i've wanted to do for ages and only started in the past year or so...

should be fun.

Sanjay