Monster types as classes

[lukelightning]

I wonder if in 4e they should make the monster types (dragon, humanoid, aberration, whatever) more similar to classes, with special abilities (ranging from improved grab to psionics to breathweapons to whatever) tied in more closely to Level (which would equal hit dice).

I envision a system in which you could just pick an "8th level aberration" and see that it gives BAB of +6, saves of whatever, a selection of skills, some "class features" which may include natural armor, stat bonuses, and natural weapons, and finally an assortment of special abilities, perhaps one every level (or perhaps progression based on type). The abilities would be from a menu of minor abilities at low levels, but higher and more powerful abilities as the HD advance, and the options would be different for each monster type; animals would get options like poison, rend, pounce, etc. while dragons would get breath weapon, SLAs, DR, SR, blah blah blah)

So for this 8th level aberration you choose 5 abilities, let's say: Strength boost (+4 to str), energy resistance (+10 to fire or +5 to fire and electricity), DR (5/magic, chosen twice for 10/magic), etc.

This could make it easier to control the relative power of monsters as well as making CR more standardized. It may solve some of the polymorph problems, as you wouldn't have access to creatures with more powerful abilities than your level would allow.

I know some people don't like "monster generator" rules like this, preferring a more organic way of creating monsters, but this would help avoid low hd creatures with overly powerful abilities, etc.

 

[Nyeshet]

The main problem with this are the extreme differences between members of the same monster type. Ravens and Rabbits, for example. What about dragonkin and true dragons? Beholders and Carrion Crawlers? In each instance the per level special would have to be so wide a selection that I think it would potentially fail as a class. Also, some creatures have several little abilities and are powerful because of their collective usefulness, while others have a single potent ability. How would that work in a class based system? Would each level have a token, which could be kept or cashed in at a later level for a more potent ability? How would that change the class system setup for non-monster classes, if the point is to make the two more congruent?

 

[lukelightning]

Those are all valid concerns. Ravens and rabbits would both be "0-level" creatures but the base package of the animal class should account for this. They are actually quite similar; one has a flight speed and the other a bonus to land speed and different skill selections.

In this system a carrion crawler would be a level whatever creature (let's say 4), with extra attack and poison abilities. A beholder would be a level 12 or something that would have spent all its class ability options on supernatural abilities in the form of eye rays (along with the "multi casting" ability that lets it shoot all those eye rays in the same round). This may, of course, mean existing monsters need to be reconfigured, but they are probably going to do this anyways (e.g. the recent ogre mage article on the WotC site). This system certainly breaks down when you want a low-HD creature with many abilities.

The types should have some automatic class abilities, such as natural armor. I could see the "dragon" class as getting a +3 natural armor that increases by +1 for every level automatically. Stats would do the same; the dragon class would get automatic increases to strength, for example, based on level. This could be supplemented by choosing certain class abilities (strength bonus ability,etc.)

Abilities could automatically increase in power such as a 1d6 breath weapon that gets more powerful and larger as levels increase, or even an "SLA" ability that automatically gets more options in higher levels, similar to a warlock's invocations (so at level one you get 'charm person' 1/day, then at level 3 you get charm person and chill touch each 2/day). A "speed bonus" ability might be +10' with an automatic +10 per three levels.

Abilities could also stack so that if you choose the next rank of an ability it is more powerful than if the ability just progressed naturally. So the DR 5/magic ability automatically increases to 10/magic at a certain level...but if you choose the DR option again it changes to DR 10/silver (or any other type). Choose the abilitiy again and you get DR 5/- or 10/adamantite.