Monster vault: I has it

[DragoonLance]

What is the MV Wraith like? Have they removed the stacking insubstantial on top of weakness stuff (which is the worst). Also, is the insubstantial negated by force damage?

Just got my copy today. Wraith no longer weakens, it now can turn invisible when hit (if the hit wasn't radiant or force) and does extra damage when attacking if it's invisible. It is still insubstantial (negated by radiant and force) but does not regenerate.

Wraith Lurker 5
Mad Wraith Controller 6
Wraith Figment Minion Skirmisher 6
Sovereign Wraith Soldier 8

Overall just glancing through the monsters are much better thought out with not nearly as many stacking defense modifiers, stunlocks or bad combos like the original wraiths.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Any chance you can list out epic-tier monsters? I'm worried WOTC is focusing all its attention at heroic in this one.

Any chance you might describe the balor's attack and maybe describe the lich?

 

[Jools]

Any Dragon-Mounted Githyanki in here? I'll wet myself if there are.

 

[Greg K]

Does Angels cover the planetar, solar, astral deva, monadic deva, and movanic deva?

 

[DragoonLance]

@ mshea: yes there really aren't that many epic monsters, there are a total of 12 with a level of 21+ and no named enemies, the Balor is the highest level monster in the book. But what is in there is far better at being threatening than their MM1 counterparts. I basically plan to use this book as a replacement for MM1, and I have plenty of good high level threats from MM2 and 3. Probably not as useful if this book is the only one you plan to buy though. Actually a lot of stuff that was high level in the first MM is actually lower in this one. For example in MM1 the lowest level Ogre was 10, here there is one at 6. Same with Beholders and probably several others, those are just the ones that I noticed right off the bat.

@ Jools, sorry, nope.

@ Greg K, no. The angels are all "Angel of x" vengeance, protection, battle etc. Pretty sure they left them generic on purpose.

 

[DragoonLance]

Epic monsters are:
Fire Titan 21 ESo
Lich 22 A(L)
Hezrou 22 B
Efreet (3 total) 22/23 So,A,Sk
Dracolich Doomlord 22 Solo C
Elder Red Dragon 22 Solo So
Gargoyle 23 Sk
Marilith 24 E Sk
Pit Fiend 26 E So (L)
Balor 27 EB

 

[Stalker0]

Actually a lot of stuff that was high level in the first MM is actually lower in this one.

Did the reprint the swordwing at a lower level?

I could never get the concept of an epic level monster that forms hives with hundreds of epic level monsters. How does such a threat not take over the planet?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Any chance you can list out epic-tier monsters? I'm worried WOTC is focusing all its attention at heroic in this one.

Any chance you might describe the balor's attack and maybe describe the lich?

With WoTC dropping the DMG3 because they surveyed that no one was playing at those levels, and their magazine Dungeon, rarely has adventurers past the heroic level and rarely past the paragon, do you think it unusual that there would be little epic support?

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) and their magazine Dungeon, rarely has adventurers past the heroic level and rarely past the paragon, do you think it unusual that there would be little epic support?

Actually, for several months now it would have been more accurate to replace what you typed with, "... and their magazine Dungeon rarely has adventures. It has a few delves and, to recognise the lack of adventure content, will shortly be renamed either Delve or Orc & Pie."

 

[DragoonLance]

@ Stalker0: sorry, no non-epic swordwings exist anywhere that I know of.