Monsters from Xanth's Pictures

[Darth Cyric]

This is also more forgiving than "Save or Die" since I'm betting people have multiple ways to throw off conditions like weakened during their turn. It means that if you get hit by a bodak, that's something that has to be addressed, or else you're on the ground and down a healing surge as the warlord or cleric picks you back up.

More forgiving, yes, but still quite threatening.

I like it.

 

[ObsidianCrane]

And the last of the monsters I can read (that are not posted elsewhere such as the Kobold and Young Black Dragon)

Hobgoblin Warcaster Level 3 Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid (goblin) xp 150
Initiative +5 Senses Perception +4; low-light vision
HP 46 Bloodied 23
AC 17 Fortitude 13 Reflex 15 Will 14
Speed 6
m Staff(standard; at-will) * Weapon
+8 vs AC; 1d8+1 damage.
M Shock Staff (standard; recharge 4,5,6) * Lightning, Weapon
+8 vs AC; 2d10+4 lightning damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the hobgoblin warcaster's next turn.
R Force Lance (standard; recharge 5,6) * Force
Range 5; +7 vs Fortitude; 2d6 +4 force damage, and the target slides 3 squares.
C Force Pulse(standard; recharge 6) * Force
Close blast 5; +7 vs Reflex; 2d8 +4 force damage; and the target is pushed 1 square and knocked prone. Miss: Half damage, and the target is neither pushed nor knocked prone.
Hobgoblin Resilience (immediate reaction, when the hobgoblin warcaster suffers an effect that a save can end; encounter)
The hobgoblin warcaster makes a saving throw against the triggering effect.
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Arcana +10, Athletics +4, Stealth +10
Str 13(+2) Dex 14(+3) Wis 16(+4)
Con 14(+3) Int 19(+5) Cha 13(+2)
Equipmentrobes, staff

Hobgoblin Soldier Level 3 Soldier
Medium natural humanoid (goblin) xp 150
Initiative +7 Senses Perception +3; low-light vision
HP 47 Bloodied 23
AC 20 (22 with phalanx soldier) Fortitude 18 Reflex 16 Will 16
Speed 5
m Flail(standard; at-will) * Weapon
+7 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage; the target is slowed until the end of the hobgoblin soldier's next turn, and the target is marked until the end of the hobgoblin soldier's next turn.
M Formation Strike (standard; at-will) * Weapon
Requires flail; +7 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage, and the hobgoblin soldier shifts 1 square provided it ends in a space adjacen to another hobgoblin.
Hobgoblin Resilience (immediate reaction, when the hobgoblin soldier suffers an effect that a save can end; encounter)
The hobgoblin soldier makes a saving throw against the triggering effect.
Phalanx Soldier
The hobgoblin soldier gains a +2 bonus to AC while at least one hobgoblin ally is adjacent to it.
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Athletics +12, Stealth +10
Str 19(+5) Dex 14(+3) Wis 14(+3)
Con 15(+3) Int 11(+1) Cha 10(+1)
Equipment scale armor, heavy shield, flail

Hobgoblin Archer Level 3 Artilery
Medium natural humanoid (goblin) xp 150
Initiative +7 Senses Perception +3; low-light vision
HP 39 Bloodied 19
AC 17 Fortitude 13 Reflex 15 Will 13
Speed 6
m Longsword (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+6 vs AC: 1d8 + 2 damage
r Longbow (standard; at-will) * Weapon
Range 20/40; +9 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage, and the hobgoblin archer grants an ally within 5 squares of it a +2 bonus to its next ranged attack roll against same target.
Hobgoblin Archer (immediate reaction, when the hobgoblin archer suffers an effect that a save can end; encounter)
The hobgoblin archer makes a saving throw against the triggering effect.
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Athletics +5
Str 14(+3) Dex 19(+5) Wis 14(+3)
Con 15(+3) Int 11(+1) Cha 10(+1)
Equipmentleather armor, longsword, longbow, quiver of 30 arrows

 

[Peter LaCara]

More forgiving, yes, but still quite threatening.

I like it.

Yeah. Mostly what I like is the opportunity to react. The bodak doesn't just look at you and poof, you're on the ground with no setup at all.

 

[The Little Raven]

Yeah. Mostly what I like is the opportunity to react. The bodak doesn't just look at you and poof, you're on the ground with no setup at all.

And even if he nails you, you're at 0, which gives you time to make a dramatic recovery, or have someone use Heal on you to use a healing surge or something.

 

[Colmarr]

Hmm, none of the monsters have a "Passive Perception" score.

It seems like that would have been much more useful as the default listing than an active bonus. Unless the rules are that you successfully hide until spotted (as opposed to "you can't hide until you successfully make a spot check").

 

[JosephK]

Damn, nice looking crunch!


About the spiked chain.. Not that worried, as I see the halberd ALSO has "reach 2".. Which I'm guessing means that the silly spiked chain is no longer the UBER weapon it used to (I doubt they kept the "cant attack adjacent foes" of reach weapons, except the chain), and thusly the spiked chain will be a special fluff weapon, rather than the end all, be all, of weapons everywhere.

 

[Reef]

This whole recharge roll is the first thing I've seen that is giving me pause. First off, it seems like an extra level of complication. Do I have to roll for each ability every round? Do I roll once and activate as many as qualifies? Plus, as a DM, it's going to make encounters harder to gauge. A monster who gets lucky and activates his abilities every round is going to be a much harder fight than one who blows the recharge roll every time.

It sort of hearkens back to the days when you had to randomly roll to see if dragons used their breath attack or not, and is a bit of a step backwards in my view.

I'd almost wish they'd just stuck to something closer to the player mechanic. Something like "At Will", "Every Other Round", and "Encounter". That would pretty much cover the dice averages for recharge, remove the die roll, and not add any extra duration mechanics.

Anyway, I'm pretty much sold on everything else, and of course I'm not making any hard calls on a rule until I've seen the full text. But it's just the first thing to raise a 'Meh' flag with me.

 

[am181d]

Hmm, none of the monsters have a "Passive Perception" score.

It seems like that would have been much more useful as the default listing than an active bonus. Unless the rules are that you successfully hide until spotted (as opposed to "you can't hide until you successfully make a spot check").

The point of the "Passive Perception" score is to have a number that the DM can secretly roll against. There's no need for a Passive Perception score for monsters because -- again -- the DM is secretly going to roll their perception checks.