D&D 4E Notes from the 4E Corebooks: Alignment, Monsters, Artifacts and More

[skullking]

Speaking of Orcus, he gets four pages in the MM. One of those pages is a reproduction of the cover art, but the other three give a writeup for him, his aspect, and his cultists. The Big Goat-Pig himself looks to be nasty--1,545 HP, anyone dead in his aura spontaneously animates as an abyssal ghoul myrmidion, and anyone slain by the Wand who's still dead at the state of his next turn revives as a dread wraith.

Thanks for this : )

Did you manage to pick up any more info about Orcus and his cultists, either crunch or fluff?

Cheers.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Thanks for this : )

Did you manage to pick up any more info about Orcus and his cultists, either crunch or fluff?

Cheers.

So, that's why Necromancer Games is so fond of 4E - Orcus got 4 pages!

 

[Lurks-no-More]

So it's confirmed that you can't be chaotic good or lawful evil?

Depends on what you mean by CG or LE. If you mean "an individualistic, even anarchic but selfless and charitable person" and "someone selfish and callous who still respects the idea of law and order", sure you can; they're just called Good and Evil by the new rules.

If, however, you want to be able to say "My character is CG," and write that down on your character sheet, and get a mechanical distinction from a NG guy... no, you can't have that any more. But given that you can play the same kind of character, why do you care? It honestly seems to me that you're forgetting that the alignment was a descriptive, not prescriptive, thing in 3e already.

Edit: As for the lycanthropes, if you want people getting true lycanthropy, I feel that a ritual (probably involving wolf skins, bloodshed and moon fever-maddened target(s)) would be a good solution.

 

[Family]

As for the lycanthropes, if you want people getting true lycanthropy...

I know what you mean brother, I hate that fictional lycanthrophy, and all the haters who don't believe. I try to offer them The Gift but since almost all refuse I have to resort to ritual since biting them wasn't as effective as I hoped.

 

[D.Shaffer]

People have brought it up, but just to add to the list...
There is NO shortage of folklore on how people become lycanthropes. Being bitten by them and turning into one is a relatively modern way of doing it to begin with.

A ritual with a combination of expensive herbs, a wolf skin, a prayer to Asmodeus, drinking the water from a wolf's pawprint, and eating a baby? That ought to do it.

 

[OchreJelly]

So, that's why Necromancer Games is so fond of 4E - Orcus got 4 pages!

Here's a prediction: Every MM released will have a 4-page write-up on a "raid boss" er... demonlord / primordial (sorry, I couldn't resist). Haven't we had a hint that Demogorgon will be in MM2?

This is actually kind of nice, IMO. 1E/2E books used a lot of space to stat up demonlords. 3E didn't. 4E splits the difference. I'm ok with that.

 

[Heselbine]

Thank goodness all the stupid additional lycanthropes have gone. I mean, do we really need the weretiger? The werefox? The wereshark? The werebadger? OK, I made the last one up.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

The werebadger? OK, I made the last one up.

No, you didn't.
http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/shapechanger/werebadger.htm

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Here's a prediction: Every MM released will have a 4-page write-up on a "raid boss" er... demonlord / primordial (sorry, I couldn't resist). Haven't we had a hint that Demogorgon will be in MM2?

This is actually kind of nice, IMO. 1E/2E books used a lot of space to stat up demonlords. 3E didn't. 4E splits the difference. I'm ok with that.

Well, it might be to early to declare a trend, but I see this as a possibility. As long as it doesn't get stale, I am fine with it.

Thank goodness all the stupid additional lycanthropes have gone. I mean, do we really need the weretiger? The werefox? The wereshark? The werebadger? OK, I made the last one up.

Reminds me of the post of someone else...

Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Stealth Gnome Stealth Gnome...
I wish I had the link to the original video/flash, and an explanation what it was about...

I really don't know if I need Wererats. Weretiger and Werebear sound a lot more interesting... I suppose Wererat is for low levels (you fight Rats, Dire Rats, and then Wererats), and Werewolfs are for higher levels...

 

[Jack99]

I really don't know if I need Wererats. Weretiger and Werebear sound a lot more interesting... I suppose Wererat is for low levels (you fight Rats, Dire Rats, and then Wererats), and Werewolfs are for higher levels...

Wererats are just old-school! Used them in plenty of campaigns along with were-wolves. I never used were-tigers, were-lions or were-bears. Seriously, who came up with those monsters?