Old Monsters, New Edition

[Shroomy]

Over on Rich Baker's blog, he posted that the will-o’-wisp will be returning to the new edition in an upcoming adventure (P1, btw), which got me thinking. What monsters do you most want to see in upcoming WoTC products (adventures or sourcebooks). A couple of caveats:

1. WoTC needs to own the IP.
2. It should have a reasonable chance of actually appearing in a WoTC sourcebook (I would think this would eliminate creatures such as guardinals).
3. Would be mechanically workable in the 4e context.

I'm going to throw out the frost giant just to get it out of the way. What are your picks?

 

[Rechan]

Well really, I have The_Jester's Monster Project conversions (including the Will-o-Wisp) so I'm not really hurtin' for anything specific.

But, hmm.

Myconids, tri-keen, mimics, various fungi and molds, vampiric mist/crimson death and cave fishers (2e favorites), ankhegs and other vermin.

 

[I'm A Banana]

WotC doesn't own the IP to Will-O-Wisps, of course.

Oozes, mushrooms, vermin, animals, monstrous humanoids (to give some general types).

 

[Felon]

3. Would be mechanically workable in the 4e context.

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by "mechanically workable". In 4e, you can grapple a swarm, knock an ooze prone, and a ghost can be manhandled just like a corporeal being. And on the flipside, virtually all of those monsters that used to have dread-inducing powers now just impose a condition that only has a 45% chance of lasting more than one round. In other words, if a monster wouldn be mechanically unworkable, or even just complex, you just discard those unique elements until it can use standard-issue attacks and can be killed by standard-issue attacks. Then it "works", right?

For instance, I have a thread out there nobody responded to about converting Monte Cook's visages from the 2e Planescape module "Dead Gods" into 4e. Although their power of lucidity control is way too open-ended for 4e's "streamlined" approach to monsters, I could easily just say that the power just attacks Wiil, stuns the target, save ends, and be done with it. There you have it: a nice, generic, workable 4e critter.

Having said that, I was surprised not to see the Phaerim in the FR campaign guide. They're kind of a core villain, after all.

Would love to see the avolakia and Ulgarstasta from the MMII return.

And since I'm currently running the Planescape adventure, I suppose I'd love to see the ratatosk converted as well--preferrably, with a PC race option.

 

[Shemeska]

2. It should have a reasonable chance of actually appearing in a WoTC sourcebook (I would think this would eliminate creatures such as guardinals).

Guardinals (among others) seem to be to 4e like modrons were to 3e. Someone in design or development just doesn't like them, thus we'll probably never see them in anything WotC makes, even when it would be relevant to do so (like the modrons being inexplicably absent from the 3.x Planar Handbook, even when they included planar locations they created).

3.x tended to ignore such monsters, and I suppose it's their right to do so even if I find it unfortunate, but 4e went a step further - bullet in the head comments, etc.


But on a constructive note, the following might be interesting to see: WotC's spin on any of intelligent / upper caste yugoloths. However arcanaloths, nycaloths, and ultroloths don't really fit the 4e Abyss that they'd be stuck into, unless WotC wants to backtrack from sticking the 'loths as demons, which never made much sense. Making them wandering, almost gypsy'like fiends among the Astral domains would be interesting.

Ethergaunts - they never had enough love in 3e.
Xill - however with no ethereal deep in 4e...