Please tell me how I am reading this wrong.

[Majoru Oakheart]

On a side note, from the comments made to date, I get the impression that monsters will be built very similar to characters. Each monster has a "role" just like the player classes do (like Brute for example). I think the base Role will determine the core basic stats such as HP, BAB, AC, etc. From there, I get the impression that the monsters will be further defined by their own Talent Trees defined for their given role and unique to each monster type. In this way it is very simple to differentiate monsters, create new "templates" for existing monsters, etc. without changing the basic core math of the creature.

I just don't think it'll be that scientific. They've said that monster creation in 3E was more science than art. One of the designers has said that in 4E, it will be more art than science.

Not to say there isn't science behind it. However, I believe the science will be closer to: We know that brute monsters should hit about x percent of the time and do approximately x damage at x level. We've had the mathematically inclined on our staff do probability models on this sort of thing and figured out formulas and write them down for us. We also know that probability is such that the to hit numbers can be adjusted by x before it becomes too high or too low. I don't know the math, so I don't know what X is. And it might be that stalker monsters have a different x than brutes, etc.

It's likely to be pretty complicated, number wise such that if they have 6 or 7 different monster types and the numbers vary depending on various factors, it might be a 30 or 40 page spreadsheet with their numbers.

That's when the art begins. If you know the numbers that work at each level and type, then you need to create monsters. Each monster has to stay within the numbers, but WHERE it is in each range is up to the designer. Should Goblin Stalkers have more pluses to hit or less than the average for their level? What about damage? Saves? Skills? Feats?

Then what special abilities can we give the creature so it "feels" like a goblin? What abilities can we give it that make it feel like a Stalker?

I know other people disagree with me, but the amount of information required to create creatures using a system like that would have to fill a book all by itself. I don't see them giving that information to us in the Monster Manual or DMG. Especially not with 300 monsters in 288 pages. Plus, the last step can't really be answered by a table or a talent tree. Each monster needs to be different, so it needs to have abilities and customization made just for it.