Brute, Lurker, Soldier, etc: YesWhat does that mean?
Solo, Elite, Standard: No
Minion: Yes*
Brute, Lurker, Soldier, etc: YesWhat does that mean?
Aah I see!Brute, Lurker, Soldier, etc: Yes
Solo, Elite, Standard: No
Minion: Yes*
Yeah, "combat space" is really telling – I think you're describing a state of mind that differs from all other arenas of play during a TTRPG session. I would guess for a large segment of folks who played and enjoyed 4e, that one of the selling points was getting into "combat space."I think stat blocks are for combat encounters, and everything else is fiction that doesn’t need stats? This was the other side of why 4e could do what it did - if you were convincing a unicorn to teleport you to a fairy glade, that was a SC outcome or step and it was handled entirely via narrative. The stat blocks inform when you enter combat space, and maybe stealth / perception.
I’d prefer going to that too, but understand it’s outside of this thread.
Yeah, "combat space" is really telling – I think you're describing a state of mind that differs from all other arenas of play during a TTRPG session. I would guess for a large segment of folks who played and enjoyed 4e, that one of the selling points was getting into "combat space."
But for someone like me – who enjoys an "encounter" as a multi-variable challenge where talking, stabbing, casting, questioning all bleed together so there isn't that hard line between "explore space" or "talk space" and "combat space"? Uff, that was hard.
It's my deep dark underlying fear of monster stat blocks – and defining monsters by combat role. The more we play with digital tools, the more the stat block rises to prominence as the thing we focus on, and the less the written "flavor" text is transmitted. I fear there's a technology influence driving an already combat-focused game to effectively an even more combat-focused one.
I feel this is where lair actions and variant rules come in.Aah I see!
Solo might not be a good term but I think we could still have a term to indicate an enemy is designed to be a dramatic centerpiece to a final fight.
Oh yeah, Lair Actions! And Legendary Resistance.I feel this is where lair actions and variant rules come in.
A werewolf is a normal brute.
A werewolf alpha has access to the Rage of the Moon and Terrifying Howl which let's them take down a whole party.
Maybe something to indicate which monsters already come with either of those?
Having all that in the header makes it faster to read, you've already labeled the monsters for the appendix so why not?If this is in the statblock, it's redundant information. In an appendix, this is far more useful.
I think they can be both though - for instance if I get a Goblin with a tag "stealthy skirmisher" or "lurker" then that gives me both combat role and a bit of rp information too, an Aboleth tagged as "Psychic Controller" is also a indicator of rp.Yeah, "combat space" is really telling – I think you're describing a state of mind that differs from all other arenas of play during a TTRPG session. I would guess for a large segment of folks who played and enjoyed 4e, that one of the selling points was getting into "combat space."
But for someone like me – who enjoys an "encounter" as a multi-variable challenge where talking, stabbing, casting, questioning all bleed together so there isn't that hard line between "explore space" or "talk space" and "combat space"? Uff, that was hard.
It's my deep dark underlying fear of monster stat blocks – and defining monsters by combat role. The more we play with digital tools, the more the stat block rises to prominence as the thing we focus on, and the less the written "flavor" text is transmitted. I fear there's a technology influence driving an already combat-focused game to effectively an even more combat-focused one.