(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
As of the MM3 and DSMC and especially the Monster Vault, a lot of solo monsters are now well-designed.
They now reliably have three attacks per round and the epic ones can frequently reverse negative effects in a variety of ways.
However, some epic-level monsters have a problem when it comes to using encounter or recharge (on a number) powers.
One problem is some text in the DMG1 (is that still in place for more recent solos?): a solo monster is supposed to get three attacks. That seems a bit weak for a monster that represents four creatures in combat. As a result, one of its encounter powers is supposed to be "promoted" to an at-will power. This gives the monster the equivalent of 3.5 attacks, which along with the monster's other special abilities should make up for the slight lack of damage. One hopes anyway.
I'll give an example of two solo monsters that don't have this problem.
In the DSMC, the tembo, a 6th-level solo skirmisher, has a trait called double actions. It rolls initiative twice and then takes a turn each time. Unless I've read it wrong, it can make its double attack twice per round, have the opportunity of recharging its recharge ability (a triggered action) twice per round, can make two saving throws per round, etc. Perhaps not surprisingly, the tembo's triggered action is not particular impressive (it also only recharges on a 6, but that's expected given how its actions work).
Another is the Oba of Gulg (Lalali-Puy), an epic level controller. She has an at-will standard action, a "curse echo" ability that inflicts the same damage on another opponent, and a power which triggers if anyone attacks her. She has a few recharge/encounter abilities; if she uses one, it takes away her standard action attack and replaces it with a somewhat better one.
But a lot of solo monsters have an action economy problem. The dragons are an example. The elder red dragon is a level 22 solo soldier. It deals standard damage with its claws (but can use this power twice), and a bite attack (deals damage as an encounter power), plus a minor action tail slap power, and it has two recharge powers (breath weapon and "set-on-fire, both of which deal encounter power damage).
Given the amount of damage the dragon can dish out with its two claw attacks, sacrificing that attack to use bite, much less its special "set-on-fire" ability, just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense in terms of combat optimization.
I think any solo that has a double attack or triple attack standard action power runs into this problem. It's less of a problem if the monster gets its additional attacks from minor action or triggered powers (even better if it has both), although trading a standard action for an encounter power isn't necessarily a good bet especially if the promoted encounter power was that standard action at-will power. It's no problem if the monster has multiple turns in a round. (One of the Dark Sun monsters, the Big Bad of the setting, gets three turns per round.)
Does anyone see this as a problem? Is there a way around it? Should solo encounter powers always be a minor action, or a boost to an at-will attack?
They now reliably have three attacks per round and the epic ones can frequently reverse negative effects in a variety of ways.
However, some epic-level monsters have a problem when it comes to using encounter or recharge (on a number) powers.
One problem is some text in the DMG1 (is that still in place for more recent solos?): a solo monster is supposed to get three attacks. That seems a bit weak for a monster that represents four creatures in combat. As a result, one of its encounter powers is supposed to be "promoted" to an at-will power. This gives the monster the equivalent of 3.5 attacks, which along with the monster's other special abilities should make up for the slight lack of damage. One hopes anyway.
I'll give an example of two solo monsters that don't have this problem.
In the DSMC, the tembo, a 6th-level solo skirmisher, has a trait called double actions. It rolls initiative twice and then takes a turn each time. Unless I've read it wrong, it can make its double attack twice per round, have the opportunity of recharging its recharge ability (a triggered action) twice per round, can make two saving throws per round, etc. Perhaps not surprisingly, the tembo's triggered action is not particular impressive (it also only recharges on a 6, but that's expected given how its actions work).
Another is the Oba of Gulg (Lalali-Puy), an epic level controller. She has an at-will standard action, a "curse echo" ability that inflicts the same damage on another opponent, and a power which triggers if anyone attacks her. She has a few recharge/encounter abilities; if she uses one, it takes away her standard action attack and replaces it with a somewhat better one.
But a lot of solo monsters have an action economy problem. The dragons are an example. The elder red dragon is a level 22 solo soldier. It deals standard damage with its claws (but can use this power twice), and a bite attack (deals damage as an encounter power), plus a minor action tail slap power, and it has two recharge powers (breath weapon and "set-on-fire, both of which deal encounter power damage).
Given the amount of damage the dragon can dish out with its two claw attacks, sacrificing that attack to use bite, much less its special "set-on-fire" ability, just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense in terms of combat optimization.
I think any solo that has a double attack or triple attack standard action power runs into this problem. It's less of a problem if the monster gets its additional attacks from minor action or triggered powers (even better if it has both), although trading a standard action for an encounter power isn't necessarily a good bet especially if the promoted encounter power was that standard action at-will power. It's no problem if the monster has multiple turns in a round. (One of the Dark Sun monsters, the Big Bad of the setting, gets three turns per round.)
Does anyone see this as a problem? Is there a way around it? Should solo encounter powers always be a minor action, or a boost to an at-will attack?
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