D&D 3E/3.5 The 4E Monster Manual -- what 3.5 monsters need the axe?

[frankthedm]

As faar as I can tell, he isn't really save-or-die. He's save-and-now-you-better-kill-him-before-he-drains-your-buddy-to-final-death.

If you kill the devourer, the soul trapped comes out alive and well.

i thought so too, but actuially, No. Fail that save and you are dead, your release means you get to go to your afterlife. A devourer, if it were so inclined, it could capture, capture, capture, capture for a TPK.

 

[frankthedm]

Rather than templates, I'm guessing we'll see villain classes. If anything, I'm guessing monsters will be templates that you apply to the class: eg an orc brute might have +2 to melee attacks and +1d6 damage compared to a human brute.

That does sound like a Mearlsian idea.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Good. They can use the space for templates and normal animal stats.

Normal animal stats? YAWN. Theres plenty int he mm1, including crap that doesnt need to be statted to begin with. Lizards, octopus, toad? Just put a movement speed and HD of "dead if attacked" and be done with it.

The 4th edition monster manual needs the fun oddball monsters D&D has become known for. Beholders, displacer beasts, umber hulks, etc.

Theres maybe a handful in the MM1 I'd kick to the curb. Formians (too close to Fomoroians and modrons are cooler), locathahs (make em a suaghin offshoot), sea cat... yeah, thats about it. Axe the PC race writeups (dwarves, elves, etc) and cull the non-combat monsters whose only purpose is to show you how crappy your familiar is (tghe aforementioned toad, bat etc).

 

[Lurks-no-More]

The least inspiring monsters to me are, in order:
- the lawful neutral extraplanars (inevitables, formians)

The Inevitables are actually pretty cool, and I'm saying this as a fan of modrons. In a universe, where you can break natural laws, they're the cosmic policemen.

 

[szilard]

Yrthrak: You need to be larger and more like Rodan.

...and less like stupid.

-Stuart

 

[Knight Otu]

About the only "monster" that needs the axe is the shrieker. Everything else is salvageable in my opinion, though there are monsters which I wouldn't shed many tears for.

 

[AllisterH]

Really, I always found the number of "real world" animals too high to begin with.

I agree with the "too many subraces" theme. The drow and aquatic elves for one and the oozes as another. I also agree having *4* aquatic creatures is touch of overkill.

 

[iwatt]

The orc needs the axe!

I never understood why they gave them falchions in 3.5!

 

[Tewligan]

Mang, at this rate we're going to be struggling to fill 50 pages, let alone 280.

Hong, as I tell my girlfriend, it's QUALITY, not QUANTITY that's important.

 

[Jhaelen]

The orc needs the axe!

I never understood why they gave them falchions in 3.5!

qft!

I think, (almost) all monsters could be saved by
a) giving them a facelift
b) re-imagining them by giving them more distinctive/interesting/useful abilities