The Cunningly Disguised MMIV Preview

[Ripzerai]

Really guys, you are discussing whether or not a fictional multiheaded monster is a God, a devil or both. Why bother?

Because that's the part of D&D that I enjoy discussing the most.

 

[bastrak]

I don't like them having built in treasure. Without it I could easily throw some items on them. Now, if I want them to have different items I have to recalculate their stats without the items and then give them the new items, adding a step I would rather do without. I like to pick and choose magic items often, though, so I might be in the minority. It just doesn't seem right that every one of these the PCs run across should have the same set of items, though.

I agree with you and I'm not sure we are a minority. I'm inclined to feel the new layout of MMIV generally is aimed at DMs who either don't have sufficient prep time or aren't inclined to do sufficient prep, at the expense of those who do.

 

[Cam Banks]

All it is really doing is making me want to play Dragonlance.

I can't be upset about that!

Cheers,
Cam

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

25 dragonspawn at 2 pages each = 50 pages. Maybe an introductory page or two. So let's say 52 pages out of 224. Almost a quarter of MM4 is devoted to these (by the example poorly-designed) Greyhawk-specific monsters who don't have a place in Greyhawk's cosmology, fill no mechanical need whatsoever, and could have been simulated with existing crunch.

Wow.

That's... really, really awful.

Give me the tojanda and the gray render any day; I, for one, love the 'fills a mechanical niche' monsters.

 

[Ruined]

I'll echo the sentiment of many here. I could do without the pregenerated treasure on the creatures. And I really love the statblock format. I've worked with the NPC Designer program a decent bit, making a lot of standard monsters, so I'm already used to seeing them in this format when it comes time to run a game.

 

[Pants]

Takhisis is a LE greater deity, Tiamat is a LE lesser deity.

Now they are different, but back in 1e, they were one and the same.

Source:

As Takhisis in the world of Krynn, Tiamat has never let her followers know that there are other arch-devils or that there is a Nine Hells at all.

Also, Krynn doesn't use the Great Wheel cosmology, much as the Realms don't. There's only one evil outer plane, and it's the Abyss.

I fully support this change.

Ditto. Who came up with the word "arcaniss"?

Cheers,
Cam

I thought it was a typo at first.... guess I was wrong.

25 dragonspawn at 2 pages each = 50 pages. Maybe an introductory page or two. So let's say 52 pages out of 224. Almost a quarter of MM4 is devoted to these (by the example poorly-designed) Greyhawk-specific monsters who don't have a place in Greyhawk's cosmology, fill no mechanical need whatsoever, and could have been simulated with existing crunch.

Wow.

That's... really, really awful.

Give me the tojanda and the gray render any day; I, for one, love the 'fills a mechanical niche' monsters.

Indeed.
And with some of the remaining space [most likely] being devoted to classed humanoids from the MM and probably to an updated ability index (which we don't really need) and the whole 2-page layout thing going, I'm hoping that the remaining monsters are really good.

Not that I don't like dragonspawn, but.... dem's a lot of dragonspawn!

 

[Knight Otu]

The 25 is, I believe, still speculation. I don't know if the stats of the Greenspawn Razorfiend are incompatible with the sketch of the greenspawn ambusher (or if that sketch matches up with the image of the razorfiend supposedly found in RHoD), but currently, if the Xspawn are structured at all, they could still fit into 15 Xspawn - One humanoid (Blackspawn Raider, Redspawn Arcaniss), one bestial (Bluespawn Thunderlizard, Greenspawn Razorfiend, Redspawn Firebelcher), and one big beast (Bluespawn Godslayer).

Yes, I'm speculating myself, but I do hope I'm right.

 

[Nellisir]

I like the new layout. Dislike specified treasure and lack of environment and organization, like expanded entry, LOVE knowledge table - having just played a high-level wizard under a DM that gave out information in the tiniest drips and drabs ( -one- immunity, for instance).

 

[demiurge1138]

I thought there were only 2 spawn per color... and then the three bluespawn were pointed out. C'mon only three per! Give us more real new monsters!

Hopefully the example classed humanoids are only shoved into an appendix or something. If they have two page spreads, I may have to take drastic action.

So... this is the only MM or otherwise monster heavy book WoTC's released that I'm not excited about. Huh. Good work, guys. Keep protecting my wallet! (Although that will probably change once the thing's actually released)

Demiurge out.

 

[Pants]

So... this is the only MM or otherwise monster heavy book WoTC's released that I'm not excited about. Huh. Good work, guys. Keep protecting my wallet! (Although that will probably change once the thing's actually released)

Demiurge out.

You know you'll buy it like the rest of us

*gets bent over the counter by WotC*
Ah yeah, that's the stuff...