The Cunningly Disguised MMIV Preview

[Knight Otu]

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!

Actually I just had the thought that, if I'm right about the ambushers, it Might be 2 spawn per color - by counting the Godslayer among the humanoids. Is there another bluespawn I'm not aware of?

 

[Imp]

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.

Werd. How many kinds of draconic humanoids do you need?

I like the format. I mean, for a lot of monsters I'd pretty much ignore what's written down, but at least it gives me a jumping-off point. I might wish what's written under Ecology and Society were less repetitive and obvious ("Arcanisses live for the destruction of Tiamat's foes." No, really?) but that is different.

(Ecology rant: Seems like most everything that isn't undead works on either a Darwinian or genetic-engineering model. That's fine, but it's fantasy: you can have things develop along Lamarckian lines or use spontaneous generation or any number of primitive, but fun, models. "During the Nights of Rage that befall the world once every twenty years, when the moon turns red, fell creatures spring to life from the husks of trees recently cut down by lightning. These are the Redspawn Arcaniss: reflections of the lord Tiamat's rage as she descended upon the Earth in the first of the Nights of Rage over twenty thousand years ago, turning moon and sky red with her fires. Such was her fury that it takes living form eons later." End rant.)

 

[sjmiller]

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

I know I will not buy it. Heck, I do not have MMII or MMIII either. Using the MM and Tome of Horror, I am more than ready for my players. I haven't seen anything so far to make me want to buy MMII, MMIII, or MMIV.

 

[zoroaster100]

I agree that the dragonspawn seem like they'll take up way too much of the book. BUt I'm mainly frustrated at the number o miniature slots taken up by the dragonspaw in War of the Dragon Queen.

 

[Pants]

I know I will not buy it. Heck, I do not have MMII or MMIII either. Using the MM and Tome of Horror, I am more than ready for my players. I haven't seen anything so far to make me want to buy MMII, MMIII, or MMIV.

Aw, you took a facetious comment seriously.

You're no fun.

 

[Razz]

Why the hell do we have 25 of these damn spawns? That's like 50 pages of the book!

Or even 15!

Or whatever the damn number is. It should only be FIVE! One for each color, where the hell the other 20 come from?!

MM4 is sounding really crappy now, like all of WotC's previous products lately

 

[Jdvn1]

Aw, you took a facetious comment seriously.

You're no fun.

You think this game is supposed to be fun?!

 

[Khuxan]

Does anyone know where the Redspawn Arcaniss's +4 to Jump checks comes from? By my reckoning, it's invested all its skill points in its other two skills.

 

[Knight Otu]

Does anyone know where the Redspawn Arcaniss's +4 to Jump checks comes from? By my reckoning, it's invested all its skill points in its other two skills.

From its speed of 40.

 

[Garnfellow]

From its speed of 40.

Where's that rule?