The Devil's in the Details: Slavicsek reveals the Pit Fiend in all its glory

[Just Another User]

Well, here is How D&D minis will be handling sliding in 4E.

Of course that leaves the question 'can the pit fiend Airburst devils over the party?'

Thank you for the image, actually my question is "can the PF slide a devil without making it blow up? and if not (like it is probable) why?"

 

[FourthBear]

Thanks for the quote.

So basically, if my monster is a controller I can add levels of wizard to it, and as long as the final numbers are in the range of those for a controller monster of the level I'm shooting for, there won't be any problems?

It's an interesting idea and I'm real curious to see how it works in practice.

Could be. It depends on how the various wizard powers depend on class level. If it works like 3e, adding three levels of wizard will only result in a creature with 1st and 2nd level spells as a 3rd level caster. There's the possibility suggested by the Book of Nine Swords where you add half of your non-class levels to your class level to determine power. And if you add enough class levels to equal its monster level, you've probably just added tons of hit points, attack bonuses, defense increases and other things that will bump its power up significantly, just as it would if you did it in 3e.

If the monster is low leveled this may not be a problem. But if you're trying to create a Fire Giant cleric through this, it could get silly (as it was with a number of the classed fire giants in one of the recent WotC enemy books). I wouldn't really add actual class levels to a high leveled monster, I would simply add the appropriate class abilties and just use the monster's level to determine effect.

 

[Just Another User]

A thing I just noticed, it have just 350hp, I mean no "26d13+117" or something, just 350, I wonder if it is just for simpicity of if the concept of hit dice got dropped.

 

[Rechan]

I imagine that giving a monster class levels might function the same way as multi-classing. You know, the "Fighter Training" or "Wizard training".

 

[Doug McCrae]

A lord of hell, calling on his infernal and irrefutable control of lesser devils, hurls a minion at his foes and detonates the unholy energy binding it to him in a maelstrom of hellfire -- that's an ability right out a great action film; "You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."

Yes! It feels very cinematic to me. The quick slide, the expression on the minion's face.

And this is a big change which hasn't been discussed at all yet. D&D has never been cinematic before. Eberron is, and changes the rules somewhat in an attempt to support this. But prior to 4e the core rules have never been cinematic in the way that James Bond 007, Star Wars, Feng Shui and 7th Sea are.

 

[FireLance]

actually I have an idea, make it an automatic action, I don't know what is the 4e term but in practice, once for round, even outside the PF turn,when an allied devil get bloodied the pit fiend can use its special ability to make it blow up, or else on his turn can use it on an already bloodied devil to make it blow up. I don't know you, but I'd have liked this version much more than the actual one..

I'd also prefer it if it was something like the 3e immediate action (maybe it will be called a "reaction" in 4e?) that could be used whenever a lower-level allied devil is dropped to below 0 hp. That makes it more like the pit fiend is giving its minions a last gasp attack.

 

[Khaim]

A thing I just noticed, it have just 350hp, I mean no "26d13+117" or something, just 350, I wonder if it is just for simpicity of if the concept of hit dice got dropped.

He is listed as level 26, which would just replace any instances of HD.

Hmm...

350 - 26 * 8 Con = 350 - 208 = 142 = 5 * 26 + 12

So if we assume Con adds to HP the same way, it looks like he has 5 hp/level plus a 12hp bonus. That, or d10 HD = 5.5 hp/level with a bit of a rounding error.

 

[Lord Sessadore]

A thing I just noticed, it have just 350hp, I mean no "26d13+117" or something, just 350, I wonder if it is just for simpicity of if the concept of hit dice got dropped.

They have implied several times that HD are just plain gone. Not sure if this means rolling a die to get your new hp is gone, or if HD-based effects are gone, or both.

I believe there's one such mention in the October podcast.

~LS

 

[FourthBear]

I strongly suspect that Hit Dice are gone because you do not roll for hit points. You assign it based on what you think the creature's design needs. The DMG will likely have ranges for suggested values for a monster of a given level, type (bruiser, leader, skirmisher, et cetera) and role (minion, normal, elite or soldier). If you don't like anything in that range, pick another one with the foreknowledge that you may be assigning a number that could result in a monster that isn't an appropriate challenge for its level. You use the level, not hit dice, to consult for many calculated default values. I also suspect the DMG will suggest what kinds of powers are appropriate for a given level (with DMs being able to draw outside the lines when they choose).

 

[mmu1]

Oh, good. Literary snobbery. I love that ever so much more than grognardian edition-snobbery. Sheesh.

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