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What do you want from the Monster Manual?
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5903200" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>To answer ForeverSlayer's actual question of the thread, I think most of it has been said. Shemeska's list hits most of my nails.</p><p></p><p>1) Art. Good art. New art. Not rehashed.</p><p></p><p>2) Fluff. Good fluff. Maybe some new/revised fluff. But yeah, not on the "classic" monsters. Change for change's sake is NEVER desirable. </p><p></p><p>3) Included in the fluff, a few tidbits that I might be able to hook an adventure off of. This includes things like eating habits/preferred diet, culture (if any, human-/goblinoids mostly, obviously), preferred environment or terrain, attack patterns/tactics (if any). None of it has to be lengthy or overly detailed. But enough that if I don't want to customize it (for those times one just needs a "polar-snow-owlbear" or "desert-dwelling camel-satyrs"), I don't have to.</p><p></p><p>4) I would ESPECIALLY like one of those silhuoetted "size" charts like I've seen in the pages of someone's bestiary/menagerie book. Show me what the creature actually looks like beside a human figure. Telling me something is "large/huge/colossal" means different things to different people. Being able to show the players "This is the behemoth....and<span style="font-size: 9px"> thiiiis itty bitty bit here, is you.</span>" Even things like "7' gnolls or 9' ogres" take on a totally different slant when you can see what that actually looks like beside an average human (esp. for everyone playing smaller than human races!) It automatically gives the combat/encounter a drama and urgency that even my best verbal descriptions can't evoke.</p><p></p><p>5) The crunch. The "stat block." As bare minimum as I need to play the game...What's its HD, AC, number of and damage from attacks, perhaps a "number appearing" i.e. whether it is a social/solitary/herding/swarming/etc. creature, Special Abilities and/or Defenses (Magic Resistance would obviously be necessary for certain things)...I think that's about it. Optional/module rule extras tacked on the side/sidebars will, I imagine, be necessary...for whatever modules they offer out of the gate.</p><p></p><p>I think that about does it for me. I'd say most of the "classic creatures" from across the editions could be done in a nice 2 page spread, but certain others or minor "monsters" might not need more than one. I would say, absolute maximum (I'm thinking for things requiring LARGE groupings, like dragons and giants, demons/devils, etc.) 1 page per individual type.</p><p></p><p>So, if they're going to start the game with 5 dragons then 5 pages of dragon...maybe 6 with a general/applies to all dragons opener page. Just for an example, true believers, please don't spam me with "there have to be more than 5 dragons!!!" I know. Thanks. It's just an example. </p><p></p><p>But other than those kinds of "large category" critters, most everything else should be doable in no more than 2 pages.</p><p>--SD</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5903200, member: 92511"] To answer ForeverSlayer's actual question of the thread, I think most of it has been said. Shemeska's list hits most of my nails. 1) Art. Good art. New art. Not rehashed. 2) Fluff. Good fluff. Maybe some new/revised fluff. But yeah, not on the "classic" monsters. Change for change's sake is NEVER desirable. 3) Included in the fluff, a few tidbits that I might be able to hook an adventure off of. This includes things like eating habits/preferred diet, culture (if any, human-/goblinoids mostly, obviously), preferred environment or terrain, attack patterns/tactics (if any). None of it has to be lengthy or overly detailed. But enough that if I don't want to customize it (for those times one just needs a "polar-snow-owlbear" or "desert-dwelling camel-satyrs"), I don't have to. 4) I would ESPECIALLY like one of those silhuoetted "size" charts like I've seen in the pages of someone's bestiary/menagerie book. Show me what the creature actually looks like beside a human figure. Telling me something is "large/huge/colossal" means different things to different people. Being able to show the players "This is the behemoth....and[SIZE=1] thiiiis itty bitty bit here, is you.[/SIZE]" Even things like "7' gnolls or 9' ogres" take on a totally different slant when you can see what that actually looks like beside an average human (esp. for everyone playing smaller than human races!) It automatically gives the combat/encounter a drama and urgency that even my best verbal descriptions can't evoke. 5) The crunch. The "stat block." As bare minimum as I need to play the game...What's its HD, AC, number of and damage from attacks, perhaps a "number appearing" i.e. whether it is a social/solitary/herding/swarming/etc. creature, Special Abilities and/or Defenses (Magic Resistance would obviously be necessary for certain things)...I think that's about it. Optional/module rule extras tacked on the side/sidebars will, I imagine, be necessary...for whatever modules they offer out of the gate. I think that about does it for me. I'd say most of the "classic creatures" from across the editions could be done in a nice 2 page spread, but certain others or minor "monsters" might not need more than one. I would say, absolute maximum (I'm thinking for things requiring LARGE groupings, like dragons and giants, demons/devils, etc.) 1 page per individual type. So, if they're going to start the game with 5 dragons then 5 pages of dragon...maybe 6 with a general/applies to all dragons opener page. Just for an example, true believers, please don't spam me with "there have to be more than 5 dragons!!!" I know. Thanks. It's just an example. But other than those kinds of "large category" critters, most everything else should be doable in no more than 2 pages. --SD [/QUOTE]
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