Where did the animals go?

[valeren]

Just saw the list of monsters in the MM from the other thread. I'm pretty bummed that the list did not include some of the most common encounters my low level players would encounter - animals. I'm pretty sure most of us have used encounters with wild versions of such animals - tigers, sharks, boars.

Is it simply not included or did they provide rules on how to set up game stats for these?

I'm hoping they have an appendix on it much like that in the 3.5 MM.

 

[Trolls]

Are you sure the list you saw was right? There are bears, bats, beetles, boars, crocodiles, horses, hounds, hyenas, panthers, rats, snakes, scorpions, spiders and wolves in the MM.

 

[Aeolius]

That would worry me, as well. I've had a campaign concept on the back-burner for a few years, now. I was hoping 4e might be a good fit for it, but it needs druids and lots of Awakened forest animals. Oh well.

 

[hong]

No lions, tigers and bears? Oh my!

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Or Badgers

 

[Nightchill]

Or Badgers

Badgers? Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' badgers!

 

[Baumi]

I think Animals where not as often used as other "Monsters" and therefore only a small sample was included. But since Monster Creation is much simpler now, it shouldn't be so hard to do one yourself (I would just use another critter and modify it slightly ... Bear with underwater move => shark )

 

[Aeolius]

Bear with underwater move => shark )

 

[Doug McCrae]

I hope there are domestic cats that can kill a human adult. It's not D&D otherwise.

 

[Tuft]

Are you sure the list you saw was right? There are bears, bats, beetles, boars, crocodiles, horses, hounds, hyenas, panthers, rats, snakes, scorpions, spiders and wolves in the MM.

These are at a quick glance not the normal animals, but monstrous variants of them. The Bat listing contains Fire Bat and Shadowhunter Bat, the Panther contains Fey panther and Spectral panthers, rats are Giant Rats, Dire rats and Rat Swarms, etc.