D&D 4E Why I hate the Hydra: —and other dumbed down 4E monsters—

[FourthBear]

Not complex enough? I wonder if we can get the authors of the Phoenix Command game to write a 4e combat supplement? I can't wait to see the physics of a spiked chain in action worked out!

 

[Lizard]

Not complex enough? I wonder if we can get the authors of the Phoenix Command game to write a 4e combat supplement? I can't wait to see the physics of a spiked chain in action worked out!

You are an evil, evil, man...

 

[beverson]

Well...Originally Posted by Scott_Rouse
the Monster Manual is the wrong file, was still full of errors, and has stuff that never made it to final print.

Can you please provide a link for this? I haven't heard anything about this and I'm curious to find out if the information I've been hearing should be tossed until I get my copy of the books. Thanks

 

[Mirtek]

What a crappy lycanthrope!

Actually that's a very cool lycanthrope. He has almost all his wolf powers in human form. Sounds much cooler than the 3.x lycanthropes who got only a fraction of their powers in human form.

I like the idea of a werewolf having his eery strength even as a human (and I believe quite a few movies had it this way, with a werewolf realizing his newly increased strength and agility in human form long before his first transformation)

 

[ZappoHisbane]

I'm also disappointed based on what I'm hearing about lycanthropes, but there may be hope on the horizon. Lycanthropes played a significant role in the history of Eberron and one of it's main churches, not to mention the racial background of Shifters. The big event was predicated on not only natural lycanthropes being able to spread the curse, but for a while afflicted ones were spreading it too. Any adventure happening in the Eldeen Reaches of Khorvaire is going to need details on 'thropes, and the threat of being cursed.

 

[Grazzt]

Actually that's a very cool lycanthrope. He has almost all his wolf powers in human form. Sounds much cooler than the 3.x lycanthropes who got only a fraction of their powers in human form.

I like the idea of a werewolf having his eery strength even as a human (and I believe quite a few movies had it this way, with a werewolf realizing his newly increased strength and agility in human form long before his first transformation)

Yeah. I dont mind the new lycanthrope so much. Makes using them/designing new ones way easier. One stat block vs. three.

Dont really care for the fact they don't cause lycanthropy anymore, but that's easily house-ruled in my games.

 

[Lizard]

Yeah. I dont mind the new lycanthrope so much. Makes using them/designing new ones way easier. One stat block vs. three.

Dont really care for the fact they don't cause lycanthropy anymore, but that's easily house-ruled in my games.

To be fair, if designing stat blocks are as easy as people claim, creating a "human form" and a "werebeast form" ought to be trivial, without a complex template. Make it minor or standard action to shift, or say it happens on the full moon, or whatever, and presto. Should be as simple as "In human form, AC, Fort, Ref -2, Will +2, Str -4, -10 hit points" or some-such.

 

[Blackeagle]

Should be as simple as "In human form, AC, Fort, Ref -2, Will +2, Str -4, -10 hit points" or some-such.

Sounds good, but since this is 4e, the only reason to adjust a monster's strength is going to be for strength checks and carrying capacity. Just knock two points off it's attacks and damage.

Werewolves are a fairly big part of the homebrew setting I'm working on, but I don't know if I'd bother with different stats for human form. The one thing I probably will do is add some extra speed in wolf form (four legs are better than two).

 

[Klaus]

To be fair, if designing stat blocks are as easy as people claim, creating a "human form" and a "werebeast form" ought to be trivial, without a complex template. Make it minor or standard action to shift, or say it happens on the full moon, or whatever, and presto. Should be as simple as "In human form, AC, Fort, Ref -2, Will +2, Str -4, -10 hit points" or some-such.

How about:

Caged Beast
When not in hybrid or animal form, the lycanthrope has -1/4th its level on all defenses and attack rolls (minimum -1).

 

[The Little Raven]

To be fair, if designing stat blocks are as easy as people claim, creating a "human form" and a "werebeast form" ought to be trivial, without a complex template. Make it minor or standard action to shift, or say it happens on the full moon, or whatever, and presto. Should be as simple as "In human form, AC, Fort, Ref -2, Will +2, Str -4, -10 hit points" or some-such.

So, on top of all the other math I have to do for every NPC in an encounter, I have to do additional math everytime I deal with this guy and his different forms? No thanks.