Abstraction
First Post
Plane Sailing said:
I'm sure one of the pacts was Fey.
worlds and monsters is in my hands
- Thread starter kave99
- Start date
I'm sure one of the pacts was Fey.
Fallen Seraph
First Post
Wepwawet said:Well, I'm sure it will be the case
At least then all of those weird monsters and creatures we see in the Monster Manuals could make more sense!
I mean, I know it's fantasy, but having all sorts of weird beasts appearing everywhere without much reason... That's some truly messed up ecology (even for fantasy)
Or the idea of these "folds" or "layers" of the Far Realm that occasionally blanket the material-world and twisting the flora and fauna can also lead to bizarre creatures that don't match the ecology.
You could have a fold touch down for a little while in a forest and when it leaves all manner of bizarre mutated creatures rear their heads and completely alien and otherworldly plants sprout up amongst the evergreens and wild-flowers of our world. Hell if they pollinate alot they could even become a highly abundant plant that has forced its way into this world's ecology.
These new twisted animals and plants could also start to take over and kill/throw out natural creatures/plants. Sorta like what happens when you introduce foreign animals and plants to a isolated enviroment, ie: Australia and rabbits and feral cats.
A'koss
Explorer
The Far Realm is by far my favorite planar addition to D&D - Bruce Cordell's "Gates of Firestorm Peak" is still on my all-time favorite adventures list. And I'm glad they kept it outside the rest of the cosmology and not try and fold it into the Abyss or some Astral Realm. It needs to keep it's mystique that there are some places man (or god) was just not meant to go...
plane...
plane sailing...
My friends and I agree with you...
Monsters ARE becoming more cookie cutter; although I agree with how they are designed, my envisionment of the special type monsters at least (mind flayers, balors, pit fiends, mariliths, avatars, dragons, etc) require tons of ablities (that dont need to be similar to character ones, but lots to allow them to be true survivors, bosses, and just bad asses).
I think this is for the modern/common gamer. I can't even remember every time i've watched a pure video gamer play something like baldur's gate, etc and not be able to handle tactics to handle a creature which is immune to something, or is harder to beat than just unload tons of stuff at it ala WoW styles in specific times so that the agro mechanic stays as you need it to stop the boss from charging the mages in the back, etc).
However, there is an easy solution to this. We can just add back abilities that we envision for such creatures for our own cosmologies
Regarding Far Realm - THIS IS AWESOME. I used the far realm for about 3 months in the game i Dm'ed and will bring it back later...much to the fright of my players.
I will keep it as lovcraftian and discordiant as before...hopefully 4E does the same. If they try to make it even a sense more 'normal' so that they can sell adventures with 20x20 environment rooms for it (which they couldn't do for the great wheel planes such as pandemonium, etc...prob causing the marketting decisionto make the planes much more 'normal' ehhehhee), I will be quite upset.
But so far...as expected, I like about 50% of 4E, and the rest I will house rule heavily (which I do quite a bit now anyways) so no big deal.
bring on 4E
Sanjay
plane sailing...
My friends and I agree with you...
Monsters ARE becoming more cookie cutter; although I agree with how they are designed, my envisionment of the special type monsters at least (mind flayers, balors, pit fiends, mariliths, avatars, dragons, etc) require tons of ablities (that dont need to be similar to character ones, but lots to allow them to be true survivors, bosses, and just bad asses).
I think this is for the modern/common gamer. I can't even remember every time i've watched a pure video gamer play something like baldur's gate, etc and not be able to handle tactics to handle a creature which is immune to something, or is harder to beat than just unload tons of stuff at it ala WoW styles in specific times so that the agro mechanic stays as you need it to stop the boss from charging the mages in the back, etc).
However, there is an easy solution to this. We can just add back abilities that we envision for such creatures for our own cosmologies
Regarding Far Realm - THIS IS AWESOME. I used the far realm for about 3 months in the game i Dm'ed and will bring it back later...much to the fright of my players.
I will keep it as lovcraftian and discordiant as before...hopefully 4E does the same. If they try to make it even a sense more 'normal' so that they can sell adventures with 20x20 environment rooms for it (which they couldn't do for the great wheel planes such as pandemonium, etc...prob causing the marketting decisionto make the planes much more 'normal' ehhehhee), I will be quite upset.
But so far...as expected, I like about 50% of 4E, and the rest I will house rule heavily (which I do quite a bit now anyways) so no big deal.
bring on 4E
Sanjay
Kobold Avenger
Legend
I like the inclusion of the Far Realm, and always liked to play with monsters linked to that plane such as Illithids, Aboleths, Kaorti and the like. And really Bruce Cordell is still involved with D&D, of course there's going to be the Far Realm, it's one of his favourite subjects in D&D.
But yes Monsters are becoming cookie-cutter, but I feel that leaving many of their abilities simpler might make them easier to modify later on.
But yes Monsters are becoming cookie-cutter, but I feel that leaving many of their abilities simpler might make them easier to modify later on.
Some more details:
The Temple of Elemental Evil is mentioned as a Location of Note. This section is said to contain 'future adventuring locales'...
Dragons:
Bunches of stuff here, the highlights include:
The different colors of Dragon have different monster roles - in other words, some are artillery (blue), some are brutes (white), some are soldiers (red) and so on
Dragons are solo monsters who 'get to do more on their turn than most monsters do' and also 'get to do a lot when it's not their turn' (like the tail slap we already knew about, but also mentioned is the green dragon's ability to poison you if you get too close)
Dragons have fewer abilities, focused on the most iconic ones (continuing the theme). For example, the oldest black dragon is said to have only five possible standard actions, with unique magical abilities taking the place of spells simply taken from the wizard's lists.
Dragons aren't forced into specific 'alignments'. Their motives can vary from a baseline - chromatic are wild, metallic like to be in control but good and evil manifests in each.
There are two new flavours of metallic dragon which displace bronze and brass from the core group. The new metallics are Iron and Adamantine.
Chromatic dragons grow in raw elemental power as they age which manifests as unique new powers related to the appropriate element. An ancient red's breath weapon, for example, can 'scour the fire resistance right off you'
An all new look and set of powers for the green dragon; they are back to breathing poison!
Giants:
There are Huge versions of the standard giants called Titans - these are more closely tied to the elements and have greater power
Giants in general are more elemental in nature, and there is greater variety between the standard types
The Giant type is specifically for Giants. Trolls, ogres, ettins don't 'necessarily' have the Giant 'type'
Underdark:
Now considered easier to get to
Mentioned are Drow, Troglodytes, Mind Flayers, Kuo-Toas (aboleth servant/worshippers), aboleths, myconids
Vault of the Drow is mentioned as an Underdark Location of Note
Feywild:
Mentioned inhabitants include hags, yeth hounds, centaurs, eladrins, treants, fomorians, unicorns, elves, firbolgs, the Wild Hunt, red caps, quicklings, will-o'wisps, dark ones, pixies
There is a fey reflection of the underdark, ruled over by fomorians
The Isle of Dread is mentioned as a Location of Note
Gnomes are a possible fey-dwelling race
Pixies, well, don't want to ruin the surprise
Shadowfell:
Merges Negative Energy Plane and Plane of Shadow, removing the irritating bits that make these places a pain to visit
Shadow is a power source. Involved with stealth, illusion, dread, 'devastating enemies' and 'necrotic energy'
They've re-concepted the undead, adding the animus, providing 'vitality and mobility', as a companion to the soul and the body.
Very interesting descriptions of how different varieties of undead are now explained. Shadow are the animus freed of body and soul, for example.
Lots of details about how the new cosmology explains resurrection and reincarnation
Shadowfell is inhabited by ... the Shadar-kai.
The Temple of Elemental Evil is mentioned as a Location of Note. This section is said to contain 'future adventuring locales'...
Dragons:
Bunches of stuff here, the highlights include:
The different colors of Dragon have different monster roles - in other words, some are artillery (blue), some are brutes (white), some are soldiers (red) and so on
Dragons are solo monsters who 'get to do more on their turn than most monsters do' and also 'get to do a lot when it's not their turn' (like the tail slap we already knew about, but also mentioned is the green dragon's ability to poison you if you get too close)
Dragons have fewer abilities, focused on the most iconic ones (continuing the theme). For example, the oldest black dragon is said to have only five possible standard actions, with unique magical abilities taking the place of spells simply taken from the wizard's lists.
Dragons aren't forced into specific 'alignments'. Their motives can vary from a baseline - chromatic are wild, metallic like to be in control but good and evil manifests in each.
There are two new flavours of metallic dragon which displace bronze and brass from the core group. The new metallics are Iron and Adamantine.
Chromatic dragons grow in raw elemental power as they age which manifests as unique new powers related to the appropriate element. An ancient red's breath weapon, for example, can 'scour the fire resistance right off you'
An all new look and set of powers for the green dragon; they are back to breathing poison!
Giants:
There are Huge versions of the standard giants called Titans - these are more closely tied to the elements and have greater power
Giants in general are more elemental in nature, and there is greater variety between the standard types
The Giant type is specifically for Giants. Trolls, ogres, ettins don't 'necessarily' have the Giant 'type'
Underdark:
Now considered easier to get to
Mentioned are Drow, Troglodytes, Mind Flayers, Kuo-Toas (aboleth servant/worshippers), aboleths, myconids
Vault of the Drow is mentioned as an Underdark Location of Note
Feywild:
Mentioned inhabitants include hags, yeth hounds, centaurs, eladrins, treants, fomorians, unicorns, elves, firbolgs, the Wild Hunt, red caps, quicklings, will-o'wisps, dark ones, pixies
There is a fey reflection of the underdark, ruled over by fomorians
The Isle of Dread is mentioned as a Location of Note
Gnomes are a possible fey-dwelling race
Pixies, well, don't want to ruin the surprise
Shadowfell:
Merges Negative Energy Plane and Plane of Shadow, removing the irritating bits that make these places a pain to visit
Shadow is a power source. Involved with stealth, illusion, dread, 'devastating enemies' and 'necrotic energy'
They've re-concepted the undead, adding the animus, providing 'vitality and mobility', as a companion to the soul and the body.
Very interesting descriptions of how different varieties of undead are now explained. Shadow are the animus freed of body and soul, for example.
Lots of details about how the new cosmology explains resurrection and reincarnation
Shadowfell is inhabited by ... the Shadar-kai.
Fallen Seraph
First Post
Well I think that will be the case atleast as far as it sounds with Dragons. How there are basic out of the box Dragons, but with the ability to build-up and expand upon them. I could see the same happening with other creatures/monster races.
So for the person who simply wants a illithid to fight they have a basic-model for one right in the book. If another person wants a complex, ongoing antagonist that is a mind flayer they can build one off the base-model.
So for the person who simply wants a illithid to fight they have a basic-model for one right in the book. If another person wants a complex, ongoing antagonist that is a mind flayer they can build one off the base-model.
thundershot
Adventurer
ISLE OF DREAD and TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL are both in the core setting!!! YESSSSSS!! Bring on the Rakasta!!!
Chris (would much rather the name Rakasta be used for whatever Catfolk race they decide to use)
Chris (would much rather the name Rakasta be used for whatever Catfolk race they decide to use)
A'koss
Explorer
I like a lot of what I'm hearing here.
Dragons - I love the fact that they steering them away from the stat abominations they were in 3e (I remember starting a post about this very thing a couple of years back). It looks like they're putting the monster back into the dragon.
It's interesting that different dragons have different roles, even though they are solo monsters and therefore not generally found in entourages which would naturally fill out the other roles in an encounter.
I like the removal of hard alignments but was quite surprised that they are pruning a couple of the metallics. Iron & Adamantine dragons? Sounds good t'me!
Giants - We've heard most of this already, but I like the approach and it sounds like they will be closer to their mythological counterparts.
Nice to see the few Greyhawk references they tossed in there...
Feywild - I hate fae... moving on.
Shadowfell: The Land of the Dead essentially. We can see what kinds of powers the new Necromancer will have (whenever it comes out). The Animus? *shrug* Okay...
I'd like to know more about how Resurrection & Reincarnation work in 4e though, it's always been a big sticking point in my (and many others') games. And who are the Shadar-Kai again?
Dragons - I love the fact that they steering them away from the stat abominations they were in 3e (I remember starting a post about this very thing a couple of years back). It looks like they're putting the monster back into the dragon.
It's interesting that different dragons have different roles, even though they are solo monsters and therefore not generally found in entourages which would naturally fill out the other roles in an encounter.
I like the removal of hard alignments but was quite surprised that they are pruning a couple of the metallics. Iron & Adamantine dragons? Sounds good t'me!
Giants - We've heard most of this already, but I like the approach and it sounds like they will be closer to their mythological counterparts.
Nice to see the few Greyhawk references they tossed in there...
Feywild - I hate fae... moving on.
Shadowfell: The Land of the Dead essentially. We can see what kinds of powers the new Necromancer will have (whenever it comes out). The Animus? *shrug* Okay...
I'd like to know more about how Resurrection & Reincarnation work in 4e though, it's always been a big sticking point in my (and many others') games. And who are the Shadar-Kai again?
