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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 6020807" data-attributes="member: 87792">Don't know the numbers for the hill giant, but I can work it out.Say the average Hill Giant is a level 12 standard monster (feels about right given ordinary Ogres are level 7-8) and a brute (which is obvious).Hit points are around level*10+25 = 145 Average Damage for a brute in melee = (12+8) * 1.25 = 25.  2d12 + 12 is about right.   Best case ration is just over 1:4, but he probably also has a limited use power for a really hard hit, and some sort of flattening sweep. We're looking at 1:4 Now the big hit points belong to elites and solos.  An obvious elite would be an ettin in the middle of some ogres.  Elites have the hit points of two normal monsters of their level, and solos four. You've been looking at the hit points of Solos I think - so let's take a real one.  The <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/4ex/20101105b" target="_blank">Level 14 Purple Worm</a>.  A Solo is not a normal monster - you're expected to generally fight hill giants as a family, but it's the entire party against one dragon.  Dragons are the archetypal Solos. The Purple Worm has 560 hit points.  Which seems absurd.  Until you realise one Purple Worm is meant to be more of a challenge to the PCs than five of the hill giants. Its main attack is "Devour Whole" (it normally uses the Bite for Opportunity Attacks).  Devour Whole does 3d10+7 damage (average 22) but if the poor sucker devoured can't escape by the end of the turn it does a further 30 (!) Acid damage. It then has a minor action attack per round  We'll take Fling for 3d10+8 more damage. (When bloodied it gets a second minor action attack.  Probably the poison sting for a further 2d8 and ongoing 15 damage). And finally 1/round when you hit the purple worm it Thrashes.  Which can do 3d12+5 damage to two separate targets. So in total, it can do in one round3d10+7 + 30plus 3d10 + 8plus 3d12 + 5 to two separate targets. It can't, of course thrash at someone it has swallowed at the time.  And they won't be taking the 30 damage if they escape. But using your full damage metric, The guy it swallowed takes 67 damageThe guy it flung and then thrashed at when he charged back in takes 79 damageThe guy who was just standing too close takes 41 damage. Both these last two have possibly also been flung into the holes made by the Purple Worm. Total of 187 damage dished out in the round.  That 560 isn't looking so good right now... And then it has two action points to use in the fight (each meaning it can try to swallow an extra person for the 3d10 +7 (possibly +30) damage) and when it's bloodied it gets an extra action for another 3d10+8 damage. Yes, 4e monsters with a lot of hit points can generally bring the pain.  (At least post Monster Manual 3 - the MM1 Purple Worm is a disgrace).</blockquote>

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