Under your bed. In your closet. Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured? This tag covers questions relating to monstrous antagonists.
0
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1answer
159 views
Fleshing out an idea: “an orc was raised by humans, so he fights with the humans against his species” [closed]
So my younger brother is getting started in the RPG space ( <3 ) doing variations on a Lego RPG (they make those now?!). I'm advising him on his GMing.
But, crazy twist, he wants to have one of ...
31
votes
11answers
1k views
What are some dangerous non-fantasy creatures?
We're running a fantasy game where the adventurers frequently travel through the wilderness. Too many of the threatening encounters they have are with fantasy creatures (like goblins, orcs, etc.). ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
Standard monster tactics for 4E D&D combat
In a similar vein to a question on tactics sources, I'm interested in knowing what are common tactics for monsters to use. The DMB and the MV mention monster groups, which are very useful, but I want ...
7
votes
1answer
275 views
Can monsters make multiple attacks in a single action?
In the bestiary for the new D&D Next playtest packets, some creatures look as though they get multiple attacks per round.
e.g.: An owl bear gets Melee Attack: Claws +5/+5 (etc.) and Bite +5 ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
How to make monsters with class levels?
Say I was trying to make a 3rd level Harpy bard. Do I remove its seven hit dice, feats, BAB and skills etc and start from scratch? Or do I add the class levels on top of all that? How does level ...
7
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3answers
367 views
What do you see in a mirror when a vampire picks up an object?
When a D&D-vampire picks up an object, what do you see in a mirror? With the vampire having no reflection (and neither his clothing), does the item float? Does it get invisible? Does it depend on ...
0
votes
1answer
228 views
How could I make a giant pc in dnd 4e?
I really would like to make a giant character for a 4e campaign, and if anyone could help me make some character profiles for each of the types of giants I would really appreciate it.
2
votes
1answer
116 views
Rules for a 5th Level Arcane Ballista?
Looking for rules on how to run a semi sentient Arcane Ballista that can be used as a monster and equipment. Any ideas where I can find rules for this or does someone have rules they can share?
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4answers
1k views
A medusa and a beholder look at each other. What happens?
What happens when a medusa and a beholder look at each other? Will the beholder petrify, or will the medusa lose his power?
2
votes
2answers
99 views
How does a Cloaker's Engulf ability work?
From the 3.5 SRD,
A cloaker can try to wrap a Medium or smaller creature in its body as
a standard action. The cloaker attempts a grapple that does not
provoke an attack of opportunity. If it ...
6
votes
2answers
108 views
Are the offspring of Wild Card creatures also Wild Cards?
If a creature is a Wild Card, are its young also Wild Cards, or do they only become Wild Cards once they have matured?
6
votes
3answers
495 views
What are the dinosaur equivalents?
I need to pull together a list of dinosaur equivalents for D&D by name, what dinosaur they are equivalent to, and ideally book.
I know the various monster manuals and other books have a bunch of ...
7
votes
3answers
310 views
As a GM, how do you deal with or manage Stirges?
As a GM, how do you deal with or manage Stirges? Equally, how do you make use of them? For them to be a relevant threat, do they have to be in such numbers that they become unmanageable?
5
votes
1answer
768 views
How many hit dice do monster player characters have?
Let's say we have party of humans and a minotaur(cr 4). Everybody is level 10, so according to Pathfinder's monsters as races rules minotaur should have 8th (let's say barbarian) level.And the ...
5
votes
2answers
155 views
How do you figure Attributes from an MR?
I'm talking about Tunnels & Trolls, of course -- where monsters have a Monster Rating (MR), and that's all they need!
...usually. It gets sketchy (for me, anyway) when you, the GM, want your ...
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votes
3answers
10k views
Calculating and balancing challenge ratings
Are there standard rules for calculating CR of groups? For example, in my Pathfinder bestiary, a single Stirge is listed as CR 1/2, and a group of 2d4 (average 5) of them is listed as an average CR 4.
...
6
votes
7answers
219 views
Need some recommendations for monster manuals
I run and play lots of indie-style games (Burning Wheel and Apocalypse World in particular). Perhaps the one thing they lack that I miss from my D&D days is the tomes full of monsters to excite ...
5
votes
1answer
560 views
Resisted energy types and immunity
I would like to know the distribution of energy resistances and immunities in 3.5 monsters, and especially the four basic types fire, cold, electricity and acid.
It is often said that fire is most ...
20
votes
6answers
663 views
How can I make monster knowledge checks fun?
By now most players know, or should know, that a monster knowledge check can make all the difference when you’re fighting a monster for the very first time. But how can we make them both fun and not ...
9
votes
1answer
146 views
How is the clockwork soldier priced?
I've been looking at the possible constructs in current Pathfinder bestiaries looking for options for a crafter character and I couldn't help but notice that the pricing of the clockwork soldier ...
7
votes
3answers
313 views
What monsters are depicted on the 4.0 DM Screen?
I have the DM Screen included with the DM Kit. It depicts an underdark scene, and I can recognize:
a gargoyle
a beholder
some zombies
a mind flayer
an umber hulk
a black dragon
a bugbear
two drow
a ...
15
votes
6answers
418 views
What would clever creatures do to protect their lair?
(This question is for fantasy worlds like in D&D and other such games.)
Usually, as the adventuring party goes up in ability, they end up facing stronger and more powerful characters. Let's say ...
19
votes
2answers
676 views
How do I use minions effectively?
I'm a newbie DM. It seems that minions in an encounter benefit the PCs more than they benefit me:
The Barbarian can kill them for free THP and a Swift Charge (I thought they were supposed to slow ...
12
votes
3answers
721 views
Is there a creature half dragon and half horse?
Is there a specific such creature, with a name for it and description, in any lore or game?
3
votes
3answers
236 views
Monsters that are more dangerous when knocked down/forced movement
A PC who can knock mobs prone or force their movement can wreck an encounter singlehandedly.
So...thinking of ways to get around this, other than the bad idea of completely neutralizing the power by ...
12
votes
7answers
292 views
What would be some good monsters for Planet of the Apes D&D?
A while back I got the idea of Planet of the Apes as an classic D&D game with "ape as class". Gorillas would be fighters, Orangutan clerics, Chimpanzees magic users, and Humans thieves making ...
11
votes
8answers
598 views
Inter-planar Merchants of D&D
What race best fills this role? I'm mostly looking for someone who does this in a Planescape-style setting. Neogi kinda do this, but they're a little too specialized for what I'm looking for. Ditto ...
7
votes
6answers
4k views
Is there a playable undead race?
Is there a playable race of undead in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5? I would prefer a race that isn't a vampire or lich. If possible, please share their stats.
6
votes
1answer
238 views
Gelatinous Cube damage
This seems really basic, but I'm not really sure how to treat the case where a creature has been engulfed by a gelatinous cube. Does the creature simply take 1d6 acid damage as if it were attacked, or ...
13
votes
3answers
737 views
Does a summoned monster's alignment matter?
I am playing in a 3.5 game recently, and a question has come up that none of us could really answer.
Does the alignment of a summoned monster (as per the Summon Monster I-IX spells) matter at all?
For ...
8
votes
1answer
147 views
Can I attack a Bulette when it's underground?
Do other characters know where the bulette is if it doesn't attack? If they can attack it, how do I handle it? Do I give it total cover? Can they even attack it when it is underground?
If they don't ...
2
votes
1answer
561 views
What are the highest level solo monsters in all official supplements released for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons?
Which is the highest level solo monster in all current supplements released for DnD 4.0? I think that it is Bahamut, but there are too many books which I'm not aware of (and also I have read somewhere ...
2
votes
1answer
363 views
Do monster templates still exist in post-Essentials D&D 4e?
In the D&D 4e Monster Manual, there are monster templates such as 'lich' which increase a standard monster to elite or an elite to a solo.
Do monster templates still appear in more recent core ...
6
votes
2answers
216 views
In creating a monster what cautions should be taken?
The DDI Adventure Tools make it very easy to refluff or restat a monster in no time. Creating a monster is still easy, but can be difficult due to trying to not create an overpowered monster. Aside ...
5
votes
3answers
182 views
Resources on undeads and their creation
I'm searching for resources on undeads in general and their creation, as I want to develop a new realm for my homebrew setting, in which necromancy and magical-alchemical research on undeads, ...
7
votes
1answer
207 views
Can Monsters with class levels take Monster Feats instead of Regular Feats?
I'm designing a monster which through virtue of high intelligence and me being evil, that has 13 class levels.
However, I also want to bump up the save DC on its special ability. The feat Ability ...
10
votes
2answers
681 views
Flanking and swarms in 4e
Can swarms be flanked by two PCs? What if the swarm is occupying the same square as a PC?
Does a PC grant combat advantage to a swarm if a regular mob is adjacent in a flank? Does it matter if the ...
10
votes
4answers
209 views
Do I need to stat out & measure everything?
I am preparing a session that contains a fair amount of absurdity. Many of the creatures and situations that my players will encounter will probably not be encountered again.
On the one hand, I know ...
8
votes
3answers
709 views
Why does the “insubstantial” quality exist?
Aside from minor rounding errors for very low damage, a monster with x hit points and the insubstantial resistance type is exactly the same as a monster with 2x hit points.
So, why does the ...
5
votes
5answers
840 views
What's a good defense against silence?
Well, a dungeon master keeps throwing characters who can silence spells at me. It's a pain in the butt when trying to fight as a group, as most of my friends and I are casters. We're dealing with ...
3
votes
2answers
306 views
What's the impact of a monster being immune to Unconscious?
Some monsters have immunity to being Unconscious. Since monsters die when they hit 0 HP (barring a PC deliberately inflicting nonlethal damage), what's the impact of this? Do they fight on when ...
5
votes
2answers
464 views
What monster tokens are these?
Here is a snap shot of some monsters that I found while being bored today. I couldn't identify what the monsters were (sort of).
the monster on the top left marked (3) turns out to be a "Vampire ...
8
votes
3answers
167 views
Good source for a dark/weird dryad concept?
I'm working on an adventure that involves obtaining the wood from a dryad's tree, and would like to present the dryad as something other than the typical depiction. I have some ideas, but am curious ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
How do you as GM's level/de-level monsters in adventures that are premade
I am getting ready to start a new campaign that was made for higher level characters.
I want to use the campaign but want to lower the monster levels and may want to raise monster levels inthe future. ...
6
votes
4answers
381 views
Sources for officially published GURPS monsters
When I recently purchasing the Dungeon Fantasy collection of monsters, I noticed that most of the listed monsters are not "every-game" monsters. It seems to be lacking simple goblins, harpies, etc. ...
6
votes
1answer
120 views
Does Invulnerable include Magic Weapons?
Some creatures in Savage Worlds are Invulnerable to wounds except for something they have a Weakness to. For example: a Vampire has a Weakness to Sunlight and other standard anti-Vampire attacks.
...
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votes
2answers
818 views
Were Illithids inspired by Cthulhu?
Mind Flayers seem to look a whole lot like Cthulhu. Is there any relationship/inspiration between the two?
12
votes
3answers
611 views
Where does the distinction between “Mindflayer” and “Illithid” come from?
I know that a Mindflayer is an Illithid and visa versa. And, I know in some of the D&D fiction, like Forgotten Realms and the like, that Mindflayers refer to themselves or their race as Illithids, ...
13
votes
2answers
649 views
Do fire spells cast underwater still affect creatures vulnerable to fire?
Related Question: Can magic items that deal fire damage function underwater?
As mentioned in the above question:
From the DMG p93:
Spells or spell-like effects with the
fire descriptor are ...
8
votes
1answer
988 views
How many rays can a beholder use in one full-attack action?
What it says on the tin. Beholders and beholder kin are given a number of rays that they can use. The entry for the Beholder-kin: Watcher notes that each eye can use one of its powers every round, ...
