| G.O.D.A.M. |
Enjoyed reading alot of the suggestions in this thread, here is what I was able to come up with. Hope someone finds it useful. Kind of a long post sorry in advance.
Minion Template
Challenge Rating: ½
HD: Creature’s HD total will not exceed 1 HD of either Class levels or Racial Hit dice, it will never have both. Minion’s HP will never exceed 6+con, as dictated by racial or class hit dice.
AC: +2 Circumstance bonus to armor class. Why not, if they’re still alive they will distract the players and add stress to the encounter.
Attacks: As any 1st level character.
Defenses: Damage Reduction 5/ -. The “-“ should literally mean everything, even your primary fighters +18, get through every kind of damage reduction, Keen, Flaming Battle Axe of planet annihilation. All spell damage. They are affected by spells as any ‘true’ NPC of their race would be. This is total DR in a round. Example: Halfling rogue stabs a minion with a short sword, dealing 3 damage on a 1d4+1 roll. The minion still has DR 2/- left in the round, your sorcerer blasts him with a 3rd level magic missile, dealing 1d4 +1 and 1d4+1, 2, and 5 damage, a minion with HP 4 would be unconscious and out fo the fight..
Saves: as Race or class dictates.
Skills: as Race or Class Dictates.
Stats: 3 10’s and 3 11’s as appropriate for class, plus racial modifiers.
Note: This kind of NPC is still a ‘person’ in the game; they should have skills, feats, and back stories. You just haven’t written them yet, they deserve a chance to live, even though they just suck at life. A player wizard, who walks up and punches a ‘warrior’ minion in the face, should still get his butt kicked in a fist fight. Just as a Wizard minion should shoot a magic missile. Minions should stick to the base 4 classes, Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Sorcerer/Wizard. Or common equivalent, warrior, expert or adept. Minions should be difficult to defeat for 1st to 3rd level characters, but a couple of minions should be a breeze for any 5th level character.
If the only reason you’re making minions easy to kill is so you have less stuff you have to track you’re doing for the wrong reason.
Elf Archer Minion CR 1/2
XP 200
Male Elf Warrior 1
CN Medium humanoid
Init +1 Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 15 touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+2 Leather, +1 Dex, +2 Circumstance)
HP 4hp (1d10-1 con)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +0 (+2 vs. Enchantment)
Defensive Abilities: DR 5/- Immune Magical Sleep
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Attacks
Long Bow +3 (1d8+1)
Long Sword +1 (1d8)
Special Attacks
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 10
Base Atk +1 CMB +1 CMD 12
Feats: Point Blank Shot (Calculated in)
Skills: Climb +4, Perception +3, Ride +5.
Languages: Common and Elven
SQ: Elven Immunities, Elven Magic, and Keen Senses.
Combat Gear: Long Bow, Long Sword, 20 Arrows, Leather Armor.