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I am having some issues doing conversions and some issues working with designs. There's DANG few solo critters. Encounter design in 4.0 is clearly focused on neat combinations of bad guys. It starts with a team of five at the correct level for the party, which makes for some great encounters, however, they all seem to have the smae countour. I am really trying to rework the surface of the enounter pacing with different size encoutners, especially smaller ones.
There are dang few solo critters or animals and this has been a problem for me. In previous editions I would just choose a higher level single critter and uncork it by its lonesome.
The "add half level to everything mechanic including AC" makes this harder to do, as there is a fair chance the target is unhittable. Anybody played with this?
3.0/3.5 suffered from too much focus on one big bad guy. 4.0 seems stuck at the other end of the spectrum.
Has anyone else run into this as an issue? Any thoughts as to how to solve? Any successful conversion into solo critters?
The "add half level to everything mechanic including AC" makes this harder to do, as there is a fair chance the target is unhittable. Anybody played with this?...Has anyone else run into this as an issue? Any thoughts as to how to solve? Any successful conversion into solo critters?
One nice thing here in 4e is that it's a lot more modular, and the parts are pretty plug and play. If I wanted to take a team player monster--lets say a Hook Horror, and turn it into a solo monster, this would be my process:
It's level 13, the same level as an eye of flame beholder (AC 26) or adult blue dragon (AC 30). At 28 I'd say its right where it needs to be. Really where it needs beefed up is in hit points (137 vs. 240/655 for the other two). It needs at least double it's hit point pool, but really you can do what you want here depending on how much fight you want it to have. If you want a burly brawl with lots of shock and awe you could increase it to a huge creature. That would be awesome. Alternately you could give it more stealthy attacks and turn it into a subterranian lurker/striker type. I personally think that would be more fun. The rending hooks ability is fine if you have backup, but really it does more to tie up a hook horror as a single combatant than it helps. I'd give it a fury attack where it gets two attacks on a target with combat advantage, a runby attack where it can attack at any point during it's movement, and an ability to fade into the shadows and be hidden. Maybe once per encounter it can clamber around on the cieling and drop down adjacent to any PC and get combat advantage. That could make a scary opening move.
The advice I would give is to shop around within creatures of about the same level, focus on controlling, multi-target or hit and fade abilities that keep the flavor of the creature. Bigger creatures or stealthier versions of creatures are always fun. The new game is really modular though, and encourages a lot of mix and matching. Take advantage of that and have fun with it.
What about using templates?
In the DM's Toolbox section of the DMG it tell you how to upgrade a normal monster to an Elite, and then upgrade it to a Solo.
Its something along the lines of 5xHP, +2 to 3 defenses, make one of its encounter abilities at-will and a few other things.
Looking at the by-the-book recommendations for making monsters fill different niches, I don't know if I'd use them as much more than a shakey guideline. It seems like you'd get a lot of wonk with that. Seems to me like it'd be best to just go off other similar critters for a good baseline and fill the rest of it with flavorful options so the monster will be able to do all the things it should be able to do.
Granted some of the stuff--like what the DCs are for its attacks, what kind of damage it should do, and the like are clearly tied to the level progression math (and have less to do with flavor as much as level anyway) but on the whole it's good to put flavor and story first as much as possible.
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Guys: Give this a smell test if you could. I am converting D0 over and this is my version of the Tatzlwyrm. Really didn't want to give up the feeling of this as a solo brute in the structure of the story.
I am especially concerned over HP. I went with brute as I want the players to be horrified when it does hit, based on its damage. However, if I take it to soldier its attacks become more accurate, and I am worried that it won't do to good a job getting ahold of anyone as a brute. If I go soldier, I would scale back its damage to mid range.
Finally, solos get 8 hp times level as a base. Brutes actually get 10. Should I be bumping the hps to 10 instead of 8? It would seem to me yes, but my strictest read of the rules indicates no. Gonna be building quite a few solos moving forward, so I will vet them here if you folks don't mind.
Tatzlwyrm Level 2 Solo Brute
medium natural beast (reptile) XP 625
Initiative +3 Senses Perception +7
HP 140 (8 x level +1 +Con)x4; Bloodied 70
AC 17; Fortitude 17, Reflex 15, Will 12
Saving Throws +5
Speed 6
Action Points 2
m Bite (standard; at-will) +6 vs. AC; 2d6+3 and the target is grabbed.
m Constrict (standard; at-will)
Affects a target the Tatzlwyrm has grabbed; +4 vs. Fortitude; 2d6+3 damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the Tatlzwyrm’s’s next turn.
m Pounce (standard; at will)
When the Tatzlwyrm charges, it does an additional 1d6 worth of damage and knocks its target prone
Poison Breath (minor; at will)
Affects a target the Tatzlwyrm has grabbed as the Tatzlwyrm breathes its noxious breath upon the player.; +3 vs. Fortitude; target takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends).
Alignment Unaligned Languages —
Str 16 (+4) Dex 15 (+3) Wis 12 (+2)
Con 18 (+5) Int 3 (–3) Cha 12 (+2)
Nope, based on the DMG, your hit point totals are correct for a solo brute of its level. I did notice a couple of problems with your monster:
1. Its a solo monster, but it doesn't have any abilities that affect multiple opponents or that give it multiple standard actions (other than the action points). All of its attacks basically are driven by its bite.
2. The pounce doesn't require an action as its part of a charge, which is a standard action.
3. The breath weapon doesn't have a damage keyword. I'm assuming its supposed to be poison damage.
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Nope, based on the DMG, your hit point totals are correct for a solo brute of its level. I did notice a couple of problems with your monster:
1. Its a solo monster, but it doesn't have any abilities that affect multiple opponents or that give it multiple standard actions (other than the action points). All of its attacks basically are driven by its bite.
The base critter didn't so I didn't add it in. It's a weakness. I suppose I could give it a "clawing burst" attack where it attacks everything in one square of it. The old design was grab, chew, move to the next. I think the dramtic tension of the fight boils down to "Get it off me!"
2. The pounce doesn't require an action as its part of a charge, which is a standard action.
doh
3. The breath weapon doesn't have a damage keyword. I'm assuming its supposed to be poison damage.
You are right.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Nope, based on the DMG, your hit point totals are correct for a solo brute of its level. I did notice a couple of problems with your monster:
1. Its a solo monster, but it doesn't have any abilities that affect multiple opponents or that give it multiple standard actions (other than the action points). All of its attacks basically are driven by its bite.
The base critter didn't so I didn't add it in. It's a weakness. I suppose I could give it a "clawing burst" attack where it attacks everything in one square of it. The old design was grab, chew, move to the next. I think the dramtic tension of the fight boils down to "Get it off me!"
What about giving it an ability to react to attacks made when not its turn? Or, something like it gets an immediate action attack when bloodied ("Oh shit - you pissed it off!").
I think the worry with solo monsters is that without extra actions, you can have a very anti-climactic battle. Imagine if you roll badly on each attack roll - the PCs may never need to get it off because it can't get on. I suppose there's always action points, but you might also give it a once per encounter reroll ability to make sure it actually does hit.
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Mk 2
Tatzlwyrm Level 2 Solo Soldier
large natural beast (reptile) XP 625
Initiative +5 Senses Perception +7
HP 140 (8 x level +1 +Con)x4; Bloodied 70
AC 18; Fortitude 17, Reflex 15, Will 12
Saving Throws +5
Speed 6
Action Points 2
m Bite (standard; at-will) +9 vs. AC; 1d10+3 and the target is grabbed.
m Constrict (standard; at-will)
Affects a target the Tatzlwyrm has grabbed; +7 vs. Fortitude; 1d10+3 damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the Tatlzwyrm’s’s next turn.
m Pounce
When the Tatzlwyrm charges, it does an additional 1d6 worth of damage and knocks its target prone
Poison Breath (minor; at will) Poison
Affects a target the Tatzlwyrm has grabbed as the Tatzlwyrm breathes its noxious breath upon the player; +3 vs. Fortitude; target takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends).
Ptoouie (standard, at will)
The Tatzlwyrm spits its current victim at nearby companion who is no more than three squares away. +7 vs. reflex for each, 1d10+3 damage. Both targets are prone.
miss both targets are prone
Thrash (free, when first bloodied; encounter)
Immediately upon being bloodied the Tatzlwyrm lashes out at all around it. Close burst 1, +7 vs. AC, 2d6+3 damage
Alignment Unaligned Languages —
Str 16 (+4) Dex 15 (+3) Wis 12 (+2)
Con 18 (+5) Int 3 (–3) Cha 12 (+2)
That's a nice monster. I'm still in the middle of KotS so I haven't begun developing my own monsters in earnest yet (I'm not running the other modules, just the first because it helped me get off the ground). I'm looking forward to creating a few, including a remake of the forvalaka from the Black Company books, with Elites as the normal members and a big Solo for the ancient one.