Was just putting together a high level NPC (Rakshasa prince) for my campaign, and I was wondering how having multiple heads would effect your vulnerability to flanking? Ettins and Hydras don;t have any special considerations in this regard, but for a more intelligent creature, would allowing to to have essentially Imp Uncanny Dodge be too much?
Monsters that have such an ability have it described in their stat block. If the monster as written doesn't have it, don't start making assumptions about what it should have.
Of course, there's no reason you couldn't just give the guy some rogue levels....
What would be a good example of such a critter?
FIWI, since i'm ramping up a base Rakshasa quite a bit, the book stat blocks are more like "guidelines" for me anyway :)
The gibbering mouther, which has all-around vision.
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What would be a good example of such a critter?
FIWI, since i'm ramping up a base Rakshasa quite a bit, the book stat blocks are more like "guidelines" for me anyway :)
The old school beholder used to be that way.
But then for some reason they all magically disappeared, and are no longer a problem for our party of adventurers... beautiful
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Well of course you can change anything you like in your own home campaign and feel free to do so. Technically speaking though flanking has nothing to do with all around vision or 360 situational awareness. It is simply a matter of having no safe place to move when flanked on opposite sides. Both opponents can attack left and right and you can't move forward or retreat. There is literally no safe place within easy step or dodge distance to allow for moving away from an incoming attack. Also good opponents would specifically attack from opposite directions or await your attempted dodge then attack where your moving to. It is very difficult to commit to a move then redirect your momentum and then try to re-redirect again. That is why flanking works IMO.
Technically speaking though flanking has nothing to do with all around vision or 360 situational awareness.
Note that all-around vision is a specific extraordinary ability that negates flanking (thus my reference to the gibbering mouther, which has said ability...the xorn is another OGC example). For these creatures at least, it is indeed about being able to see on all sides rather than having a safe place to move.
For the OP, you could consider adding a feat for All-Around Vision, with the requirement of having 2+ heads. Then you can upgrade creatures and have a specific cost.
Thanks all. I also noticed the Medusa has this special quality, due to her snake hair, and she is only a CR7, so adding it to my CR Mid teens critter isn't that big of a deal. The PCs are not really supposed to fight him anyway, but....