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Switch to Forum Live View Poll: Monster Block Layout
8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 6:23AM #1
mellored
Date Joined: Jul 8, 2008
Posts: 19,468
Which do you prefer?

A) Full, Verbose Text.
An Ooze has no set form, which allows it to squeeze though small openings without penalties and cannot be knocked prone.


B) Short, Codified Text
Immunity: Prone, squeezing (formless)


C) Somewhere in between
Trait: Formless
Can move though small openings and is immune to prone.


D) Both.
An Ooze has no set form, which allows it to squeeze though small openings without penalties and cannot be knocked prone.  (Immunity: Prone, squeezing)

E) Other.


Totals:  (post #50)
A: 1
B: 11.5
C: 5.5
D: 18
E: 1


Conclusion: D has a good lead.  B comes in second though often with a "in the adventure module" qualifier.  D also alienates the lest number of people, given those who want quick run-time code have it, and those who want full fluff have it.
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F-111 Interdictor Long (200+ squares) distance ally teleporter.  With some warlord stuff.  Broken in a plot way, not a power way.
Thought Switch   Higher level build that grants upto 14 attacks on turn 1.  If your allies play along, it's broken.
Elven Critters Crit op with crit generation.  5 of these will end anything.  Broken.
King Fisher Does an excellent job at keeping an enemy disabled in a few ways.  Strong.
Boominator Fun catch-22 booming blade build with either strong or completely broken damage depending on your reading.
Very Distracting Warlock Lot's of dazing and major penalties to hit.  Overpowered.
Pocket Protector Pixie Stealth Knight. Maximizing the defender's aura by being in an ally's/enemy's square.
Yakuza NinjIntimiAdin: Perma-stealth Striker that offers a little protection for ally's, and can intimidate bloodied enemies. Very Strong.
Chargeburgler with cheese Ranged attacks at the end of a charge along with perma-stealth. Solid, could be overpowered if tweaked.
Void Defender Defends giving a penalty to hit anyone but him, then removing himself from play. Can get somewhat broken in epic.
Scry and Die Attacking from around corners, while staying hidden. Moderate to broken, depending on the situation.
Skimisher Fly in, attack, and fly away. Also prevents enemies from coming close. Moderate to Broken depending on the enemy, but shouldn't make the game un-fun, as the rest of your team is at risk, and you have enough weaknesses.
Indestructible Simply won't die, even if you sleep though combat.
Sir Robin (Bravely Charge Away) He automatically slows and pushes an enemy (5 squares), while charging away. Hard to rate it's power level, since it's terrain dependent.
Death's Gatekeeper A fun twist on a healic, making your party "unkillable". Overpowered to Broken, but shouldn't actually make the game un-fun, just TPK proof.
Death's Gatekeeper mk2, (Stealth Edition) Make your party "unkillable", and you hidden, while doing solid damage. Stronger then the above, but also easier for a DM to shut down. Broken, until your DM get's enough of it.
Domination and Death Dominate everything then kill them quickly. Only works @ 30, but is broken multiple ways.
Battlemind Mc Prone-Daze Protecting your allies by keeping enemies away. Quite powerful.
The Retaliator Getting hit deals more damage to the enemy then you receive yourself, and you can take plenty of hits. Heavy item dependency, Broken.
Dead Kobold Transit Teleports 98 squares a turn, and can bring someone along for the ride. Not fully built, so i can't judge the power
Psilent Guardian Protect your allies, while being invisible. Overpowered, possibly broken
Unnamed Avenger|Runepriest/Hammer of Vengance Do lot's of damage while boosting your teams. Strong to slightly overpowered.
Charedent BarrageA charging ardent. Fine in a normal team, overpowered if there are 2 together, and easily broken in teams of 5.
Super Knight A tough, sticky, high damage knight. Strong.
Super Duper Knight Basically the same as super knight, only far more broken.
Mora, the unkillable avenger Solid damage, while being neigh indestuctable. Overpowered, but not broken.
Swordburst Maximus At-Will Close Burst 3 that slide and prones.  Protects allies with off actions. Strong, possibly over powered with the right party.
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 6:35AM #2
jonathan_sicari
Date Joined: Sep 1, 2008
Posts: 3,350
B
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 6:36AM #3
CarlT
Date Joined: Apr 10, 2009
Posts: 2,878
B


Both - actually.

In the adventure text where the creature is encountered, I want B.  At the end of the adventure where I can look up the details I want A. 

If creatures occur more than once in an adventure -this saves quite a bit of space, if creatures only occur once it adds a small amount of space.  But I think its organizational advantages (what I really need to run the adventure is right there as long as I refresh my memory about the defined terms ahead of time - and if I forget I can always reference them.)



Something like (to choose one of the more complex entries):

Drow (Medium humanoid - elf); HP 27 (6d8); AC 15; SDCIWC 10/15/10/13/14/12; Light Sensitivity, Magic Resistance, Stealthy +5; Multiattack (2 attacks; either or both of longsword or hand crossbow); Melee:  Longsword +3 for 1d8+2 slashing; Ranged: Hand Crossbow +3 (r30/120) for 1d6+4 & Drow Poison (DC 12); Darkfire (1/day); Darkness (1/day). L3Elite (350 XP).

This does require certain terms to be defined (which is why we put that information in the back) - but at the same time, once I have run Drow a few times I really won't need to keep looking up Drow Poison, Darkfire or Darkness anymore either.

This gives the greatest benefit to the newbie DM (the information is there) and the experienced DM (the information is minimized so that it doesn't take space away from the more important parts of the encounter).


Carl
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:00AM #4
Hocus-Smokus
Date Joined: Apr 12, 2008
Posts: 7,208
B

Since somewhere within the rules it actually describes what "Immunity: Prone, squeezing (formless)" means, I don't/won't need it repeated for every monster that possesses it.

A properly laid-lout Monster Manual (or whatever delivery system they use for monsters) will have clearly-defined conditions/abilities/etc. listed, usually before the monster entires in achapter of their own. That and, if you can't figure out what "Immunity: Prone, squeezing (formless)" means in relation to an ooze, then I'm not sure just how much detail needs to be added for you to figure it out. As long as they use common-sense words, it should be easy enough to figure out without needing a description accompanying each entry.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:11AM #5
Monsieur_Moustache
Date Joined: Aug 13, 2004
Posts: 1,476
B
"They are making it clear that when modern design and common sense come into conflict with tradition, tradition wins." - thecasualoblivion
"Vancian isn't broken, you just have to set your game to the wizard's clock!" - Oxybe
"In many ways, making a new edition of D&D is alot like trying to sell a car to the Amish." - Dwarfslayer
"Encounters are the heart of the AD&D game" - PHB AD&D 2nd edition.
"you shouldn't even bother trying to become like me." - Gary Gygax (Elfcrusher confirmed)

"Feel free to claim I said anything you like. How's someone going to call you out on it? Are they going to be all like, 'I know all of the things that Gary said, and that's not one of them?'"
- Gary Gygax
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:16AM #6
Daganev
Date Joined: May 30, 2010
Posts: 1,335
C, I hate looking up what terms mean.

Especially since B is going to look like this:

Ooze:  Traits: Formless, Underground, Climber

Immunity won't be there. 
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:16AM #7
LupusRegalis
Date Joined: Dec 15, 2009
Posts: 362
C

I like having good descriptions of the Monster, how it acts and what it is.  I also like easily defined and looked-up Traits that might be plugged into any Monster that shares that common feature.
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:34AM #8
sleypy
Date Joined: Jun 1, 2011
Posts: 1,353
D) Other

An Ooze has no set form, which allows it to squeeze though small openings without penalties and cannot be knocked prone. (Immunity: prone, squeezing)
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Imagine a world where the first-time D&D player rolls stats, picks a race, picks a class, picks an alignment, and buys gear to create a character. Imagine if an experienced player, maybe the person helping our theoretical player learn the ropes, could also make a character by rolling ability scores and picking a race, class, feat, skills, class features, spells or powers, and so on. Those two players used different paths to build characters, but the system design allows them to play at the same table. -Mearl
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:36AM #9
Hocus-Smokus
Date Joined: Apr 12, 2008
Posts: 7,208
Seems so redundant to me.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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8 months ago  ::  Sep 28, 2012 - 7:42AM #10
Daganev
Date Joined: May 30, 2010
Posts: 1,335

Sep 28, 2012 -- 7:36AM, Hocus-Smokus wrote:

Seems so redundant to me.


You don't have to look up what the terms mean, but once you know the terms, you also don't have to read all the text.  Seems like a win/win to me.

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