tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post5143081117841566793..comments2024-03-27T22:32:17.055-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: fine tuning your monstersJeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-71445617848357690592012-11-08T21:34:36.492-06:002012-11-08T21:34:36.492-06:00> And don't hesitate to just flat out steal...> And don't hesitate to just flat out steal stat blocks. Maybe you campaign world doesn't need<br />> ogres as such, but if you want to quickly stat up some sort of big angry gronk, there's four<br />> hit dice of grumpy waiting to be used.<br /><br />That's such simple and such obvious advice, and yet I find myself forgetting it and rediscovering it time and again.Luke Styerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05225900590722737581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-53360078170002882702012-11-08T20:56:09.082-06:002012-11-08T20:56:09.082-06:00Other things I like to do:
Be like the _Iliad_ an...Other things I like to do:<br /><br />Be like the _Iliad_ and give all the intelligent monsters a name (obviously only works in not-enormous dungeon settings), but, for instance:<br /><br />Hubert is an owlbear mage. He's not a very good mage: he knows only one spell, Shocking Grasp. HD 5+2, HP 26, AC 15, claw+2/claw+2/bite+3 (1d6/1d6/1d12). If both claws hit, he can hug that target for 2d8 each additional round. His spellbook (folio sized, weighs six pounds) is written in crayon. He has 33 gp, several books (worth 1-4 gp each), a bottle full of green vapor that if broken or opened casts Stinking Cloud, and a potion of Invisibility.<br /><br />Maybe your players will find out that all their opponents have names and hobbies. Maybe not.<br /><br />In my current game, all humanoids are goblins. But "goblin" can encompass everything from "boggart" to "ogre," and there's a wild range of goblin morphology. (Yeah, stolen from _GURPS: Goblins_). It's also the case that Gaxen Kane is basically 1830s London, while Vornheim is Early Modern Leipzig. Which caused some consternation among the players when they realized that goblin society looks down its (multifariously-shaped) noses at the humans across the river.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06368676086759298705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-31065338856558568052012-11-08T19:56:19.692-06:002012-11-08T19:56:19.692-06:00This is a very fun post and a nice twist on the us...This is a very fun post and a nice twist on the usual, "Make your Orcs purple and give them tails. Now they're totally new and different!"<br /><br />While I am not D&D focused (I'm barely D&D tolerant!), I can certainly appreciate this approach. I tend to do things a bit differently but I can see the appeal of a more concise and tailored Monster list.Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-11050192294220115402012-11-08T18:12:39.590-06:002012-11-08T18:12:39.590-06:00Yep, the people I play with generally don't ha...Yep, the people I play with generally don't have any idea what different monsters should be like in D&D, or any other Fantasy particularly. I've actually had two different players ask me seriously "What's a Mace?" so far. So I generally keep everything as the book says, with a couple of exceptions. The big one is Goblins, Bugbears, and Hobgoblins, which spontaneously spawn in dark spaces, to try to get around the Baby Orc problem a bit (though Orcs themselves still have Babies).TimPhttp://blog.timp.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-67646477315979548692012-11-08T13:59:11.072-06:002012-11-08T13:59:11.072-06:00Your examples of punish and confuse are only punis...Your examples of punish and confuse are only punishing or confusing if you're playing with dudes who've been steeped in D&D for decades. <br /><br />While this is typical, particularly with old school D&D, if we're making any efforts to grow the hobby, you'll have folks at the table for whom there are *no* expectations for trolls or, at best, expect them to turn to stone in sunlight like in Tolkien.cappadociushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03444938548248623609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-16775823921002719742012-11-08T13:21:40.899-06:002012-11-08T13:21:40.899-06:00Hey, glad you're back. I tend to run fairly sh...Hey, glad you're back. I tend to run fairly short campaigns- usually lasting 3-6 months and coming to a definite end. I usually rotate out the monsters I use between campaigns, choosing them based on the player's abilities (I want a good solid fight) and whatever theme that campaign is riffing on. The only critters that consistently show up in every campaign are Goblins, Orcs, Zombies, Dinosaurs and the occasional Displacer Beast. <br /><br />The first four monsters just provide good, generic brawls that can be slotted in anywhere, and the last 'standard monster' is included simply because Displacer Beasts are among my favorite D&D monsters. Chris A. Fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861255455468441444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-36242659484757904642012-11-08T13:07:02.431-06:002012-11-08T13:07:02.431-06:00I'm impressed that in between scoffing at unde...I'm impressed that in between scoffing at undergrads, crashing keggers and bagging sorority babes you actually managed a post of some substance. Glad to see you're still on your game.Timrod https://www.blogger.com/profile/15308269015770538709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-29291082553000443842012-11-08T12:02:30.715-06:002012-11-08T12:02:30.715-06:00Im affable ... Im hip.
I groom my players for AD&...Im affable ... Im hip.<br /><br />I groom my players for AD&D. All DMs worthy of the name should be creative, and creative DMs are not beholden to others or the books. This ... 'flailsnails' jazz is an anti-creative force and I don't think much of the idea.Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-59352584839049311172012-11-08T10:28:04.376-06:002012-11-08T10:28:04.376-06:00When I'm changing well-known critters, I think...When I'm changing well-known critters, I think to myself, "Do I want to reward player expectations, punish them, or just confuse them?" Reward is like, they expect trolls to die from acid and fire so I have them die from acid and fire. Punish is, trolls regeneration faster when hit with acid and fire. Confuse is, trolls are actually really friendly if you talk to them OR they only die from magic weapons regardless of fire or acid.<br /><br />I don't do <i>too</i> much of "punish" or "confuse," but throwing them in will get players to have their characters verify in-game what they expect out of game. "I know trolls die from acid and fire, but I'm paying that sage for his advice just to make sure."Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-46654287883732517002012-11-08T09:53:32.196-06:002012-11-08T09:53:32.196-06:00I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who ...I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who seriously trims the list of monsters from the printed sources. Piperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770517741281593733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-60244729241490972592012-11-08T09:47:03.972-06:002012-11-08T09:47:03.972-06:00Good and useful article. The comment about orcs m...Good and useful article. The comment about orcs made me laugh, as I pulled all of the traditional "evil races" from my campaign (as noted here: https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/fantasy-races-rights-and-wrongs/ ) much to the confusion of some of my players! But I feel the reasoning is valid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-34960043176901728072012-11-08T09:22:28.735-06:002012-11-08T09:22:28.735-06:00"LOL"? Not the sort of reply I expected..."LOL"? Not the sort of reply I expected from you!<br /><br />As to your question, if you've made the decision to run D&D you are participating in a set of audience expectations. You can of course completely alienate the players if you so desire, but don't be surprised if you lose some players that way. It's a matter of balancing practical table concerns with the DM's creative urges. I obviously lean more towards achieving consensus with the players than you do. Which is fine, as long as you can still recruit players and I can avoid producing lowest common denominator drivel.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-12768918435424701712012-11-08T09:17:08.099-06:002012-11-08T09:17:08.099-06:00I wouldn't make my cross-dressing time travell...I wouldn't make my cross-dressing time travellers "orcs" - that would be hard to reconcile with the cliches. I would use the stat block for my transvestite space monkies though. New nobsters are great for flailsnails - they create aprehension and the joy of discovery!Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-73514532644002520702012-11-08T09:14:12.030-06:002012-11-08T09:14:12.030-06:00I ran a BX game once where the skeletons were inte...I ran a BX game once where the skeletons were intelligent, but could only communicate in pantomime. Oddly, they could understand you perfectly, they just couldn't communicate. This would have probably led to a stereotype that all undead talk with their hands.Doctor Checkmatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03143754884881860130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-61887097408882516182012-11-08T08:33:58.752-06:002012-11-08T08:33:58.752-06:00Prune the list, tweak things a bit here and there,...Prune the list, tweak things a bit here and there, always good ideas.<br />There is a strange balancing act beteen the lingua franca and originality, most players want something new that is still understandable and comfortable.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-4857573787498662272012-11-08T08:22:30.914-06:002012-11-08T08:22:30.914-06:00Sprites are "very curious". What sort o...<i>Sprites are "very curious". What sort of trouble could they get into?</i><br /><br />Use inquisitive Sprites as a verminous infestation that offers the same problems and potential as <i>Gammarauders</i> Factoids. I could go comic relief or Terry Gilliam with that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-14945815950288915182012-11-08T07:57:09.330-06:002012-11-08T07:57:09.330-06:00>> Too much of that robs D&D of the ling...>> Too much of that robs D&D of the lingu franca status that allows things like FLAILSNAILS to really work<br /><br />LOL. Why should a DM give a shit about the 'linga franca' and flailsnails at the expense of being creative?Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-39248062712764332872012-11-08T06:34:58.873-06:002012-11-08T06:34:58.873-06:00Solid.
Welcome back.
"emphasize the stuff you...Solid.<br />Welcome back.<br />"emphasize the stuff you have yet to take full advantage of. "<br />Food for thought hereZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.com