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• Nov 4, 2019

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Vrock

  

  This is part of a series! Go here to see the other entries.

  Vrocks have been in D&D for a long time now. They look like humanoid buzzards, covered in dirty feathers and the occasional spike. A pair of functional wings sprouts from their back, and they have lizard tails. They’re on both the MM and the MV.

  The Lore

  Vrocks have Int 12 but that doesn’t see to do them any good. Vrocks are famously disloyal even among demons, betraying their current master as soon as someone they see as stronger comes around. They’ll also frequently plot to overthrow their superiors, though those schemes rarely amount to anything. In other words, Vrocks behave just like Starscream! I can totally see a band of them pledging loyalty to the PCs during an adventure, pinky-swearing they’ll turn good, and backstabbing them in the worst possible moment. The PCs ḱnow it’s coming, and the vrocks know the PCs know. How far can the PCs take this alliance before it falls apart?

  Aside from plotting and backstabbing, vrocks like to engage in wholesome demonic pasttimes such as tearing people to pieces while laughing maniacally.

  The Numbers

  The MM Vrock is a Large Elemental Humanoid (demon), and a Level 13 Skirmisher with 132 HP. It has darkvision and variable resistance 10 (2/encounter). It flies with speed 8 and moves on land at speed 6.

  Its basic attack is a Reach 2 claw, and they can make a Flyby Attack where they fly their speed and make a claw attack at any point along the way. This doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from the target of the claw.

  They can also let loose a Stunning Screech that recharges on a 6, targets the Fortitude of everyone on a Close Burst 3 and stuns affected targets for a turn. This is not a selective attack, so the vrock’s allies can potentially be affected by it!

  When first bloodied, the vrock emits a cloud of Spores of Madness in a Close Burst 2. This targets the Will of any non-demons in the area, does poison damage, and dazes (save ends). So I guess this is what they have instead of blood?

  The MV Vrock loses its Stunning Screech and has fixed damage math, but is otherwise identical.

  Final Impressions

  I thought I was in for another bland rage machine, but what I got was Vulture Starscream! They’re nifty. I’m a bit divided on the removal of the Stunning Screech in the MV update. On the one hand stuns are rough, and non-selective area attacks are a pain for your teammates. On the other hand it captures the vrock’s Chronic Backstabbing Syndrome so well!

• Oct 29, 2019

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Mezzodemon

  

  The Lore

  Anyone who is familiar with the cosmology on 3e and earlier knows it tried really hard to have an Official Outsider for every box in the alignment grid. Devils were Lawful Evil, Demons (our current subject) were Chaotic Evil. And then someone created the Daemons, which served the double purpose of filling that Neutral Evil box on the chart and having every possible spelling of a word be a different monster.

  Mezzodaemons were a type of daemon. Since 4e doesn’t try to follow either of those directives above, these monsters have dropped their extraneous vowels and are now Mezzodemons, belonging to the “demon” category. They look like upright, human sized, trident-wielding bugs.

  These fellows are rather “quirky” as far as demons go, because their main thing is greed, not unbriddled bloodlust. Rather than gathering in huge hordes and going on omnicidal rampages, they establish hidden lairs in the world or in some other plane and loot the surrounding region. Binding a mezzodemon to your service is as easy as paying it. Of course, they still like killing. They just think it’s even more fun when they get paid to do it and loot the bodies afterwards. So basically, mezzodemons are demonic murderhobos. They are only on the Monster Manual.

  The Numbers

  Mezzodemons are Medium Elemental Humanoids (demons), and Level 11 Soldiers with 113 HP. They have Resist Poison 20, and variable resistance 10 switchable 2 times per encounter. They see with darkvision and run at speed 6.

  Their basic attack is a Reach 2 trident, and they also have an ability called Skewering Tines. This is a trident attack that also does ongoing damage and restrains (save ends). While the demon is restraining someone in this way, it can’t make any trident attacks.

  They can also breathe poison on enemies in a Close Blast 3, targeting Fortitude and doing both immediate and ongoing poison damage to any enemy they it. This recharges on a 5-6, and the fact that it’s a selective attack suggests interesting things. Maybe it’s a series of targetted squirts instead of a cloud? Or maybe it is a cloud, but the poison is made of pure evil and anyone who hangs out with mezzodemons is likely to be immune to it.

  Mezzodemons are clearly meant to be team players. Maybe they engage your defenders and restrain them while their buddies attack your back line. Or maybe they do that to the mobile strikers instead, allowing those buddies to more effectively gang up on them.

  The sample encounter is Level 11: 2 mezzodemons working as a mercenary for a party of 2 drow warriors and 1 drow arachnomancer. This is a nasty combination indeed, because those warriors just love to have restrained PCs to gang up on.

  Final Impressions

  Mezzodemons are not too exotic number-wise, but they have quite a bit of personality and a reason to hang out with any evil group who can afford to pay them. They work both as early opposition in a demon focused paragon arc, or as “spice” to other evil factions. I like them more than goristros, that’s for sure.

• Oct 26, 2019

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Marilith

  

  This is part of a series! Go here to see the other entries.

  I think I’ve finally figured out what distinguishes a humanoid from a magical beast in 4e. Does it have hands? If it does it’s a humanoid, if it doesn’t it’s a magical beast.

  That’s the only explanation that makes sense for why a Marilith is a Large Elemental Humanoid (demon), despite being a six-armed lady with the lower body of a snake. With succubi having become devils (more on that later), mariliths have the distinction of being the most human-looking of demons. Some people even find them sexy. Yes, I’m talking about you, dear Monster Musume fans.

  These demons have been a part of the game for a long time, and are iconic enough to exist both in the Monster Manual and on the Monster Vault. The two versions are mostly identical, but we’ll still look at them separately here.

  Mariliths are among some of the most intelligent demons at Int 14, losing only to the Glabrezu in that field. Their appetite for destruction takes on a more refined shape than usual: they are obsessed with martial skill, so they look for tough opponents to fight and tend to take their gear as trophies. They store these trophies in secret stashes on the Abyss or in the world, presumably to prevent other demons from stealing them. It seems to me that looting such a stash is a sure way to incur their wrath, which makes it a nice hook. Yuan-Ti who turn to demonology are big fans of mariliths.

  Mariliths are usually armed with six swords, one for each hand, though you could mix and match the weapons if you wanted. In previous editions the weapons would sometimes take a backseat to their many spell-like abilities, but here they are definitely the main event.

  Both versions of the Marilith are Level 24 Elite Skirmishers: they’re pretty high up in the demonic hierarchy, such as it is. Their skill list backs this up: they’re trained in Perception, Bluff, Insight, Intimidate, and Stealth. Yes, mariliths can socialize if they feel the need. Their descriptions in other editions tend to describe them as excellent tactitians and commanders, and this definitely fits this incarnation as well.

  Marilith (Monster Manual)

  The MM Marilith has 440 HP, Darkvision, and Variable Resistance 20 (switchable 3x/encounter). They move at Speed 8.

  Their basic attack is a scimitar, which is quite weak due to the math bug but has the High Critical property. Their most commonly used attack is Shroud of Steel, which allows them to make two scimitar attacks and use the other weapons to parry, granting itself a +4 bonus to AC for a turn.

  Whenever an adjacent enemy misses the marilith with a melee attack, it can make a free scimitar attack against then. And twice per encounter (once at the start, once after being bloodied) they can perform the Weapon Dance, which allows them to make six scimitar attacks, shifting 1 square between each one.

  Marilith (MV)

  As stated earlier, the MV Marilith is very similar to the MM one. It has 436 HP instead of 440 and slightly different defenses, but retains the extensive skill list.

  The main changes are in its attacks. The damage on the basic scimitar attack has been fixed, but it no longer has High Critical. Shroud of Steel now gives it a +6 to AC. It is otherwise identical.

  Tactics and Encounters

  Fighting a Marilith is much like fighting a blender. Ranged attacks are much safer than melee combat against them, but they’re fast, smart and will have backup from other demons when encountered. You could give it some out-of-combat rituals or abilities that allow it to prepare the terrain in advance, adding obscuring or blocking features that limit the PC’s ability to stay away and attack it from range. Or perhaps it just chooses a battlefield that already has all of that and baits the PCs into it.

  The sample encounter in the MM is level 23, a marilith and four hezrou. The toad goons are just the thing to keep the fighters occupied while their boss slithers towards the squishies.

• Oct 19, 2019

  Dungeon Fantasy Character: Broken Jar, Catfolk Martial Artist

  

  Broken Jar was abandoned at the gates of a far-off monastery when he was a baby, and was raised by monks his whole life. This particular monastery sends its initiates out as mendicants once their basic training is completed, with the intent that they return humbler and wiser after a while.

  So it was with Broken Jar, who gladly started his journey. He met many of his fellow monks who were on their way back, having judged they saw enough of the world. He himself never quite got to that point. He always looked to the next hill and longed to see what lay beyond it. New places to see, new people to meet, new villains to punch. And so Broken Jar kept wandering.

  Truth be told, he’s not quite sure how he got here. This place is so different from the lands of his childhood that he doesn’t think he could have gotten here with just a few weeks of hiking. Is he even in the same continent? The same world? Finding the answer to that is sure to be fun, and in the meantime there’s so much more to see around here! This wanderer is in absolutely no rush to go back home.

  Broken Jar’s specialty is fighting unarmed, or with a staff. As he is now, his damage falls short of what a Weapon Master Knight can manage, but he does have plenty of interesting tricks to use and can do cutting damage with while unarmed thanks to his claws. Earned points should likely go towards increased combat skills and power-ups that add to his unarmed damage.

  The catfolk racial template I used for him is more similar to the one I wrote up for Elder Scrolls Khajit than the one in DF: Adventurers, which is really quite “busy” and burnened by typical “cat” psychological disadvantages that don’t really fit this particular character.

  Broken Jar, 250-Point Catfolk Martial Artist

  ST 11 {10}; DX 16 {120}; IQ 10 {0}; HT 12 {20}

  Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 12.1kg; HP 11; Will 11 {5}; Per 10; FP 12; Basic Speed 7.00; Basic Move 8 {5}.

  Advantages

  • Catfall {10}
  • Combat Reflexes {15}
  • Chi Talent 2 {30}
  • Night Vision 8 {8}
  • Sharp Claws {5}
  • Sharp Teeth {1}
  • Temperature Tolerance 1 (Cold) {1}
  • Trained by a Master {30}

  Disadvantages

  • Disciplines of Faith (Chi Rituals) {-10}
  • Wealth (Poor) {-15}
  • Social Stigma (Minority Group) {-10}
  • Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) {-5}
  • Curious (12) {-5}
  • Selfless (12) {-5}

  Quirks

  • Foreign accent from no known region {-1}
  • Quirk-level Gluttony {-1}
  • Big-boned, not obese {-1}
  • Shouts like Bruce Lee when fighting {-1}
  • Moves in a very relaxed way out of combat {-1}

  Skills

  • Acrobatics (H) DX-1 {2} - 15
  • Climbing (A) DX-1 {1} - 15
  • First Aid (E) IQ {1} - 10
  • Judo (H) DX {4} - 16
  • Jumping (E) DX {1} - 16
  • Karate (H) DX {8} - 17
  • Meditation (H) Will-1 {2} - 10
  • Observation (A) Per-1 {1} - 9
  • Panhandling (E) IQ {1} - 10
  • Sling (H) DX-2 {1} - 14
  • Staff (H) DX {4} - 16
  • Stealth (A) DX-1 {1} - 15
  • Tactics (H) IQ {4} - 10

  Special Skills

  All include +2 from Chi Talent

  • Breath Control (A) HT+2 {2} - 13
  • Immovable Stance (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
  • Light Walk (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
  • Mental Strength (E) Will+3 {2} - 14
  • Parry Missile Weapons (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
  • Push (H) DX+1 {2} - 17
  • Throwing Art (H) DX+1 {2} - 17

  Loadout

  • Ordinary Clothing [Torso, Limbs]: Free, 1kg.
  • Quarterstaff: Damage sw+2 or thr+2 cr, Reach 1,2. $10, 2kg.
  • Heavy leather hand wraps [Hands]: Claw-adapted. DR 2. $15, 0.6kg.
  • Heavy leather boots [Feet]: Claw-adapted. DR 2. $52, 2.1kg.
  • Padded Robes [Body]: DR 1. $53, 3.1kg.
  • Pouch: Holds 1.5kg of small items. $10, 0.1kg.
    • Personal basics: $5, 0.5kg.
    • $35 in coin (1 silver, 15 copper).
  • Boomerang: Damage sw cr; Acc 2; Range x6/x10. $20, 0.5kg.

  Combat

  No Encumbrance!

  • Defenses

    • Dodge: 11
    • Parry:
      • Karate: 12F
      • Judo: 12F
      • Staff: 14
    • DR:
      • Hands/Feet: 2
      • Body: 1
    • Control:
      • 1: -2
      • 5: -4
      • 11: -6
      • 16: -8
      • 22: -12

  • Attacks

    • Judo Grapple (16): 1d-1 cr; Reach C.
    • Karate Strike (17): Reach C.
      • Punch: 1d+1 cr.
      • Claw: 1d cut.
    • Karate Kick (15): Reach C, 1. Roll DX to avoid falling on a miss.
      • Boots: 1d+2 cr.
      • Claws: 1d+1 cut.
    • Staff (16): 1d+3 cr (swing) or 1d+1 cr (thrust). Reach 1,2.
    • Thrown Boomerang (17): 1d+3 cr; Acc 2; Range 78/130.
• Oct 16, 2019

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Immolith

  

  This is part of a series! Go here to see the other entries.

  Every time you kill a demon, its soul is sent screaming back to the Abyss, where it will eventually reincarnate as a new demon. However, sometimes the process goes wrong, and a bunch of demon souls bump into each other on the way to the Abyss and fuse into a big clump. This katamari of evil can’t reincarnate properly, and instead rises as an undead demon. And this is how immoliths are made!

  Immoliths look like pillars of fire topped by a demonic skull. Many different skeletal limbs emerge from their flames, likely belonging to the original demons that make it up. As undead demons, their hate of the living is double-plus-big, and they’re as likely to be found alongside powerful undead like liches and vampires as they are with other demons. They’re only statted up in the Monster Manual.

  Immoliths are Large Elemental Magical Beasts (demon, fire, undead), and Level 15 Controllers with 153 HP and defenses a point or two lower than what you’d expect. Interestingly, they lack darkvision, but I imagine that’s not needed when you’re walking bonfire.

  Immoliths are immune to fire, disease and poison. They have Variable Resistance 15 (switchable once per encounter), and Radiant Vulnerability 10. The intense heat emanating from their bodies works as an Aura 1 that deals 10 fire damage to anyone starting their turns within it.

  Their basic attack is a Reach 4 claw that does both immediate and ongoing fire damage. Instead of that they can use a Fiery Grab against Large or smaller targets. This combines the claw attack with a grab that pulls the victim adjacent to the immolith (and into its aura). The demon can grab up to five creatures this way, and while they’re grabbed they lose any resistance they have to fire. Did you think you were safe just because you were a tiefling, fire genasi or fire sorcerer?

  As a minor action, the immolith can inflict a Deathfire Curse on someone as a Ranged 10 attack that targets Will. On a hit the target is slowed (save ends), and after they save from that they’ll take ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).

  Also as a minor action, though only once per round, it can restore 5 HP to all undead in a Close Burst 5, including itself.

  It’s not inconceivable that one of these could have the entire party grabbed and taking ongoing fire damage from their aura. People who try to run would be slowed by the Deathfire Curse, and likely by the immolith’s buddies.

  The sample encounter is level 14: one immolith, 2 vrocks, 4 mezzodemons, and 6 horde ghouls. Since it appears both mezzodemons and vrocks have means to limit a character’s mobility, my analysis above checks out.

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