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• Nov 21, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Yeti

  

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

  Yetis are inspired by real world folklore and I’m sure they showed up in a previous edition of D&D before. This seems to be their 4e debut.

  The Lore

  D&D yeti are borderline-sapient predators adapted to live in permafrost covered mountains. While they usually feed on other mountain-dwelling animals, they’re more than powerful and ferocious enough to attack people, and so everyone who lives near their habitat knows they exist. Learning how to recognize signs of yeti presence and avoid the creatures is probably a standard part of mountain survival training.

  Yetis have a well-developed sense of smell and can track prey across great distances. They hate the smell of rotting flesh, however, so leaving decomposed animal carcasses around an area can serve to keep them away. Herders also know to pay attention to their animals: if they grow too agitated for no apparent reason, it might be because they’ve sensed an approaching yeti.

  A yeti relies on its powerful muscles, sharp claws, and magic-enhanced howls to kill its prey. They don’t really have any sort of technology or a complex society, but they live in bands and work very well together. They’re smart enough to avoid large, well-armed expeditions, but they’ll be on top of any isolated stragglers before you can say “Look out, a yeti!”.

  The Numbers

  Yeti are Medium Natural Beasts with Speed 6, Ice Walk, Resist 5 Cold and Low-Light Vision. Their signature encounter power is their Fearsome Howl, a Close Blast 4 vs. Will that deals psychic damage and pushes 3 squares.

  All of the entries here have claws as their basic attacks. These don’t have any riders and are always underpowered for their level, which means they’ll use their other attacks as much as possible. Their other attacks also tend to have low-ish damage, but have interesting riders. They have an Int between 9 and 11 while still counting as Beasts, which is why I said “borderline sapient” above.

  Yeti encounters will most often be against an all-yeti group, as they don’t really ally with anyone or keep pets. For variety, you can add other opportunistic predators, or maybe a wild cold elemental or two. Also, these encounters are all pretty much guaranteed to take place in treacherous frozen mountain paths full of ice-based difficult terrain and hazards like tall cliffs and snow-covered sinkholes. Every yeti has at least one forced-movement power available to it (Fearsome Howl), so they’re likely to be more dangerous than their stats alone indicate.

  Yeti Hunter

  Your typical roaming yeti, whose howls can be heard from miles away but don’t really give away their position because of the way sound echoes in the mountains. It’s a level 3 Soldier with 49 HP.

  The hunter’s claw attack will probably only feature as part of a Twin Claw Grab, which lets it make two attacks and grab the target if both hit. It doesn’t have any special abilities to exploit a grab, but the basic rules still apply. Its marking abilities are a ranged How of Challenge that deals psychic damage and marks for a turn, and a close burst Call for Blood that deals more psychic damage and marks everyone it hits (save ends).

  Yeti Howler

  A yeti whose magic howls are more powerful than usual. Some stories say they’re the embodiment of angry ghosts, howling against the injustice of their premature deaths. They’re Level 4 Controllers with 58 HP.

  The howler’s Chilling Wail acts as an aura (3) that deals 5 psychic damage and imposes a -2 defense penalty for a turn against any enemy who ends their turn inside. This actually brings its melee damage up to par, with a little extra aimed at the other PCs inside the aura. If you try to stay away from it, the howler will bombard you with Hurled Boulders that work like ranged area attacks dealing physical damage.

  In addition to their Fearsome Howl, howlers can also emit a Piercing Shriek once per encounter. This ranged attack deals thunder damage, and if the target ends their next turn within 5 squares of the yeti they take another 5 thunder damage.

  Yeti Rampager

  This one is angrier than usual, with a more mobile fighting style. It’s a Level 5 Skirmisher with 67 HP. They have a Speed of 7.

  Rampagers love to charge, so they’ll try to make space for those charges as often as possible. They’ll pick a target and use their Battle Howl against it, a ranged attack that deals psychic damage and lets them charge as a free action on a hit. They can also just charge normally instead, if they’re not confident of hitting the target with the howl. In either case their Furious Charger trait gives them +5 bonus damage on charges.

  If they’re surrounded by melee PCs, howlers can use Furious Howl or Trample to get away. That last ability lets them shift their speed and make a melee attack that damages and knocks prone on a hit against any enemies whose spaces they move through during the shift.

  Final Impressions

  Yeti are interesting mechanically, but they require a bit more thought on the part of the GM to ensure they’re dealing level appropriate damage. None of them are the type to stand still and spam basic attacks.

  Lore-wise, I don’t see much wrong with their lore. They’re described as dangerous predators, and the word “savage” doesn’t appear even once in this entry. The biggest criticism I can make is that yetis are so iconic outside D&D that facing one feels kinda “mundane” when compared to some of the other monsters available. That’s just a personal taste thing, though.

  It wouldn’t be hard to use these stat blocks for a sapient and friendlier yeti if that’s how you want them to be in your campaign.

• Nov 20, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Xivort

  

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

  I’m sure xivorts appeared in a previous edition, but here they get some new 4e-specific lore.

  The Lore

  Xivorts are a tragic threat. They are descended from gnomes enslaved by fomorians and subjected to all sorts of tortures and experiments. Their long captivity in the Feydark caused them to mutate into their present cave-adapted state, which was further exacerbated when most of them were freed from their captors by a cabal of night hags and brought to the Shadowfell.

  The hags were only interested in liberating the xivorts as a way to deal a blow to their fomorian masters, so they just left the former gnomes to their own devices in the Shadowfell. These newly freed xivorts had only known torment and suffering all their lives, so they set about dealing that to others.

  As usual I’m not fond of painting a whole sapient species with such a broad negative brush, so I want to say xivorts are just people and you can find whole communities of non-evil individuals out there. The ones you end up fighting might still fit the description here, though.

  For good or ill, xivorts tend to associate with dark ones and gnomes. They have a particular distrust of larger people, an echo of the hatred they hold for fomorians. Goliaths and half-orcs tend to be priority targets in combat encounters because of this.

  The Numbers

  Xivorts are Small Fey Humanoids with a Speed of 5 and Darkvison. Their signature ability is Shadow Step, which triggers whenever an adjacent enemy hits them. It allows the xivort to teleport 2 squares to another space adjacent to the enemy.

  All of the entries here are level 1 or 2, which makes me think they’re meant to be novel kobold and goblin replacements.

  Xivort Slasher

  This is a “slasher” in the horror movie sense. It fights because it likes to inflict pain. As a Level 1 Skirmisher with 26 HP, it’s not a big threat to a trained adventurer, but from the point of view of a non-combatant it could look like an unstoppable killer.

  The slasher fights with a short sword in melee and throws daggers at range. Besides the standard Shadow Step it has Cunning Step, which allows it to shift 1 square when an enemy adjacent to it is hit by an attack. This doesn’t have to be one of the slasher’s own attacks, it can be anything.

  If several slashers gang up on a single enemy, that enemy will soon find themselves surrounded by them.

  Xivort Darter

  This one fights using concealable thrown darts, a tradition dating back to the xivort’s time as Fomorian captives. It’s Level 1 Artillery with 22 HP.

  Both the xivort’s Dagger and its Darts are a bit weak, but it can use Dart Volley to make two ranged attacks in the same action. Once per encounter it can throw its special Dream Venom Dart, which does the same damage as a basic one and dazes (save ends).

  All of the darter’s ranged attacks target Reflex, not AC, making it particularly effective against heavily armored defenders.

  Instead of the usual Shadow Step, the darter has Darter’s Step, which works the same but doesn’t restrict its teleport destination. It’s meant to let them get away from melee.

  Xivort Net Caster

  This one is trained to bring larger foes down so they’re easier to kill. It’s a Level 1 Controller with 26 HP.

  The net caster can use a non-damaging net as a ranged area attack to restrain everyone it hits (save ends). If someone escapes the net it can throw a pair of non-damaging bolas as a minor action to knock them prone and prevent them from getting up for a turn. Then it moves in with its short sword, which deals bonus damage against prone, immobilized, restrained or sloweed enemies.

  All of the status effects the net caster inflict make the target grant combat advantage, so they go really well with monsters that can exploit that.

  Xivort Shadow Caller

  A spellcaster using the ‘mysteeeerious’ Shadow source, who apparently traded part of their soul to the Shadowfell itself in exchange for power. It’s Level 2 Artillery with the Leader keyword.

  Shadow callers user daggers in melee, but like most artillery they want to stay further away and use their ranged spells. Shadow Phantoms is their basic ranged attack, dealing psychic damage and making the target grant combat advantage for a turn. This has an extra +1 to hit for every creature adjacent to the target, be it ally or enemy.

  Deathmark Bolt (recharge 5+) deals necrotic damage and lets an ally of the caster make a free melee basic attack against the target. And Shadow Strangler (encounter) is a “pseudo-summon” that immobilizes and inflicts ongoing 5 necrotic damage (save ends).

  Final Impressions

  As far as low-level enemies go, they’re… okay I guess? Fighting these guys instead of kobolds is a nice change of pace, but I’ll confess I lose a bit of enthusiasm for them when I realize they’re another attempt to hype up the Shadow power source.

• Nov 18, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Wilden

  

  I believe wilden are new to 4e, first appearing in the Player’s Handbook 3 as an option for PCs. This is their corresponding Monster Manual entry.

  The Lore

  Wilden are the middle world’s immune response to the Far Realm. They appeared very recently, emerging from the Feywild’s deepest and most untouched natural environments. Theoretically, that’s a reaction to an upsurge in Far Realm activity in the world, and it’s worrying that the signs of that haven’t been noticed by anyone else yet.

  Not even the wilden themselves have a clear idea of what caused them to emerge. The setting’s youngest sapient people by far, they have an instinctual drive to protect nature and oppose aberrant creatures, but they have yet to form a unified culture and traditions of their own. Most individuals turn to other creatures around them for examples. For many, those come from more established fey peoples like elves, eladrin, and gnomes. Others turn to the beasts of the wild, or to more zealous spirits like dryads and treants, and end up much fiercer and much less sociable. Some even fall in with evil fey like fomorians, ending up as villainous as them.

  The Numbers

  Wilden are Medium Fey Humanoids with a speed of 6 and low-light vision. As PCs, their gimmick is that they may assume one of three aspects after an extended rest, each of which changes their appearance a bit and gives them a different racial power.

  Each of the three stat blocks in this entry belongs to a single aspect and carries that aspect’s related power, in a version stronger than what’s available to PCs. They’re Unaligned and may represent allies, neutrals, or hostiles as your story requires.

  They’re all in the low-heroic range, which means you can find NPC wilden in the same areas where you’d find NPC elves and gnomes. They often use wolves, spiders and drakes as pets, and there are many such creatures that would be level-appropriate for a wilden encounter.

  Wilden Destroyer

  Wildens who adopt the aspect of the Destroyer are usually the designated warriors of their communities. They wield large carved wooden clubs, and every time they survive a battle they add a new carving to their weapons to celebrate it.

  Destroyers are Level 2 Soldiers with 39 HP. Their carved greatclubs damage and mark for a turn on a hit, and they can throw handaxes as basic ranged attacks. If an enemy marked by the destroyer tries to ignore the mark, the destroyer gains a +4 bonus to attack and damage that enemy during their next turn. If a bloodied enemy attacks the destroyer or one of the destroyer’s adjacent allies, it can use the Wrath of the Destroyer encounter power to attack that enemy as a reaction. If this hits, the enemy becomes stunned for a turn.

  PC Wildens in Destroyer aspect can use that power too, though for them it dazes instead of stunning.

  Wilden Hunter

  Wilden who adopt the Hunter aspect fulfill that role in their community, and also make for excellent scouts. They are Level 2 Lurkers with 33 HP. They fight with shortswords and longbows that just make basic attacks. All their interesting stuff is in their passive traits and their racial power.

  The passives are familiar to us by now: Camouflage allows them to make Stealth checks with only partial cover and concealment; Sniper lets them stay hidden when they miss with a ranged attack from hiding; and Hidden Shot lets them deal extra damage when they attack from hiding.

  Their encounter power is Pursuit of the Hunter, which triggers when an enemy ends their movement within 2 squares of the hunter. The hunter can react by shifting 3 squares, and for their next turn they will deal 5 extra damage with their attacks against that enemy, and will also ignore partial cover and concealment against them.

  PC Wilden in the Hunter aspect get a similar Pursuit power, except it deals 1d6 extra damage instead of the fixed 5.

  Wilden Ancient

  Wilden who adopt the aspect of the Ancients are their community’s shamans and guides. They’re called “Ancients” because their magic lets them cast their minds to the collective history of the Feywild and the world. When they go into these trances, their whole community stops to take care of them and await their awakening, which might bring important insights or prophecies with it.

  The Ancient depicted here is Level 4 Artillery with 45 HP and the Leader tag. It’s a primal spellcaster who fights with a spear and with several combat spells. Their spear attacks are very weak but allow an ally adjacent to the target to make a free melee basic attack at +4 to hit.

  Their combat spells have varied effects: Spectral Vine is a basic ranged attack that deals physical damage and pulls 2 squares; Rumbling Earth (recharge 5+) is a ranged area attack that damages and immobilizes (save ends); and Lightning Storm (encounter) is a ranged area attack that does heavy lightning damage, half on a miss.

  Once per round as a minor action they can impart the Wisdom of the Ancients, granting them a +2 attack bonus for their next turn. And then they hit an enemy with an area attack, they can use their Voyage of the Ancients encounter power to teleport 3 squares and make one of the enemies they just hit grant combat advantage for a turn.

  Despite their many controllery effects, it makes sense for Ancients to be artillery. They want to stay safe behind a wall of bodyguards and bombard their enemies, not mix it up in melee like a controller might want to do.

  Final Impressions

  I gotta say it feels a bit odd to find a low-heroic entry right after the high-epic Weavers, but that’s just a product of the book being in alphabetic order.

  Wildens are serviceable enough as low-heroic enemies, about in line with what I expect from an entry dedicated to a creature that’s also a PC option.

• Nov 17, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Weaver

  

  Weavers have apparently been around since the days of AD&D, appearing in a Monstrous Compendium Annual there under the name “Spell Weavers”. Their 4e debut was actually in Dungeon #165, in the adventure titled “Secrets of the White Lotus Academy”. Here in the MM3 they get updated into a major cosmic threat.

  As an aside, it was in a weaver ruin that Kyuss found the writings that let him become the Worm that Walks, back in the 3e adventure path.

  The Lore

  Weaver civilization is incredibly ancient, and what little remains of it seems to have been somehow shattered and spread across the cosmos. Records recovered from these few ruins seem to describe a terrible Far Realm incursion that tried to inject a seed of chaos into our cosmos. The Weavers tried to stop this, and were only partially successful. This is what shattered them.

  To hear the Weavers themselves tell it, their civilization predated even the gods and primordials, and the event that caused its destruction was in fact what caused the universe to separate into the Elemental Chaos and the Astral Sea. Contemporary sages don’t believe this to be true, but the surviving Weavers certainly do. This belief is at the root of their disdain for all things divine. To them, the gods are just annoying upstarts. Their own bodies and minds are the product of aeons of transhuman enhancement. They’re much stronger, faster, and smarter than your average mortal, and possess an unparalleled multitasking ability that lets them even cast multiple complex spells at once.

  Present-day Weavers preserve as much of their ancient lore as they can, and work on a grand plan to rebuild their civilization by undoing the planar disjunction that broke it. Yes, they want to smush the planes back together. If they’re right, it will be a very bad time for everyone else in the universe. If they’re wrong, it will be a bad time for absolutely everyone, including themselves.

  Their plan has two parts. The first is to restore and repair as many weaver ruins as possible. Within each one is a planar portal that links all active ruins into a single network, and a mystical furnace that burns the life force of mortals and the enchantments that power magic items. By feeding these furnaces, weavers gather power for the series of rituals that will finally accomplish their goal.

  A weaver will be most likely be found masterminding some plan to gather powerful mortal souls and magic items. They drain this power through enchanted chromatic disks that only work for weavers. Every individual carries one of these, though they specialize in different “flavors” of soul.

  Weavers easily form alliances with other powerful groups that have the same negative opinion of the gods and a nihilistic bent, like tulgars and the Forsaken. They also hold great influence over the Nerra, leading some scholars to say the creation story in that entry is wrong and the Nerra are actually creations of the Weavers.

  The Numbers

  Weavers are Medium Immortal Humanoids. They have Darkvision, a ground speed of 6, and a teleport speed of 6. Their signature trait is Multitasking Brain, which limits the effect of the dazed condition on them: they only lose their move action, and can still take immediate actions (like interrupts and reactions).

  The other signature trait is more of a design directive: most of a weaver’s attacks are minor actions, and they’re about as effective as a standard action from another monster would be. They’re also all Elites.

  Each weaver statted below specializes in collecting the souls of characters who employ a different power source, using that same power source as its main weapon. There’s one for every power source except divine, whom they consider beneath them even as fuel for their furnaces. Ironically, this means divine characters have a bit of an advantage over weavers.

  Spell Weaver

  The classic model, concerned with the collection of arcane power. Spell weavers usually lead raids into secure locations in order to steal magic itens and particularly desirable souls. They’re planned months in advance with intel from spies and divinations, and usually involve the opening of a long-distance portal as close to the target as possible. Once the spell weaver has what it wants, it teleports back to the portal and escapes. It’s Level 28 Elite Artillery with 400 HP. Yes, according to this entry the typical weaver is equivalent to a demigod in power.

  They have three basic attacks, all doable as minor actions: Esoteric Touch deals force damage and pushes 5 squares; Dimensional Ray allows the weaver to teleport 2 squares before rolling, deals untyped damage, and teleports the target 2 squares; and Esoteric Blast deals fire damage to its target and an automatic 10 fire damage to all enemies adjacent to it.

  Also as a minor action, it can wield its chromatic disk and cast Extract Arcane Soul (recharge 5+). This can only target characters with arcane powers. It deals psychic damage and dazes (save ends). On a miss it deals half damage. Hit or miss, the weaver regains 20 HP. So this doesn’t extract your whole soul, just a bit of your life force. It’s still bad news!

  They also have a standard action attack: Chilling Echo can be used to automatically deal 15 cold damage to all creatures the spell weaver has damaged since the start of its current turn.

  Once per encounter, when the weaver takes damage, it can use Defensive Jaunt as a reaction, becoming invisible and teleporting 20 squares.

  The spell weaver’s minor action attacks deal about half the damage you would expect from the MM3 formula, but the addition of Chilling Echo brings them back up to their expected potential. Don’t forget to use it!

  Battleweaver

  Possibly some of the best warriors in the universe, battleweavers wield 4 exquisitely-crafted swords in combat, and hold their chromatic disk in their other two hands. They collect the life force of worthy warriors. Battleweavers are Level 26 Elite Soldiers with 488 HP.

  It’s imposssible to duel a battleweaver and come out unscathed, because their Blade Mastery acts as an aura (1) that deals 10 automatic damage to any enemies inside and marks them for a turn when this happens.

  They have a standard longsword basic attack, but they’re usually going to open with one of their two minor-action maneuvers, which also count as basic attacks. Quick Jab deals light physical damage and slides the target 3 squares to a space adjacent to the weaver; sidestep jab does the same damage and allows the weaver to shift 3 squares to a space adjacent to the target. Combined, they allow the creature to lead its foes on a merry dance across the field. The basic attack can then act as a “finisher” in the round, bringing their damage potential to a level a bit above the one expected by the formula.

  Battleweavers can use their chromatic disk to Extract a Martial Soul, targetting characters with martial powers. This is like the spellweaver’s version: it deals psychic damage, dazes (save ends), and heals the weaver for about 5% of its total HP (24 in this case).

  If an enemy marked by the battleweaver within 10 squares makes an attack that doesn’t include the weaver as a target, the weaver can teleport to the enemy and make a melee basic attack against it, as an interrupt. This is the other main use of their standard-action basic attack.

  Battleweavers will use their “jab” strikes to wander around the battlefield and disrupt PC formations while their aura damages and marks enemies. Like a swordmage, it will try to stay far away from enemies it has marked, to increase the chances of their mark triggering. It will use its stronger longsword attacks to punish mark-ignoring PCs or to pile on more damage on a target it wants to focus.

  Thought Weaver

  A weaver that specializes in the power of the mind. It usually doesn’t go out hunting like the others - instead it can be found in weaver ruins working to restore their gates and furnaces. If forced to fight, it will do so entirely through the use of psionic powers, barely moving unless absolutely necessary.

  Thought weavers are Level 27 Controllers with the Leader keyword and 500 HP. Their basic attacks are minor actions:: Quick Strike is a standard melee attack, and Mind Spike is a ranged attack that deals psychic damage, inflicts a -2 penalty to all defenses for a turn, and slides the target 3 squares. They can also Extract A Psionic Soul, targetting a PC with psionic powers with the same standard Extract Soul effects. As standard actions, it can use two powerful mind control techniques:

  Mental Puppet is a non-damaging attack that slides the target 5 squares, forces them to make a basic attack against a target of the weaver’s choice, and then dominates it (save ends). It recharges when no one is dominated by the power.

  Command the Puppet automatically hits someone dominated by Mental Puppet. It deals psychic damage and has the same rider as the other power (slide 5 squares, make a basic attack).

  If someone leaves a square adjacent to the dominated puppet, the weaver can use Guardian Puppet as an interrupt to have the dominated character use a basic attack against the triggering enemy.

  Tought weavers can also choose to spend a standard, move, or minor action directing a Coordinated Strike, which essentially gifts the spent action to an ally within 5 squares and allows the ally to immediately take that action.

  Hex Weaver

  This is the weaver attuned to the Shadow power source. And what is the Shadow power source? As far as I know it’s basically “Arcane in a Halloween costume”. It started getting mentions as something distinct around this time, and would get a supplement all to itself named Heroes of Shadow the next year. To my knowledge it never got very popular due to this conceptual confusion with arcane magic and due to most of its associated classes not being very good. Anyway, it got a weaver here.

  Hex Weavers are too cool to hang out with other weavers, and instead oversee portals into the Shadowfell from which they launch expeditions to pursue mysterious goals that may or may not be related to the overall plan of the weaver civilization.

  A Hex Weaver is a Level 27 Elite Lurker with 382 HP, and it’s also too cool to follow the same rules as the other weavers. Its minor action attacks are Extract Shadow Soul, which has the usual effects but only targets creatures with shadow powers, and Shrouded Eye, a ranged attack that deals psychic damage and makes the weaver invisible to the target for a turn. The latter can only be used once per round, which breaks from the pattern.

  This is also the weaver with the highest number of standard action powers: Shadow Grasp is a stronger, melee version of Shrouded Eye; Stinging Shroud is a close burst 1 that deals necrotic damage and is much stronger against creatures granting combat advantage to the weaver. And Shadow Mask is an encounter power that makes it invisible for a turn.

  Finally, if the weaver is damaged, it can Step Into Shadow (recharge 4+) to become insubstantial for a turn and teleport its speed as a reaction.

  Hex weavers are a bit disappointing. They’d be a lot more dangerous if Shadow Mask was a recharge or at-will power, or if Shadow Grasp was a minor action. They also had the problem that there weren’t a lot of shadow-based PCs around when they were published, because Heroes of Shadow was like six months away from its release.

  Final Impressions

  I’m not familiar with weavers from previous editions but I really like their lore here. The targetting restrictions on their Extract Soul attack do feel a little artificial, but are easily removed. I don’t like the shadow power source very much, so I didn’t like Hex Weavers, but the others are quite flavorful and powerful.

• Nov 11, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Verbeeg

  

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

  From what I’ve been able to find out, verbeegs have been in the game since the days of AD&D 1st Edition, first appearing in the Monster Manual II. This means the game had already run out of synonyms for “Giant” even back then, since their name is just a scrunched up form of “Very Big”. This is their 4e debut, with somewhat new lore.

  The Lore

  Verbeegs are a species of small-g giants who live in the same places of the middle world and the Feywild where you might find hill giants and ogres. The typical verbeeg is a lazy and greedy trickster who wants to make others work to keep them in a life of luxury. Their great size and strength helps with this, but they prefer to use their smarts and trickery to get what they want. Even when the con is harder than plain robbery, it’s also often more fun for them.

  An example tale here is that of a verbeeg who set up at a river bridge and began charging a toll. The toll was expensive, but the giant promised to only collect it when the traveller came back to their side of the river. Travellers would lie and promise they’d pay, and when they were in the middle of crossing the bridge the verbeeg would lift the entire thing and tilt it towards himself, causing the victim to slide back. “You promised, now pay up!”

  A strong verbeeg leader might be able to form a gang with several of his fellows, increasing the scale of their racket. Verbeegs also find it easy to take control of nearby groups of ogres and even hill giants, since their intellectual limitations make them easy to fool. A verbeeg band in charge of a larger ogre or giant band can be a threat to their whole region.

  Verbeegs aren’t very big on fighting, despite being giants. They’ll avoid it for as long as possible, preferring to throw minions at the problem or to use trickery to escape and misdirect. If a battle is unavoidable, they favor mobile and stealthy tactics and combat styles.

  Contrary to all expectations, verbeegs do have a code of honor they always follow. It consists of two rules: 1) never give a sucker an even break and 2) always keep your word. They can try to twist the wording of a promise quite far and add all sorts of clauses before committing to it, but once they do they must keep it.

  I imagine you can make groups of non-hostile verbeegs with the same ease you could make groups of other friendly giants. In that case, the description above would apply to the ones you fight, not to the species as a whole.

  The Numbers

  Verbeegs are Large Fey Humanoids with the Giant keyword, even though their origin has nothing to do with primordials or capital-G Giants. They have a Speed of 8 and Low-Light Vision. Their signature trait is the hilarious Verbeeg Stealth, which allows them to hide and use the Stealth rules as long as even as single square they occupy counts as providing total cover or concealment.

  

  Verbeeg Rowdy

  The typical verbeeg ne’er-do-well, of the kind you can find operating alone or in command of a gang of ogre patsies. In larger bands they make up the rank-and-file. It’s a Level 9 Skirmisher with 99 HP. It wears hide, carries a shield, and wields a Reach 2 spear in battle.

  The spear can be used for basic attacks and for a Skewering Strike that deals more damage and slides the target 5 squares to a position within 2 squares of the verbeeg. Perfect for getting those pesky defenders out of the way. All of these deal bonus damage if the rowdy has combat advantage against the target.

  They can also use a Bounding Maneuver as an at-will move action, which cancels any marks on them and allows them to shift 3 squares and to pass through enemy spaces while doing so.

  Their Cunning Trick minor action (recharge 5+) is a reach 3 attack vs. Will that does no damage and knocks the target prone on a hit.

  If a rowdy has to fight, it’s not gonna stay still, and it’s going to focus on knocking people down and skewering them with its spear before bounding away to safety.

  Verbeeg Ringleader

  The sort of individual you might fight running a gang of other verbeegs and dumber lackeys, and the one responsible for coming up with their verbeeg plans. It’s Level 11 Artillery with the Leader tag and 91 HP.

  Ringleaders are warlord-types and project an aura of Cunning Insight (5) that gives bonus damage to an ally that has combat advantage against their target. They carry Spears but prefer to stay away and use their Longbows, whose basic attacks make the target grant combat advantage for a turn. Distracting Shot (recharge 5+) and also gives an ally in reach a free melee attack against the target.

  Finally, the very flavorful Get Them! encounter power allows three allies within 5 squares of the ringleader to make a charge attack for free.

  Verbeeg Trickster

  This one manage to score a spellbook or two and learn some combat magic. It’s a Level 11 Controller with 115 HP. Their spear strikes knock the target prone on a hit, and they have four spells:

  Staggering Bolt is a ranged attack that deals force damage and slides the target 1 square; Blinding Blast (close blast 5 vs. Fort, recharge 5+) deals light radiant damage and blinds for a turn; Bewildering Bolt (encounter) deals psychic damage and prevents the target from attacking (save ends); and Concealing Mist (encounter) creates a zone of mist in a close burst 2. The zone is lightly obscured, and gives any verbeeg that starts their turn inside combat advantage against every enemy outside the zone.

  Tricksters want to set their mist zone up and stay inside while they shoot at the PCs outside it with their spells. Staggering bolt helps keep them outside, and Bewildering Bolt is excellent to shut down controllers or ranged strikers for a while. IF there’s a ringleader in the same encounter they’ll also want to stay inside the mist.

  Final Impressions

  Surprisingly personable and very big fey rascals. I wouldn’t want to make the entire species fit the stereotype, but verbeeg bandits are a nice surprise to spring on players who expect the giants plaguing the land to be dumb brutes incapable of subtlety. Add 4 levels or so to the stat blocks present here and you can upgrade their underlings from ogres to hill giants.

  You can have lots of fun as a GM if you have your party fight a verbeeg bandit gang on a series of hilltops crowned by standing stones. It’s both a very fey-themed arena, and gives them plenty of hiding places. “These guys are ten feet tall, how could they sneak up on us like that?!”

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