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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Demon, Maw
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
There isn’t much to a maw demon. It’s a huge fanged mouth with some extra bits attached so it can move to wherever the food is. While most other demons are motivated by rage, hatred, or ruinous ambition, these things just want to eat. They’re a bit like sharks, drawn to the smell of blood, and will prioritize an easy meal over a fight.
Maw demons are still demons, so they prefer their meals bloody and still twitching. If there are none already in that state, they’ll advance on the nearest living creature.
The typical maw demon is rather weak as far as demons go, though it still presents a big threat to non-combatants. Those who manage to live longer become much stronger and hungrier.
Maw demons are sapient, but just barely. They don’t really form alliances, but stronger demons can bully them into servitude, and even amateur demonologists might be able to summon and bind one.
Maw Demon
This is a Medium Elemental Humanoid with the Demon tag. It’s a Level 2 Brute with 42 HP, darkvision, and a speed of 6.
The demon’s snapping jaws act like an aura (1) that make all enemies inside grant combat advantage. Its basic attack is obviously a bite. It can use a move action to perform a Ravenous Advance and shift 5 squares to end adjacent to a bloodied enemy.
Finally, as a demon, it has Variable Resistance and can switch it once per encounter.
Greater Maw Demon
This is mostly just a leveled-up maw demon. It’s a Level 16 Brute with 187 HP and correspondingly bigger numbers. Its variable resistance works twice per encounter, and it has a new hability: Howling Hunger targets Will, hits a Close Burst 3, does thunder damage, and knocks targets prone. It can only be used when the demon is bloodied.
Final Impressions
Just another demonic brute. Its low level makes it an interesting variation on the MM2 dretches, with better math. Their most interesting power is actually the Snapping Jaws aura, which makes them pair really well with ranged monsters that benefit from combat advantage.
During the MM2 reading on the RPG.net forum, someone mentioned that these things could be abyssal xorns, and it fits really well with their mechanics.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: A Note on Fiends
This post is part of a series! Click here to see the rest.
This post doesn’t correspond to an entry in the book, but I figured I’d write it to explain a few important differences in organization between the MM3 and its predecessors.
The first two Monster Manuals had huge multi-monster entries for the “Three Dees”: Demons, Devils, and Dragons. These entries included some general lore that applied to all of them, and a huge number of individual stat blocks with their own bits of lore. They were a real chore to cover!
Dragons are still like that, because we’re going to be looking at a whole new dragon sub-category here. But the fiends (demons and devils) are organized differently.
This is the third main monster book in the edition. Pretty much everything that needed to be said about general demon and devil lore has already been said in the previous books, and likely on a few extra supplements that came out alongside them. So the demons and devils in this book are all in their own individual entries labeled as “Demon, X” and “Devil, Y”. That’s going to make them much easier to cover!
There’s one demon we already covered in the past, the Babau, and for that one I’m just going to refer you to the original post I made a while back. I believe every other demon and devil here is new to the Let’s Read project, so I’ll cover one entry per post on them.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Demon, Klurichir
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
The Abyss is home to several powerful demon lords, each of whom has their own ruinous designs on the rest of the universe and is building an army to enact those designs. Yet these armies rarely seem to leave the Abyss to start their invasions. One of the reasons for this is that the demon lords hate each other as much as they hate everything else, and spend much of their time locked in eternal bloody warfare. Another one is that you have huge hordes of “unclaimed demons” who prefer to pursue their own personal goals instead of organizing into a large force.
Well, it looks like the seed of cosmic evil at the bottom of the Abyss has had enough of this lack of focus, so it started producing a special brand of demon from pure elemental evil energy and sending them to the upper layers to clean house. These are the klurichirs.
Every klurichir is a contender for the rank of demon lord, and has a real shot at it given enough time. They differ from the existing demon lords in that they were never primordials, but were instead born as demons.
These demons are quick to take control of those unclaimed hordes, and use them to shake things up in the Abyss. They do this by throwing them against the forces of the incumbent demon lords as they fight each other. They surround themselves with other epic-tier officers like balors and nafelshnees, and spend the lives of their lesser underlings freely because there are always more where those came from.
The Numbers
We only get a single stat block for klurichirs. They’re Huge Elemental Humanoids with the Demon tag, and Level 28 Soldiers with 258 HP. They have Blindsight 5, and are immune to fear. Their ground speed is 8, and they fly at speed 12 with clumsy maneuverability, meaning they fight on the ground.
Klurichirs project a Malign Influence aura (2) that prevents enemies inside from regaining HP by any means. They fight with gigantic Reach 3 axes that do more damage when the demon is bloodied and mark for a turn. They can make occasional Savage Hew attacks (recharge 5+) that hit everyone in a Close Burst 3 for the same damage and effects.
When a marked enemy moves, the klurichir can try to grab then with its Reach 2 pincers a reaction. This does some initial damage on a hit, and from that point on the demon can spend minor actions to sustain the grab and deal the same amount of damage automatically. Only one victim can be grabbed at a time.
When the klurichir is first bloodied, it speaks a Blasphemous Utterance that deals necrotic damage and dazes (save ends) in a Close Blast 5.
Final Impressions
Huh, it turns out klurichirs are actually a bit weaker than Balors, who are Level 27 Elite Brutes. So I have a bit of a hard time believing the text that says they’re “on the cusp of becoming demon lords”.
Maybe that also applies to balors, and you can reskin klurichirs into “baby balors” wielding axes instead of the classic sword and whip combo. It’s also relatively easy to make klurichirs into elites via the usual rules.
Mechanically, I like the “no healz” aura and the pincers, which combine to put grabbed PCs in a very unfortunate situation. Damaging a grabbed PC is a minor action and the demon can still attack them with that high-damage axe.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Dark One
This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
Dark Ones appeared in the first 4e Monster Manual, and you can read my take on that book’s entry here. This entry adds a few more stat blocks and tries to fill in the lore gaps.
The Lore
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast If you read the post linked above, you’ll see that the MM1 contained little in the way of Dark One Lore. I speculated that most of them would be peaceful civilians like halflings are, but it seems that the Monster Manual 3 is moving in the opposite direction by saying they’re all thieving murderers. I guess this is a prelude for some of the even more egregious stuff you could find on the Monster Vault and on some early 5e supplements.
This book says Dark Ones are “incapable” of crafting beautiful or useful objects. This is described more like a divine curse than some sort of neurological limitation. Everything they make is destined to be ugly, fragile, and useless. Their armor crumples, their weapons shatter. So instead of making their own stuff, they steal other people’s.
As the MM1 said, most Dark Ones live in the Shadowfell. This one says that they tend to see the middle world as a, well, “loot pinãta”, full of stuff just waiting to be taken. They tend to go for “loot caches” that are relatively hidden from the larger societies of the middle world, and target groups that are isolated from those same societies.
In other worlds, your typical team of Dark One acquisition experts is in direct competition with adventuring parties for the XP and treasure contained in dungeons, bandit lairs, and cultist strongholds. The PCs could arrive at one of these places only to discover a group of Dark Ones got there first and took all the stuff.
Some of them prefer to work as mercenaries instead of thieves, and they’ll join forces with anyone who pays them. Often their clients end up being cults of Vecna and other appreciators of the sneaky-stabby arts.
And of course, if you want to tone down the speciesism here, you can just remove the divine curse bit. If you still want a Dark One community to be dependent on goods from outside, you can say they rely on trade more than on theft and mercenary work.
The Monsters
Most of the basic Dark One information remains identical to what it was on the MM1. They’re Small Shadow Humanoids with Darkvision, a Speed of 6, and two signature abilities.
The first is Dark Step, an at-will move action that lets them move 4 squares with a +4 AC bonus against opportunity attacks, and gain combat advantage against any enemies it ends up adjacent to.
The second is Killing Dark, which causes them to explode in a cloud of inky darkness when reduced to 0 HP, blinding any enemies adjacent to them for a turn.
Hex Knight
Hex Knights are the closest thing Dark Ones have to noble warriors, though their codes of conduct apply only to members of their own society. Their gear is very similar to that of a common sneaky-stabby Dark One: leather or hide armor, short sword, hand crossbow. Their fighting style, however is much more direct.
Hex Knights are Level 4 Soldiers with 54 HP. They mark enemies using the Shadow Hex minor action, which lasts until the fight ends or the knight uses it on someone else. Enemies who ignore the mark grant combat advantage to all enemies for a turn.
The hand crossbow is a basic ranged attack and it’s merely okay. Knights are better in melee, where their basic short sword can attack twice with one action, and each hit slows the target. Knights can also use their swords in a Vicious Flurry (recharge 5+), which targets 1 or 2 enemies with a sword attack that also does ongoing damage.
Shadow Bolters
These spellcasters are usually on some secret mission to acquire a treasure or a valuable bit of information, and will prioritize that mission over whatever else might be going on. They might pose as mercenaries or allies to some other faction as a cover. Once they have what they seek, they’ll abscond, leaving enemies and allies alike behind.
Bolters are Level 5 Artillery with 50 HP. They fight with daggers in melee and with black bolt spells at range, and they’re all about gaining combat advantage. The Deadly Precision trait gives them combat advantage against any enemy flanked by two allies, even if the bolter themselves are far away. When they hit someone with combat advantage, they deal 5 extra necrotic damage to the target and to any of the target’s allies adjacent to it.
The black bolts also make a hit target take 5 necrotic damage whenever they provoke an opportunity attack (save ends), which is very situational but might be useful to punish mobile PCs.
Shadow Speakers
Shadow Speakers are the Dark Ones that know the necessary rituals for crossing between the middle world and the Shadowfell. They lead “acquisition” expeditions into the middle world, and are responsible for bringing them back home. They carry little clay jugs filled with soil from the Shadowfell as a focus for their powers.
Shadow speakers are Level 6 Controllers with 70 HP. They fight with short swords and shadow magic.
Their basic ranged attack is a Shadow Curse that deals necrotic damage, makes the target grant combat advantage, and inflicts 5 necrotic damage when the target provokes an opportunity attack (save ends both).
Less often, they can cast a Choking Shadow spell (recharge 5+), which deals heavy necrotic damage and immobilizes for a turn.
Even one of these is an excellent force multiplier for a Dark One party, or really for any encounter group whose members deal extra damage with combat advantage. Just have then stay at the range limit for Shadow Curse and spam it on the PCs to make them all grant combat advantage.
On the other hand, Shadow Speakers tend to be “load-bearing monsters” for Dark One encounter groups, since they’re the group’s only way home. If the Shadow Speaker is in too much danger, the entire group might try to make a run for it.
Final Impressions
I like the greater encounter variety, but I dislike the extra emphasis on a species-wide negative stereotype (“they’re all thieves, every last one of them”). I’ll stick to my initial assumptions that these stat blocks represent the Dark One equivalent of adventurers and other combatants rather than typical members of the culture.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Craud
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
I think crauds are a new monster. At the very least they’re one I haven’t met before.
The Lore
Crauds are giant crawdads! These crustaceans are about the same height as a halfling, but bulkier. They tend to show up in large numbers in maritime and coastal areas that have suffered extensive environmental damage such as from pollution or overfishing.
In these circumstances they’re very aggressive and voracious man-eaters, raiding ships and villages with terrifying frequency. If a craud “army” shows up at your village or town, they’ll keep showing up every few days until either all of them or all of you are dead.
This causes some scholars to speculate that crauds are the vengeance of Melora made manifest and sent against those who despoil her coasts. Others defend the more mundane explanation that crauds attack sapients because their usual food sources have been driven to extiction by the environmental damage. In a world where the goddess of nature is real, though, is there any difference?
I guess non-distressed crauds normally stay mostly underwater and feed on fish and such. They’re non-sapient but have good teamwork instincts and a somewhat “hive-like” social organization where certain individuals known as Kings can direct other crauds via patterns of flashing colors and lights in their carapaces.
Sometimes an unscrupulous sea-borne villain like a pirate captain will manage to catch a craud king, torturing it in specific ways to direct its “subjects” to attack interesting targets. Coastal druids and clerics of Melora know gentler ways to secure the cooperation of these crustaceans.
The Monsters
Crauds are Medium Natural Beasts with the Aquatic keyword. They have darkvision, and move at speed 6 on land or in water. The effects of the Aquatic keyword haven’t changed, but in this book they’re written down on all the stat blocks as a trait: aquatic creatures can breathe underwater, and when fighting underwater gain a +2 attack bonus against non-aquatic opponents.
Craud Impaler
Impalers are lithe and quick on their feet, usually arriving at the head of a craud “army”. Their job is to tie up the opposition until their stronger cousins can arrive. They’re cautious, and become more so after being bloodied, preferring to focus on already weakened opponents.
Impalers are Level 3 Skirmishers with 51 HP. They fight using claws and some sort of pointy appendage that allows them to make an Impale attack. It has Reach 2, deals light physical damage, and inflicts ongoing 5 damage (save ends).
Impale is an encounter power, and the claws are a bit underpowered too. But the Scissor Claws at-will ability allows the impaler to make two claw attacks, and if both hit the creature immediately recharges Impale and uses it as a free action. That’s a lot of damage if everything hits.
And when the impaler misses with an attack, Scuttle allows it to shift 2 squares as a free action. So if that any component of that claw/claw/impale combo fails to hit, the beast can try to get away safely.
Craud Crusher
These are the “stronger cousins” the impalers are waiting for. Their claws are so huge they can crush a human torso, or bludgeon that human with enough force to send them flying. When they arrive, they engage the impalers’ opponents and free the impalers up to scuttle around and be skirmishers.
Crushers are Level 4 Brutes with 70 HP. Their claws do surprisingly little basic damage, but a hit with them also grabs the target. Crushers can grab one victim at a time, and can inflict automatic damage to them with a minor action. Once per encounter they can also use Hammerclaw to backhand a fool, dealing heavy damage, pushing 1 square, and knocking them prone.
If the crusher reduces anyone to 0 HP by any means, Red Tide gives them a +5 bonus to their next damage roll. This is an incentive for them to target enemies previously softened by impalers.
Craud King
Craud Kings are imposing specimens whose shells are covered in bio-luminescent organs. Signals from these organs direct other crauds and boost their morale in a fight. There might be some magic involved here, as some of their light patterns have an effect on humanoids too. The creature is also a pretty good fighter itself, so its ideal location is at the forefront of the melee surrounded by loyal subjects. The best way to influence a craud force is to influence its king, as discussed in the Lore section.
Kings are Level 5 Soldiers with the Leader tag and 67 HP. Their lights project an aura (3) named Blood in the Water, giving allies a +2 bonus to attack bloodied targets.
Their claws do good damage and slide the target 1 square. Claw Flurry (recharge 5+) allows them to attack twice, and if a slid enemy ends up adjacent to one of the king’s allies, the ally gets to make a free attack too.
By changing the pattern of its lights, the King can use the Angler’s Lure ability as a minor action. This is a charm attack that does no damage, pulls the victim 3 squares, and marks it for a turn.
Finally, when the king is bloodied it prompts all of its allies to act For The King. All allies within 5 squares of the wounded sovereign immediately shifts 4 squares closer to the king and make free attacks against any enemy they end up next to.
Final Impressions
If this had been a 3e-style entry, I’d probably have glossed over it entirely. Giant crawdads, yawn. The varied stat blocks to make them more interesting, as does the “nature’s vengeance” aspect of their lore. That’s a handy adventure hook built right into the monster entry.
I’m sure you could complete the lineup seen here with custom-made artillery crauds that fire high-pressure water jets. Or maybe you could use the “controlled by pirates” angle to pair them up with pirate musketeers.
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