Posts

• Jan 5, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Slaad

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

  Slaads already made their 4e debut in the first Monster Manual, and you can check out the post I wrote on them here. This MM2 entry brings us a lower-level, less-popular slaad type and an alternate mechanic for the horrific slaad spawning cycle.

  Flux Slaad

  

  Flux slaads seem to be the runts of the slaad family. They’re weaker and stupider than their relatives, they can’t spawn, and their chaotic mutations are at best a mixed blessing. Still, being weaker actually means they might have an easier time slipping through a dimensional crack into the world, which they love because it allows them to lord it over creatures even weaker than them.

  Flux slaads who slip into the world often end up conquering bullywug tribes and setting themselves up as their god-kings. Finding one of these on the throne instead of the usual “slightly stronger frog-dude” can be an interesting experience for cocky PCs.

  The Numbers

  Flux Slaads are Medium Elemental Humanoids, and Level 9 Skirmishers with 98 HP. They have low-light vision, a ground speed of 7, and a teleport speed of 2.

  They fight with their claws. They can use those in a Flux Rage maneuver that allows them to shift 2 squares and attack everyone they pass by during this movement. This recharges when they’re first bloodied. When they take damage from an attack, they can shift 1 square as a reaction.

  Nothing special so far, but now we come to the part that gives these slaads their names. Slaad Vulnerability Shift should really have a name that includes the word “flux” in it. This trait makes the slaad start out with random vulnerability determined by a d6 roll: (1) cold, (2) fire, (3) lightning, (4) necrotic, (5) psychic, (6) thunder. The slaad has Vulnerability 10 to that damage type, but Resistance 5 to all the other table entries. Every time the slaad takes damage from its current weakness, you roll the die again and determine a new weakness.

  Slaad Spawn

  

  Most slaads reproduce by infecting victims with a disease called Chaos Phage, which causes slad tadpoles to gestate within the victim’s flesh. The tadpole grows and eventually erupts from its host, running away to mature elsewhere. This was covered in the MM entry for Slaads.

  A few of them are instead infected with a mutant strain of chaos phage, which produces embryos in their own flesh. These slaads are covered in gross giant boils that pop when they’re wounded, spawning miniature versions of themselves. These spawn are both almost mindless and extremely aggressive, so they often get used as weapons by their “parents”. Should they survive the circumstances of their birth, the spawn develop quickly and begin exhibiting powers similar to those of an adult within days.

  The Numbers

  Spawn are Small Elemental Humanoids, and Level 17 Minion Skirmishers. They have low-light vision, a running speed of 5, and a teleport speed of 3. They attack with bites and can also pounce using a Chaotic Slam. On a hit, they damage and knock down the target. On a miss, they explode, dealing a bit of damage in a Close Burst 1.

  We also get stats for an elite template named Slaad Spawner, which can be applied to any Large-sized regular slaad. This is turns the slaad into an elite monster, and adds a Spawn Slaad reaction power that creates a new slaad spawn whenever the spawner is hit by an attack. The new spawn appears adjacent to the spawner, and acts right after the spawner’s action. The template is unusual in that it doesn’t add additional HP to the regular monster. It does bring a new minion into play every round, so maybe they thought this was enough to make up for their lower HP. The spawner is worth double the experience of the original slaad, but the spawned minions aren’t worth any.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  The flux slaad is kinda meh aside from its “weakness roulette” mechanic. The roulette is interesting, but your party needs a lot of damage types (or a lot of lucky d6 rolls) to keep it spinning. Otherwise it’s going to stop on a type they can’t use, which means the slaad becomes resistant to the types they can. At least you can always beat it up using physical damage, which means martial types can end up being more effective against it than the casters.

  Perhaps you could build a “puzzle boss” that had the same mechanic, plus some way for the party to influence the result of the d6 roll.

  Slaad spawn and the Spawner template bring another flavor of body horror to a slaad fight. Since it seems spawn mature even faster than tadpoles, a spawner presents an even nastier apocalyptic scenario than a normal slaad. It also presents the GM with an excuse to throw lots of de-leveled slaads against a heroic tier party, since those could be “immature” slaads that have grown past the spawn stage but not developer all the way yet.

  Our two sample encounters are:

  • Level 8: A death shard, 3 flux slaads, and 2 slaad tadpoles. Likely brought to the world by a small Elemental or Abyssal rift.

  • Level 17: 2 blue slaads, 1 green slaad, 8 slaad spawn. The blues and green are likely minding their little siblings and doing a typical slaad job of it. Note that the spawn are worth XP in this encounter, since they’re not “produced” by an on-site spawner.

• Dec 23, 2021

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Skeleton

  

  The first Monster Manual already included plenty of skeletons, so this time we just get a couple more of them. The basic lore remains the same and you can see it in the link above.

  Bonecrusher Skeleton

  A Large-sized skeleton that used to belong to an ogre, minotaur, oni, or similar creature. Not having to haul all that flesh around makes it surprisingly fast for its size.

  This is a Large Natural Animate with the Undead keyword, and a Level 7 Soldier with 80 HP. It has all usual skeleton traits: darkvision, immunity to disease and poison, resist 10 necrotic, vulnerable 5 radiant. It runs at speed 8.

  The skeleton wields a Reach 2 greatclub, and it can use it to perform a Crushing Blow (reach 2; recharge 6+) that does more damage and knocks the target prone. Its superb agility is expressed as Threatening Reach 2.

  Skeletal Steed

  A horse skeleton that can act as a fearless and tireless mount, proving that mundane horses truly suck in 4e. Even a dead horse is better mount than a live one.

  Skeletal horses are Level 3 Skirmishers with 47 HP, darkvision, and immunity to disease and poison. They don’t have resistance to necrotic damage or vulnerability to radiant damage. Their ground speed of 8 and their fearless, untiring nature make them highly desired as mounts by people who don’t mind the whole skeleton thing.

  If forced to fight the skeletal steed uses kicks like a normal horse, and they can also perform them as part of a Mobile Melee Attack. You know the drill on this one: the steed moves its speed, makes an attack at any point along the way, and doesn’t draw opportunity attacks. It can also emit a Death Shriek (fear; close burst 3; recharge 5+) that does no damage and inflicts a -2 attack penalty (save ends).

  When used as a mount, the steed allows its rider to join in on the Mobile Melee Attack. Either the rider makes a basic attack while still allowing the steed to kick, or the steed gives up its attack to allow the rider to use a non-basic power.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  These new skeleton types rise in much the same way as the other ones. Most often it’s because a necromancer intentionally animates them, but sometimes a freak accident with necrotic energy can cause them to rise up as well. In such cases, skeletal steeds tend to rise along with their former riders.

  We get two sample encounters here:

  • Level 5: 1 deathlock wight and 2 standard wights riding skeletal steeds. Ancient horsemen riding again.

  • Level 6: 1 orc eye of Gruumsh plus a zombie hulk and three bonecrusher skeletons. Orc necromancer and his undead ogres.

• Dec 17, 2021

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Shark

  

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

  Sharks are are real-world animals, and this Monster Manual 2 entry is their debut on D&D Fourth Edition. The Sahuagin entry from the first Monster Manual mentioned them a lot but that book didn’t have shark stats. The Monster Vault did have them, and we already looked at its take on sharks in the post linked above.

  There are many species of real-world sharks, with very varied looks and behavior. Rather than worry about any of that, the Monster Manual 2 gives us a fantastic species based on our worst fears about sharks. Witness the horrible might of the Fleshtearer Shark, the bullete of the sea!

  The Lore

  Fleshtearer sharks seem to be kinda modeled on the shark from Jaws. They’re big, they’re stupid, they’ll try to eat anything they can bite, and that can include boats. These sharks can thrive anywhere, I do mean anywhere: not only can you find them in oceans of any temperature, they sometimes live in rivers and lakes and even swim in the Underdark.

  Fleshtearers can live for hundreds of years and never stop growing, which can make those subterranean sharks even larger and stronger than the typical specimen presented in this entry.

  Sahuagin and kuo-toa usually steer clear of fleshtearer sharks because they’re too dangerous to tame, but sometimes a heroic trainer among them will manage the feat. In this case, the “tame” flesh-tearer is used in raids against large ships, eating anyone who falls overboard and biting holes in the hull.

  The Numbers

  Fleshtearer sharks are Large Natural Beasts with the Aquatic keyword. They’re Level 10 Brutes with 128 HP and low-light vision. They swim at speed 8, but can only flop around at speed 1 on land.

  The Aquatic keyword gives the shark a +2 attack bonus against non-aquatic opponents when both are in water, and it also has a custom Waterborne trait that stacks a +2 damage bonus on top of that.

  Their basic attack is of course a Bite, but they also have several special maneuvers. Lockjaw Charge is a charge attack that also grabs the target. Grabbed targets are vulnerable to the shark’s shredding teeth, which always hit and deal heavy damage.

  The shark has no special ability to pull a grabbed victim along when it moves, so it must use the standard rules for doing that (opposed Strength tests). It can also choose to stay in place while it chews into the victim with Shredding Teeth.

  A fleshtearer shark will lurk out of detection range until it picks a target (the tastiest-looking PC). It will then use Lockjaw charge on them, relying on its toughness to weather any opportunity attacks. It will probably release the grab and swim away for another pass rather than getting pinned down by the other PCs, but it’s too obstinate to run and usually fights to the death.

  The shark’s bloodlust often gets in the way of those tactics, which is represented by a trait named Feeding Frenzy. When the shark starts its turn within 5 squares of a bloodied creature, it must make a bite attack against a creature adjacent to itself, which will also make it release a grabbed victim if it has one. “Creature” here means both allies and enemies can trigger the effect and be valid targets for the bite attack. Even a “tame” shark is dangerous to its allies.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  It’s a movie shark, doing movie shark things. If you’re adventuring on or under water, you might run into it, otherwise it won’t usually impact your adventuring life.

  You can make them Huge and level them up to represent Underdark sharks, in which case they might make good thralls for Aboleths and for Mind Flayers who want to fight Aboleths.

  We get one sample encounter here:

  • Level 10: 2 fleshtearer sharks, 1 sahuagin baron, 2 sahuagin priests. This is likely the “command squad” for a bigger raid against a large ship or coastal village. They’d stay a bit further away from the front lines, and engaging them might be necessary to end the raid.
• Dec 17, 2021

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Shadar-kai

  

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

  We already saw the basic lore of shadar-kai back in [Let’s Read the Monster Manual][2], and the Monster Manual 2 brings a few more stat blocks for them.

  This is where they add the lore about Shadar-kai seeking extreme sensations to stave off the soul-draining malaise of the Shadowfell. As I said in the original post, I prefer to ignore this bit. If you want to add it in, the book also mentions that offers of novel and/or intense experiences tend to be well-received when one negotiates with shadar-kai.

  In this book we get paragon-tier Shadar-kai, which one can usually meet in the Shadowfell proper. They retain the MM1 signature traits (low-light vision and the Shadow Jaunt ability), and get a new gimmick in the form of a new status effect they can inflict: shrouded in gloom. A victim who is shrouded in gloom takes a -2 penalty to attacks and gains only half the benefit from healing effects. This seems to always be a “save ends” condition. Their ground speed is 7.

  Lastly, the new stat blocks presented here were named by someone who decided that simple descriptive names like the “Warrior” and “Witch” of the first book weren’t nearly goth enough. Let’s check them out.

  Shadar-kai Blacksoul

  Blacksouls are spellcasters specializing in harmful shadow-based magic. They’re level 14 Controllers with 138 HP, and all their attacks are spells. Corrupting Blackfire is a basic melee attack that deals fire and necrotic damage; Shadowbolt is a basic ranged attack that deals necrotic damage; and Shadowburst (recharge 6+) deals necrotic damage over a wide area. All three also shroud the target in gloom on a hit.

  The blacksoul’s ultimate attack is Corrupt Soul, which targets Will and dominates (save ends). It can only target victims who are shrouded in gloom.

  Shadar-kai Dawnkiller

  This absurd edgelord is a Level 14 Lurker with 106 HP. They carry a pair of kukris whose strikes shroud the target in gloom and can also be used to perform a shade strike that does the same damage and blinds instead. Their Shadows of the Raven Queen trait gives them bonus damage against targets who can’t see them.

  Dawnkillers likely alternate shade strikes and basic attacks, focusing on a single PC. They pair really well with the spellcasters from this entry, providing an extra source of “shrouded in gloom” so their buddies can use their ultimate attacks earlier.

  Shadar-kai Gloom Lord

  Gloom Lords are spellcasters of the same tradition as blacksouls, with a slightly different spell selection. They’re Level 14 Artillery with 108 HP.

  Their basic attacks are the same, and their special technique is named Shadowcage. This is an at-will ranged attack that targets the Reflex of a creature shrouded in gloom. It deals necrotic damage, restrains the target, and prevents it from moving more than 2 squares away from its original position until it passes a save to clear all of these effects.

  Sharar-kai Painbearer

  They’re not in pain, they bring the pain to you. Painbearers are Level 15 Skirmishers with the Leader keyword and 144 hP. They wear leather and wield spiked chains.

  Their basic attack is named shadow chain, which does damage and shrouds in gloom as usual. They can also perform a Shadow Dance that allows them to shift their speed and make three shadow chain attacks against different targets along the way. Each attack after the first deals an extra 2d6 damage for every previous attack that hit.

  That’s the Skirmisher part. The Leader part comes from two other abilities. The first is a Shadow Weft aura (5) that allows shadar-kai allies within to shift 1 square after they hit with a melee attack. The second is Shadow Boon, a reaction that allows an ally within 10 squares to re-roll an attack they just missed.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  I’m surprised we didn’t get a stat block that was literally named Shadar-kai Edgelord.

  Typical shadar-kai combat encounters will be either agains the villainous sort that consorts with undead, or the morally ambigious yet antagonistic sort that swears fealty to the Raven Queen. A more complex encounter might find the PCs aiding the latter against the former. Either sort of shadar-kai might be riding nightmares, because of course they would.

  We get two sample encounters here:

  • Level 13: two dawnkillers and a painbearer accompanied by a bodak. Undead-loving villains.

  • Level 14: A blacksoul, 2 gloom lords and 2 painbearers. A team where every member is a brooding loner, Kamen Rider-style.

• Dec 13, 2021

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Retriever

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

  Retrievers first appeared in the Fiend Folio for AD&D 1st Edition. They make their 4e debut here in the Monster Manual 2.

  The Lore

  

  Retrievers are powerful constructs shaped like giant spiders, built by the primordials themselves during the Dawn War to carry out kidnappings, thefts, and assassinations. They’re not smart enough to do anything outside their intended function, but when it comes to their mission there’s no one better in existence.

  Once given a target, a retriever can track it from anywhere in the multiverse and teleport to its location instantly. If they’re retrieving, they can grab the target and skedaddle. If they’re assassinating, they can count on their huge size, bladed legs, and multi-directional eye rays to flatten almost any opposition.

  The primordials can really build things to last when they care to. A significant number of retrievers survived the War and is still active today, which is very bad news for the world because some demons have learned how to command them. Back in the days of AD&D, retrievers were linked to Demogorgon in particular, but now they could be found in the service of any demon lord or other entity of similar power. Perhaps some of them still act at the behest of a primordial, and Lolth is spidery enough to want a bunch of them working for her. Make any of them angry enough and a few retrievers might show up at your home.

  The Numbers

  Retrievers are Huge Elemental Animates, but though they are described as constructs they lack the Construct keyword. They’re Level 27 Soldiers with 248 HP, immunity to Charm and Fear, and Resist 5 to all damage. They run at speed 8, but have no climb speed despite looking like spiders. Their special senses include darkvision and truesight 10.

  A retriever has Reach 3 and two basic attacks: a standard Claw strike and Retrieve, which targets Fortitude, deals claw damage and grabs the target. A retriever can move its grabbed victim without needing to make Strength tests, so they can easily “grab and go”.

  It also has access to four different eye rays, each pairing a type of elemental damage with a different rider: acid and blindness, cold and immobilization, fire and ongoing damage, thunder and stun. The creature can fire all four in the same action, but must target a different creature with each. At the start of each turn, a random ray recharges. This means a second full blast takes a while, but it can fire a partial one if needed.

  If the retriever is hard-pressed it can take an action to engage in Self-Repair, recovering 20 HP and gaining a +4 bonus to AC for a turn. This recharges once it’s first bloodied. Might be a good thing to do when it manages to run away with its victim.

  And finally we have the power that makes it truly fearsome: Unerring Accuracy, which allows it to sense the approximate location of its target and teleport to within 10 squares of it from anywhere in the multiverse. Demogorgon is pissed at you, gives your name to a retriever in his throne room and bam, giant spider mech bursting through your bedroom wall. This is a daily power, so I guess a retriever on a kidnapping mission needs at least a few hours before it can return to its master. That’s your window to rescue them.

  The order doesn’t even have to be very specific. “Bring me an elf” will allow it to teleport to the location of the nearest elf, and so on.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  Despite being an epic spider mech, the retriever is a Regular, which means it will usually be found as part of a group. This can mean “multiple retrievers”, or it can mean other epic assassin-types who hitch a ride on the teleport. Maybe they’re riding a howdah atop the spider body - it’d be the perfect place for some epic artillery or controller monsters.

  Alternatively, they might be found under the command of a less sophisticated type of demon who prefers to use them as bodyguards and extra muscle in a more straightforward combat scenario.

  The sample encounter could belong to either type: a marilith with an entourage composed of an abyssal rotfiend and 2 retrievers (level 26).

subscribe via RSS