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• May 4, 2022

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

  

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

  Great apes are real world animals, and they’ve also been in D&D pretty much since the beginning. This MM3 entry is the first I’ve seen them in 4e, though by this point in the edition we might have gotten stats for them in some other non-Monster Manual publication.

  The Lore

  The MM3 doesn’t really try to model real-world great apes. Their depiction seems more inspired by pulp stories and the Jungle Book.

  D&D great apes are natural animals, and have inhabited the world’s jungles since the dawn of time. Some revere them as manifestations of the primal spirits, others enslave them as laborers and gladiators. Goblins kidnap young apes and raise them as guardians. Other humanoids might use them as slave labor, and some spellcasters enslave them with magic to use as bodyguards or gladiators.

  In the wild, great apes are very territorial and fiercely defend their homes from intruders using surprisingly sophisticated teamwork. Groups of apes are usually led by a “silverback”, a larger and older male who fights even more fiercely than the others to protect his family.

  PCs might meet a group of apes when traveling through jungle terrain, particularly mountainous jungle. Communication is likely to be difficult unless they have a druid or another primal character with them. If they do, it might be possible to convince the apes to stand down. If they don’t it’s a fight, though I guess the apes in this case will be trying to drive the PCs off rather than kill them. Apes being used as attack beasts by sapient villains will usually fight to kill, though.

  You also have the slightly less natural Ape Temple Guardians, who a long time ago used to be sapient humanoids but were twisted into their current form by some ancient curse. Now they make their homes in certain ruined temples, compelled to guard their treasures. Unlike natural apes, temple guardians are carnivorous. They fight to kill and will usually eat dead intruders, leaving their bones lying around as warnings.

  The Numbers

  All the apes depicted here are Medium Natural Beasts. They have low-light vision, and a climb speed (whose value varies per stat block). Their signature trait is Swift Climber, which makes them immune to opportunity attacks when climbing. Needless to say, be sure to include plenty of climbing opportunities in combat encounters against apes.

  Great Ape

  This “basic model” is a Level 4 Skirmisher with 55 HP. It has a ground speed of 7 and a climb speed of 6. They don’t have Spider Climb, but I’d be amenable to letting them use their climb speed to brachiate through the forest canopy.

  Great apes fight with Slams and they can also attack On The Run, which allows them to shift or climb half their speed and make a slam attack at any point during the movement.

  They can also use a Felling Blow (recharge 6+), which allows them to make two slam attacks against the same target. If both hit, the target also falls prone.

  Great apes should rarely stand still when fighting - it’s On The Run all the way with them. The exception is when they stop a bit to use Felling Blow.

  Silverback Ape

  Silverbacks don’t run around. Their goal is to be a very visible and very intimidating threat, drawing all the attention and allowing their non-combatant family members to escape, and give their fellow combatants room to maneuver. They’re larger than regular ape but still Medium, and are Level 5 Brutes with the Leader keyword. Their speed is 6 on the ground or 4 while climbing.

  Their Slams do heavy damage and make the target grant combat advantage for a turn. They can sometimes Fling (recharge 6+) a creature away, dealing even more damage than the slam, pushing them 3 squares, and knocking them prone.

  Finally, once per encounter silverbacks can use Chest Beat as a minor action, which gives all beast allies within 5 squares a +2 bonus to attacks for a turn.

  Ape Temple Guardian

  Temple Guardians are Level 6 Soldiers with 75 HP, a ground speed of 7, and a Climb Speed of 5.

  They fight with Clubs, which deals average damage and knocks the target prone on a hit. Swaying Strike allows them to make a club attack and shift 3 squares. And then can also Feast on a prone target, dealing light damage but gaining 10 temporary HP.

  Not only do these apes use weapons, they also coordinate really well. They’ll try to surround the PCs and avoid becoming isolated from each other. If a PC gets too close to whatever they are protecting, they’ll focus fire on that PC.

  You can combine them with regular great ape stat blocks for a bit more variety. Story-wise they’d all be temple guardians. They might also be under control of a naga or another eternal guardian who was responsible for cursing them in the first place.

  Final Impressions

  Normal great apes have too much of a “pulp gorilla” vibe for me to enjoy them as monsters. I kinda like the lore of temple guardians, though.

• Apr 23, 2022

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

  As I write this, I’ve just finished writing all of the articles of my Let’s Read series on the Monster Manual 2. So now I’m going to start on the Monster Manual 3!

  The Monster Manual 3 is obviously the third big monster book for Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, and it was published in June 2010, about a year after the MM2.

  A lot of the stuff I’ve written on the intro to the MM2 linked above also applies to the MM3. Monster roles remain the same, as does the gradation that goes from Minion to Regular to Elite to Solo. The encounter design system is the same as well.

  Some things have changed dramatically, though! While you still have the lore tables with skill DCs, the surrounding flavor text has gotten a lot bigger, replacing the minimalist sentences of past books with larger paragraphs written in a more dramatic tone. The extra space taken up by this text means we no longer have sample encounters.

  The stat blocks themselves also changed a lot, with monster abilities separated and listed according to the type of action they use (passive traits, standard, move, minor, triggered, always in that order).

  Last but not least, the math for basic monster numbers has finally reached its final, fully fixed form. Attacks, defenses, HP and average damage all follow the basic formula in the legendary Monster Manual 3 in a Business Card post. This updated math was also published as an errata update to the Dungeon Master’s Guide, but the Business Card has it in even more condensed form. Chronologically, this is the first book where you wouldn’t need to apply any blanket fixes to monster damage.

  If you were following my Let’s Read posts while reading the actual books, you’ll be familiar with all of these changes from the Monster Vault, which I read in parallel with the first MM here. The MV would be published in November 2010, updating the most “iconic” monsters from the first two books to the new format and collecting some from this one as well.

  The Monster Vault would in turn be followed by “Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale”, the final monster book I intend to cover in my readings. But that’s still a ways away. For now, we look to the MM3.

  This book has monsters of all levels, but focuses a bit more on the higher end. The index in my PDF copy is a little wonky because it lists each individual stat block in alphabetic order, but I’ll still read them in the order in which the larger entries appear.

  The changes in math also mean that monsters are much less likely to have healing powers. Leader monsters from the MM3 are much more likely to provide combat buffs than to heal their allies.

• Apr 13, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 2: Traits Appendix

  This post is the last in a series! Go here to see the other entries.

  Like the first Monster Manual before it, the Monster Manual 2 ends with a short appendix containing rules for using some of the humanoids from the book as playable characters. This one is a lot smaller than the MM’s appendix, and I don’t think any of the races in it got much in the way of subsequent support or more complete versions.

  The three writeups and their notable traits are listed below.

  • Bullywugs have Swamp Walk and get Primordial as a bonus language. Their racial power is the Rancid Air aura from their monster writeups. +2 to CON and DEX.

  • Duergar are predictably similar to dwarves, but they get Deep Speech as a bonus language and the Infernal Quills racial power. +2 to CON and WIS.

  • Kenku get the Flock Effect and Mimicry abilities from their monster writeups, but don’t have any bonus languages. Flock Effect is a pretty awesome ability for a rogue. +2 to DEX and CHA.

  And with this we can finally close the MM2, and move on to the next book in my planned series. See you on the Monster Manual 3 Let’s Read!

• Apr 5, 2022

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

  

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

  I see xorns in my copy of the AD&D 1st Edition monster manual, so they date from at least that far back. This is their 4e debut, and they’re the last monster in the book.

  The Lore

  Xorns are earth elementals native to the Elemental Chaos, but they long ago spread to the deep subterranean tunnels and caverns of the world. Their three-lobed radial symmetry makes them seem quite bizarre to natives of the world.

  Xorns can swim through rock and earth as if it was water, and must feed on certain rare metals and gems. They’re sapient, and will often bargain with other people, aiding in their mining or smelting efforts in exchange for their “food”. It seems they’re not very concerned with much beyond their own survival, so they’ll happily ally with creatures of all dispositions, from dwarves and galeb dhur to duergar and fire giants.

  Xorns found in the wild are likely to be drawn to the gems and magic items carried by PCs. The PCs might be able to negotiate with them and avoid a fight… but some less scrupulous xorns tend to use these negotiations to help set ambushes.

  The Numbers

  We get two stat blocks here, but they’re very similar, so I’ll discuss the first one and then note how the second one differs from it.

  Xorn

  The basic model is a Medium Elemental Magical Beast (Earth), and a Level 9 Skirmisher with 102 HP. Its senses include darkvision and all-around vision, which prevents it from being flanked. It has a relatively low ground speed of 5, and a burrow speed of 5 that’s enhanced by the Earth Glide ability. It allows the xorn to burrow through solid rock as if it was loose earth, using its full burrow speed at all times.

  The xorn’s basic attack is a Claw, and Triple Strike allows it to make three of those against different targets. If there’s only one foe in range, it will use its Earthy Maw instead since it does about double the damage of a claw strike.

  As a minor action, the xorn can Submerge, partially burying itself and gaining a +2 bonus to AC until it moves. When it’s missed by a melee attack, it can retreat, burrowing its speed as a reaction.

  In a fight, a xorn will jump from inside a wall or floor, submerge for the AC bonus, and claw or bite the party’s squishies. If a missed attack doesn’t make the creature retreat automatically, it will do so on its next turn so it can repeat this pattern. Earth Glide makes it extremely mobile despite its poor speed, particularly in an underground environment.

  Diadmondhide Xorn

  This is an older or simply well-fed specimen, who lives in a place of the Elemental Chaos where its preferred food is more plentiful. Its hide glitters with the minerals it has ingested.

  Diamondhide xorns are Large in size, and are Level 16 Skirmishers with 160 HP. They have all the same attacks and abilties as the basic xorn, with bigger numbers. They also have a new attack named Undermine (recharge 5+) in which the xorn burrows its speed and attacks a creature it passes under. This targets Reflex, does heavy damage, and restrains the target (save ends).

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  The sample encounter is level 9, and consists of a pair of xorns in cahoots with a troop of duergar.

  I’m happy to see xorns here. Their weird looks make them an iconic D&D monster in my mind. A nice way to close the book.

• Mar 29, 2022

  On Exalted Martial Arts

  There’s this post on Mailanka’s Musings that talks about two different ways of modeling martial arts in RPGs. The first is something he calls “Move-Based”, and the second “Skill-Based”.

  Move-based martial arts is how most RPGs in the 90’s did it. You bought a style, and that gave you access to a series of “moves” that were essentially special powers with individual rules for what they did. Some systems made you buy each individual move as well, usually as a way to model your progression in the style - advanced practitioners know more moves. Your move set is as or more important than your raw skill level.

  Skill-based martial arts are what GURPS does. Everyone uses the same skills to fight, and knowing one style or another is mostly a matter of flavor with a few minor mechanical bonuses thrown in. What really matters are your skill levels: people with different style familiarities but similar skill levels are equally effective. The same applies to someone who “knows” a style and someone who just has the combat skills.

  Move-based rules might allow you to emulate some classic kung-fu stories that are all about how some styles are objectively superior to others, or how there’s a secret style or ultimate technique that’s jealously guarded by a cranky old master. Skill-based rules are closer to Bruce Lee’s philosophy, or modern views of martial arts in general, where individual skill is more important and the “ultimate power” is learning from multiple sources and combining everything into something that works for you.

  Personally, I prefer skill-based rules, largely due to my exposure to GURPS Martial Arts for Fourth edition. Everything it introduces can be done by someone who isn’t using the style rules. It covers styles from the whole world without treating any of them as inherently superior, and it acknowledges that basically any organized system of fighting counts as a “style”. The “generic swings” other systems describe as the standard form of fighting only happen if you’re completely untrained.

  Given this preference, it comes as no surprise that I have a few weirdly specific hangups about how Exalted handles its martial arts. Let’s talk about them!

  Exalted’s Martial Arts

  Exalted’s whole system is entirely move-based. Every PC has a large set of “Charms” that are usually linked to skills, and represent magic techniques they can use to enhance uses of that skill. Getting to the maximum possible skill level is trivial, and it’s your Charms that make the difference when going against similarly supernatural opposition. This goes even for non-combat skills, though the fighty bits tend to take up a lot of attention.

  Martial Arts are part of this system, but the game still takes pains to make them extra-special, even as it struggles to explain what makes them different from standard combat powers. Exalted First Edition had a separate Martial Arts skill, whose associated Charms were structured as “Martial Arts Styles”. They didn’t really “mix” with charms of other skills. As a result, a lot of each style’s Charms end up duplicating the effect of basic combat Charms in different ways.

  Second Edition merged “standard” unarmed combat and Martial Arts, and made it a little easier to mix and match charms from a few different styles. Third Edition doubled down on the original position and made it so each style had its own separate skill, thus coming full circle on the ‘martial arts cost more because they are exotic and special’ trope.

  How I’d Do It

  Had I been writing these rules, I’d probably take them in a different direction entirely, and more towards the way GURPS sees things. There would be no Martial Arts skill. Each style is associated with a single standard combat skill, and consists of exactly three Charms representing its advanced or iconic techniques. The basic stuff is already covered by the standard skill and standard Charms.

  For the Charms I’d reuse the “lotus” metaphor, so they would be the Root, Bulb and Blossom Charms. You learn them in this order. Each has the previous one as a prerequisite, and probably an increasing Essence score. They’re meant to be combined with the standard Charms for that skill, relying on them for the basic dice-adding mechanics and such. If you know Charms of multiple styles you can explicitly combine them as long as the combination is otherwise rules-legal.

  Everyone who learns to fight is a martial artist, even if they never pick up style Charms. Every martial artist ultimately develops their own personal style by learning from as many sources as possible and keeping what works for them. And you can certainly describe the way your kung-fu looks as being a certain style even if you don’t have the Charms.

  Example: Snake Style

  I didn’t originally plan on doing this, but what the heck, let’s go! Snake Style has traditionally been the main corebook style, so let’s see how it would look in this format.

  Let’s see what the lore says about it: it’s a style focused on speed and precision, aiming to take down better armed and armored opponents before they have time to act. It uses two-fingered strikes to hit pressure points and exposed tendons. Masters of the style can “pierce through armor”, “paralyze opponents with pressure point strikes”, and “deliver poisonous Essence through their fingertips”.

  The choice of what to keep in our new format is pretty easy - each of the things masters of the style can do references a specific Charm. We want those. All the others increase basic numbers in different ways and can be replaced by standard charms from Brawl and other trees. Want to dodge like a snake? Take Dodge Charms. Want the “tough scales” effect? Take Resistance.

  So our new Snake Style is an unarmed style linked to Brawl. Our Root Charm is Crippling Pressure Point Strike (Ex3 p. 428). Our Bulb Charm is Armor-Penetrating Fang Strike. Our Blossom Charm is Essence Venom Strike. Their skill level and Essence prerequisites remain the same, but read Brawl in place of Martial Arts.

  This is a quick and dirty sketch, and some additional work would be required. Essence Venom Strike needs to be rewritten a bit, since half of its effects reference Charms we’ve eliminated. We might also want to rewrite some of the base Brawl charms, though I haven’t looked at them in much depth.

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