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• Nov 9, 2020

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

  

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

  I think rot harbingers first appeared in 3e as Angels of Decay, in one of its undead-focused supplements. Here, they are only on the Monster Manual.

  The Lore

  In 4e, rot harbingers are still sometimes called angels of decay, though that’s the less common name for them. Though they resemble angels, the two are not directly related.

  Rot harbingers are one a type of undead that were never alive in the first place. Once upon a time Orcus decided to travel outside the Abyss for reasons that have been lost to time. The gods took this opportunity to try and kill him, and sent a host of angels to do the deed. The angels failed, and all of them perished at the claws of the demon lord. When Orcus returned to the Abyss, he made the first rot harbingers from nothing as a kind of “fuck you” to the gods that tried to kill him.

  Most such monsters still serve Orcus, but some have managed to escape his control and find new employment with other masters. All of them are quite unpleasant, with their lust for inflicting agony and death being literally the thing that keeps them animate.

  The Numbers

  Rot harbingers are Medium Elemental Humanoids with the Undead keyword. They’re immune to disease and poison, have 10 necrotic resistance, and aren’t specially vulnerable to radiant energy. They run at speed 6 and fly at speed 8 (clumsy). We get two stat blocks here, and they’re simple enough that I’m not going to give them their own sub-sections.

  The standard Rot Harbinger is a level 20 soldier with 193 HP. It fights with its claws, which mark for a turn and do ongoing necrotic damage (save ends) in addition to their standard physical damage. That’s their only attack.

  There’s also the Rot Slinger, which is level 22 Artillery and has 165 HP. Its claws also do ongoing necrotic damage, and it fights at range by shooting Orbs of Decay (Ranged 10 vs. Fortitude) which do necrotic damage, weaken, and inflict a -2 penalty to saves (save ends both).

  They’re best used in groups, with standard harbingers providing a serviceable front line and the slingers hanging back. They pair well with monsters that inflict (save ends) effects, due to the penalty they inflict.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  We have two:

  • Level 21: 1 deathpriest hierophant, 3 slaughter wights, and 2 rot harbingers.

  • Level 22: 2 harbingers, 2 slingers, and a voidsoul specter.

  In other words, Thanatos is probably crawling with these things, and they make perfect servants to high level necromancer types even if those necromancers aren’t part of the Orcus franchise. They’re good candidates for the “regular foot-soldier” monster in an all-undead epic adventure.

• Oct 30, 2020

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

  

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

  Ropers are D&D originals as far as I know, and have been in the game since at least AD&D first edition. They’re one of a number of monsters meant to look like innocuous bits of scenery which Gygax and other authors likely invented as their players became savvy to their usual opposition. They’re on both the Monster Manual and the Vault in this edition.

  The Lore

  Ropers are ambush predators who live in the Underdark and sometimes in caves closer to the surface. Their rocky skin and conical shape makes them very similar to the sort of geological formation you can find in these environments, and they can slowly crawl and position themselves in either cavern floors or ceilings. Unlike many Underdark denizens, their distant origins lie in the Elemental Chaos rather than in the Far Realm. They’re technically earth elementals!

  A roper will sit tight and look like a stalactite/stalagmite until some likely prey wanders into the reach of its long tentacles, at which point they’ll whip out, grab the victim, and pull them into the creature’s maw. Aside from their natural camouflage and weapons, ropers have another thing going for them: they’re sapient and actually fairly intelligent. While most will eat anything and anyone, some have specific tastes in prey, such as humans or elves.

  In both cases, a roper might make deals with other creatures that live near its chosen hunting grounds, promising not to eat them in exchange for being allowed to position itself at a prime spot in their territory. If that territory gets invaded (either by one of the many hostile Underdark factions or by PCs), the roper and its allies will generally cooperate in its defense, with the roper getting to eat the bodies later.

  The Numbers

  Ropers are Large Elemental Magical Beasts with the Earh keyword. They all have darkvision and are immune to petrification. They have ground and climb speeds of only 2, with Spider Climb allowing them to stick to ceilings. This means they’re not going to be moving much during a fight, but they can position themselves just fine outside of it.

  All ropers can do something grabby with their tentacles and something horrible to grabbed victims, but the exact mechanics vary per stat block. Tentacles usually have a fantastic melee reach of 10.

  The Monster Manual only has the one roper stat block, but the MV has three. We’ll look at them in order of level.

  Impaling Roper (MV)

  A relatively simple creature compared to its relatives, the Impaling Roper is a Level 10 Lurker with 84 HP and the standard traits described above. It’s trained in Stealth.

  Its Tentacles (melee 10 vs. Reflex) do very little damage, but also grab on a hit (escape DC 26). Grabbing a victim grants the roper Resist 20 to all of that victim’s attacks for a turn. Anyone (including the victim) can attack the grabbing tentacle, which has the same defenses as the roper. A hit here does no damage but causes the creature to release the victim.

  If the victim is still grabbed when the roper’s next turn comes up, it can Impale them (melee 10 vs. Reflex). A hit pulls the victim adjacent to the roper, does a ton of physical damage, and ends the grab. A miss does the same thing, but only half damage.

  I’m guessing this roper looks more like a round spiky rock than the usual conical shape.

  Cave Roper (MV)

  This is a Level 12 Elite Controller with 252 HP and all standard roper traits. It’s pretty much the classic roper.

  Cave ropers have a couple of passive traits: Tentacle Release is the same “attack the tentacle to free a victim” mechanic we had as part of the Impaling Roper’s basic attack. Stony Body is what allows the roper to disguise itself as a rocky formation by closing its eye and retracting its tentacles. The Perception DC for spotting the ruse is 28.

  The roper’s Tentacles (melee 10 vs. reflex) do level-appopriate damage and grab the target with a DC 20 escape DC. While grabbed, the target is also weakened. With Double Attack it can make two tentacle attacks in an action.

  They can also Bite an adjacent grabbed victim, an attack vs. AC that does a ton of damage on a hit and half that on a miss. This roper’s bites don’t end the grab.

  To bring those victims within bite range, the roper can use minor actions to Reel them in, an attack vs. Fortitude that pulls the victim 5 squares on a hit.

  Roper (MM)

  The Monster Manual roper is a Level 14 Elite Controller with 284 HP. It’s functionally identical to the Cave Roper above, with the main differences being from mechanical adjustments between books. The DC to spot its Sony Body disguise is 30, and since there’s no listed DC to escape is grabs, you have to use either its Fortitude of 29 or its Reflex of 21 depending no which skill you choose.

  There’s nothing here you can’t get in a better format by leveling up a cave roper to level 14.

  Crag Roper (MV)

  Crag Ropers are Level 15 Elite Soldiers with 304 HP. They have all the standard traits mentioned above, plus the usual Stony Body (DC 30 to spot). They also get a Lashing Tentacles aura 5 to support their soldierly role: any enemy inside is considered marked.

  I think there might be some mistake in the crag roper’s attacks. Their tentacles skip the grabbing mechanics and just pull the target 5 squares in addition to doing damage. However, their bites can only target grabbed targets, and they have a Reel ability, both of which work like the cave roper’s. They can also make two tentacle attacks per action.

  As written, the crag roper has a hard time using either Reel or its bite, since it has to resort to a generic, damage-less grab action to grab someone. I would suggest either replacing the pull effect from the tentacles with a grab, or removing both Reel and the targetting restriction from the bite, making it into a Melee 1 attack with the same stats and effects.

  The crag roper’s final attack is Tentacled Retaliation, a reaction that triggers when a marked enemy tries to ignore the roper’s mark and attack someone else. It gives the monster a free tentacle attack against the enemy.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions.

  We have two level 14 encounters in the MM, one with a roper collaborating with a mind flayer and its two war troll thralls, and one with a drow war party. This tells us ropers will work with anyone who gives them a good deal, and have no specific allegiance to any of the big Underdark factions.

  Ropers are fine, I suppose, but I never really saw them as the sort of monster that absolutely must be present in a book. Even though I kinda get the editorial intention of the Monster Vault, I’m still a bit baffled as to why it dedicates so much space to the roper as opposed to, say, fomorians, which are not present here at all.

• Oct 27, 2020

  The Stormtrooper Armor Conundrum

  Do you know what is the second hardest thing to convert when adapting Star Wars to the tabletop? Stormtroopers¹. From an in-character perspective they vastly outnumber and outgun the scrappy rebel protagonists, with deadly blaster carbines and that iconic heavy armor. Yet in the actual narrative they almost never hit a shot and always get taken out in one hit from one of the heroes.

  Their poor aim has actually made it into GURPS as an optional cinematic rule named “Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy”, which reduces the deadliness of enemy shooters. But the armor thing has tied people’s brain in knots, because it can’t be explained away with a joke. Why does their armor do nothing?

  There are almost as many explanations and solutions to this as there are Star Wars adaptations. Some say “all armor is bad, actually” and have PCs rely on plot protection. Some have an armor system but go out of their way to explain why trooper suits specifically are actually bad. And some have an armor system that rates trooper armor highly but then go on to state that fun shootouts from the movies are lies and legends.

  Me, I think I hit on a solution that allows me to keep those fun fights while still having armor be cool.

  Imperial Stormtrooper Armor Drills

  This is a cinematic rule meant for science fiction settings where highly effective armor is common, but you want the PCs to have fun battles against armies of heavily-armored mooks. Star Wars and stormtroopers are the most obvious examples, but it also works for settings such as Waframe’s with its Grineer soldiers.

  Under this rule, armor worn by “mook” or “fodder” enemies has no protective value, and is mostly a cosmetic detail! Any solid hit will take them down, regardless of whether it would have penetrated their DR under standard rules. Armor worn by PCs and other important characters still uses all the default rules.

  This allows you to frame a particularly badass trooper as a real threat and have them survive several attacks without giving them different protective gear. It also allows PCs to loot armor from a fallen mook and have it actually provide benefit beyond a temporary disguise.

  Optionally, you could perhaps take this a bit further and subject certain stormtroopers to the Inverse Ninja Rule. See a full platoon of troopers gunning for you? Easy. See one trooper approaching? Danger!

  1. The first is the Force, but we all know that. ↩

• Oct 25, 2020

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

  

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

  I first heard of Rocs in the Arabian Nights stories (where Sinbad meets one). In D&D, they’ve been a thing at least since 1st Edition. Here, they are only on the Monster Manual along with some other familiar monsters.

  The Lore

  “Roc” here refers to a large group of related creatures, all of which are gigantic birds of prey with ties to the Elemental Chaos. They’re non-sapient beasts, and behave much like their mundane counterparts but on a larger scale.

  Giants love rocs, and often train for use as pets and companions. This is one of the rare cases where the giant’s pet is larger than the giant itself - all rocs are Huge, which means their size is about that of a full-grown titan.

  The Common Roc is the one you’ve probably read about in the Sinbad story. An extremely large eagle-like bird that nests in mountains and flies out to hunt cattle or similar prey. Despite their size they can be trained even by non-giants, and for this reason their eggs sell on the open market for a whopping 10,000 gp. Even with such a high price, few people feel it’s worth the risk to try and steal some roc eggs. You have to find the nest, get to it, and figure out a way to bring one or more fifty-kilo eggs home intact without momma roc spotting you.

  Common rocs technically have elemental ancestry, but they’ve been in the world for so long they’ve become a part of it, much like hill giants. Their relatives are another story.

  For starters, 4e phoenixes are a type of roc! Made of solid fire, they have an inexplicable hatred of undead despite being beasts, and are famous for their ability to self-immolate and be reborn from their own ashes. When a phoenix dies it might also leave behind a single scarlet feather (which is not made of fire). It can be used as a component of the Raise Dead ritual, allowing the caster to ignore its usual limitations: they can bring back someone who died up to a year ago, or grant 1 year of life to someone who died from old age.

  Yeah, you heard that right, Phoenix Down is a thing. The book implies it’s only left behind by phoenixes when they die permanently, but if you want them to be a bit more common you could say it also happens even if they rise from the ashes.

  You also have Thunderhawks, which are storm-themed rocs whose beaks and claws are infused with lightning, and who have some power over the wind around them. Storm giants love these things, and train them as a sport much like a human noble would train standard-sized falcons. Unlike a standard sized falcon, they’re quite useful in battle as well.

  The Numbers

  All rocs are Huge Beasts, with the common variety being Natural and the others Elemental. They all hop along at speed 4 on the ground, and fly at speed 10. They have trained Perception but no special ability to see in the dark, being daytime hunters. An owl roc with darkvision would be hella cool but is left as an exercise to the reader.

  As usual for higher-level MM monsters, their damage is quite lower than it’s supposed to be and should be fixed if you intend to use them.

  Common Roc

  Common rocs (or just “Rocs”) are Level 14 Elite Skirmishers with 288 HP and standard traits. Their flight speed is tagged as clumsy, but that looks like an error to me given their main attack.

  A roc’s basic attack is its Reach 2 bite, but what it really likes to do is a Claw Snatch. This maneuver allows the roc to fly its speed and make an attack vs. Reflex against a Medium or smaller target at any point in the movement. This does a little less damage than the beak, but a hit also grabs the target. The roc then flies the rest of its movement and drops the target prone on a space adjacent to its final position.

  Now, with Claw Snatch it’s important to remember that diagonals are free in 4e movement. A flying roc that has just grabbed a target can climb 1 square for every square of horizontal movement it makes from that point on. So, when it drops the target at the end of the movement, they’re going to take falling damage. And if the fight happens as the party climbs a mountain intent on stealing some roc eggs, there will be lots and lots of cliffs and precipices around for Momma to drop the PCs into.

  The size limitation being Medium doesn’t quite fit with the information that rocs hunt horses and cattle (which are Large). It’s an easy thing to change and shouldn’t impact fights much, since there are no Large PCs. It does mean the bird could lift a mounted PC with its mount, though.

  Phoenix

  Phoenixes are Level 19 Elite Brutes with 300 HP. This number is a little low, particularly when compared to the common roc’s total above, but that’s because a third of the phoenix’s total HP is hidden behind a gimmick, which we’ll see soon. They have 20 fire resistance, and Fiery Body aura 1 that deals 10 fire damage to peole who start their turns inside.

  The phoenix’s bite is reach 2 and does physical damage with some ongoing fire damage (save ends). It can also use a Radiant Burst (close burst 5 vs. Reflex, recharge 6) that does radiant damage and dazes.

  When first bloodied, the phoenix triggers its gimmick: Immolation. This causes an explosion (close burst 2 vs. reflex) that does fire damage, and kills the phoenix. At the end of its next turn, it rises from the ashes at full HP. This means phoenixes effectively have 450 HP. Immolation is a daily ability, so if the phoenix continues fighting after this it can be permanently killed in the usual way.

  Thunderhawk

  Thunderhawks are Level 22 Elite Soldiers with 420 HP. They have 20 resistance to lightning and thunder, which does indeed make them the ideal storm giant pets.

  Their attacks are simple. The usual basic bite is reach 2 and does a mix of physical and lightning damage, with extra bonus thunder damage when used in a charge. As a minor action, they can cause a wind rush (close burst 2 vs. fortitude) that does no damage but knocks prone on a hit.

  So after an initial charge, the thunderhawk will keep hovering just above its enemies, keeping everyone prone so its buddies can move in for the kill and biting as appopriate.

  Sample Encoutners and Final Impressions

  We have one sample encounter for each bird. You’re not really expected to fight them by themselves:

  • Level 14: 1 roc, 2 hill giants, 2 galeb durh rockcallers.

  • Level 19: 1 phoenix, 3 assorted fire archons. It’s only undead they hate - fire elementals might still tame them.

  • Level 22: 2 thunderhawks and 2 bralanis of autumn winds. It’s not just storm giants!

  I’m a little surprised to see all big birbs share the same entry, but it makes sense. I liked the common roc’s “drag and drop” ability, and thunderhawks are cooler than I expected from my initial glance at their small stat block.

  The phoenix is a bit weirder. I’d expect its immolation-and-resurrection act to happen when it hit 0 HP, not its bloodied value. I guess they didn’t do that because it would require a bigger exception (“the phoneix has 225 HP and no bloodied value”), but it doesn’t stop you from doing it in your home game if you wish. Not having a bloodied value is itself a kind if minor defensive ability, since it denies some PC their bonuses against bloodied enemies.

• Oct 25, 2020

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

  

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

  Rats have of course been in the game since its beginnings. They have an entry of their own in the Monster Manual and are present in the animal appendix in the Monster Vault.

  The Lore

  Rats are real world animals and have been historically reviled both for their propensity for eating people’s food stores and for carrying disease. That last one is something of an undeserved reputation, as the worst diseases are actually carried by fleas and not by the rats themselves.

  Calling someone a “rat” is usually an insult implying cowardice, selfishness, and treachery, and D&D tends to ascribe these traits to rat-like monsters. Rats themselves are such a classic staple of low-level D&D play that they’re a bit cliche. “Clearing rats from a basement” was used as the tutorial quest for so many D&D-like video-games that the phrase has come to mean “trivial, boring and predictable adventure” on the tabletop.

  In 4e, individual mundane rats are pretty much harmless to an adventurer, but they can be somewhat dangerous in large numbers, forming swarms which are likely more aggressive than their real-world counterparts. This being D&D, rats also come in Giant and Dire varieties, and these are indeed a lot bigger and more dangerous than their real-world counterparts.

  The Numbers

  Between both books we have no less than 5 rat-related stat blocks! Some of them are conceptually equivalent, but different enough that I think they’re worth discussing separately.

  All rats are Natural Beasts, possess low-light vision, and have a climb speed.

  Rat Swarm (MM)

  A swarm of mundane rats is a Level 2 Skirmisher with 36 HP. As a swarm it takes half damage from single-target attacks and 5 extra damage from AoEs. It also has a Swarm Attack aura 1 that allows it to make a basic against any enemies who starts their turn inside. The swarm moves at speed 4 and climbs at speed 2.

  Their only attack is a Swarm of Teeth that deals immediate and ongoing physical damage (save ends).

  Realistically I think a rat swarm would be more interested in running away than fighting human-sized opponents, but this is D&D! Maybe someone is controlling them, or maybe they’re just plain mean. A swarm intent on fighting will likely park itself in a PC’s space and let the aura do most of the work, while using their standard attacks to put extra pressure on a specific PC.

  They’re less dangerous than needlefang drake swarms because they can’t knock people down, but are otherwise a good example of a basic swarm monster.

  Scurrying Rat Swarm (MV)

  While conceptually the same monster than the MM Rat Swarm, this entry has a completely different stat block.

  This rat swarm is a Level 1 Skirmisher with 27 HP and a ground speed of 6 (climb speed is still 2). It has the standard swarm resistance/vulnerabilities, and a Swarm trait in its stat block that helpfully summarizes the other rules it follows.

  Its Swarm Attack aura 1 does a bit of automatic damage and slides enemies inside 1 square. The Swarm of Teeth basic attack does more base damage, and does extra damage if the rats moved at least 2 squares this turn.

  This results in a rather more skirmisher-y monster that will keep running around for the damage bonuses rather than parking itself somewhere. Opportunity attacks are a minor concern for it, because it’s going to take half damage from most of them.

  Giant Rat (MM)

  Big enough to be a threat all by themselves, giant rats are Small in size, though probably on the smaller side of that. They’re Level 1 Minion Brutes with a speed of 6 (climb 3) and a basic bite attack that does “minion” damage. That’s all!

  In practice you’ll still want to use a “swarm” of them, only now you’re tracking each rat individually. They’re about equivalent to the classic giant rats of editions past, which had like 1/4 HD.

  Dire Rat (Both)

  Dire Rats are even bigger than giant ones, and have that spiky aesthetic common to all D&D dire animals. They’re aggressive enough to actively start fights with the PCs even when they’re not cornered, and unlike their less terrible counterparts they do spread nasty diseases directly. There’s some disagreement as to their size category: the MM says Medium, the MV says Small. Either way we’re well into Rodent of Unusual Size country. Their speed is 6 (climb 2).

  These beasts are simple Level 1 Brutes with 38 HP. Their only attack is a basic bite that does physical damage and spreads Level 1 Filth Fever. As usual for disease-vector monsters, infection is automatic under MM rules, and only happens if you fail a save after the combat under MV rules.

  Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

  The sample encounter is level 3: 2 kobold slingers, 2 rat swarms and 3 dire rats.

  So yeah, if you were wondering who would train attack rats, there you have it. Kobolds do it, and goblins certainly do it too since they’re supposed to be adept beastmasters. Dire rats also tend to obey wererats.

  I was never a rat enthusiast, and these stat blocks don’t sway my opinion. At the same time, I guess I’d feel like something was missing if the monster book didn’t have rats. The MV versions are slightly better, though there’s not much difference in damage for level 1 monsters.

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