Everything looks pretty good... except that the vampire has dominating gaze listed as +17 vs Will when it should be +15 according to level and role... probably just a typo.
Or perhaps, given the fact that it need to dominate in order to do any damage, they left it slightly high.
Everything looks pretty good... except that the vampire has dominating gaze listed as +17 vs Will when it should be +15 according to level and role... probably just a typo.
Or perhaps, given the fact that it need to dominate in order to do any damage, they left it slightly high.
It's claw attack does plenty of damage.
Everything looks pretty good... except that the vampire has dominating gaze listed as +17 vs Will when it should be +15 according to level and role... probably just a typo.
Vampires are mentioned in a couple places as examples of monsters that dominate. I believe dominating is more or less 'their thing', which may account for the arbitrary bonus.
All in all, I like it.
Everything looks pretty good... except that the vampire has dominating gaze listed as +17 vs Will when it should be +15 according to level and role... probably just a typo.
You really think that 4e monsters have become so formulaic that any deviation from the average numbers for a given level and role must be a mistake?
Isn't it more likely that the designer simply felt that this particular monster should be really good at dominating people?Everything looks pretty good... except that the vampire has dominating gaze listed as +17 vs Will when it should be +15 according to level and role... probably just a typo.
You really think that 4e monsters have become so formulaic that any deviation from the average numbers for a given level and role must be a mistake?
It's not that I think any deviation must be a mistake, it's that I feel this particular deviation - no matter how flavorful it might be - is inappropriate.
My reasoning is pretty simple as well:
1) Players (in my experience) thing being dominated is a bummer - it takes their character out of their hands and further causes harm to the party since they aren't just not acting they are taking an action against their own goal(s).
2) The bite, which is boosted in damage well above the expected damage for level 12 (and sitting at 175% minimum, ~207% average, and 217% of maximum damage compared to the vampire's claw) can deal up to 75% of a 12th level character's maximum HP (I'll be fair and add another number, a 14 Con Fighter with Toughness could lose around 45% of it's maximum HP in one, not quite maximum damage, hit).
I think the combination of traits is too much (at least for a standard monster), and cannot see myself using this monster as-is without a player likely thinking that I intend for the party to be defeated in the encounter.
I'm surprised people are skipping over the fact that people can catch Lycanthropy now (which is awesome!).
They did alter the specifics on Moon Frenzy... but they didn't just add it - it's in the Monster Manual.
Also, it still isn't lycanthropy. Perhaps that is why there isn't much talk about it?
Excerpts
Monster Vault: Halloween
For Halloween, what could be more classic than Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and the Wolfman?
Talk about this Preview here.
Monster Vault: Halloween
For Halloween, what could be more classic than Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and the Wolfman?
Talk about this Preview here.