Nebulous
Legend
Thought we could discuss/argue/praise/complain about changes to the monsters in 4e. There's certainly a lot! This isn't about what was left out of the 4e MM (we all know that certain favorites are gone, but sure to return in short order, if not immediately by fan-creation), but the changes made to the monsters that ARE there.
First case: the Berbalang.
I thought this was an odd one to put in here, a relatively obscure monster from the 1e Fiend Folio. Was it ever redone for 3e? Anyway, i compared the two monsters side by side. The 1e monster had 1 Hit Die; 4e is a Level 10 Solo Skirmisher with 408 hit points!
Big difference there.
They retained some of the original flavor by giving the berbalang duplicates in combat. Originally, it created one duplicate while the original slept in its lair, and the duplicate scoured the region for food (PCs). I was actually surprised to see that the 4e entry add a plot hook; some remote villages strike a deal with a berbalang where their dead are given to it, with sacrificies made at other times.
The fact that the creature hunted/mated on the Astral Plane while asleep was left out of the 4e description as well.
I'm really, really hoping that Dragon Magazine can take monsters and give them the background flavor they're lacking, like they did for the kobolds.
First case: the Berbalang.
I thought this was an odd one to put in here, a relatively obscure monster from the 1e Fiend Folio. Was it ever redone for 3e? Anyway, i compared the two monsters side by side. The 1e monster had 1 Hit Die; 4e is a Level 10 Solo Skirmisher with 408 hit points!
Big difference there.
They retained some of the original flavor by giving the berbalang duplicates in combat. Originally, it created one duplicate while the original slept in its lair, and the duplicate scoured the region for food (PCs). I was actually surprised to see that the 4e entry add a plot hook; some remote villages strike a deal with a berbalang where their dead are given to it, with sacrificies made at other times.
The fact that the creature hunted/mated on the Astral Plane while asleep was left out of the 4e description as well.
I'm really, really hoping that Dragon Magazine can take monsters and give them the background flavor they're lacking, like they did for the kobolds.
