[DF] More Monster Prefixes?

[somecallmetim]

I was just reading through DFM1 again was enjoying the prefixes section. Does anyone else have any more of these they've written up? I was thinking of trying to convert some of the ones from the D&D 3e Savage Species books and the more general templates from 3.X like Half-Dragon and Construct, but I've not had much time to work on them, so I wondered if anyone else had done the work for me.

Thanks for your time and Happy Holidays.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by somecallmetim

I was just reading through DFM1 again was enjoying the prefixes section. Does anyone else have any more of these they've written up? I was thinking of trying to convert some of the ones from the D&D 3e Savage Species books and the more general templates from 3.X like Half-Dragon and Construct, but I've not had much time to work on them, so I wondered if anyone else had done the work for me.

Thanks for your time and Happy Holidays.

Check out Mailanka's Homebrew Monsters thread. It actually came out before DF Monsters, but uses a similiar system of modular lenses to build complex monsters. I actually find it a more complete monster design system than what's in DFM, but I've used the two together to great effect (Ravenous Undead Goblin Brutes, oh my!)

[somecallmetim]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Check out Mailanka's Homebrew Monsters thread. It actually came out before DF Monsters, but uses a similiar system of modular lenses to build complex monsters. I actually find it a more complete monster design system than what's in DFM, but I've used the two together to great effect (Ravenous Undead Goblin Brutes, oh my!)

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks very cool.

[Bruno]

Yea, the prefixes are more about modifying a base racial template, whereas Mailanka's kits are for taking that template and "upgrading" it to a complete NPC ready to be a monster in your game, including with kewl powerz and stuff.

These aren't really hard-cut boundaries or anything, so there's some overlap (especially at the kewl powerz level) but fundementally the prefixes are for applying to a monster that already has complete statistics, a role in the game etc, while Mailanka's are for completing the statistics.

*flails around* my rambling point is that they're two great tastes that taste great together.

[Bruno]

But hey, pulling two out of my hat:

Giant
A giant is a huge version of a "normal" monster - it's big, strong, and hardy. Giant is an "upgraded" version of Juggernaut, but these two prefixes can certainly be combined to make a really TOUGH bigger monster. This may produce disproportionate results when applied to very small creatures - GMs who are concerned about this might want to use the percentage increase on creatures smaller than SM -1 instead of the flat bonuses.

Statistics: Add +15 or +150% to ST; +25 or +250% to HP; +3 or +150% to DR; +2 to SM. In all cases, round fractions down but use whichever bonus is higher (unless it's a small creature, see above).
Giant monsters with appropriately huge equipment multiply the damage bonus of their weapons by 2.5 and round down (but always enjoy a minimum +2 bonus).

Spiky
Spiky monsters can result from weird fiendish hybrids, alchemical bone growth experiments, wild magic, crazy artificers welding on spiky bits... The result is heavy bony plating and sharp body spikes, like an extreme dinosaur.

Statistics: Add +2 or 20% to HP, and +2 or +100% to DR. In all cases, round fractions down but use whichever bonus is higher; If the creature has a horn, bite or claw attack that does not do impaling, upgrade it to impaling. If it already has an impaling horn, bite or claw attack, give it a +1/die damage bonus. The creature also gains the Long Spines advantage (Basic Set p88).

[somecallmetim]

Originally Posted by Bruno

But hey, pulling two out of my hat:

Very cool. I especially like Spiky. I tried to post a half-dragon prefix but my computer ate it. I'll try to rewrite it later.

[PseudoFenton]

Originally Posted by somecallmetim

Does anyone else have any more of these they've written up?

The problem with DFM and generic prefix modifiers (or suffix, those are fun too) is that there is currently no mark of balance between them, or even a suggestion that one might be desired. Does a creature with three modifiers relate to the same creature with three different modifiers? Should it?

It's very easy to make these up if they can add any level of potency, but after a point they then stop being quite as useful. When one roll up might produce something that isn't too much worse than the base creature, while another makes something that is eight times the fight... then its very difficult to know what you're getting before you get it!

Of cause you can still hand pick them, have an area where all creatures have the same modifiers to keep a theme and the players may note that Chaos creatures are much scarier than Ravenous ones because they get to see the differences more... but your mileage will vary...

Either way, here's some much neglected suffixes:

- of Doom
These insidious creatures are harbingers of ill fate and doom to all those who cross their path. These creatures are often better left alone or killed extremely quickly as even being in their presence is enough to cause a group of adventurers a whole world of hurt, especially the cowardly and stealthy creatures of Doom.

Statistics: Add Affliction (HT; Area Effect 8 yards; Emanation; Always On; Disadvantage, Cursed). Anyone who gets within 8 yards of one of this creatures must make a HT check every second and suffer the effects of Cursed disadvantage for one minute per point by which they fail, all creatures of Doom are also immune to this ability.
You may also choose to make only an individual in a group be of Doom, in this case use the tittle suffix , the Harbinger which adds Selectivity to their Affliction. The group they travel with are not immune to this ability, and so can befall the wrath of the Harbinger if they don't make their tea properly or on time.

-, the Cook
Some monsters lack sophisticated eating habits, while others can just be lazy, but occasionally one of them will become the Cook of a group. They are held to a higher standard to the other members and are normally protected or at least allowed a nicer sleeping conditions. In some cases the Cook of the group will take on a very active roll in combat, ensuring all meat is correctly cooked before anyone has a chance to eat it.
Note, when making a group of monsters, only make one the Cook. Like the Boss, the Witch Doctor and the Brute these suffix are 'title' suffix and are meant to exemplify individuals and not whole breeds. If you have a large enough group of monsters in the same place you can make more than one of them have the same title, although generally no more than 10% of the group. Nothing stops you having a group which comprises of individuals where each has its own unique title suffix however, in these cases they also normally have names followed by their title suffix. See the Named prefix for more details on how a name can make a monster potent in and of itself.

Statistics: Add Compulsive Behavior (Cooking) and add a follow up to all attacks to deal burning damage equal to the regular damage of that attack.

- Adventurer
Adventuring monsters are the most lethal of them all, they couple the raw power of their unskilled kin with the determination and meta-cognition of their sworn enemies. Adventuring monsters can be encountered in the most bizarre of locations regardless of their base creatures normal habits and habitat, as they ironically seek out other adventuring parties to even the score a little!
Note, a monster adventurer will often have lost of "loot" on their person, but due to their obsessive nature and hatred towards more common adventurers almost all of the magical gear being carried will be limited to either only work for themselves or their race.

Statistics: Add +2 or 20% to IQ (round down), whichever is higher; Obsession (Kill Adventurers); Intolerance (Adventurers); and any 50cp profession lens (roll randomly to decide). In addition they will usually have $1d x 1000 worth of magical gear on their person plus the appropriate loadout for their profession (see DF13 for more details).

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

First off, I'm happy you guys like the idea of prefixes from Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 to make more.

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

there is currently no mark of balance between them, or even a suggestion that one might be desired.

Quite on purpose. I can say that at no time Sean nor I brought up the idea of "balancing" or "power level designation" for prefixes. These things very deliberately draw on video games, where sometimes the bad guy has extra DR and sometimes every time you hit the bad guy lightning shoots out and auto-kills your hardcore guy.

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Does a creature with three modifiers relate to the same creature with three different modifiers? Should it?

It'll either be more powerful, less powerful, or about the same, depending on the monster, the prefixes, and the situation it is encountered in.

I come from the very old school idea that monsters are meant to kill you, challenges aren't meant to be easy to rate, balance of choices is good but balance of power is a will-o-the-wisp not worth chasing after.

Prefixes are like that.

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

When one roll up might produce something that isn't too much worse than the base creature, while another makes something that is eight times the fight... then its very difficult to know what you're getting before you get it!

Two things:

1) Rolling isn't in the book. Bruno wrote a very cool table of random prefixes, but the assumption in the book is that you are hand picking them.

2) If you ARE rolling, you're accepting that you don't know what you are going to get. It's the essence of random rolling - "I might get any of these results. Let's see which one I get."

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Of cause you can still hand pick them, have an area where all creatures have the same modifiers to keep a theme and the players may note that Chaos creatures are much scarier than Ravenous ones because they get to see the differences more... but your mileage will vary...

Yep.

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Either way, here's some much neglected suffixes:@

I actually have a few suffixes (and more prefixes) lined up for a future project, so I won't add any here. But yeah, suffixes are good too.

And worrying about balance in DF is, in my opinion, a waste of time. This isn't level-balanced "appropriate for our party size and level" gaming, it's beer-and-pretzels monster killing. Stick some prefixes on to toughen things up, and let the chips (er, pretzels?) fall where they may. IMO, anyway.

My players still haven't figured out that some of the monsters they fought had prefixes. One in particular . . . but they'll figure it out.

[PseudoFenton]

Originally Posted by Toadkiller_Dog

Rolling isn't in the book. Bruno wrote a very cool table of random prefixes, but the assumption in the book is that you are hand picking them.

Oh, In which case I think I've internalised Bruno... I must have read her roller and assumed it was always meant to be there. It is a very old school approach and one I like to use on occasion myself.

I actually have a few suffixes (and more prefixes) lined up for a future project, so I won't add any here. But yeah, suffixes are good too.

Woo, looking forward to them! Is said project a sequel/pyramid article or something else entirely?

And worrying about balance in DF is, in my opinion, a waste of time. This isn't level-balanced "appropriate for our party size and level" gaming, it's beer-and-pretzels monster killing. Stick some prefixes on to toughen things up, and let the chips (er, pretzels?) fall where they may. IMO, anyway.

No I agree, I was just pointing out that asking for something with so few criteria for its creation (due to them not being balanced or designed around any specific metric of improvement) can be a little silly. Anything can be a prefix, as I illustrated with my suffixes you can slap a name onto any powerful ability or concept and hey presto it's a monster modifier!

Therefore it begs the question of if there should be some sort of balance or scalar of improvement which can be conveyed to the user. Ie this monster modifier will make your monster different while this one will make it better and this one will make your players cry themselves to death.
I'm not saying it needs it, I happily threw out three very different "power level" improvements after my little ramble, but it is something I think needs to be addressed once you start compiling a list larger than your memory capacity. Its also a handy trait for a roller if you choose to use one, different modifiers go to the low numbers and lord of the seventh hells like suffixes go to the high numbers.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Oh, In which case I think I've internalised Bruno... I must have read her roller and assumed it was always meant to be there. It is a very old school approach and one I like to use on occasion myself.

I was clearly channeling the zeitgeist... or something.