4e monster cpnversion

[xBlackWolfx]

Don't use the monsters from Pathfinder... They are mean I think they only edition bias you are going to find here might be from 4e, not to say the creatures aren't cool.. The zombie that tears pieces of itself off to throw at you, that's kind of badass. But it really would be hard to nail down what would work in earlier editions using the 4e monster template. I think your better off taking an existing BFRPG creature and tweaking it to get the creature you want.

heh, ever read that 'stupid dnd monsters' artical (its pretty amusing btw, i highly recommend it, it also has a sequal btw)? that thing is actually included, of course he includes alot of monters which most ppl think are cool, infact i think most of the 'stupid' monsters in the artical are actually pretty cool (i even like the raggamoffyns, okay they're wierd and sorta pointless, but they're unique and add an interesting scenario to the game). btw, the sole reason he included the corruptor corpse was bc he thought the description was unclear as to weather the thing was throwing parts of its body, or the stuff that comes out of ppl's tail ends (most of his stupid creatures are there solely bc they reference bodily functions, most often farting). i personnally dont like it either, bc i hate zombies, they're just gross. and a zombie that mutilates itself then throws the pieces at you is just even more disgusting. i've never been able to understand why they're so popular. i dont mind skeletons, infact i sorta like them, but i dont like slimy, rotting, disease-infested meat running up to you and slapping you. and it doesnt make much sense, simply being near the things can give you a menagerie of fatal illnesses, even if it doesnt manage to touch you. the necromancer himself shouldn't be able to survive for long, the only exception being a lich, aka a nercormancer who's already dead anyway. and couldn't they make a mindless soldier out of something more durable (and hygenic), i mean they can make golums out of any material you can imagine, from wood to iron to bones, even brain matter. who would try to make a rotting corpse a soldier when there's so many other options available?

clearly, players seem to have drastically different ideas as to what's cool and what isnt.

now i'm scared that i'm going to get banned for trolling....

i would post something useful, but everyone's already said all there is to say: just make it up freeform. its the only thing you can do.

[Joe the Rat]

Keep in mind that the things that you find icky and disturbing are the things that make good monsters - for every hell-yeah fist-pumpingly awesome creature out there, you should have one that makes at least one of your players go "ewwww." Scary and disturbing (to a point) makes for good horror.

Zombies are popular because they are scary and nasty like that. Particularly the modern plague-flavored ones, since they can spread their mindless only-mostly-deadness. They combine our fears (disease, death, loss of self, loss of control, body betrayal, being outnumbered) with a veneer of plausibility. As for disease in classic zombies - well, you could go with the approach that bodies don't spontaneously generate new forms of life, and it's generally the diseases that killed something, the native gut flora in places it doesn't belong, or the toxic byproducts of decomposition that are the dangers. Between knowing how to avoid these problems (don't raise plague victims when avoidable; store your zombies in a cool, dry place; wear a scarf or mask when digging up new bodies), knowledge of funerary practices, and magic, Necromancers ought to do okay.

i would post something useful, but everyone's already said all there is to say: just make it up freeform. its the only thing you can do.

I'd say start with an approximate BF-friendly analogue, and build from there. Rescale numbers to fit the ranges present in BF. Take what you know of 4e mechanics to separate defining traits from those present because every example of type X at that level does that to keep them competitive. Don't reinvent the wheel if you don't have to.

[Solomoriah]

Not that im saying that basic fantasy is a bad game (I honestly do like it), but i think 3.x is the best out of all editions, bc it allows the most customization. my biggest gripe about 4th is that it removed multi-classing. i do like the fact that it simplified the game and made everything a bit quicker, but the removal of multi-classing and ECLs simply reduces the variety of characters that you can play.

If you define characters in purely mechanical terms, then Basic Fantasy looks pretty bad. But we don't define it that way.

Honestly, if you really feel 3.x is best, why not use a more direct "d20 lite" rule set? The charm of BFRPG is the old-school flavor... it's why I don't just run a "d20 lite" game myself. Microlite 20 (I think that's the name) comes to mind here.

Regarding converting a monster from some other game, I recommend reading the flavor text, getting a feel for how it looks and acts, then forgetting all the stats and starting from scratch. In other words, what Smoot said.

[SmootRK]

Not that im saying that basic fantasy is a bad game (I honestly do like it), but i think 3.x is the best out of all editions, bc it allows the most customization. my biggest gripe about 4th is that it removed multi-classing. i do like the fact that it simplified the game and made everything a bit quicker, but the removal of multi-classing and ECLs simply reduces the variety of characters that you can play.

I like having loads of character options, which is why I produce races, classes, quasi-classes, and more stuff to allow players find the archetype they want to play. But once the archetype is found, I don't think the players need that continuous amount of unlimited options to work with... becomes a sensory overload sort of thing at every level-up. Some is good, too much and it becomes an exercise in mathematics/engineering to build just the right combination of features; not good for roleplay but is roll-play.

BFRPG is wonderful that it can accommodate a very wide variety of play-styles by the implementation of one or more supplements. I don't even use all the supplements that I, myself, have created for the game (at least yet). Some are just wrong for our game in some way or another (I play mostly with my young children), and others might be usable but only as NCP or bad-guy options (necromancer/grave master).

When it comes to advice for how much or how little is right, despite writing several of the supplements, is to err on the side of stingy, only adding just what is absolutely necessary. The supplements are meant as a grab-bag of options for the GM to use in his/her game, and certainly not meant to be all used concurrently. Take what one wants to fulfill a need in the campaign and ignore the rest.

All that said, I have also liked 3.x games in the past for the character options. However, we realized as the characters went past 10th level that the game really bogs down in play. Calculations, spells, options in combination, then in combination with other characters abilities. Rappan Athuk was on its way to completion but play got so lengthy that entire gaming sessions consisted of one fight, and we even had sessions where we had to stop play, write down everything about a combat we were in (locations, whose turn it is, etc.) only to be resumed at a later session. The options and mechanics of the game clearly start to break down at the higher levels.

What I wanted to preserve, is the idea that player's can find their character archetype and play it... not unlimited options indefinitely. This is why I consider BFRPG's inherent limitations, which are very much on-purpose, a plus that reigns in the game from imploding, and I work the options I write around this FEATURE. 10th level play is about the same as 1st level play, except the characters last longer and take more hits and cast more spells... which is the way I like it.

I have played the originals back in the day (1e, 2e, BECMI, etc) and I have played 3.0/3.5 (but not 4x), and I have tried several of the clone/simu games... In my humble opinion BFRPG has hit that sweet spot that caters to my play style as well as my inclination to write materials for the game. It is my favorite.

[dymondy2k]

Blackwolf.. It was a very undead based campaign... We even got to fight a draocolich..

[wynteriii]

Thank you for staying on topic, now I have a problem with organizing tokens from D&D for use in BF.