[OOC] Get to Know a GM -- Monster Thread!

[bananabadger]

The Morkoth from the original Monster Manual ... what a cutie!

Welcome to Monster Week at the GM Lounge!

Just a reminder, the GM Lounge is a place of luxury, comfy leather chairs, and sun-drenched conservatories open to everyone in the RPG Crossing community during the Iron DM celebration. You might also call it a series of OOC threads, each one with a slightly different theme.

This thread is all about monsters and monstering--how do good GMs drop them into the game, why do they drop them into the game, when do they drop them into the game ... and do the monsters just drop themselves into the game at times? All these questions--and more...the thread is here to go where we collectively take it.

To get us started, I've asked some GMs from the site to answer these 7 questions and to be available for questions and responses throughout the next two weeks as we all do our deep-dive into monsters!

So let's hear from Elanir, PlaidPeregrine, Strangemund, and O2CXt3 ... and from YOU as well!

Here are the questions:

1. What are the three essential elements for any good RPG monster?
2. Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game?
3. Monsters come in extremes. For example, there is the stereotype of the OSR monster that it is named something like Quntrolka, Bane of Hope, attacks for no other reason than to steal your lunch money and eat your heart, and is unredeemable evil. Then there is the post-modern, post-5e monster whose name might be Fred, who suffers from boredom and misdirected enthusiasm, and could end up being your party's best-buddy sidekick. Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit?
4. What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format?
5. A good monster should know how to make an entrance! What is the most memorable monster entrance from all the games you've ever played? Can you give us a link to the most memorable monster entrance from the games you have played on this site?
6. A good monster also knows how to die (or surrender, or run away) ... what makes a great monster parting? Can you link to one of your favorites from this site?
7. Are there any monsters from past Iron DM games/rounds/submissions that you have stolen into your games? Or plan to steal?

[O2CXt3]

O2CXt3 1. What are the three essential elements for any good RPG monster? I think a good monster should be unique, with its own motivations that dictate how it behaves; it should reinforce the game atmosphere and the game universe; and character interactions with the monster should add some drama and excitement to the game. 2. Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game? Uniqueness: Fighting the same creature with the same tactics or goals just gets boring. A good monster should make the characters think a little bit. What strategy should they use? Maybe hack and slash isn’t the best approach? Why is the monster fighting, anyway? Is this a monster that can be negotiated with? If each monster is its own little puzzle, it helps keep the players engaged in the game. World building: A good monster should fit into the world you are building and reinforce the nature of the universe - are your players killing natural creatures? Or fantasy creatures like goblins? Or aliens? Or humans? Or mutants? Or zombies? Not every monster makes sense in every setting - a good monster helps develop and build the world that it is part of and helps add to the atmosphere of the game. Drama: Not every monster is dramatic, but the most memorable ones add some drama to the game. I sometimes wonder why so many RPGs are combat focused. I think it’s probably because fighting is both primal and high-stakes - it’s life or death! And that makes it dramatic. An encounter where the players crush the monster is less memorable than the one where a player’s life hangs in the balance of a single die roll. 3. Monsters come in extremes: For example, there is the stereotype of the OSR monster that it is named something like Quntrolka, Bane of Hope, attacks for no other reason than to steal your lunch money and eat your heart, and is unredeemable evil. Then there is the post-modern, post-5e monster whose name might be Fred, who suffers from boredom and misdirected enthusiasm, and could end up being your party's best-buddy sidekick. Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit? Yes! There’s definitely a place for all monsters. Quntrolka, Bane of Hope, would fit in great to a campaign with my kids where there aren't a lot of shades-of-gray. Or maybe your group just wants a tactical game and doesn’t care much about the inner life of the monsters they’re killing. Fred would fit in great into a game with more shades of gray. Maybe Fred somehow got mixed up with the wrong crowd, but he’s really not a bad guy! For a game that’s more narrative based and players don’t want to just kill everything in sight, a less monstrous monster is great. In the past, my monsters have fallen more on the Quntrolka end of the spectrum, but I'd love to run a game with more Fred-like monsters. 4. What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format? I’ve only made minor adjustments - sharing monster saving throws or AC or HP so players can more easily calculate if they hit or miss and narrate what happens after an attack, but mostly I’ve kept things mechanically similar to a real life game. That said, I do feel like managing a battlemap and all the rounds of combat can sometimes get to be a bit much in pbp. I’m interested in trying some games in the future that are more theater of the mind and less tactical than D&D to see if that works better with pbp. 5. A good monster should know how to make an entrance! What is the most memorable monster entrance from all the games you've ever played? Can you give us a link to the most memorable monster entrance from the games you have played on this site? One of my favorite monsters didn’t make an entrance at all. It was just there - a tree eating a man; the man’s skin fused with the bark of the tree. It was creepy because it didn’t make an entrance. It was just there; a seemingly normal thing that could kill you in this terrible way. It was great because it helped add to the general sense of menace and weirdness of the setting. 6. A good monster also knows how to die (or surrender, or run away) what makes a great monster parting? Can you link to one of your favorites from this site? A good monster exit is one with a bit of drama. This post from @barrowb was a nice bit of drama. After palling around with Komekko, a teenage girl, and rescuing her cat, Chomusuke, from a cult, and after a protracted intra-party squabble about whether the cat was or wasn’t a demon, the party handed the cat back to Komekko, who proceeded to peel a magical sticker off its head, whereupon the cat burst into a giant purple gargoyle and an unconscious goddess! Komekko melodramatically revealed herself to be the Demon Queen and flew away on the back of the gargoyle. All in all, a pretty grand exit, aided and abetted by the party rescuing the Demon Queen’s magical cat and then handing it to her. 7. Are there any monsters from past Iron DM games/rounds/submissions that you have stolen into your games? Or plan to steal? No, but it’s a good idea. I’ll definitely be looking for monsters to steal this year!

[Strangemund]

Strangemund Heyo everybody! Strange here! Your local cryptid and avid monster lover! I am psyched to have a chance to answer some questions, especially ones about monsters during my favorite month of the year! October! Yaaaaay! Horrors are among us! It should come to no surprise that I have a lot of opinions about monsters and monsters in TTRPGs, so get comfortable, get a snack, and let’s dive into these questions! ~~~ 1) If you had to define the core DNA of a monster for roleplaying games, what are the three essential elements to any monster you would add to your game?   Okay. So. My answer is completely subjective. It’s what I consider essential for any game run by yours truly, so just keep that in mind as we jump right into my first answer– Body Horror. Those of you who don’t know what body horror is its a term used when the physical appearance of a person, a living subject, or even a like robots, mannequins, etc.non-living subject is twisted outside of our expectation. That could mean anything from having hands holding your guts in instead of a rib cage, tentacles instead of fingers, eyes that pop out of your skull on stalks– extreme physical changes that elicit discomfort, fear, or disgust. Movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing, Malignant by James Wan, Hellraiser by Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror short stories, are all excellent examples of body horror. I personally love using monsters that are unequivocally uncomfortable to be around, let alone think about. Its mostly 'cuz I am a huge horror nut. I like being scared. I like being exposed to something beyond my imagination. And I like what that fear offers characters in terms of opportunity for character development. Will they fall prey to their cowardice? Will they fight for the ones they love? Will they be overcome with fascination of the aberration before them? Or do they fear that is the fate that awaits them if they fail? It’s also just incredibly fun to write and describe, and in truth, one of my favorite genres to play in. Which is funny because my other favorite genre to play in is romantic comedies. Environmental Storytelling. A monster doesn’t just have to be an encounter for you to best or overcome. It can add to the narrative in just the most subtlest of ways. Undead is my favorite example for Environmental Storytelling. You can do a lot of foreshadowing for what’s to come with undead encounters. Zombies, in particular, are great for that because whatever killed them will show up on their mangled corpse. So you have the opportunity to just put a bunch of fun little clues as to what the heck your adventurers will face in the next room, deeper into the swamp, or why its not a good idea to enjoy a pleasant meal at the dinner table of a God of Revelry. Burnt to a crisp zombies warn that perhaps a fiery trap lays ahead. Zombies peppered with arrows in their back warn of long range enemies. One example I used in a Numenera campaign was that all the zombies were missing their faces, as if something just perfectly carved out the bone and flesh, and took it with them. My players wore helmets once they finished dealing with the zombies, as that detail didn’t go unnoticed. A smart move on their part, because I had every intention of stealing their faces. In the end, that extra step adds a lot in terms of storytelling, and creating not just a ton of dread in your players, but thinking ahead in terms of whatever horror they will face in the future. Motivation. Everything’s got a motivation for why it acts the way it does. It can be instinctual– hungry, scared, hurt– or it can be complex– greed, hatred, love– but all monsters have a motivation for why they are here and why they are interacting with the party. Even eldritch horrors have their reasons, even if its unknowable in the grand scheme what their purpose is– they have goals. They have purposes. A lot of my games offer a variety of ways to handle encounters. It doesn’t have to end in combat. With enough understanding of what you are handling in terms of monsters, it can be dealt with through clever thinking, preparation, or social interactions. It all just depends on what exactly motivates that monster. Which makes it a lot easier to adapt to whatever solution your party decides on. 2) Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game?   You can’t go wrong with my three previous answers. Those I standby wholeheartedly. That said… Big Fish, Little Fish. So this is just terminology that I use for myself but Big Fish, Little Fish is in reference to the challenge level of monsters you throw at a party. Big Fish refers to monsters that are absolute menaces to deal with– the kind of encounters that are sweat-breaking and heart-pounding, where you don’t know if everyone will make it out alive. Little Fish refers to encounters that are either at level with the party or below, perfect for either assessing how much stronger the group’s gotten over the course of their adventure as well as granting them a chance to shine like the heroes they’ve become. I find it invaluable to mix up the challenge level for monsters in an adventure, especially if its a long campaign. It’s very easy to exhaust a party when you continuously hit them with harder and harder monsters. And while that’s great for shorter games or campaigns where the expectation is the grind, for others, balancing the pacing with your monster encounters breaks up the monotony. Which makes when you do switch up things all the more heavy-hitting, as they won’t know if the next fight will be easy or hard. Fate Worse than Death. Not all monster encounters have to end with characters getting eaten. Sometimes the worst fate is living through the aftermath. A failed saving throw against an alien creature could mean its infested its offspring in you, which could lead to a side-quest of trying to remove it before it hatches. Blacking out after rolling a nat 1 to a spell to summon some ancient creature could have you waking up in a crypt, fingers bloodied from clawing your way through the dirt. Losing to the lich king doesn’t mean you are slayed but bound to her until you find a way to break lose of the shackle around your throat. I personally am an avid fan of going the extra step and physically and mentally changing the character. Consorting with eldritch horrors could end up with you growing an extra limb, seeing things that do not exist in the peripheral of your vision, or even damning you to a monstrous transformation that you’d never wish your loved ones to know. Do keep in mind, though, if this stuff interests you, that you talk with your players first before you pop any of these ideas on them. Creative Thinking. A good monster will have the players thinking outside the box on how to handle it. Now, you can’t go wrong with your basic slash and stab. I am not knocking that strategy. But my most favorite monster encounters are when the players work together and come up with a plan to best the beast in a way I could’ve never imagined. And it’s an even greater feeling when they knock it out of the park with a dice roll that was begging to let it happen. It’s those stories we remember the most in our gaming career, so I do my best to make sure that I am always flexible when it comes to facing my monsters. Throw me an interesting idea, and 9 out of 10, we are going to watch how it plays out. 3) Monsters come in extremes. For example, there is the stereotype of the OSR monster that it is named something like Quntrolka, Bane of Hope, attacks for no other reason than to steal your lunch money and eat your heart, and is unredeemable evil. Then there is the post-modern, post-5e monster whose name might be Fred, who suffers from boredom and misdirected enthusiasm, and could end up being your party's best-buddy sidekick. Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit?   Oh absolutely! Do not limit yourself in terms of what a monster should be/shouldn’t be. Monsters are a kaleidoscope of weirdness and wonder and terror! They come in all shapes and sizes, some covered in gore, while others wear a sweater vest with a puppy dog in a sailor hat on the front. I personally will use every kind of monster in the book. In fact, mine usually are on opposite end of the spectrums. Eldritch horror versus That Guy who deliberately won’t tell you that your fly is down while you give a big important speech in front of your peers. Both offer so much in terms of character interactions and story-telling that I couldn’t possibly limit myself to just one flavor. I want all 37 flavors. It’s just a matter of what story I want to tell. What themes do I want to draw on and how do I want that encounter to effect my players and their characters. 4) What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format?   I give more details than I would’ve in live-play. Play-by-post is a slow format, especially when you have folks like myself who love lengthy narrative posts. You don’t get the snappy back-and-forth questions you’d normally get from players at a table. So, I lay everything out. The full description of the monster. No name given just yet but you’ll know how it moves and how it interacts with its surroundings. Whether it flinches from the light or swell with newfound strength when it eats a bit of flesh. Whether it notices you or not. Whether it is alone or with many. You will have plenty to work with in terms of its entrance and its appearance, including what’s available to you in your surroundings. Like a chandelier dangling overhead that’s just waiting for somebody to cut the rope and hit that beastie right on the head. I really like OOC breakdowns that offer options for players to take if they are not sure what they want to do, as well as DCs they need to make. In addition, I don’t use Perception checks as often any more. It was a great crutch for the beginning of my GM career (both in play-by-post and liveplay) when I didn’t know how much information to hand out to my players, but I’ve game’d long enough that I feel comfortable giving pieces of information out freely, asking for different rolls that are tied to the character’s strengths that would give them unique information based on their personal background. Tying information to specifically what a character would know is very rewarding for the player and myself, well, least in my roleplay heavy groups. 5) A good monster should know how to make an entrance! What is the most memorable monster entrance from all the games you've ever played? Can you give us a link to the most memorable monster entrance from the games you have played on this site?   Shout-out to FraterChad who is my killer Monster of the Week GM and an inspiration to me in terms of writing horror! Writing horror is a skill. It is not just grotesque descriptions or sudden encounters. It is understanding how to build tension through words alone. Picking just the right descriptions to mess with your senses. To make you feel alone. Pulled into the moment. Paranoid. Afraid. And uncertain of what lays ahead. It is using the hardest tool of Suspense. And FraterChad is a master of it. It is no surprise that the post I am about to link is already nominated by my good buddy Kaigen for Post of the Month for September. It is an INSANE entrance for the monster our plucky group of 1960’s era monster hunters have been searching for in this spooky suburban town. My ex-cultist rockabilly, Tony, fudged up a magic spell that ended up summoning the monster when we are unprepared and unarmed for its arrival. And ooh, the willies you’ll get once you’ve reached that spoiler button. Read at your own peril, friends! 6) A good monster also knows how to die (or surrender, or run away) ... what makes a great monster parting? Can you link to one of your favorites from this site?   Shout-out to North Team from 4eyedBadger’s Midgard game! Ooh, boy, you are in for a TREAT. These plucky adventurers found themselves a demon holed up in a farmhouse, right in the smack dab of nowhere, and the back-and-forth encounter between Syne’s Lucia, UngainlyFool’s Arkady, kymrel’s Asbjorn, Retry’s Father Renfield, and Odyssey’s Zephyr is why writing with more folks is better than one! The piece I am linking starts with the exorcism of the demon after they successfully pushed it back into the barn. But the way 4eyedBadger’s builds tension through the NPCs and the actions of our intrepid heroes truly leaves you on the edge of your seat. Which is no surprise, because he’s also another inspiration to me in terms of GMing. Read at your own risk! 7) Are there any monsters from past Iron DM games that you have stolen into your games? Or plan to steal?   I haven’t read too far into the past Iron DM entries to lay claim to any monster inspiration just yet but I AM going to read the other answers in the GM thread here and add to my collection, for sure. I have a strong suspicion folks will cover stuff that I didn’t even consider. Which is my favorite part about play-by-post– the vast amount of individual creativity you’ll find in the forums here!

[PlaidPeregrine]

Thank you for having me! Here are some of my ideas on Monsters! I'm sure these questions would make a great discussion amongst the player and GM/DM/Storytelling community. Here is my ramble. If you have any questions or comments, express away!

What are the three essential elements for any good RPG monster?
The monster, to me, is an embodiment of something challenging, disturbing, and/or is working against the players. What are the three elements?

 

I like to include an atmosphere for the monster. Sometimes the atmosphere or environment IS the monster - spore producing mushrooms, a whispering fog of madness, or the slick oily substance left behind the gooey cube that is slothering along an otherwise pristinely clean floor. Monsters, when not simple Humanoids behaving badly, should squish or crunch, or squish AND crunch. To me, if I can engage the senses, that makes it all the more fun. Catch the rank scent of the moldy zombified barkeep. Hear how his cracked leather boots are crunching on the dry splintered floor, or across shattered glass. You can really shine as a storyteller just describing the Monster and how it moves, and sounds, and scents it emits.

Value! The Monster ought to engage and reward the players. Give the players the satisfaction of killing or surviving a Monster. I like my NPC Monsters that are three dimensional, who chat with the PC's. A fleshed out noble NPC 'Monster' who is despicable, morally bankrupt (even for 'good' reasons), and ever the great party host. My Monster invited the party to a lovely (potentially) 6+ course dinner and they never made it to the end. The poor noble host ended up partially turning into a demonic beetle, and then a giant lizard before he was taken down. Engage with your players in a humorous manner once in a while using the Monster, even if it's dark or dry. Give them reasons other than 'this needs to be killed because it's in your way, blocking the hallway', though that is standard and part of the fun. Monsters can be body parts to sell to a merchant/store at the end of the day for gold, or they can make your players laugh a bit when the situation feels weighted and tough.

Another point for Monster Value I would like to make - if a Monster can help a PC grow or if it's tied to the storyline or background of a PC, that is a true and wondrous creature(s). Having just been in an amazingly challenging Monster fight that was directly related to a PC's background made everything so much more meaningful and fulfilling at the end.

That brings me to the third element - Some Monsters need to have one or more vulnerabilities that the players can unpuzzle and possibly expose in some manner. The patch of three missing scales on the dragon. The chocolate donut that the Infernalist guard will open the cell door for. What do the PC's have on them that could make a horrible situation survivable? Can the PC's go to the local library/cryptozoologist/expert/used scroll shoppe and learn something that can give them an edge in an encounter that can turn it from a near-death-experience of a fight to a fantastic scene where they have a potion of Shrink It! flavored with salmon oil (that displacer beasts LOVE, by the way) they can pour in a bowl and wait out the fun-filled outcome.

Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game? Challenge, Excitement, a Sense of Accomplishment

Monsters come in extremes. For example, there is the stereotype of the OSR monster that it is named something like Quntrolka, Bane of Hope, attacks for no other reason than to steal your lunch money and eat your heart, and is unredeemable evil. Then there is the post-modern, post-5e monster whose name might be Fred, who suffers from boredom and misdirected enthusiasm, and could end up being your party's best-buddy sidekick. Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit?

 

Swarms of crabs are only redeemable in a pot of stew since they are true evil. I believe there needs to be this range in a game. Are there one dimensional pure evil or vicious creatures that cannot be reasoned with? Absolutely. We need our always-hungry-for-flesh zombies, our Cthulian horrors, our giant centipedes, and used cyberdeck salesmen.

Personally, I prefer a balance between blind-aggressive Monsters and thoughtful enemies who can at least be spoken with, even if they cannot be reasoned with.

What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format?

 

I homebrew a number of my Monsters and often tweak Monster stats and their abilities.
Players can also use Arcana, History, Insight, Religion when dealing with the Monsters. There are a lot more details, I feel, in a PBP environment. There is more time to think of what will the Monster do next in the situation the PC's have placed it in. Instead of being under the stress (to me) of improv face-to-face gaming and needing to do things on the fly, with PBP there is more room to consider more options with the Monster. Just like the Players have more time to talk out the scenario amongst themselves and strategize. With players strategizing on how to deal with a Monster or MonsterS, I need to try to keep things interesting. Maybe I need a Monster to summon other Monsters - like an overwhelmed guard who can call for help, or a Druid NPC "Monster" can summon a giant Crab because I know I have 5 players, all of whom are clever. Players can surprise us with their creativity, and PBP allows us to make all the adjustments we want to keep up the pace, the challenge, and the energy of the scene.

Play by Post allows a Storyteller/DM/GM to be as colorful as they want when writing, or as straightforward and to the point as they want. Monsters can always, as Bananabadger just DM'd, stop a fight and say "Hey, I'm the new Chieftain now that you killed our old one, and if you want to leave this fight…there's the door. Take your treasure. Take what you came for and get out of our faces, and get out of the village we're now claiming." I feel as though in a face to face tabletop game, unless you're a DM who is very good with switching things up, such choices may not be given in a faster environment that does not always rely on NPC / Monster dialogue.

A good monster should know how to make an entrance! What is the most memorable monster entrance from all the games you've ever played? Can you give us a link to the most memorable monster entrance from the games you have played on this site?

 

I've seen a lot of monsters, and I've had wonderful, amazing DM's with incredible writing. With that said, it's difficult to choose one, so I'm going to go back to the beginning when I first started on RPGX and Nightcheese, who is currently retired, ran an unusual and beautiful Homebrew game that will forever be in my heart. The players were normal, modern day 20-somethings. Some of us were in grad school, or about to go. In the Summer, these friends decided to have some fun and collaborated on a Cold Case podcast (with video it was decided). We followed a cold case to the desert in New Mexico and had a number of interviews of people who knew the missing woman. The Sheriff of the town was kind enough to bring us deep into the desert to a series of caves that we were excited to explore, even though it meant we might find the woman's remains. Somehow in one of the touristy caves that had an Employee's Only room…the door popped open! We didn't find an Employee room, but a secreted away maze of tunnels. The sirens blared from outside with the Sheriff and a local Ranger notified via silent alarm that there were trespassers. Of course, we ran INTO the tunnels, hauling our video camera and equipment trying to escape the fuzz and their dog, Molly. We ended up at a crossroads area that was very odd. Physics didn't seem….'normal'. And we heard music coming out of one tunnel, and when we looked we could see the glow of yellow-green….buttons? Circles? No, they were eyes of a um…helpful Goblin .. who became our escape plan….and it only got weirder and more dangerous, leading us as a group of normal people into a fantastic and dangerous world. Here are the links to when we were at the intersection of tunnel openings, listening to modern-day music drifting down one of the not-so-abandoned tunnels. The next link is when we're face to face with the Goblin with the Sheriff on our tail. It was creepy and adrenaline-driven due to the chase.

https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...51#post9114751
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...64#post9122964

A good monster also knows how to die (or surrender, or run away) ... what makes a great monster parting? Can you link to one of your favorites from this site?

 

I really do appreciate greatly, and adore, Fillyjonk's Gelatinous Cube Pirate who sported an adorable hat, who farted out words and items from within his Gelatinous self. He died as he should have died, oozing onto the ship's deck after we focused our attacks on him. What made his death a great monster parting was that he was so cute and a horrible, evil deadly monster that couldn't wait to eat us. I believe when the risk is high and you're PC's are on the brink of death, when your enemies fall….those make the Monster's parting - death, surrender or running away - all the sweeter. Excerpts related to the dying Gelatinous Cube Pirate that I love. "It wibbles, all its bones and melting hats and armors sloch around in a collapsing internal jumble. It blats panicky frat-sounds." And "You can get your sword out, and here, in the darkest dark you've yet known, you call the righteous smiting power of Saliber down upon this gelid abomination. Once. Twice. The blows land in the same spot. The rubbery body is near cloven, and some internal integrity is overcome. The insides of it pump out in a gooey wash. Foul acidic innards, now too devoid of life and energy to burn you, slosh across your feet and the deck, carrying chunks of all its suspended prizes into the dark waters."

A second Monster parting was when two PC's, one being mine and the other, Ysolde's, ended up in a very bad situation with enemies arriving outside of our safehouse in Rasgorn and Horseman's Reluctant Heroes game. The Monsters were Human Knights/Paladin who had our wanted posters. This was not a fight was going to be brutal if we engaged, plus if we killed them there would eventually be political consequences giving others of authority to have 'legitimate' reasons to hunt our PC's down. Ysolde's PC, a Lawful Neutral Cleric with a strict code, managed to gain the respect of the (Lawful Evil) Paladin through some intense writing, being honest and logical with him. My PC somewhat seduced one of the younger knights and played some mind tricks (and a well-placed Suggestion spell) on another NPC. The Monsters that would have captured or killed us left in peace, convinced they were lied to and manipulated by their superiors (which was true). It was quite a lesson in patience and not gut-reacting to the arrival of PC's that had ill-intent. Monsters can sometimes be reasoned with, and that was a very nice surprise.

Are there any monsters from past Iron DM games/rounds/submissions that you have stolen into your
games? Or plan to steal? I do not, which means I really need to read all of the past Iron DM game submissions because I have no doubt…there are wonderful things to borrow from or be inspired by.

[Elanir]

Well, let me start by admitting that I rarely use monsters in my games (past and present), at least in the original sense of the word. Most enemies the PCs face are humanoids: dark knights, bandits, charlatans, and other shadowy figures, who, though usually to avoid the word “evil”less than good, cannot be characterized as true monsters. That said, there are times when a monster does appear and since such encounters are few and far between, their impact is (hopefully) all the greater.

With the above out of the way, let me try to answer the questions Bananabadger posed.


1. What are the three essential elements for any good RPG monster?

First of all, a monster should be memorable. An encounter with such a creature should be something extraordinary, not some everyday occurrence, unless monsters are especially common in the gaming world. A monster’s form and manner should be alien and unsettling to the PCs, their victory over such an enemy something to be celebrated.

Monsters should also be mysterious, their powers unknown. The PCs will be fighting against something “unnatural” and enigmatic, perhaps even immune to some of the weapons or powers they possess. Whether through logical deduction, skill checks or simple trial and error the characters will only gradually get to know more about the monster. Perhaps the heroes have heard tales about others who fought against such creatures or read about them in ancient tomes, though such knowledge could be unreliable or presented as a riddle or rhyme.

Finally, a monster should be difficult, but not impossible to defeat. It has to be strong, or quick, or poisonous, or have some supernatural ability that makes it more than a wild animal. At the same time it should have a weakness, something that will allow the heroes to best it in the end. Innovative thinking and efficient battle tactics should always be rewarded and the goal of every encounter is to pose a significant, but “beatable”, challenge for the players and their characters.


2. Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game?

Each monster encounter should be accompanied by a sense of danger and foreboding. The PCs should fear for their lives, knowing that they are facing a challenge that may very well prove lethal. Some of them may not survive the fight, as all others (NPCs) who have encountered the creature haven’t. This doesn’t mean that the encounter has to be mechanically hard, but it does mean that the PCs will have to think long (IC) before going after such a fearsome creature.

Secondly, the monster should be deeply rooted in the gaming world. Its presence will have to make sense and the encounter should serve a purpose and ideally advance the overall story. Even a “random” monster encounter has to have a certain rationale behind it. There should be a (short) story behind the appearance of such a creature, a lair or nest nearby, a need to be covered or a goal to be accomplished.

Thirdly, defeating the monster should bestow a sense of accomplishment along with some kind of reward. It could be that such a monster hoards treasure like a dragon or that one of its body parts is valuable in some way, perhaps as a rare material component for a spell or for the creation of a magical item. Of course the reward doesn’t necessarily have to be something tangible like an object. Perhaps the monster keeps someone imprisoned or its demise increases the heroes’ fame or it is a necessary condition that has to be met before the PCs are able to get something they want. In any case, the characters should profit in some way from their remarkable accomplishment.


3. (…) Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit?

Absolutely, though a GM should choose a monster that suits the overall feel of the game or situation: an epic monster for an epic adventure, a nightmarish terror for Call of Cthulhu aficionados, something mischievous and funny for a more casual game, an intelligent not-truly-monstrous “monster” for a group of players who don’t see things in terms of black and white etc. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be a humorous encounter in an otherwise serious campaign or vice versa. On the contrary, it can offer much-needed variety and keep the players guessing - which is always good!

My monsters, just like my games, are of the more serious kind. Some of them are also not necessarily evil. They may act like “monsters” because they follow their instincts, are afraid, or hold a particular grudge against someone. Also, all of them have their goals, which may not always be immediately apparent, but they are nonetheless there for the players to discover.


4. What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format?

If I do make some mechanical adjustments, which I usually don’t, because it somehow feels like cheating, I do so to make an encounter either more balanced or challenging. This doesn’t really have to do with the fact that the game takes place in a play-by-post and not a traditional “live” tabletop medium.

One thing that I do adjust, however, for it often leads to delays and confusion is initiative and acting order in combat, especially when the PCs face several monsters. There is nothing more tedious for a player than waiting for some character to attack, a monster to counterattack, and then another two characters to act before they get a chance to post. Having the benefit of being/having been a player in games run by many experienced GMs on the site, I know that there are several viable solutions to this problem, some of which I implement on a case-by-case basis.

Mechanical adjustments aside, my monsters (or, more generally speaking, the PCs’ opponents/antagonists) are also much more “talkative” between rounds of combat in play-by-post, simply to keep things interesting beyond tactics and dice rolling. How could it be otherwise when a single combat can last for over a month instead of half an hour?


5. (…) What is the most memorable monster entrance from all the games you’ve ever played? Can you give us a link to the most memorable monster entrance from the games you have played on this site?

In Palliven’s Nal Dar rising game the PCs take part in several friendly competitions at a country fair. The GM does an excellent job of describing the relaxed and jovial atmosphere of the fair and the PCs are even awarded with minor, but memorable prizes like a wheel of cheese, a cask of ale, and a masterfully carved staff. Things abruptly change when a farmer brings something ominous to the fair, not knowing what to do with it. The PCs feel a kind of unease, but they initially don’t get any clear answers and are left wondering. They choose to investigate and then…

Though the monster Palliven presents is one meant to pose only a moderate challenge to a group of first level characters, it is the way the atmosphere gradually grows darker and the GM’s masterful description of the mutated/corrupted animal’s both suffering and madness that make it an especially memorable encounter in my opinion.


6. A good monster also knows how to die (or surrender, or run away)… What makes a great monster parting? Can you link to one of your favorites from this site?

A “good” monster will give with its death (or defeat) a sense of satisfaction to the group of heroes that slew (or bested) it. The reason why such a creature had to die and the fact that life will be better now that it no longer exists have to be obvious. This shouldn’t be just another run-of-the-mill encounter, but a tale the PCs will want to share with their children and grandchildren - or perhaps with anyone willing to listen to them over a tankard of ale. Now, if the GM also adds a few ominous last words or a dark prophecy to give the heroes a restless night or two, so much the better!

FraterChad does an excellent job of this in his Odyssey of the Dragonlords game, both with his description of the battleground after the final showdown with the Great Boar, and in the way that the NPCs react, seeing some of the characters who participated in this fight (almost) getting killed. Slaying this monster really felt like doing something epic, much like one of Hercules’ labors, so “mission accomplished”, I’d say.


7. Are there any monsters from past Iron DM games/rounds/submissions that you have stolen into your games? Or plan to steal?

First of all, I do not steal! In typical kender fashion I only find, or borrow, and I always intend to return any wayward monsters that might have found their way inside my pouches (or games) to their owners. Seriously, though, I haven’t yet stolen any monster ideas originally found in the Iron DM competition, but that may very well change. Participants and fellow GMs, you have all been warned!

[Gaijin]

Three Essential Elements for any Good RPG Monster There are so many ways to interpret "Monster": As a game term, a "Monster" is anything with a statblock. As a point of reference, it might be anything that isn't humanoid. As a more abstract concept, it is an intelligent manifestation of "The Wild", the untamed space beyond what is safe and familiar. In the case of a the first two, there really aren't any essential elements. A swarm of poisonous wasps could simply offer a touch of interactivity and realism to an exploratory scene, while a BBEG ought to be thoughtfully intertwined into a narrative and connect to the PCs on a meaningful level. An environment populated by creatures creates an ecosystem of rules and agents to enact change within the boundaries of those rules. However, the third type of monster, I would attribute with these three elements: "Otherness", "Danger", and "Obsession". This is a creature that consumes your thoughts, demands respect, and is unrelenting. If the players can become comfortable interacting with a creature, it stops being a monster and just becomes another novelty in the civilized world, like a snapping turtle, ostrich, or fire. So, I suppose, in a more practical sense, I would say that a "Monster" needs to embody intelligent competition. A hero and a monster have interests that can not coexist, and the loser is the one that blinks first. Beyond that, the variability of encounters ought to depend on the expectations of the story being told. A one-shot is only going to have time for a few good interactions, so they had better count, especially in a PbP format. Whereas in a years long campaign, we need reminders that the small things still exist in the world. High level heroes deserve to feel how much they've grown by occasionally steamrolling challenges that once threatened TPKs.

Discussion What are some monsters outside of IronDM that excite everyone to encounter or run? For me, I'd love to do justice to a Nothic, and the False Hydra does something special for me.

[Strangemund]

Gaijin's Question What are some monsters outside of IronDM that excite everyone to encounter or run? Werewolves. Hands down. My favorite monster of all time. I don't care how they are involved-- you put a werewolf in your game, I am 200% more invested. If you give me a chance to befriend said werewolf, then know that my blade will serve you until the end of time. If I can romance the werewolf, then not even the gods could stop me from the things I'd do in your name. That's my adoration level for werewolves. Pure paladin zealotry. I honestly could rant about the many reasons why they are my favorite but I am afraid I wouldn't stop once I start. I guess just the long and short of it is that I really dig the various folklore and fiction built around werewolves. My favorite being the cursed transformation. There's a lot of appeal behind the growing suspense of knowing you are changing and not knowing why. And the terrifying urges that follow the physical changes-- the hunger for flesh, violent outbursts, etc.-- just really mixes well with the horror vibe. Fun fact: my favorite werewolf movie is An American Werewolf in London, as it has one of the coolest werewolf transformations AND just a wonderful plot device in the form of a very dead, very sassy man.

My Question! Here's a question for the GMs present, lurkers in the forum, and dear Gaijin, too! If you could roleplay any monster, what monster would you be?

[Gaijin]

Strangemund's Question I mean, with that level of enthusiasm from a player, RPing a werewolf sounds just dandy to me!

[Strangemund]

Random Discussion! You get it. You understand. I am almost embarrassed I didn't list the possibility to roleplay a werewolf in my previous answer, but absolutely yes, they are unequivocally the best monster to roleplay (in my books, anyways.) I mean, just look at that art! So cool! So pretty! How can you not love them? It's on my Big Gaming Bucket List to play one at least once. And I am very lucky I like systems that do offer the opportunity to play them. Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Monster of the Week. Cypher System. It's just not an opportunity that pops up often. Or aligns with my packed writing schedule. But mark my words, I'll have my time in the moonlight.

[O2CXt3]

werewolves! I second (or third?) the coolness of werewolves. In a game with my kids, we're playing in a world that, for mysterious reasons, is a magnet for were-creatures. My son decided to be a werebeaver... which is pretty awesome. There's just something compelling about being able to transform into a half-animal, half-human creature.

[Gaijin]

LFG: Were-Campaign I'd be up for a were-adventure, if someone gets motivated to run one. Maybe a were-pangolin, or... or... a were-octopus, or... or... a were-shoebill... yes... Definitely a shoebill.

[ghostwalking]

LFG: Were-Campaign?" Yes? Can I sign up now? I mean - actually Role Playing a lycanthrope sounds pretty cool! I kind of have a thing for Red Tailed Hawks ... or maybe coyote? On Related Notes

[ghostwalking]

What are the three essential elements for any good RPG monster?

Mythology and folklore helps us here. Monsters should have a distinct combination of Personality, Motivation, and Ability. This combination gives the creature a distinct flavor and an opportunity for the players to utilize different aproaches to handling them.

Similar to question 1, regardless of game system or genre, what are 3 things any monster should add to a game?

The Monster should progress the story somehow.

The Monster should offer opportunities for creative problem solving.

The Monster should add a flavor that fits in with everything else that's going on. Even the smaller monsters. The smaller, more common monsters are like the Mirepoix that help carry the spiciness of the more distinct monsters.

Monsters come in extremes ... Is there a place for monsters of all shades on this spectrum of polar opposites? And where do yours usually fit?

Well, yeah. I'll sometimes add monsters to satisfy a particular need. While I try to avoid straw villains, sometimes evil is simply Chaotic Psychotic or Chaotic Hungry. And other times the DM might need a representative in the game to keep things moving or explain a situation. In the latter case, I try to make sure it's a light touch like a Ship's Cat. Or a Giant Scorpion befriended by a druid.

What are some usual mechanical adjustments you make for your monsters specifically for play-by-post format?

I haven't DM'd PbP yet, so I don't know. I imagine it's more difficult to retcon things, because there's a written record. I sometimes rely on my players not keeping great notes

I don't have answers for the remaining questions.

[Strangemund]

Going Loony for Werewolves O2CXt3: Awww! A Werebeaver sounds adorable! And also a little terrifying when you think about how fast they whittle wood down. I wouldn't want to be bitten by one, for sure! That said I can only imagine how great the infrastructure of their dens are like. And yes! The dual-identity that comes with werecreatures and shapeshifters in general are just fun to think about. It makes you think about the differences between a person and a beast, and the lines that blur between. Plus, you just get to be a cool powerful creature every now and again. It's hard not love that! Gaijin: Oh dear god. Shoebills already look like dinosaurs. I don't know how I could deal with an eight foot tall bipedal one. No, I take it back. I'd scream. That's the only right reaction. That's a truly cursed monster in my books. ghostwalking: Werecoyotes are rad as heck! One of the bits I enjoy about Werewolf: The Apocalypse setting is that they do offer other options than just playing a werewolf. Werecoyotes. Werecats. My favorite is the Mokole where you play descedents of dinosaurs, so you could have a Weretriceratops, or Weregators. I love me some Weregators.

A Werewolf-Themed Question! I thought I'd roll with the current topic and ask everyone a werewolf-themed question! Which do you like better? Werewolves that are only able to transform during a full moon? Or werewolves that are able to transform all the time? And why?

[Gaijin]

Werewolf themed question For storytelling purposes, I prefer werewolves that only transform during a full moon, or a Qualifying Event, like exposure to an occult ritual. That's better for expressing the tragedy of the Curse. However, for gameplay, waiting 28 days for a character's unique trait to take the stage is no fun. Eitherway, I prefer for the transformation to be costly, because it is supposed to be a curse.