Let’s move ahead to monsters.
Welcome to my process of diving deep into a new TTRPG book where I check out the Bestiary as soon as I get a feel for Magic and Character Creation. We’ll get more into Magic and Combat later. I have skimmed through those parts of the book already, and we’ll talk more about those in an upcoming article.
Monster creation, which we all know is one of my favorite pastimes, is one of the simplest and most fun things to do in Dragonbane RPG. One interesting concept to point out is that Dragonbane makes a distinction between monster and Non Player Character (NPC.) Monsters have a shortened stat block and a random table that determines their attacks. NPCs fight much like Player Characters with the usual skills, weapons, armor, and shields.
[DISCLOSURE: I received a free digital copy of the Dragonbane Core Set from Free League Publishing. I am not an affiliate, nor have I received any compensation for the review itself. ]
I giggled when I read the Monster stat blocks.
Oh my goodness is monster creation in Dragonbane RPG going to be some serious fun!
Ferocity: How many Initiative Cards does the Monster draw?
Size: Metric version of the size categories we’re used to from other d20 products. Small-Huge and swarms. Listed in sizes consistent with the combat grid for minis we all know and love.
Movement: In Meters.
Armor: Straight Damage Reduction same as PCs.
Hit Points: Again, same as PCs only Monsters usually have more.
Other stuff: Wings, Persuadable, Resistances, Immunities, and other notable qualities.
And a 1d6 chart with their attacks. Monsters never use the same attack twice in a row. Roll to see what happens. Duplicate rolls bumps down and 6 rolls over to 1. Some of the attacks are outrageously cool.
Then there’s the standard issue text and amazing Dragonbane art with every entry. Of all of the cool things I can’t replicate, it’s the Dragonbane art style. I’ll say it again- the art for this game is off the hook! (And no sign of an AI in sight.)
I love this format for monsters because it’s less statistical and more room for flavor and description. It’s a snap to scale damage, attacks, hit points etc up and down. We have endless resources from other games to draw upon.
Oh, did I mention that monsters hit automatically? Players may find this terrifying, but it’s one facet of Dragonbane combat that I find truly intriguing. People who are used to the swingy slog through combat from other games are going to be in for a huge surprise. When faced with a monster in direct combat, characters will need to parry (if possible,) dodge (maybe,) eat damage or effects like crazy, or flee. Love it!
I’m chomping at the bit to develop my own monster book for this game.
I might be tempted to do it in my own weird d12 chart way, but I’m still really wanting to rock these monster stats. I mean, the core rules has an okay bestiary and the Dragonbane Bestiary cover a lot of ground, but oh there are so many more creatures out there… I’m still totally stoked to get my hands on the Bestiary.
I like the idea behind the Misty Vale and that campaign area. Much like I did with Shadowdark RPG and Dungeon Crawl Classics, I want to expand beyond the borders of the campaign world we’re given. Monster encounters have to be a big part of any exploration adventure. Something has to populate the dungeon, right? Chapter 7: Bestiary of the Dragonbane core book is probably my favorite part of the book so far. As a forever GM, I’ve managed to pick up enough of the character creation, combat and magic to figure out how it all works together. (*More on that next time.) Having monsters laid out in such a beautiful and simple way just makes me smile. I’m going to run a couple of solo test combats and then get to making some real abominations. Stay tuned for some of those abominations here on the blog.
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 