Home
Creators
Search Recent Missing Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Better Monster Roles (Patreon)

Published:
2024-04-24 21:15:26
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Working on better monster roles, to make it easier and more fun for Directors to run encounters.

Files

Patreon Stream: Better Monster Roles

Can we make it easier and more fun for Directors to run encounters, by focusing on making more, simpler, clearer monster roles?

Comments

FoxTrick

Like suppressing fire?

Tommy Beats

Just finished the vod, super useful as usual. As someone who picks up and puts down projects with long gaps between work it was helpful to see the process of auditing old design and iterating on it

Haezan

“Designing the game” more like “designing the Patreon post” lol

Tyun

Skip to 10:45 for the start of the discussion

Noah Godbey

This was dope. I enjoyed this better than the written posts.

Eric Venegoni

Loved this format of video. Thanks Matt for sharing the process behind the process

Leemon

Thanks for sharing this process

Dawson Johnson

This was great! Hope to see more design streams.

Nathan Lee

I wonder how this idea ties in with levels. Like, FM has a range of CRs for a single band, but that's because that game has CR and MCDM had to work with what they're given. Is a giant Leader level 8 but their artillery is level 7? Is the fantasy of a Support that they are notably weak as an individual (meaning, a lower level than the rest of their band)?

Ric Rogers

I enjoyed this after the fact. It was fun to see how you think and watching the gears turning while you are designing. There was one comment that came up in my mind, that I hope is worth sharing. Were you actually working on a generic model for small monsters and using goblins as the first example? The reason I wondered this is that it seemed that the roles might too generic or too video game "designy" covering all or most of the basic conceptual roles. Different peoples might have weaknesses, like not having one of the conceptual roles covered. I'm thinking goblins are seen as a people that are clever, sneaky and intelligent, like humans, and that might be why you chose them as your example? But what about taking the approach of thinking about the culture of a people as part of the design strategy? Different bands of goblins might have very different cultural emphases that would lead to different strengths and weaknesses. For example, if one goblin band is a really sneaky folk, then your ambushers might usually be set up for the ambush well before the encounter begins. Then your description of the role can be much more specific. (perhaps less reusable, but more evocative) "Ambushers are melee combatants that situate themselves in hiding as part of defense, or immediately following scouts when the band is moving through non-band territory. They reveal themselves and close from hiding on command or as previously ordered, and specialize in seeking casters and then ranged attackers. Sometimes they are held in reserve for much or all of a battle and become "revenge ambushers."

darth patron

it took a while to work down through my to-watch queue, but i enjoyed this and found it interesting.

Jonny

Watched the VOD late. Just wanted to say that I found it really interesting to see Matt's process for actually doing the design work. Felt like it gave a perspective for what the beginning of the process can look like--seeing Matt start from a mostly empty excel sheet. Sometimes the Patreon post content can feel like its coming down from the gods :)