With this post I’m not talking about a Dragon’s fart affecting greenhouse gasses and causing global warming in your campaign world. I’m talking about truly making an encounter with a solo a memorable one, using the environment around them.
Talking D&D on twitter the other day (hmm, I write that a lot, don’t I?) I was discussing with Mike from the Sly Flourish blog and Quinn Murphy from the “At-Will” blog about how D&D is very focused on using the terrain and environment in interesting ways, so how about making solos interact better with it? Quinn told me about how he’s designed some of that as skill challenges, but I’m thinking about adding an entirely new section to some solo’s stat blocks, that reflects the way the monster can interact with the environment in the encounter area. Imagine if you will, a dragon’s roar. Beside shattering the ear drums of your PC’s, imagine how cinematic would it be if the dragon roars so loudly that it literally causes the ceiling in the surrounding environment to fall around the players, creating all sorts of cinematic mayhem.
I’m picturing something like this:
Now obviously I know the colors are off, the name’s cheesy, and the damage may or may not be appropriate (although it came from page 42 of the DMG, for 13th level PC’s, since the adult copper dragon is a 13th level monster). But that’s not what’s important here. It’s the idea behind it. The solo should not be a regular monster, it should be much more than just a bag of hit points taking damage until it dies. And yes, I know there is some overlap here with the DMG2 terrain effects, but I think that tying some of these things specifically to a monster’s stat block further cements their standing as a truly epic adversary.
The solo should be the guy who gets his own pre-rendered animation in the video game, and as the camera spins around him, you get shots of the battle area, the interesting terrain, what his possible weaknesses area and all that good stuff that will make him memorable. That’s the solo your players should be fighting.
I created a category for the stat block called “Terrain Effect” which is an encounter power the monster has that affects the terrain. It requires that the PC make skill checks to avoid getting hit, and causes nice damage if it does. I think this would make a nice addition to certain solos if done right, so why not give it a shot?
Like I said at the beginning of the article, Quinn Murphy, from the At-Will blog, is thinking along the same lines as me, so we decided to double post on this. He is actually very good at 4e design, so he’s creating some solos with a specialized mechanic and their effects, which I’ll link top once he publishes it.
I’d love to read your thoughts on this.
www. Newbie DM .com 
Vanifae
April 28, 2010
I really like this idea it really meshes well with the idea of a solo being the ultimate encounter all by itself. Certain creatures like this should lay waste to the environment and change the dynamic of the fight. You could probably even make a case for this form elite monsters as well; akin to the cave troll from the Fellowship of the Ring film.
gamefiend
April 28, 2010
Hey, good stuff and thanks for the plug! I’ve got some cool stuff that will appear on Friday.
I agree with you. If there is a class of monsters that should break rules and do their own thing, it should be solos! Players should remember all the crazy stuff they do well after the battle.
I’ll probably send along a preview when I have it.
The Last Rogue
April 28, 2010
Top Notch
Neuroglyph
April 28, 2010
I am totally in agreement with making solo encounters just a memorable as a video game boss encounter. In fact, I started putting out my Kill or Be Killed encounters with that exact idea in mind!
Sorry about the shameless plug here… but solos need to me memorable, exciting, dynamic, and nothing like they are listed in the monster manual! It’s a lot more fun to push the envelope with solo encounters and make the Players really wonder if they are gonna be able to win or not.
Good post too, btw! I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about “boss encounters”.
theactionpoint
April 28, 2010
I think this is a fantastic idea. My one comment, though, would be that instead of an Acrobatics check it should be an attack vs. Reflex to fit the 4E paradigm. Though on the opposite side of that it’s cool to give a PC a reward for good skill choice. If you’re going to go that way I’d offer the PC a choice: Acrobatics to sidestep the debris, Athletics to long-jump out of the way, or Endurance to tough it out. Options are always better.
newbiedm
April 28, 2010
You are right, it probably should be a reflex attack. Again, it is most likely poorly designed, but the point of this type of thinking is what is important. I leave the design to more capable folks. 🙂
dwashba
April 29, 2010
Very cool and trying it out next game with a hydra that will knock down pillars!
RTGoodman
April 29, 2010
How about this? The PCs fight a big White Dragon on a frozen lake or river, and the dragon has an Encounter (or maybe Recharge 5-6) power to knock 2×2 holes in the ice, giving it the ability to damage PCs, change combat strategies, and generally have a cool, cinematic power. You could do the same thing with a Red Dragon on a cliff near some lava for a deadlier encounter, or have a Black Dragon do it to wooden walkways/bridges in a swampy area.
newbiedm
April 29, 2010
That, my friend, is the idea.
ZorkFox
April 29, 2010
I’m once again reminded of Shadow of the Colossus where environment is essential in defeating almost every colossus. One can be tricked into striking a big metal disk, thus damaging its armor and allowing you to climb it. (Similarly, another can be antagonized into attacking pillars until its armor breaks.) Another colossus can be lured into stomping on stone platforms that cause them to rise just enough to give you a leg up to a higher area, allowing you to attack it properly. Another chases you into burial mounds, stomps around on the ground, then peers down to have a look: did it get you? Then you can leap onto its head or back and make your attack.
ZorkFox
April 29, 2010
@theactionpoint I totally agree with your modification of the power: I definitely prefer (as a player) not being penalized for not having a particular skill trained. If I’m a fighter, Acrobatics isn’t even in my sphere, so it’d be nice to have the Endurance or Athletics option.
Colmarr
April 29, 2010
I agree this is a good idea, although I suggest these sort of powers are better dealt with as terrain hazards rather than attached to a specific monster. There’s no point taking up space on the Copper Dragon template for a power that is highly situational (ie. there has to be a roof).
Not to mention that if this is a monster’s power, how does it affect the XP budget. If you were to separate it out as a terrain hazard, perhaps each “environmental power” could count as a minion for the purposes of XP budget?
Now the pedantic stuff. I agree with the Atk v Ref comments above. Further, the power says PCs can make a check to avoid the burst. Then it goes on to have a miss effect. That contradiction is confusing.
Having said that, I admire your foresight in thinking of the “If a PC is in two areas” sentence. It probably wouldn’t have occurred to me! 🙂
Christian K. Martinez
April 30, 2010
This is an excellent Idea, I love it. Made me think of this article at Kobold Quarterly that just went up a little while ago about terrain powers. It’s a great way to make Solo encounters unique from others, make them feel well…special. Just like a Solo should feel.
Claus
May 2, 2010
I agree, making monsters interact with their home turf is a great way to make these encounters unique. Here is my experience: a few months ago, in the middle of my previous campaign, I made an encounter where a guardian demon was able to morph the battlefield as the combat went on – it scared the hell of my players 🙂
http://claus.castelodelego.org/archives/486
Instead of making it an attack, I made it a minor at will that generated traps around the combat area – this meant that the players had to keep moving to keep themselves away from the traps that the monster created after them, and after a while they tried to push the demon against its own traps, which was really cool.