Comments on: Creative Uses for Minions

By: Zinovia

Zinovia — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:51:22 +0000

The suggested minion damage chart is on page 133 of DMG2. I’m not sure it’s much more than they had before, if any. It will however make it easier for you to design your own minions.

With my melee-heavy party, one tactic I found very effective was ranged minions. I had a couple bandit minions with crossbows standing back and firing at everyone. The group took some significant damage from them while they were dealing with the main bad guys. That was months before DMG2 or MM2 and alternate minion roles.

Thanks for the suggestions as to how to make them more useful, especially Aid Another.

By: Michael Pfaff

Michael Pfaff — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:40:25 +0000

Aid Another will happen the next time my PCs encounter a group with minions. Good idea.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:57:02 +0000

I love the “Lurching Sacrifice” power that pack zombies have: whenever an adjacent non-minion ally is hit by a melee attack, the zombie dives in front of the strike and takes 5 points of the damage. He dies immediately and the main target takes reduced damage.

I’m working on an encounter now where a large creature (ogre, maybe?) will be literally throwing one or two small minions at the party on each turn. On a hit, the target takes some damage and is knocked prone, and now has a minion standing nearby. On a miss the minion lands one or two squares behind the party…and is now in a position to start flanking.

Can’t wait to start using Aid Another!

By: Buccaneers Guild

Buccaneers Guild — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:30:44 +0000

Top tips there. More stuff to remind me I should really buy DMG2 though. *grins*

By: Neuroglyph

Neuroglyph — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:33:48 +0000

Really good ideas here – I particularly like the use of Healing Minions (Healions?). A few skill trained minions could really give PCs a run for their money when facing a nice solo monster. I’m sort of envisioning the handlers for the Rancor ala SW:RotJ…

By: shyDM

shyDM — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:25:23 +0000

Thank you for this! I like tossing minions at my wizard player, but obviously it’s going to get old fast if they’re never anything more than a mild speed bump as he marches through the dungeon. These are some good ideas to help me keep them around (since they play to his strength) but still make them useful to me in combat.

By: pdunwin

pdunwin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:49:31 +0000

Whenever possible, try to pair minions up with a capital-L Leader monster. Most minions (or so it appeared in my last tour through the Monster Manuals) have a corresponding leader that can give them some extra benefit, such as out-of-turn movement (good for getting out of start-of-turn auto damage) or an extra attack when the minion is killed. If there is no corresponding leader, or the corresponding leader doesn’t make sense for your encounter, try to give some monster in the group a “leadery” power, like a beneficial aura, that will help out the minions.

Aid Another can also be used to provide an untyped +2 bonus to defenses, perhaps preventing the boss from becoming stunned in the first place. And don’t forget Aid Another for skills. The boss might like help hiding, or jumping, or climbing, or performing the last step of a ritual. Minions can also just make skill checks on their own. (“Where did he go, you fools?” “I see him, Master! He’s over here! He’s overGAAAK.”)

Finally (for now) it’s possible that minions using Heal could allow a monster to spend a healing surge. Most monsters don’t have a “second wind” but they do have healing surges, so it makes sense that a DC 10 Heal check by a minion would let them spend one.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:32:12 +0000

@Greywofl: Not at all! those are some great ideas.

By: greywulf

greywulf — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:11:38 +0000

Excellent post. I'm a huge fan of Aid Another in particular. It's one of the best manoeuvres in the game whatever side of the table you're sitting, and deserves a lot more love. Mind if I toss a couple more tricks into the midst?