Monster damage question!

Monster damage question!

Monster damage question!

Let’s say a monster has a d8+4 magical club weapon. It picks up a huge boulder and throws it at someone, what is the damage? What on a headbutt?

I guess I just use the list in the Damage&Healing chapter as inspiration, any other ideas? Maybe make it 2d8+4w damage?

23 thoughts on “Monster damage question!”

  1. I’m pretty sure that the damage is still d8+4, because the questions you answered led it to have that threat level. I’ve always played it that way, but my friend runs it more like how you’re saying, with lower damage for things like fisticuffs and stuff.

  2. Maybe not the answer you’re looking for, but I try to keep things simple. Whatever damage the monster is listed as doing (or that I gave it if I statted it up), that’s how much damage it does regardless of the attack. It just makes things easier on me as DM.

    That being said, if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to use the listed damage, then I just eyeball it on the spot.

  4. The text says to use the monsters damage no matter how its hurting characters, be it with their own magic or throwing a boulder or whatever.

    EDIT: Source for my answer, Dungeon World page 21: “Monsters roll damage as listed in their description. Use this damage any time the monster takes direct action to hurt someone, even if they use a method other than their normal attack.”

  6. When in doubt use the monster damage but if I am doing something special I will include it in the monster notes.  Example:  The harpoon troll will throw a harpoon for 1d8 +4 damage, then close in to recover the weapon doing 1d8 with a short club.  (blah blah, weapon recovery move here)

  10. One thing I appreciate about “damage regardless of attack type,” is that I’ve never once had players loot weapons because of their “damage” value. 

  13. This discussion caused me to go back and take a look at the monster section of DW. I can’t find a single monster with more than a single attack. Doesn’t that seem weird from a game fiction standpoint? A goblins patented pimp slap does the same damage as his acid toss to the face attack?

    I’m primarily interested because when I go to create a custom monster, lets use my goblin, I’m not sure what to assign damage for. The hardcore attack or the light one. What would make sense in that situation?

  14. When making a monster, you list it’s most common attack. How often is your goblin able to chuck acid?

    All the time? Then it gets stats to reflect that.

    Only if it grabs a beaker of acid from the Dark Wizard’s alchemy lab? Well how often is that going to happen?

  15. Marques Jordan the primary move should reflect the majority of attacks with the attack die then a special move if they have a once per battle special attack, like a smoke bomb. If they can’t do it at least once a fight handle it with fiction.

  18. It makes sense for an attacker with one bottle of flaming oil, one javelin, one bola, or something similar, but there are many ways you can handle that as part of the fiction, so it doesn’t require a move if you don’t want.

  19. A friend of mine wanted to run DW for his group and was having a hard time getting his head around the whole “damage regardless of attack” thing. I told him to think of it as more as “creature damage output” than traditional weapon damage or attack damage. 

  20. Also I rarely use the exact same attack more than once so this system really cuts down on work. For example, the other night when fighting a troll it attacked a hero with a club, kicked a hero, grabbed and bit a hero, grabbed and threw a hero, tore a stump out of the ground and smashed a hero, stomped his foot on the ground knocking heroes nearby to the ground, and threw his club at a hero. 

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