Good Idea or just tedious

[Azoth]

I first want to thank those that gave comment on my last batch of possible game mechanics.

In the game system my friends and I are designing PCs will be different from normal people in a few ways. One of which is that they are capable of seeing monsters for what they are under normal circumstances. A basic premise for our world is that monsters have always existed, but once mankind became capable of fighting back, learned to hide themselves in mortal guise undetectable to most.

We have been kicking around two main ideas on how to handle this bit of fluff.

The first is to simply give most monsters a glammer that makes people interact with them as if human, but keep their real form at all times and always at full power and use of their abilities.

The other, which is a bit more work, would be to design two seperate stat blocks for monsters. One for when they are in human form, that confines them to medium sized and limits their stats and other abilities. They will still be capable of more than a typical human in this form, but no where near full power. Then giving them a mechanic to revert to their true form and use their full strength and all of their abilities to their natural limits.

An example of the latter method would be a Dragon's Fear Aura. In human form it may be limited to something like (10+ 1/2HD (max5)+Cha mod (max +5)) in a radius of 10ft so in human form it would max at DC20 and be enough to make most normal people fear him if in his immediate vicinity. If pushed to revert to his True Form, then the limits for HD and Cha would lift and the AoE would extend out to full range. His breath weapon, natural attacks, and flight would also not be useable in his human form.

I ask the playground, which method seems better from both a continuity with fluff, and ease of use to keep play fun/easy?

[Durazno]

Would it be possible to give the monsters broad groupings with consistent effects on their human forms? So rather than designing a second statblock for every single monster, you could have a small set of readymade blocks.

Something like, "Brute monsters give their human form +4 Strength, +4 Constitution and immunity to such and such status effects," and then a specific monster's stats would say, "Human form: as a Brute, with these two SLAs and +1 natural armor."

Then, as you said, monster abilities could be designed to play directly off of hd or other scaling stats, so they "naturally" get more potent when your monster transforms.

[Xeratos]

In the game system my friends and I are designing PCs will be different from normal people in a few ways. One of which is that they are capable of seeing monsters for what they are under normal circumstances. A basic premise for our world is that monsters have always existed, but once mankind became capable of fighting back, learned to hide themselves in mortal guise undetectable to most.

Just out of curiosity, do I detect Grimm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimm_(TV_series)) as a bit of inspiration for this idea?

[Azoth]

It is definitely a part of the fluff's influence. It also adds more of a social element to the game's premise than just kicking in the door and beating the thing not in your group's head in. After all, how is going to look if you kill Bob the Construction Guy in front of normal people...despite the fact Bob is actually a giant who eats people in the town? To them he is just Bob and not a monster.

[Omnicrat]

This is an interesting concept. I would recommend you create some general rules for what effects exist and are reduced when in human form and give half of the ability bonus it would normally get to physical stats using the second method. Its much easier than the second method you seem to have outlined and much more sensicle than a glamor. How does Bob explain the fact that no one can get close to him without hitting an invisible wall?

[00dlez]

Would it be possible to give the monsters broad groupings with consistent effects on their human forms? So rather than designing a second statblock for every single monster, you could have a small set of readymade blocks.

Something like, "Brute monsters give their human form +4 Strength, +4 Constitution and immunity to such and such status effects," and then a specific monster's stats would say, "Human form: as a Brute, with these two SLAs and +1 natural armor."

Then, as you said, monster abilities could be designed to play directly off of hd or other scaling stats, so they "naturally" get more potent when your monster transforms.

I vote for this, giving them unique stat blocks would be difficult. You could probably generate 12-20 blocks and shoe horn the monsters into one of those categories (small and nimble, tough brute, etc) then maybe have 2 or 3 options for each depending on HD.
That would be for 95% of the monsters - the other 5% you might take the time to flesh out a bit more, add special abilities to make fights agains protaganists more memorable, etc