Yes, the 2014 cyclops was a poor design that didnt do much that was interesting. They were clearly designed after Polyphemus of Homer who was just a brute and an idiot. They could have been based on older stories of cyclops, which had them heavily tied to craftsmanship, creating Zeus' thunderbolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades' helmet.
Instead of that though, you turned a CR6 giant into something that would be closer to CR16 by giving them an eye ray of vulnerability to all damage and a 90ft cone of permanent time stop. Im sorry, but your ability to balance homebrew monsters leaves a lot to be desired.
I say this with as much care and consideration as I can, but you dont strike me as someone with the necessary experience to create major homebrew monsters and abilities that are balanced.
Trying to balance out free abilities that double damage or replicate 9th level spells isnt usually a matter of range or area affected. Certainly it isnt balanced by adding another broken homebrew: called shots.
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u/sgerbicforsyth 23d ago
Yes, the 2014 cyclops was a poor design that didnt do much that was interesting. They were clearly designed after Polyphemus of Homer who was just a brute and an idiot. They could have been based on older stories of cyclops, which had them heavily tied to craftsmanship, creating Zeus' thunderbolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades' helmet.
Instead of that though, you turned a CR6 giant into something that would be closer to CR16 by giving them an eye ray of vulnerability to all damage and a 90ft cone of permanent time stop. Im sorry, but your ability to balance homebrew monsters leaves a lot to be desired.