moron the large trousered monster shown not long ago
I said before that i was not sure if this thing should be a monster or just a moving decoration but even as I said that, I was thinking about this.

durian seems like a good upgrade from lemon because durians are already covered in spikes and widely feared and regulated for their intense smell. But perhaps those are TOO dangerous for a low tier non-“boss” monster to have access to. To the player and also to other low-tier monsters that a dodging player could try to get hit by such a thing. The durian should explode into a damage cloud like the cleric flechette in hexen, something already particularly powerful (and dangerous) for the player and that can’t even be launched across a distance an unlimited number of times.
in fact that should hurt monsters but NOT the player since the player is a dope and I have years ago stated that the dope’s nose has no practical function and is only there to look stupid. But dopes might also be too stupid to realize that they can’t smell something unpleasant. Yes sure hurray problem averted. and maybe i can restrict what other monsters are damaged by it, or make them become more dangerous if they ARE damaged by it, to dis-incentivize the player trying to hit them with durian clouds on purpose. Or maybe accept that they have it coming if they are dumb enough to get tricked by a dope.

I started to draw a pineapple for a second variant but did not get far enough on any frames that it is worth showing. I thought that pineapple might be considered played out and expected from me. or maybe i just want to reserve it as an upgrade for a monster that attacks with pine cones. And so I switched to a potted cactus instead.

but THEN i thought that cactus is good to swing at an adversary in a close-up attack, and it seems wasteful to make two animations with the same item. But I haven’t started on drawing a close-up attack yet. not every monster needs one. this creature might just awkwardly try to hop out of the way to return to projectile distance. I have not drawn the projectiles yet either! ideally i will decide on the cactus’ fate before drawing one in flight because once I do draw that i will be reluctant to not use it.

I like the idea of pulling out a big clock for a near proximity attack but i ALSO have had for a while an idea for a minotaur-like monster that carries a grandfather clock as a multi-purpose weapon. then yesterday the name “minute-taur” struck me. which doesn’t mean i have to use that; letting puns control the flow of design leads to an idiotic product.

the escaping into the hat “death” i have a misgiving about since the hat looks like it should be collectible, especially by a dope that picks up/absorbs stupid things, but I want there to still be evidence that the monster had been there if the hat is collected. Maybe a lemon will appear underneath it. Functionally stupid! But there could perhaps randomly be a durian which will explode momentarily with an effect similar to the launched type. And then THAT can leave a lemon behind. The dope cannot pick up lemons. Or at least I have never seen one attempt to.