Do you prefer Monster statistics in an adventure's text or at the end

[MerricB]

How long are the stat blocks?

For high-level NPCs and monsters, in a pull-out section.

For 1st level goblins and kiobolds, in the adventure text.

Cheers1

 

[pogre]

How long are the stat blocks?

Great question - let's say it is a high level adventure would you prefer those big stat blocks in the back. Remember a pullout section is not a choice - yet

 

[Hypersmurf]

well, actually, the best of all possible worlds would be to have pre-printed 3x5 initiative cards with all the statblocks printed on them and room to record changes in their hit points...

Yup... I got so sick of flipping in RttToEE that that's pretty much exactly what I did.

Some stat blocks took up more than one card, of course, and in some of them I got down to a 4pt font...

-Hyp.

 

[Sanackranib]

since im inherently lazy I prefer them where they are 1st mentioned. the best way is in a shaded box on the edge of the page.

 

[Yair]

I also go with Crothian.

 

[d4]

i'd prefer them all in one place, like in the back of the book as an appendix.

like E-B, i make index cards of stat blocks, so dispersing them out all throughout the book makes it much harder for me to collect them all.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Another vote for both.

Ideally I would like a pullout summary that can be copied, then marked up as the poor, innocent creatures are eliminated by the crass, vulgar party...

The Auld Grump

 

[JoeGKushner]

Back in the day, I used to like it when the stats were all collected in the back. For common foes, like orcs, it saved a lot of space. As I get older I find that it's more convinent to have it listed where the encounter takes place, even if it's a less wise use of space. Then there is the whole flipping factor. Another annoyance.

 

[Sigurd]

It depends what range of levels the adventure covers. If it's an adventure written to support 1st through 14th level characters for instance, I think having the statblocks in the back is the only reasonable way to do it.

Unfortunately the best solutions always burn more paper\space. If the module covers a lot of levels I prefer to have the monsters from each part of the range grouped by party experience. ie the encounter might refer to orc p.22/Gnoll p35/ death sladd p78. I personally prefer if the monsters are arranged in sections according to the level of the party this might mean some duplication. All the sections might have orcs. I don't want to leave the high level section if I'm playing a high level party

Sigurd

 

[Uller]

I voted for near the encounter. In _most_ cases that is the only time you use the NPC/monsters. However, when I write my own adventures (which is more commonly the case...I rarely run prefab adventures) I put the stats for fodder-type monsters in the encounter (it saves me having to open up the monster manual and I can outfit them with interesting equipment/feats/skills). For NPCs that are more likely to be reused or be encountered several times, I put them on an index card.