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Lanefan @
steeldragons So, if I were taking the
Oni (ogre mage), what would its abbreviated stats look like? Something like this?
Oni: Large giant; AC 16; HP 110; Saves Str +4, Dex +3, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +5; #Att 2 glaive, +7 (10 ft or 5 ft in Medium size), 2d10+4 slashing (or 1d10+4 in Medium size); senses 14 (darkvision 60 ft); change shape, magic weapons, regeneration (10); innate spells (at will –
darkness, invisibility, 1/day –
charm person, cone of cold, gaseous form, sleep; CR 7 (2,900 XP); Monster Manual.
Sure. That looks good. It's a lot, but some monsters are a lot. I might recommend combining the attack stats by size, to save a little space...
...#AT 2 glaive, +7, 10', 2d10+4 slashing (if Medium sized: +7, 5', 1d10+4 slashing)
I don't think it was universal,but I kind of recall spells and innate spell abilities being called "out" and listed separately/"under" the stats stuff. Now, whether "saves space" (definitely not line count) or simply changes layout/makes viewing/using the magic abilities easier for the reader, I'm not sure.
Oni: Large giant; AC 16; HP 110; Saves Str +4, Dex +3, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +5; #Att 2 glaive, +7 (10 ft or 5 ft in Medium size), 2d10+4 slashing (or 1d10+4 in Medium size); senses 14 (darkvision 60 ft); change shape, magic weapons, regeneration (10), innate spells:
At will: darkness invisibility
1/day: charm person, sleep, gaseous form, cone of cold
CR 7 (2,900 XP); Monster Manual, p. ??.
Or something like that...maybe?
And then if an Oni appears elsewhere in the adventure 4 times, you repeat that abbreviated stat block each of those 4 times?
Well, preferably, you could use a reference to the original page, as Lanefan suggested, ideally if they're in the same spread. I personally, wouldn't mind referencing the original page number if there are several of the same creature...but then you're defeating the purpose of "ease of use/having it there in front of you on the page you need it." Obviously, if there is a difference/change in the creature (beyond just hit points), if it's wearing different armor or using a magical two-handed sword with special abilities instead of a glaive or whatever, then it gets its own block again. But, I suppose, if it appears four times in four different spreads, then yeah...kinda stuck/you should print it again.
What about much more complex monsters? Things like Archmages or Beholders?
As Lanefan notes, complex monsters are complex. Listing out lots of spells, even just "suggested prepared" or however it will be notated (and what's in spellbooks! Don't forget you need to list what's IN magic-using encounters spellbooks. Even if you just go simple and say "...in addition to their prepared spells listed, the Archmage's book contains your choice of additional spells from the Wizard spell list: 5 1st level, 3 2nd level..." etc... ) or multiple special abilities (for a beholder), Lair or Legendary Actions, etc... is going to take up room. There's no avoiding that.
What about rooms where who is in the room changes significantly based on different times of day, ceremonial circumstances, etc?
I'd basically go with Lanefan's suggestion here. Seems reasonable without taking up a ton of space.
It might look something like:
AREA 11 - MAIN TEMPLE ROOM <boxed description goes here>
OCCUPANTS - these vary as shown below:
Always present: Guardian Statue (1), HP 95, AC 17, <etc. - full stat block>
Present within one hour of any sunrise or sunset: Any surviving Clerics from area 13 (page 8), HP 29,27,31,34; AC 13 or 16
Present within one hour either side of noon: Any surviving acolytes from area 28 (page 15), HP 7 each; AC 12
Present during any ceremony (see development track page 2 for when these occur): all of the above plus Temple Master from area 31 (page 16), HP 78; AC 15 or 22
Present 30% of the time when no others are present: 1-3 Giant Rats from area 9 (page 6), HP 4 each; AC 12 - note that these will flee to area 9 on noticing anything other than a Giant Rat enter this area.
Howzat?
Zat's just fine, I think.
One thing I saw in Out of the Abyss was notation like "4 myconids", with the bolded text referencing a monster stat block that either appeared in the MM or in the monstrous appendix of that book. Presumably this is done to save space and make room for new, interesting stuff in the pages of the adventure. It sounds like you're strongly down-voting that approach in favor of the AD&D ease-of-use approach, right?
Oh gods, yes!
A follow-up question: Let's say there are developments – reactions the monsters might take to the party of intruders, such as sending reinforcements (or sacrificial propitiations) to the MAIN TEMPLE ROOM. Would you want those developments notated under each room in which they occur, or in a separate "Developments" section?
Ummm...I would think just a separate paragraph would suffice without needing an entirely new section.
"If the alarm has been raised, 5 of the guards (HP X,Y,Z,W,Q, AC: B) from the barracks in Area 20 will also be found in the Main Temple Room with 2 outside the doors, 1 inside and 2 flanking the alter. "
No, "Development" banner or anything. Just a kind of afterthought/last detail.
Part of what I'm driving at is that – at a certain point – you risk bloating a single area description with stuff the DM may or may not need. I'm trying to hone in on what that ambiguous line looks like.
You do indeed. Which is why we are so fortunate to have talented and conscientious adventure designers to pay attention to where that line may be and make sure that doesn't happen.
But saying "this is getting to be too much, so I'll shunt all of this other stuff, from EVERY room, and put it elsewhere in its own section" doesn't really solve the problem, does it? It's still page count. It's still material -which now the DM must be flipping back and forth with to check and incorporate.
I will admit, I don't generally write up very detailed adventures. Few stats, the general idea and premise, who the villains are gonna be and few environmental factors, and I just go/wing it. I will also admit I have not run a single printed/published adventure later than 1e. But I'mma gonna offer some advice anyway...
and this goes back to the dreaded "cross the Line of Too Much [in a single area]"
It seems to me useful to remember that, like most of the rest of all things D&D, the adventure module is a generalized abstraction.
What I mean is, you don't have to incorporate every eventuality into every room/space. A monster can be here...if there is some useful story/adventure reason they would be elsewhere. Then mention that. Somewhat obviously, then, this monster can conceivably be encountered anywhere between those two places at whatever given times (if they have set times to be in either position). A generalized/major change in the many or most inhabitants' locations/behavior of an entire place -a fortress that has raised the alarm since the party entered and knows it's under attack/has intruders now, for example- can be handled by describing what happens all at once -I would say "up front" in the general background info before the adventure gets started to, perhaps, impress upon the party the need for stealth, or (as I suggested) as a minor last note for each room.
But every eventuality for every space can't realistically be covered and shouldn't try to be.
A note in the preface DM material would be useful to this effect. Telling/noting/reminding them that the "dungeon" [whatever the location actually is] is not a static snapshot in time, but a living/breathing, perhaps also working/functional, space. That the DM can [and I would say "should"] have creatures moving about the space as the day progresses as makes sense for the location's internal workings, comings and goings. Then an example or two of what might/could happen there might be useful pointers. But fully fleshed out additional stats material is not necessary in those cases, I would say.
That's all. If the DM decides it's time for evening prayers, so all of the clerics from all of the room are now going to be heading to/gathering int he Main Chapel, then they can do that without being told what times that happens. If a guard rotation is, say, every 5 hours, they don't need to be told the times of day that will happen and bugbears might be in the halls going to or coming from "work." The DMs can decide if everything is status quo, as written, or things are in flux...unless, of course, you want to write the "flux" in as part of the adventure for whatever story/significant reasons.
