D&D 5E One-Stop Stat Blocks for D&D 5th Edition

[Frylock]

I've modified the 5th edition D&D stat blocks so that a DM doesn't have to have so many hard-cover books open at once. As with 4th edition stat blocks, everything you need to run a creature is at your fingertips. Of course, this results in stat blocks that, in extreme cases, are 4 pages long, but only a minority of them are larger than a page. Moreover, most Monster Manual stat blocks weren't recreated because they already fit my definition of "one-stop."

I hope you can use these. Happy gaming!

https://gsllc.wordpress.com/2015/06...sh-luddite_vic-erik_nowak-gopcyclist-dnd-rpg/

 

[77IM]

Exceptional work!

Downloaded before the C&D. ;}

 

[Frylock]

15 years of practice, which includes copyright law. If they send a C&D, I'll just give them my address for service of process. But they won't do that.

 

[CapnZapp]

In addition to making the stat blocks self-contained, I also tried to make the monsters more interesting.

What does this mean?

Aren't your stat blocks the MM monsters? Or have you given them your own powers?

 

[CapnZapp]

Moreover, most Monster Manual stat blocks weren't recreated because they already fit my definition of "one-stop."

Please reconsider. By not being complete, your document does not fit my definition of "one-stop", even if the individual stat blocks do.

 

[Frylock]

Please reconsider. By not being complete, your document does not fit my definition of "one-stop", even if the individual stat blocks do.

I appreciate your position, but you have to realize a couple of things. 1) This project took months. 2) I have no desire to hurt WotC.

1. This was a long project, and I have others in mind that are a higher priority for me. I'm quite disillusioned with 5e, and especially with the direction that DDAL has taken (for those that don't know, DDAL refers to the current living campaign supported by WotC). However, I plan to release the Word version of this project, so if it's really that important to you and worth your time, you'll be able to add to it yourself.

2. My project inherently lessens the market just a bit for spell cards, so even as it is, WotC can be said to be hurt by what I've done. However, recreating the entire Monster Manual would probably reduce their sales by 90% (<-- completely made up statistic). The only thing the Monster Manual would have to offer at that point would be flavor text and pretty pictures. Some would still buy it, but probably not a lot. I don't have a motivation to eliminate the market for one of the three products that 90% (<-- yeah, made up too) of D&D players would otherwise buy. I'm disillusioned, but I'm not an [censored], and I'm not even angry.

As far as your concern that the project as a whole isn't one-stop, that's technically true, but you must admit that now you need either a Monster Manual OR this document sitting on your lap, and mine can be read on a tablet. Without my document, you need to have the both the Monster Manual AND the Player's Handbook on your lap. We can at least say things are much better, right?

 

[Frylock]

What does this mean?

Aren't your stat blocks the MM monsters? Or have you given them your own powers?

???

That's the first sentence of a paragraph. You apparently stopped reading after that sentence. Your question is answered by everything that followed, but here it is:

In quite a few cases, the stat blocks follow a specific, boring pattern: “Multiattack, Bite, Claw, Claw” or “Multiattack, Melee weapon.” The giants, for example, are remarkably similar. The only difference between the hill, fire, frost, and stone giants are reach and resistance. So, even for a CR 2 NPC like the Azer, it made sense to give it Innate Spellcasting. This gave it an underpowered ranged attack, making the Azer more interesting without making it overpowered.

That being said, there are actually only a couple of stat blocks where I did that. In addition to the Azer, I gave the Cloud Giant a "Sumon Beanstalk" power. How does WotC not do that? Geez! Off the top of my head, I believe those are the only stat blocks that had powers added to them.

EDIT: Yeah, I did that for the fire and frost giants as well. I might have done it for the stone giant too. I'm not at home, so I don't remember if they have the thorn whip power. They probably don't, so that was probably a change.

 

[Frylock]

I really should add a table of contents and page numbers, huh?

 

[Celtavian]

Nice. This is something I like. It makes it easier to copy and paste a stat block into a word document for modification.

I have a mixed of 5E. I do enjoy the simplicity of the combat system. At the same time the game is too easy and takes a lot of modification when you add in magic items and feats to make it challenging. The fights don't feel very epic, though I do like that fights are more entertaining to narrate. The classes lack robust and diverse abilities that are truly useful compared to a game like Pathfinder. It feels like you do the same thing a lot of the time because there are a small, select group of things that are useful and everything else is taken only as a style choice. There a ton of obvious less effective choices, but they made it in the book. I don't feel compelled to buy books as I did in previous editions. I'm not even sure I'm going to pick up the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. It doesn't look like a very interesting book. The new archetypes don't seem compelling. The new material seems more fluffy than useful. I'm sure one of my friends will pick it up so I can take a look. Even the modules have been underwhelming prior to Out of the Abyss. Even that module has some parts where I'm left scratching my head as to what the module designers think is a challenge for a group. I wonder if they play test this stuff with inexperienced players that don't work as a group.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I wonder if they play test this stuff with inexperienced players that don't work as a group.

To an extent, this is probably exactly what they do. 5E is not built around expert players looking for tactical challenges like, say, 4E was. Which is fine. It's just important to know that if that's what you are looking for.