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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 4108056" data-attributes="member: 16586">My issue with writing up monster abilities as racially restricted feats and then noting that in the monster's statblock is that the resultant statblock is not in a game useable format. I can't just open up the monster and use it without looking stuff up. Instead I have to do prep work for monsters that are meant to be used straight out of the book if I don't want to delay the game during play and I don't want to delay the game during play.It would of course be nice if every monster ability that wasn't a natural feature of the monster's race was written up as a feat or class power ready for player's to use. Of course the expense of doing so means additional development time for each monster since these abilities need to be tested in various combinations instead of just the discrete combinations found on the monsters in the Monster Manual, and space devoted to monsters now being devoted to other crunch.Some people would counter by saying that the additional development time would be well worth the benefit of player ready feats, that they don't give a crap about development time, and that space consideratons could be solved by simply noting what feats and powers a creature posseses in the stat block. I would counter back by saying that player ready material is beneficial but design time devoted to a monster oriented book should focus on making monsters the best monsters that they can be, that additional development time matters because all projects have a budget to keep and deadlines to be met and wishing it were different doesn't change anything, and that I hate cross-referencing stuff while I'm running a game. Mileage will vary.</blockquote>

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