Bare Essentials

[Pale]

Alright, I'm about to embark on something rather ambitious to prepare for Fourth Edition: I'm giong to catalog all of my monsters for eventual 4E conversion and would like some imput from my fellow monster nuts.

What would you say are the essentials to pull out of the entries for quick reference?

Right now I'm thinking the entire stat block plus any special qualities, abilities, attacks and defenses.. I can always refer to the books for the fluff.

Anything else anyone can think of?

 

[Shade]

I had started doing this myself. I basically categorized monsters by associations (demons, devils, illithid-related, specific deity-related, and so forth) and then did a brief synopsis highlighting their main special abilities.

Now, though, it seems like WotC has thrown out all the existing themes (succubi are now devils, eladrins are elves, and so on), so I've basically lost interest and given up on 4e, at least for now.

 

[Pale]

I understand how you feel, I've been a huge Inner Planes fan since I first read the original Manual of the Planes hardback. These were, in my opinion, completely gutted with what they did to them in 3E. But I eventually just re-worked the cosmology using the old material with the new rules. Even have monsters that originate from the negative quasi-elemental planes.

So I'll keep plugging, officially supported or not, a setting maintaining the Great Wheel will sell moderately well, I'm certain.