D&D 3E/3.5 D&D 3.5 Monster Generator Wish List
- Thread starter TheOverlord
- Start date
Particle_Man
Explorer
Maybe add the wizard's familiar "template" (and animal companions, paladin mounts, etc.) by level of master?
TheOverlord
First Post
Feature Requests
Wow,
You guys really got after it on those feature requests. My focus for this weekend's release is all the main classes that are common NPC fodder. Human, elf (multiple varieties), dwarf, half-orc, orc, etc. As well as most of the dragons.
The Random Encounter Generator right now is more of a truly "Random" creature generator right now but I have every intention of having that be one of the first things I upgrade due to the use it is getting. I was already planning on having several options such as frequency of template addition as well as narrowing the focus of the encounter by creature type and Environment. These will be coming soon...that random encounter generator was a flight of fancy shortly before release that really has been excellent. You will also eventually have the ability to decide frequency of any number of things in this generator so that, while random, it is more tailored.
As far as the main application...the class level selection options will appear on this page as well as on the final output so you don't have to guess that you will have the option for class levels later. This will avoid confusion there. Do take note that the front screen does not lose any of the data you have entered so if you generate a monster and then realize you forgot to add feats just select your feats and hit generate again. Voila, you have a new monster identical to the previous in all ways except that it now has feats. Because this window never closes you might also eventually realize that each monster has its own feat list so if you start by advancing an allip and create one sequence of feats and then start working on a ghoul and create a different set of feats...and then finally go back to the allip you will find your original feat selections still there. It keeps track of most things.
The stat reset was originally there because if you edited the stats in table there was no way to know what they were originally...thus a button that could reset to default stats. I suppose drop downs in each stat field that always had the default stat as the top option would work as well. I will give that a try and see what I think. I think I may need the space where that panel is for class level selections anyway. Especially if no one is using it at all.
Templates for familiars and animal companions and paladin mounts are also on the way.
Anyway, I will add all these to my upcoming features lists so that I make sure I don't miss any of them as I move forward. Keep it up, the Overlord's furnaces are fueled by the blood of...I mean by your suggestions!
The Overlord
Monster Advancer 3.5
Wow,
You guys really got after it on those feature requests. My focus for this weekend's release is all the main classes that are common NPC fodder. Human, elf (multiple varieties), dwarf, half-orc, orc, etc. As well as most of the dragons.
The Random Encounter Generator right now is more of a truly "Random" creature generator right now but I have every intention of having that be one of the first things I upgrade due to the use it is getting. I was already planning on having several options such as frequency of template addition as well as narrowing the focus of the encounter by creature type and Environment. These will be coming soon...that random encounter generator was a flight of fancy shortly before release that really has been excellent. You will also eventually have the ability to decide frequency of any number of things in this generator so that, while random, it is more tailored.
As far as the main application...the class level selection options will appear on this page as well as on the final output so you don't have to guess that you will have the option for class levels later. This will avoid confusion there. Do take note that the front screen does not lose any of the data you have entered so if you generate a monster and then realize you forgot to add feats just select your feats and hit generate again. Voila, you have a new monster identical to the previous in all ways except that it now has feats. Because this window never closes you might also eventually realize that each monster has its own feat list so if you start by advancing an allip and create one sequence of feats and then start working on a ghoul and create a different set of feats...and then finally go back to the allip you will find your original feat selections still there. It keeps track of most things.
The stat reset was originally there because if you edited the stats in table there was no way to know what they were originally...thus a button that could reset to default stats. I suppose drop downs in each stat field that always had the default stat as the top option would work as well. I will give that a try and see what I think. I think I may need the space where that panel is for class level selections anyway. Especially if no one is using it at all.
Templates for familiars and animal companions and paladin mounts are also on the way.
Anyway, I will add all these to my upcoming features lists so that I make sure I don't miss any of them as I move forward. Keep it up, the Overlord's furnaces are fueled by the blood of...I mean by your suggestions!
The Overlord
Monster Advancer 3.5
TheOverlord
First Post
Program Scope and Functionality
This probably could be its own thread but just for fun...
I believe Wizards always realized the potential of applications for their products but never managed to figure out how to accomplish it. They attempted character generators, e-tools and several other application and not a single one was a success. I believe they found that outsourcing the development to people who didn't know the game inside and out was incredibly difficult. Character builders/creators are incredibly tricky. There are things you have to take into account in an application that don't ever matter when you just play it on paper...and good luck imparting those things to a developer who doesn't know the game...and good luck even realizing what all those things are until you are deep into development.
For example...keeping track of skills. If you spend a point in a skill while just playing the game all you really care about is whether it is a class skill and if you DM later lets you swap a few skill points around you just swap 'em 1 for 1. You will realize when I describe what you need to take care of in an app that the just swap 'em method leads to all sorts of small inaccuracies that don't matter on paper but will matter in an application.
What class is spending the point? Was it a class skill when you spent the point? Did the skill later become a class skill due to cross-classing? If you refund a point which class are you refunding it to? You need to know when the point was spent into the skill if you are going to determine whether it was a class skill or a cross-class skill at the time.
Fun example. I take 1 level Ftr, 1 level Rogue and then another level in Ftr. At level 1 I spent a cross-class point in use-magic-device. At level 2 I spent a rogue skill point in use magic device which is now a class skill. At level 3 I spent a fighter skill point in use magic device which is still a class skill because the rule is once a class skill always a class skill. I now have 2.5 ranks in Use magic device.
Now I want to change just that 1/2 a rank out...
In an application if I wanted to simply remove a skill point...if I am not forcing the user to designate which point to remove things get tricky. Which one do I remove? Do I remove the most recent point and just let the user somehow know it was a fighter skill point from level 3? Because if I refund the cross-class skill point in fighter it must be spent as if I were still a level 1 character with only fighter skills as class skills...and oh, by the way, I have to display the skill list properly so that I even know that at level 1 my class skills were different than they are now at level 3.....Have fun with all that.
Obviously, I haven't even gone into the full detail but to keep a program from allowing all sorts of rule-breaking one has to handle these issues. This by the way is not the most difficult thing to overcome when writing a character generator. You will just have to take my word for it. I cannot spill all my secrets.
This probably could be its own thread but just for fun...
I believe Wizards always realized the potential of applications for their products but never managed to figure out how to accomplish it. They attempted character generators, e-tools and several other application and not a single one was a success. I believe they found that outsourcing the development to people who didn't know the game inside and out was incredibly difficult. Character builders/creators are incredibly tricky. There are things you have to take into account in an application that don't ever matter when you just play it on paper...and good luck imparting those things to a developer who doesn't know the game...and good luck even realizing what all those things are until you are deep into development.
For example...keeping track of skills. If you spend a point in a skill while just playing the game all you really care about is whether it is a class skill and if you DM later lets you swap a few skill points around you just swap 'em 1 for 1. You will realize when I describe what you need to take care of in an app that the just swap 'em method leads to all sorts of small inaccuracies that don't matter on paper but will matter in an application.
What class is spending the point? Was it a class skill when you spent the point? Did the skill later become a class skill due to cross-classing? If you refund a point which class are you refunding it to? You need to know when the point was spent into the skill if you are going to determine whether it was a class skill or a cross-class skill at the time.
Fun example. I take 1 level Ftr, 1 level Rogue and then another level in Ftr. At level 1 I spent a cross-class point in use-magic-device. At level 2 I spent a rogue skill point in use magic device which is now a class skill. At level 3 I spent a fighter skill point in use magic device which is still a class skill because the rule is once a class skill always a class skill. I now have 2.5 ranks in Use magic device.
Now I want to change just that 1/2 a rank out...
In an application if I wanted to simply remove a skill point...if I am not forcing the user to designate which point to remove things get tricky. Which one do I remove? Do I remove the most recent point and just let the user somehow know it was a fighter skill point from level 3? Because if I refund the cross-class skill point in fighter it must be spent as if I were still a level 1 character with only fighter skills as class skills...and oh, by the way, I have to display the skill list properly so that I even know that at level 1 my class skills were different than they are now at level 3.....Have fun with all that.
Obviously, I haven't even gone into the full detail but to keep a program from allowing all sorts of rule-breaking one has to handle these issues. This by the way is not the most difficult thing to overcome when writing a character generator. You will just have to take my word for it. I cannot spill all my secrets.
Noumenon
First Post
I think the discussion of skill points applies more to character generators than to monster advancers, where you apply the levels all at once. You don't swap in and out if you change your mind, you just generate a new one. The level of detail isn't necessary either, since "select {Int + 2} class skills and max them out" is an acceptable approach for NPCs.
I'm not at home with my books, but I thought that rule was for determining your max ranks in the skill. I thought you still need to pay double for a UMD point when you take it as a fighter.
I'm not at home with my books, but I thought that rule was for determining your max ranks in the skill. I thought you still need to pay double for a UMD point when you take it as a fighter.
Correct, page 59 of the PHB with an example on page 60 which you need to look at because on page 59 it never actually states it in the rule. The rule merely deals with the max rank allowed. There are also several Sage Advice questions directed towards multi class characters as well.
With direct experience from coding NPC Designer I can tell you that it is a lot tougher then it seems handling skills.
TheOverlord
First Post
Character Generator vs. Monster/NPC Generator
You are dead on there. A little bit of customization after generation isn't that tough...but maintaining information about everything to continually jockey it all around is a lot tougher. And you are right about my example. The max ranks is what is class skill always a class skill but skill point spending is always by the class skill list. Sorry about that.
The Monster Advancer came into being mostly because the concept underneath was fairly straight forward which is simply not the case for character development anyway. There is a lot more to consider and a lot more that players want to do when customizing a PC than when you are generating NPC's or monsters. And because there really wasn't anything out there that really made things quick and painless.
Apparently there aren't enough good random generators either because the hits on the random generator have far exceeded my expectations.
I have started working on several user options for random encounter generation to allow more tailored results. Such as results restricted by creature type, environment and/or "theme" (crypt, sewer, etc.)
I will have a version out fairly soon that will allow these new restrictions as well as continuing to have the "old" way on the off-chance that some people really like the "random" aspect of that. More thoughts on this part of things would be appreciated. I will get what I have out as soon as possible so you have some idea where I am going with it versus the things you guys have already told me to include.
You are dead on there. A little bit of customization after generation isn't that tough...but maintaining information about everything to continually jockey it all around is a lot tougher. And you are right about my example. The max ranks is what is class skill always a class skill but skill point spending is always by the class skill list. Sorry about that.
The Monster Advancer came into being mostly because the concept underneath was fairly straight forward which is simply not the case for character development anyway. There is a lot more to consider and a lot more that players want to do when customizing a PC than when you are generating NPC's or monsters. And because there really wasn't anything out there that really made things quick and painless.
Apparently there aren't enough good random generators either because the hits on the random generator have far exceeded my expectations.
I have started working on several user options for random encounter generation to allow more tailored results. Such as results restricted by creature type, environment and/or "theme" (crypt, sewer, etc.)
I will have a version out fairly soon that will allow these new restrictions as well as continuing to have the "old" way on the off-chance that some people really like the "random" aspect of that. More thoughts on this part of things would be appreciated. I will get what I have out as soon as possible so you have some idea where I am going with it versus the things you guys have already told me to include.
Scurvy_Platypus
Explorer
At the risk of being selfish...
A standalone/downloadable version.
Not everyone has a laptop to drag to a game, not everyone has a computer that's easily accessible for game time, and outside the U.S., (like say here in NZ) you have data limits. Go over X amount and either you pay more, or your connection gets capped (hello dialup). And of course, there _are_ folks that don't have broadband accounts for a variety of reasons too.
Also as a practical aspect... let's face it, when you've got a hosted program, eventually... it's going to go away. You'll get bored maintaining it, something will happen with the hosting... whatever. Nothing is forever.
A downloadable version though, means that even when life has come up and you just can't work on it for [whatever] reason, or you're bored with it, or whatever, at least folks can still benefit from the work you put into this thing.
Just something to consider.
A standalone/downloadable version.
Not everyone has a laptop to drag to a game, not everyone has a computer that's easily accessible for game time, and outside the U.S., (like say here in NZ) you have data limits. Go over X amount and either you pay more, or your connection gets capped (hello dialup). And of course, there _are_ folks that don't have broadband accounts for a variety of reasons too.
Also as a practical aspect... let's face it, when you've got a hosted program, eventually... it's going to go away. You'll get bored maintaining it, something will happen with the hosting... whatever. Nothing is forever.
A downloadable version though, means that even when life has come up and you just can't work on it for [whatever] reason, or you're bored with it, or whatever, at least folks can still benefit from the work you put into this thing.
Just something to consider.
