DUNGEON's NEW STAT BLOCK FORMAT

[jmucchiello]

Wildly off-topic, I know, but....

What's funny is when you both change your product names, and NOTHING gets released as "Dungeon Crawl."

Actually, my reasoning behind changing it has more to do with the popularity of Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics than anything involving the term or what it means to gamers. If I ever get the game close to finished I'll probably contact JG about it. (Maybe convince him to convert some of his adventures to my system. )

 

[Vascant]

They will. Dodge and the like will show up on the AC line, Quicken Spell-like Abilitiy would show on the spell-like ability line, etc. We were still sorting out the formatting in issue #124, and that sorting is likely to continue for a few more issues until we've got a handle on the new stat blocks.

Will you by chance posting or documenting these changes for others to read and use?

 

[James Jacobs]

Will you by chance posting or documenting these changes for others to read and use?

Not beyond posts here and at paizo.com... there won't really be enough to report, though. The changes should be more or less apparent in the magazine as the stat block's layout and contents evolve. Two things we're adjusting in issue #125, for example:

1.) For creatures not from the Monster Manual (or for Monster Manual creatures that don't have all their special qualities or attacks reprinted in the stat block), we've added a line before Initiative that lists the monster's source, so a DM can go to that book to learn more about the monster.

2.) We're adding a line between a creature's possessions and its special attack/quality descriptive text, if any.

Again, nothing really major. And of course, as readers suggest improvements to the stat block, we're certainly willing to listen and incorperate further changes.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

What is so great about this stat block? I'm not seeing a decent AC break down.

 

[Sammael]

There is no need for an AC breakdown in a statblock, really.

 

[S'mon]

There is no need for an AC breakdown in a statblock, really.

Yup -it's nice to have the flatfooted & (especially) touch ACs, but you don't need to know how those were arrived at. Even in the Monster Manual it seems like for most creatures everything gets rolled into an abstract "Natural Armour Bonus" that in many cases can't bear much relation to the creature's actual natural armour.

 

[Staffan]

Having an "unarmored AC" entry would be nice too, for those times you have players with brilliant energy weapons (which ignore armor but not natural armor).

 

[Zenodotus of Ephesus]

There are things like dispel magic which have effects on some AC boni but not on others. Some of these are temporary effects. It helps to have the various components of the total AC spelled out and in one place so that such things can be adjusted due to circumstances on the fly, and re-adjusted as needed. I'd rather not have to search through an entire stat block (possessions, spells, etc., and elsewhere in the stat block) to know if an effect or circumstance lowers an AC or not.

 

[Garnfellow]

I've been working with the new format a lot over the last week, statting up some high-level drow NPCs. All-in-all, the new format is proving much easier to work with. The only issues I have are a few needless redundancies. No need to have Listen and Spot details in both the Senses line and in the skill line; no need to have defensive activated feats on both the AC and feat lines; and no need to repeat activated offense feats in the attack options and feat lines. Other than this quibble, I really like the new format.

 

[Raging Epistaxis]

I have to say I like the new format as well. I've spent much less time disrupting the flow of my game looking for one little tidbit of info buried in a statblock. I look forward to further refinements as they happen.

Also, I assume that once a working final version is arrived at, the Dungeon crew will revise the submission guidelines to reflect the new stat block format? If you hadn't already considered that, please do - I use those stat block guidelines in a project I help program.

Thanks

R E