How important is stat accuracy to you?

[JVisgaitis]

I haven't seen the Cooper's Corrected Creature Codex by Dog Soul Publishing before today. John Cooper is the best stat guru I've seen on 3e, and I have a lot of respect for his eye for detail. This product line has me wondering, how important is stat accuracy to everyone?

A skill point here or there isn't going to kill a monster and make it jump up a bunch of CRs. As a publisher when we produce a product we go through great lengths to make sure everything is accurate and I feel like we do a solid job. As a DM I don't really check over skill points or anything like that too closely before running an encounter.

Do accurate stats play a big part in your game? Also, do you download the official Wizards errata? I know a lot of DMs that don't bother. What are your thoughts?

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Do accurate stats play a big part in your game? Also, do you download the official Wizards errata? I know a lot of DMs that don't bother. What are your thoughts?

When I first DMed, I checked over every creature I used. Then I developed trust in my 3.5 MM. Now I can use it and be happy with it without checking every detail. But, I had to learn to trust the book. Every book I buy has to go through that level of trust development. I don't automatically trust a book because it comes from a specific publisher. CPsi taught me that - I didn't buy the book because of all the editing mistakes! So, I guess that's a yes on numero uno.

For the second question, I don't download errata. Actually, that's a fib. I do download it. i have the zip files always on my flashdisk. I can get at them whenever I want. However, nobody I game with really cares. So, I have them ... but I never open them. So, is that a yes or a no on the second question? Technically it's a yes, but in the spirit of what you are asking it is a no.

 

[jdrakeh]

Errata is optional in most of the groups that I play with, unless we're talking about very obvious game-breaking errors. Core D&D 3.5's errata is, in that regard, fairly minimal compared to. . . oh. . . say DangerQuest (said game has rediculous amounts of errata that you arguably need in order to play the game). I've yet to see any truly game-breaking errors in D&D. I've seen errors that can be exploited by unscrupulous players to break a given D&D campaign, yes, but stuff that breaks the game by virtue of merely existing? Nope.

[Edit: That said, I love Dog Soul's mini-settings. They're simply some of the sexiest PDF products ever.]

 

[der_kluge]

I don't tend to bother.

Minor stat problems aren't that big a deal. When things frustrate me is when the monster doesn't seem to "work" very well. Certain demons seem to have this problem.

 

[Imruphel]

I prefer my stat blocks to be accurate. I do get frustrated when I go to advance a creature, or add class levels, and realise that the numbers are out (and I do this, and thus find this, fairly regularly). It's one of the reasons I don't like classed creatures in MMIV (although I otherwise think this is how monster manuals should be): I no longer trust the stat blocks.

I realise that many support the "a few points here and there don't matter"-argument but I would prefer that something I pay for be accurate.

(snip) When things frustrate me is when the monster doesn't seem to "work" very well. Certain demons seem to have this problem.

I agree. I wish more attention was paid to matching flavour/fluff/whatever you want to call it with the actual mechanics.

 

[Psion]

It's not exactly at the top of the list of things I consider when considering product quality.

Gross stuff like creatures with CR8 that cast as Sor16... yeah, that's broke (BTW, actual product.)

Missing a few skill points or a point of AC is not something I sweat a whole lot. It's be nice, but I wouldn't want to boost the cost of a product by 20% just so you could hire another editor.

Ideas, concept, role relevance, are significantly more important to me.

 

[caudor]

I really don't worry about it, although I will fix some Ierrors from the errata.

There are a few books I own that I'm not sure whether they are 3.0, 3.5, or hybrid:

Serpent Kingdoms
Unapproachable East
Underdark
Arms & Equipment Guide
Book of Vile Darkness

In fact, with my rules skills, I'm not certain I could spot an error on my own anyway.

 

[Drowbane]

I have a deep seated dislike for Errata. I typically ignore Errata unless it is something major.

two examples (both psionic)

1) Energy Missile DC scaling. My group recognized this as an obvious mistake and House Ruled it to work like it should... before and without the need for Errata (but effectively, we accepted the errata here). This isn't so much errata as it is intuitive.

2) Astral Constructs. Errata posted in Complete Psi states that one can only have 1 Astral Construct in creation at a time... with a lameass PrC that allows up to two. Not quite intuitive... in fact its somewhat of a "WTF?!" ruling. Naturally, we ignore this.

I really don't worry about it, although I will fix some Ierrors from the errata.

There are a few books I own that I'm not sure whether they are 3.0, 3.5, or hybrid:

Serpent Kingdoms
Unapproachable East
Underdark
Arms & Equipment Guide
Book of Vile Darkness

In fact, with my rules skills, I'm not certain I could spot an error on my own anyway.

Serpent Kingdoms: 3.5
Unapproachable East: 3.0
Underdark: 3.5
Arms & Equipment Guide: 3.0
Book of Vile Darkness: 3.0 (Exalted is 3.5)

I'm a little unsure about the FR books. The other two I know for sure.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Do accurate stats play a big part in your game?

I want the stats to be accurate as far as "this is what I, the creator of this adventure, intended." I don't care if it's by-the-book or not. Doesn't matter.

Also, do you download the official Wizards errata?

For core rules, yes. For adventures, no.

 

[Ron]

I don't care at all. As Philotomy Jurament pointed out, it is more important to be in line with the author intentions than to the rules as written in the book. I seriously doubt I ever cared to write a NPC under strict 3.x rules as it is a waste of good time. In the same vein, I don't worry about the number of skill points or feats in a written NPC, I worry about what is his function in the adventure and if he or she have the means to accomplish it.