Pathfinder 1E I am looking for a 100% free, user-friendly program to build monster statblocks from scratch

[VelvetViolet]

Building monsters is a horrible chore because I have to calculate and format the statblocks by hand, which is time-consuming. I've made an exhaustive google searches and still have not found a program that fits my needs.

I am looking for a 100%, user-friendly program to build monster statblocks. I am extremely frustrated because I have not found even a single program that meets my needs, whereas 4E does have such a program.

I am not looking for any kind of "monster advancers" that just take SRD monsters and tack templates or whatever onto them. I want to build monsters from scratch.

I am not interested in anything that is stupid expensive like Herolab or DM Genie or whatever. I have no budget. Free programs only.

I am not interested in anything that is stupid complicated to code for, like PCGen. I do not have the time nor the patience to waste on this. Something with a user-friendly GUI as well as flexibility only.

I did find a free monster generator program written in java, but it's highly inflexible and difficult to work with.

 

[koesherbacon]

Have you seen this? http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=336670

 

[VelvetViolet]

Have you seen this? http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=336670

I did. That program is too underdeveloped to meet my needs. It has nearly-nonexistent support for user-defined information and doesn't have a live preview.

I'm looking for something like http://monsteradvancer.wordpress.co...a-entry-systems-feat-builder-monster-builder/ or http://awizardindallas.blogspot.com/2010/03/pathfinder-monster-database.html , but which actually exists and doesn't cost the absurd fees of Hero Lab.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

You get what you pay for. If you want something for free it's not going to be highly polished. If you want something that's highly polished its not going to be free.

 

[gamerprinter]

Yeah, what MathewHanson said: if you don't want to pay for it, you can't expect much of a product, and the ones that work are like HeroLabs - its crazy expensive, because being accurate and adjustable for all of Paizo's monsters, and many PF 3PP monsters is a heck of a lot of work, and you can't really expect to find such a detailed product for free. I don't think such a free program exists.

You mention the "free" monster builder in 4e. I am pretty sure there was a downloadable version at one time, that was never updated beyond intial release. And 'free' it wasn't as it was one of the major parts of the WotC subscription. If you didn't pay for the subscription, you couldn't access the software at all, and although (as mentioned) downloadable in the beginning, once it was updated you could only use it online. This was part of WotC's marketing plan, which is why it was created and paid for programming.

This is not what Paizo does for its marketing. They don't have the staff to do any kind of programming whatsoever, it would have to be done by an outside company. So Paizo allows companies like HeroLab create such material, but having nothing to do with Paizo otherwise, and not being able to create a detailed and comprehensive product without cost, means that the resulting product is no where near free.

Being the above is true, why would anybody create such a program and not charge you for it?

 

[VelvetViolet]

I don't want to pay for hero lab because I don't need all of those bells and whistles. I don't want to have a database of abilities, classes, monsters or other dross that I can get for free on d20pfsrd.com. I want a simple excel spreadsheet-like program that I can use to crank out monster statblocks that let's me define all the abilities and whatever myself but automates the math rather than forcing me to do it by hand, because all I ever want to do is simply crank out a bestiary of custom monsters.

Unless there's a heavily stripped down version of hero lab that offer the bestiary monster creator program and absolutely nothing else (including the material from the books that already exists on d20pfsrd.com for free) at a dirt cheap price, then I am not interested.

This is exceedingly frustrating because there is already a 100% free, easy to use program for 4e that does this. It's called monster maker and it's available here: http://www.asmor.com/programs/monstermaker/ What I am looking for is a program like that but for Pathfinder. Nothing else.

 

[pming]

Hiya.

Well, if'n you don't want to pay for Herlo Labs, I'm sorry to say I think you're S.O.L. What I'd do (other than buy Hero Labs...which I have/did), is take some time and make a spreadsheet for it all. I use OpenOffice.org for all my writing stuff...it's free. I don't think I've seen something like what you are asking for, sorry. If you do write up a good spreadsheet for doing it...make sure you offer it for free to folks out on the boards here (and probably at Paizo.com too). I'm sure otherw would find it quite useful too!

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[VelvetViolet]

I already made spreadsheets before. They don't help at all because they are just as time consuming as doing the work by hand and I have to recopy everything by hand to format it into a proper statblock. It's worse than just doing it in word alone.

I am incredibly angry that I would have to pay $60 just to get a simple program for formatting and autocalculating monster statblocks, just because Hero Lab decides to include tons of worthless garbage that I don't need. If they ever decide to offer the monster builder/creator/maker separately for a dirt cheap price, let me know.

This isn't even that complicated. Any half-decent coder could probably whip something like this up in a few days, and Monster Generator would fit the bill if it was good for anything besides random generation.

 

[MerricB]

The problem is likely just how difficult 3E statblocks are to make. There are just so many sources of modifiers and adjustments. It isn't that hard to have a calculation for ability scores and monster type/HD, but once you add in feats, then they problems set in.

Or adding character classes!

4E is so much easier: no feats, just role and level and minion/standard/elite/solo status.

 

[koesherbacon]

I use HeroLab exclusively to make my monster when I'm DMing. I actually only use the Bestiaries to check out the creatures I'm interested in and edit as needed.

Granted, it is not free, however it is a fantastic app for making characters, npcs, customizing monsters, and even creating entirely new ones.

If you can spare the $29.99, it's well worth the money. You can alps purchase additional data packages, but they are usually only about $5, and again, well worth it!

You can check it out here, and there is a free demo.

http://www.wolflair.com/index.php?context=hero_lab