D&D General I'm eager to receive feedback on this intuitive monster generator that I built based on econometric analysis of official monster data

[buffyouup]

Greetings everyone,

You can download the generator as attached.
It is a javascript-based, single-page PDF document that will work best with the following apps:

Android: Foxit Pdf Editor
iOS: PDF Expert by Readdle and Foxit PDF Editor
Computers: Adobe Acrobat

Using it, you can generate a practically infinite amount of monsters based on challenge rating and monster type, tweak each individual feature/stat and save up to a 150 monsters for using them later.

I'm eager to receive all sorts of feedback to make it better. Thanks in advance!

 

[Reynard]

I think it would be more useful if it generated more than the core stat block. I tried a bunch of different CR and Type combinations and no randomly generated vulnerabilities, immunities or spell like abilities ever appeared.

 

[Oofta]

Initial impression is that it's not going to give me 100%, but there are times when I just want to randomize stuff and this will give me a starting point and help with creativity.

The biggest suggestion I have right now is that in addition to monster type and level, move Role up to something you select when generating the monster. Right now, it's descriptive after the fact which means there is no correlation between Role and HP, damage or AC. A brute for example should have more HP and damage but lower AC.

This seems like a good start, I'll try to play with it when I have more time and see if I have more suggestions.

 

[Stormonu]

I think it would be more useful if it generated more than the core stat block. I tried a bunch of different CR and Type combinations and no randomly generated vulnerabilities, immunities or spell like abilities ever appeared.

Same here. I appreciate that it can give you a starting point, but for me the real usefulness would be the ability to generate a fully randomized but complete stat block (that could be further tweaked). As @Oofta also states, the randomization would be helpful if it used the different Roles to affect different boundaries for the randomization.

 

[buffyouup]

I think it would be more useful if it generated more than the core stat block. I tried a bunch of different CR and Type combinations and no randomly generated vulnerabilities, immunities or spell like abilities ever appeared.

Ah, totally legit point and I should have mentioned it. It was a decision I chose to make, due to the huge pool of monster names that can be generated: The name generator can produce millions of unique names randomly, so coding for lore-oriented immunities, vulnerabilities, resistances or spellcasting ability would be a gruelling task. I decided to leave that to the user: One can add those with a few clicks and customize to their liking. I'll have to keep it that way for the time being, unfortunately.

 

[buffyouup]

Initial impression is that it's not going to give me 100%, but there are times when I just want to randomize stuff and this will give me a starting point and help with creativity.

The biggest suggestion I have right now is that in addition to monster type and level, move Role up to something you select when generating the monster. Right now, it's descriptive after the fact which means there is no correlation between Role and HP, damage or AC. A brute for example should have more HP and damage but lower AC.

This seems like a good start, I'll try to play with it when I have more time and see if I have more suggestions.

Thanks for the feedback! Totally valid point and easy to implement!

 

[buffyouup]

Same here. I appreciate that it can give you a starting point, but for me the real usefulness would be the ability to generate a fully randomized but complete stat block (that could be further tweaked). As @Oofta also states, the randomization would be helpful if it used the different Roles to affect different boundaries for the randomization.

Thank you! Coding for total randomization of those blocks as well would not be a tough task in itself, but with the millions of unique names that are being randomly generated, chances are you'd be getting an ancient red dragon with a fire vulnerability at some point, and many more oddities Coding against that would take months and months of work, though, maybe I'm just overthinking and should do it nevertheless, save for that red dragon who sees your torch and plays dead.

 

[Reynard]

Ah, totally legit point and I should have mentioned it. It was a decision I chose to make, due to the huge pool of monster names that can be generated: The name generator can produce millions of unique names randomly, so coding for lore-oriented immunities, vulnerabilities, resistances or spellcasting ability would be a gruelling task. I decided to leave that to the user: One can add those with a few clicks and customize to their liking. I'll have to keep it that way for the time being, unfortunately.

Sure, but a random generator is only useful if it can, in the end, produce a final result. The ability to tweak that result is a bonus, but in the end what GMs want in generators is something that reduces the work load.

I don't know the first thing about programming, but if your algorithm calls a monster a Fire Titan, isn't there a way for it to lean toward special fire attacks, resistances and spell like abilities?

 

[Stormonu]

Sure, but a random generator is only useful if it can, in the end, produce a final result. The ability to tweak that result is a bonus, but in the end what GMs want in generators is something that reduces the work load.

I don't know the first thing about programming, but if your algorithm calls a monster a Fire Titan, isn't there a way for it to lean toward special fire attacks, resistances and spell like abilities?

Could possibly program "themes" - which give higher chances (or automatic) of certain elements or abilities. For example, a fire themed creature would most likely have a direct fire attack or adds fire to its attacks and has resistance or immunity to fire.

Some of the themes I'd consider:

Fire - % chance of fire auras, fire resistance/immunity, fire cone attacks, added fire damage to attacks, flight
Lightning - % chance of lightning aura, lightning resistance/immunity, lightning line attacks, added lightning damage to attacks, teleportation
Cold - % chance of cold aura, cold resistance/immunity, cold cone attacks, added cold damage to attacks, chance to slow opponents
Poison - % chance of poison aura, poison resistance/immunity, poison cone attacks, add poison damage to attacks, add poisoned condition
Thunder - thunder resistance/immunity, thunder cone or aura attacks, add thunder damage to attacks, knockback/push abilities

With similar packages for Demons, Devils (beyond pure fiends), (True) Dragons age blocks, Corporeal Undead, Incorporeal Undead, Lycanthropes, Spellcasters (Wizard, Cleric, Warlock) and others, assuming they weren't already built into the monster type in the first place. Pretty much anything that might share a group of traits or abilities that could be macro'ed into the stat block so they didn't have to be added by hand and that would make sense as a group or package.

 

[buffyouup]

Sure, but a random generator is only useful if it can, in the end, produce a final result. The ability to tweak that result is a bonus, but in the end what GMs want in generators is something that reduces the work load.

I don't know the first thing about programming, but if your algorithm calls a monster a Fire Titan, isn't there a way for it to lean toward special fire attacks, resistances and spell like abilities?

Could possibly program "themes" - which give higher chances (or automatic) of certain elements or abilities. For example, a fire themed creature would most likely have a direct fire attack or adds fire to its attacks and has resistance or immunity to fire.

Some of the themes I'd consider:

Fire - % chance of fire auras, fire resistance/immunity, fire cone attacks, added fire damage to attacks, flight
Lightning - % chance of lightning aura, lightning resistance/immunity, lightning line attacks, added lightning damage to attacks, teleportation
Cold - % chance of cold aura, cold resistance/immunity, cold cone attacks, added cold damage to attacks, chance to slow opponents
Poison - % chance of poison aura, poison resistance/immunity, poison cone attacks, add poison damage to attacks, add poisoned condition
Thunder - thunder resistance/immunity, thunder cone or aura attacks, add thunder damage to attacks, knockback/push abilities

With similar packages for Demons, Devils (beyond pure fiends), (True) Dragons age blocks, Corporeal Undead, Incorporeal Undead, Lycanthropes, Spellcasters (Wizard, Cleric, Warlock) and others, assuming they weren't already built into the monster type in the first place. Pretty much anything that might share a group of traits or abilities that could be macro'ed into the stat block so they didn't have to be added by hand and that would make sense as a group or package.

Alright, it's decided. I'm doing it.

Plus, now that I think it over, it's going to take less effort than I imagined too: After the code generates a name, a function will examine this freshly generated name to check if it includes at least one lore-oriented name component from an exhaustive list of keywords I'll prepare. If it does, the code is going to update the vulnerabilities, resistances, spell casting blocks with values that fit that keyword, where relevant. I believe this should take no more than a couple of days. And I would not have thought of this if it weren't for you guys' criticism. Really grateful!