Mike Mearls Hook Horror Formating and Notation

[Chris_Nightwing]

Here's something pretty awful I mocked up in an hour or so. I'm sure that with something better than LibreOffice Draw (ughhh) and a proper design team you could do better.

The point is, certain numbers you want to be able to glance at and see immediately. I also liked the 4E way of listing attacks in a statblock (my symbols suck but you get the idea). Embrace symbology! If each monster takes up a page, then this card-sized entry will suffice for most of them, leaving loads of room for a quarter-page picture and half-page block of text about their ecology, organisation and so on..

 

[Yora]

Symbols are nice if you can have them. The problem is "if".
For homebrewers or DMs who just want to have a single stat block from a book scribled on a note, having plain text is very useful. Especially when you are working digitally and you copy and paste other peoples stat blocks to modify them.

Keeping things to the basics instead of overly long fluff text does have it's merrits. However, don't overdo it.

Twist and Bite (1d10+4 piercing on impaled victims)
Extra 2d6+4 piercing on one impaled victim.

I do not understand what this actually means. If I learn the rules for monsters and have the underlying principle figured out, I guess this is really all the information I need.

Twist and Bite Any creature currently impaled by the hook horror takes 1d10 + 4 piercing damage. In addition, the hook horror can automatically bite an impaled creature for 2d6 + 4 extra damage.

This is better, but still leaves some questions:

Twist and Bite Any creature currently impaled by the hook horror takes 1d10 + 4 piercing damage at the beginning of its turn. In addition, the hook horror can automatically bite an impaled creature for 2d6 + 4 extra damage in place of its regular attack.

Now this would be the way I'd do it. Assumed that this is what the ability actually is supposed to do.

This is an actual problem. Take for example constrict in 3rd Edition.

Constrict (Ex) On a successful grapple check, a constrictor snake deals 1d3+4 points of damage.
Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, a constrictor snake must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

After 12 years, I still would have to open the monster manual and players handbook and pour over it for 5 minutes to figure out what happens when someone gets bit by a snake.

I think a creature should be ready to use just by having the stat block without any need to open another book or flip to another page for new DMs to resolve the combat.

 

[Hussar]

I think a creature should be ready to use just by having the stat block without any need to open another book or flip to another page for new DMs to resolve the combat.

Amen to that.

The only problem with that though is that you cannot have any spells in a statblock. I'm not sure if that's a big problem, but, it is limiting. If you want statblocks that are simple, yet complete enough to not require lookups, you have to sacrifice complexity.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

For homebrewers or DMs who just want to have a single stat block from a book scribled on a note, having plain text is very useful. Especially when you are working digitally and you copy and paste other peoples stat blocks to modify them.

I still think that adopting standard symbols for certain stats could be useful for DMs scribbling on paper. Arrow for initiative, square for AC, circle for HP. Stats have a standard order. Attacks marked with a +. There are lots of easy options, and it's annoying to have to scan down multiple lines to locate a monster's reach, for instance.

I do not understand what this actually means. If I learn the rules for monsters and have the underlying principle figured out, I guess this is really all the information I need.

So in MM's statblock, it was listed as a Special Action. I assume therefore it takes your action to do this. Hence I put it next to an attack symbol (my representation of 'this takes an action'). Damage is auto when you take the action (I considered putting Auto at the front to make it clear there was no attack roll but it's not necessary).

 

[ren1999]

Here's something pretty awful I mocked up in an hour or so. I'm sure that with something better than LibreOffice Draw (ughhh) and a proper design team you could do better.

The point is, certain numbers you want to be able to glance at and see immediately. I also liked the 4E way of listing attacks in a statblock (my symbols suck but you get the idea). Embrace symbology! If each monster takes up a page, then this card-sized entry will suffice for most of them, leaving loads of room for a quarter-page picture and half-page block of text about their ecology, organisation and so on..

That's pretty easy to read. Now if there was a paragraph for the ecology that would be nice. Can you add the additional information to see what the entire monster block would look like?

 

[ren1999]

That's another thing. A lot of monsters get 2 attacks per turn. Hook Horror gets 2 swipes with its hooks. Why don't characters get more than just one attack?

I think they should. How about this idea.?

A 5th level character gets 2 attacks per turn.
A fighter could swing her sword at one target 2 times
or swing her sword at 2 adjacent targets
or take one opportunity action and one standard action

opportunity actions not only include a Dodge Action but may be substituted for another defensive action such as Parry Attack, Shield Ally, etc..

A wizard could shoot 3 magic missiles at 10th level.
Or a wizard could cast a move spell like Blink or Fly and then cast an attack spell such as magic missile twice.

A cleric could heal an ally, then range attack an enemy, then shift a square.

This allows damage to be up to 3[w] on one target or 1[w] on 3 targets at 10th level. It would give characters the same opportunity that some monsters like Hook Horror already enjoy. 2 attacks.

Now at 15th level, I was thinking of limiting standard attacks to 3 and then allowing the character an opportunity or defensive Dodge Action when they are attacked.

Is it workable?

 

[Mark CMG]

I don't think a NDA applies to something published on a website that's free to be viewed by anyone. You don't have to agree to anything in order to view that article. And since you haven't reproduced the article in its entirety, there should be no trouble. IANAL.

Yup. Taking a chunk of an article that can be viewed by anyone, NDA/Agreement or not, and reproducing it for the purposes of review and comment is clearly fair use whether we are lawyers or not.

 

[Steely_Dan]

That's another thing. A lot of monsters get 2 attacks per turn. Hook Horror gets 2 swipes with its hooks. Why don't characters get more than just one attack?

They just might, and it sound like the fighter will, I remember reading about the fighter being able to perform multiple actions.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

That's pretty easy to read. Now if there was a paragraph for the ecology that would be nice. Can you add the additional information to see what the entire monster block would look like?

Well like I said, it's just a mock-up. I don't have an entire monster entry to work with. If you want to pick your favourite from the d20srd, let's say, then I could maybe make something more complete.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

[MENTION=85179]ren1999[/MENTION]

I made another mock-up..