Monster Builder Utility?

[Garnfellow]

I could badly use a software application that would help me develop and customize monsters in preparation for my games. But after looking around, I’m not sure that there’s anything out there right now that will do everything that I need. The ideal software /has/ to allow me to do the following things:

1. Assign ability scores using either standard arrays or random generation
2. Select a monster race and then apply all adjustments
3. Advance the monster by HD and make all adjustments for size increases
4. Add levels from core and prestige classes
5. Add templates
6. Select feats and assign skill points
7. Output to a standard statblock

I’d really like the utility to also allow the following:

1. Select (and then adjust for) appropriate gear, including magic goodies and treasure
2. Customize the monster with unique special abilities (for example, adding a new spell-like ability)

I would need to have access to all monsters, feats, classes, etc. in the 3.5 SRD. I would also need to be able to add homebrew monster races.

I would also like access to datasets from the following products (in order of descending importance):

1. Tome of Horrors
2. Fiend Folio
3. Savage Species
4. The Book of Fiends
5. Miniatures Handbook
6. Monster Manual II
7. Epic Level Handbook

I’m reasonably computer-savvy, so the ideal utility does not have to be pretty or even especially easy to use.

So am I just idly dreaming?

 

[barsoomcore]

PCGen

As far as your datasets go, a number of those books are not composed of OGC, so you're kinda sorta outa luck there. But PCGen will pretty much do everything you want.

 

[Garnfellow]

PCGen

As far as your datasets go, a number of those books are not composed of OGC, so you're kinda sorta outa luck there. But PCGen will pretty much do everything you want.

Is it possible to import non-OGC datasets from other programs into pcgen?

 

[kirinke]

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/shadows/Handbook/MonsterCalc.html

helps you stat out your monsters. 3.5 compliant.

http://slicer69.tripod.com/dnd/dnd.htm
helps you stat out your characters. also 3.5 compliant.

 

[Garnfellow]

bump.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Plane Sailing]

DMgenie would be excellent for all these things except datasets of other creatures. I'm using their 60 day trial at the moment and I'm really impressed with it. Last Sunday a cleric PC decided to summon a celestial griffon.

Add Griffon, add celestial template. Bingo. Full stat block was there and ready to use inside 15 seconds. Very nice.

 

[kingpaul]

Is it possible to import non-OGC datasets from other programs into pcgen?

I really doubt that, as the *.lst syntax was created by the code and data monkeys awhile ago. However, Code Monkey Publishing has a license with WotC to produce PCGen datasets of their closed-content books.