D&D 5E Monster Entries, what stuff do you want?

[Undrave]

Typical encounter groups, for different level of PCs, like they did in 4e. You can say a lot with very little text just by saying what kind of minions or allies a Monster keep and it's really useful when in a pinch.

 

[Faolyn]

Hey, if instead of two different monsters per page, we could get two to five different variations per page I'd be okay with that too.

I also think stat blocks have a lot of unnecessary repetition that could be cut while keeping clarity and leaving more room on the page.

Depends on how different they are, of course. The bullywug croaker from GoS is similar to the standard bullywug, but with more HD and two special actions. That's pretty easy to put in a variant sidebar. But the bullywug royal has more HD, save proficiencies and skills, and new traits and actions; it'd probably be wasier to give that its own statblock.

 

[Zaukrie]

Depends on how different they are, of course. The bullywug croaker from GoS is similar to the standard bullywug, but with more HD and two special actions. That's pretty easy to put in a variant sidebar. But the bullywug royal has more HD, save proficiencies and skills, and new traits and actions; it'd probably be wasier to give that its own statblock.

I've struggled with this when working on PDFs in the past......some people want to print out the monster, and want it all in one long block, over and over, even if there isn't much difference. That tends to add (to me) unnecessary bloat....

 

[Sacrosanct]

A lot of good ideas here. Yeah, some are conflicting as people want opposite things lol, but definitely a lot of value and helps me get a better grasp

 

[Yaarel]

I want every Monster Manual to be specific to a setting.

I want a Forgotten Realms Monster Manual, an Eberron Monster Manual, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Modern, Near Future, and so on.

Even if the same creature stats appear in two different settings, the lore and ecology of it can be extremely different because of their setting contexts.

Rather than a "kitchen sink" Monster Manual, I would like the lore to think about which setting the creature makes most sense.

When a DM has a bunch of manuals, they are like recipe books, and the DM can pick and choose and modify them according to taste for ones own campaign.

 

[jmartkdr2]

(my main thing is I think stat blocks and monster entries should be much more compact, two per page is a good thing to aim at in my view, less is more - let specific settings or adventures tell us about more specific and detailed stuff if relevant)

Put another way: there's no way I'm going to use more than a half-page of combat info in a single combat. If it has more than that, some of it is hiding the info I actually need. (cf 4e combat stat blocks)

Lore does not have these limitations.

 

[Quickleaf]

So here's a (very) rough mock up of a monster entry (so ignore grammar issues; the text is just placeholder). What things do you want included beyond the typical stuff? A rumor table on what PCs might know about it? Behavior/combat tactics? Ideas/Flaws/Bonds?

View attachment 137729

Speaking personally, I would revise the heck out of this. I don't know if this is just a mockup for discussion purposes, something from a product, or what, but some of the changes I would make...

• The introductory two paragraphs of fiction? Cut those right out. Monster write-up is not the place for that, and it really doesn't add anything. You have the essential physical appearance in that 3rd paragraph (and somewhat in the 6th paragraph), which I would preserve (in italics) at the very beginning of the monster entry, just retooled to make it less a narrative & more a description.
• Way too much "often referred", "is regarded", "it is said", and "legend has it" in the Inspirational Lore. Not only is that bad practice with RPG writing in general, but it actually takes me as the reader OUT of getting inspired.
• I would heavily rewrite the entire Inspirational Lore section – in fact, I wouldn't even have a header for "inspirational lore", because the whole dang monster entry should serve that function. If a bit of writing is not inspiring the DM who will be running the monster... then what is the writing doing? If you need to break down the lore into bite-sized segments the bold italicized leaders that appear in the 5e MM are a fine way to do that.
• How do I use the Cailleach in my games? What are a few examples? If that's not evident from reading those bold italicized bits of lore, then it needs to be spelled out in bulletpoint form. For instance: The Cailleach's staff has been taken by the Queen of the Summer Fey, and eternal winter plagues the land; as the Cailleach emerges from her icy prison, the Queen of the Summer Fey sinks deeper into despondency.
• If attention is given to a Lair, I want more than (1) remote alpine ice palace, (2) wildlife spies, (3) helmed horror guards. First off, it doesn't feel fantastic enough to me – it's the sort of lair I could come up with pretty quickly on my own. If this were a product that I'd purchased, I'd be thinking, "huh, come on author, do some more of the heavy lifting for me!" I don't know your vision for the lair, so I can't for sure say what else should be included (given word count limits), but some possibilities: Who is Frozen in the Ice? (d6 table), What Horrible Future Do You Glimpse in the Mirror/Pool? (d6 table), Random Encounter Table, List of sights/sounds/smells, Map or Picture of the Lair.
• I do appreciate that you pointed out some of her minions (helmed horrors). Connections to other monsters / suggestions of typical monsters encountered with the monster are often left out in the 5e MM. So it's good you've at least included some mention here, even if just in passing. One thing I'm curious about is which 3 spells would these helmed horrors be immune to? This leads into my next point.
• Strategy/Tactics are not something that a DM should end up having to be experienced or visiting The Monsters Know website to at least get a sense of. Some sort of a nod to how the monster is intended to be played in combat would be appreciated. This is particularly true of more complex monsters with spellcasting.
• I'll second @Stalker0 's comment about long spellcasting lists being unwieldy in actual play – it requires a whole lot more prep from the DM to use such monsters effectively. But it doesn't have to be that way. Tighter more thematic spell selection, one-to-two-liner shorthand spell descriptions inline in the stat block, and eschewing spells (when possible/appropriate) for unique magical powers can go a long way towards making a monster easier to run. At least, IMHO.
• The "In Play" section felt really...barebones. Yeah, ok, she's ill-tempered and prone to flattery. That's a cliche, not a monster. You could drill down, for example: How does her ill-temper manifest exactly? Does she turn those who offend her into ice right away, collecting ice statues like a medusa? Or will she demand the tongue of the offender, which she magically places in one of her helmed horrors, granting it the ability to speak in the offender's voice? Now that's creepy and says something about the monster! Maybe you give some thought to ways to appease the offended Cailleach, setting up a sort of "role-playing" section with a very specific assumption about how the monster is used in play.
• The third tier of play – exploration – is something that I personally like to see explored more in monster entries. What are the signs of the Cailleach? I know you mention frost, ice, snow, animals spies in her Regional Effects, but I would go even more specific. Icicles holding distorted reflections of her victims hand from the eaves & trees in her territory. The tracks of elk suddenly turn into those of a four-toed humanoid – hinting that the Cailleach rides an elk and lost some toes to frostbite in her past. Stuff like that. Not necessarily for this entry, but more monstrous entries, some track & sign is a great thing to include if it makes sense & you have the space.
• Finally, I really miss inclusion of typical/example treasure. More broadly, making a list of rewards unique to the monster, which might include mentioning specific magic items in the DMG, unusual charms, themed trinkets, things you can harvest/craft from the monster, etc.
• EDIT: One last thing. The angled "margin/sticky note"? What's written leaves me cold (sorry for the pun). It's not really serving any function. Yeah, biting cold? For the Cailleach? OK, that's on brand, you didn't need to tell me that again. If you're going to call out text in such a special way, then that text needs to be special or exemplary in some form – e.g. a poem about the Cailleach, a riddle or two that the Cailleach likes to use, that sort of thing. There is a time and a place for such additions, but if it's not working, then definitely it's better to omit it from a monster entry.

Nothing wrong with being intentional and steering the monster's entry into specifics – the generic one-sized-fits-all approach you see in the 5e MM is a starting point, but IMHO it should not be a straight jacket. In other words: Consistency of stat block for ease-of-play? Yes. Consistency of overall monster entry just for consistency's sake? Nah, and it's probably constraining where the creative process could take you.

Hope that didn't come across too critical. I was trying to offer as precise feedback as I possibly could about why it wasn't working for me, in the hopes that my feedback would be actionable and helpful.

 

[Zaukrie]

As for layout.....how much of this do you want clearly in sections, vs paragraphs of info? Like, the lore or the signs or all the other stuff? Because as a DM, I want it easy to spot. As a writer, so much layout work! As someone just looking at a page, I like the paragraph approach, not the separate section approach....

btw, I hope that is clear....I'm not sure it is my best writing, but I'm multi-tasking...

 

[dave2008]

I would take a look at the LevelUp stat blocks. They have the information I would want pretty much. Including typical a simple side bar variant.

LevelUp Monster Preview: Green Dragon
LevelUp Monster Preview Thread

 

[Rabulias]

Hey, if instead of two different monsters per page, we could get two to five different variations per page I'd be okay with that too.

I also think stat blocks have a lot of unnecessary repetition that could be cut while keeping clarity and leaving more room on the page.

Yes, variations appreciated! The Monster Manual does this to a degree (variants in sidebars like Mind Flayer Arcanists and Psychic Gray Ooze), but could offer more.