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<blockquote data-quote="GlassJaw" data-source="post: 5079117" data-attributes="member: 22103">Hello fellow Trailblazers!I want to give everyone an update on the progress of the monster book and post a preview of the stat block.Right now, I’m working full-time on the stat blocks.&nbsp; Wulf and I have had a lot of discussions on scaling and customizing monsters design but the biggest time sink overall is the stat blocks.My goal is to create the most complete and comprehensive stat block possible to give the DM everything they need to run that creature.&nbsp; I want to reduce the need for any kind of look-up.&nbsp; As much as Wulf and I know the rules, it always seems that we end up having discussions about whether an elemental can be flanked or if you can sneak attack a spectre.Our new stat block will eliminate those questions.&nbsp; No longer will the DM have to keep the monster manual open while he runs his game.I’m also rewriting every special ability for consistency and clarity.&nbsp; If an ability or quality is mentioned in the stat block, it will get a description.&nbsp; Currently, the only abilities I haven’t included is low-light vision and darkvision, but I’ll probably add those as well.So check out the stat block and let me know what you think!&nbsp; (Ignore the page layout though, this is by no means final.)Here are a few specific things I’d like feedback on:Spellcasting CreaturesA creature that is also a 20th-level caster is a pain to run.&nbsp; Wulf and I have experimented with a few table formats for organizing a creature’s spells but nothing is finalized.If you are running an encounter with a solar (let’s assume it’s a bad angel), what&nbsp; information do you really want in the stat block, especially spellcasting?In the preview, these creatures have a table that looks like this:[CODE]9th (DC 23)&nbsp; &nbsp; 8th (DC 22)&nbsp; &nbsp; 7th (DC 21)&nbsp; &nbsp; 6th (DC 20)&nbsp; &nbsp; 5th (DC 19)bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; blesscause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4th (DC 18)&nbsp; &nbsp; 3rd (DC 17)&nbsp; &nbsp; 2nd (DC 16)&nbsp; &nbsp; 1st (DC 15)&nbsp; &nbsp; 0th (DC 14)bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; bless&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; blesscause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear&nbsp; &nbsp; cause fear[/CODE]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Each spell level has a check box that represents how many spell slots of each level the creature has.&nbsp; When the creature casts a spell, the DM checks the box.&nbsp; As far as readied spells go, we really aren’t that concerned with how many a creature gets.&nbsp; The chart is really just a tool for the DM.&nbsp; Realistically, the DM doesn’t have to prepare any spells in advance for the creature.&nbsp; He can literally choose spells on the fly.&nbsp; I included a few at the creatures three highest-levels for ease of reference.Remember, the goal of the PDF is for the DM to be able to print a creature and have everything he needs on that page (or pages).With that in mind, is this chart helpful?Would you prefer every level to be filled in with a creature’s readied spells or completely blank?Do you prefer spells to be listed from lowest-to-highest or highest-to-lowest (as they are currently)?Anything else you would like to see?Thanks!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GlassJaw, post: 5079117, member: 22103"] Hello fellow Trailblazers! I want to give everyone an update on the progress of the monster book and post a preview of the stat block. Right now, I’m working full-time on the stat blocks. Wulf and I have had a lot of discussions on scaling and customizing monsters design but the biggest time sink overall is the stat blocks. My goal is to create the most complete and comprehensive stat block possible to give the DM everything they need to run that creature. I want to reduce the need for any kind of look-up. As much as Wulf and I know the rules, it always seems that we end up having discussions about whether an elemental can be flanked or if you can sneak attack a spectre. Our new stat block will eliminate those questions. No longer will the DM have to keep the monster manual open while he runs his game. I’m also rewriting every special ability for consistency and clarity. If an ability or quality is mentioned in the stat block, it will get a description. Currently, the only abilities I haven’t included is low-light vision and darkvision, but I’ll probably add those as well. So check out the stat block and let me know what you think! (Ignore the page layout though, this is by no means final.) Here are a few specific things I’d like feedback on: [B]Spellcasting Creatures[/B] A creature that is also a 20th-level caster is a pain to run. Wulf and I have experimented with a few table formats for organizing a creature’s spells but nothing is finalized. If you are running an encounter with a solar (let’s assume it’s a bad angel), what information do you really want in the stat block, especially spellcasting? In the preview, these creatures have a table that looks like this: [CODE] 9th (DC 23) 8th (DC 22) 7th (DC 21) 6th (DC 20) 5th (DC 19) bless bless bless bless bless cause fear cause fear cause fear cause fear cause fear 4th (DC 18) 3rd (DC 17) 2nd (DC 16) 1st (DC 15) 0th (DC 14) bless bless bless bless bless cause fear cause fear cause fear cause fear cause fear [/CODE] Each spell level has a check box that represents how many spell slots of each level the creature has. When the creature casts a spell, the DM checks the box. As far as readied spells go, we really aren’t that concerned with how many a creature gets. The chart is really just a tool for the DM. Realistically, the DM doesn’t have to prepare any spells in advance for the creature. He can literally choose spells on the fly. I included a few at the creatures three highest-levels for ease of reference. Remember, the goal of the PDF is for the DM to be able to print a creature and have everything he needs on that page (or pages). With that in mind, is this chart helpful? Would you prefer every level to be filled in with a creature’s readied spells or completely blank? Do you prefer spells to be listed from lowest-to-highest or highest-to-lowest (as they are currently)? Anything else you would like to see? Thanks! [/QUOTE]

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