D&D 5E One-Stop Stat Blocks for D&D 5th Edition

[Frylock]

I've modified the 5th edition D&D stat blocks so that a DM doesn't have to have so many hard-cover books open at once. As with 4th edition stat blocks, everything you need to run a creature is at your fingertips. Of course, this results in stat blocks that, in extreme cases, are 4 pages long, but only a minority of them are larger than a page. Moreover, most Monster Manual stat blocks weren't recreated because they already fit my definition of "one-stop."

I hope you can use these. Happy gaming!

https://gsllc.wordpress.com/2015/06...sh-luddite_vic-erik_nowak-gopcyclist-dnd-rpg/

 

[77IM]

Exceptional work!

Downloaded before the C&D. ;}

 

[Frylock]

15 years of practice, which includes copyright law. If they send a C&D, I'll just give them my address for service of process. But they won't do that.

 

[CapnZapp]

In addition to making the stat blocks self-contained, I also tried to make the monsters more interesting.

What does this mean?

Aren't your stat blocks the MM monsters? Or have you given them your own powers?

 

[CapnZapp]

Moreover, most Monster Manual stat blocks weren't recreated because they already fit my definition of "one-stop."

Please reconsider. By not being complete, your document does not fit my definition of "one-stop", even if the individual stat blocks do.

 

[Frylock]

Please reconsider. By not being complete, your document does not fit my definition of "one-stop", even if the individual stat blocks do.

I appreciate your position, but you have to realize a couple of things. 1) This project took months. 2) I have no desire to hurt WotC.

1. This was a long project, and I have others in mind that are a higher priority for me. I'm quite disillusioned with 5e, and especially with the direction that DDAL has taken (for those that don't know, DDAL refers to the current living campaign supported by WotC). However, I plan to release the Word version of this project, so if it's really that important to you and worth your time, you'll be able to add to it yourself.

2. My project inherently lessens the market just a bit for spell cards, so even as it is, WotC can be said to be hurt by what I've done. However, recreating the entire Monster Manual would probably reduce their sales by 90% (<-- completely made up statistic). The only thing the Monster Manual would have to offer at that point would be flavor text and pretty pictures. Some would still buy it, but probably not a lot. I don't have a motivation to eliminate the market for one of the three products that 90% (<-- yeah, made up too) of D&D players would otherwise buy. I'm disillusioned, but I'm not an [censored], and I'm not even angry.

As far as your concern that the project as a whole isn't one-stop, that's technically true, but you must admit that now you need either a Monster Manual OR this document sitting on your lap, and mine can be read on a tablet. Without my document, you need to have the both the Monster Manual AND the Player's Handbook on your lap. We can at least say things are much better, right?

 

[Frylock]

What does this mean?

Aren't your stat blocks the MM monsters? Or have you given them your own powers?

???

That's the first sentence of a paragraph. You apparently stopped reading after that sentence. Your question is answered by everything that followed, but here it is:

In quite a few cases, the stat blocks follow a specific, boring pattern: “Multiattack, Bite, Claw, Claw” or “Multiattack, Melee weapon.” The giants, for example, are remarkably similar. The only difference between the hill, fire, frost, and stone giants are reach and resistance. So, even for a CR 2 NPC like the Azer, it made sense to give it Innate Spellcasting. This gave it an underpowered ranged attack, making the Azer more interesting without making it overpowered.

That being said, there are actually only a couple of stat blocks where I did that. In addition to the Azer, I gave the Cloud Giant a "Sumon Beanstalk" power. How does WotC not do that? Geez! Off the top of my head, I believe those are the only stat blocks that had powers added to them.

EDIT: Yeah, I did that for the fire and frost giants as well. I might have done it for the stone giant too. I'm not at home, so I don't remember if they have the thorn whip power. They probably don't, so that was probably a change.

 

[Frylock]

I really should add a table of contents and page numbers, huh?

 

[Celtavian]

Nice. This is something I like. It makes it easier to copy and paste a stat block into a word document for modification.

I have a mixed of 5E. I do enjoy the simplicity of the combat system. At the same time the game is too easy and takes a lot of modification when you add in magic items and feats to make it challenging. The fights don't feel very epic, though I do like that fights are more entertaining to narrate. The classes lack robust and diverse abilities that are truly useful compared to a game like Pathfinder. It feels like you do the same thing a lot of the time because there are a small, select group of things that are useful and everything else is taken only as a style choice. There a ton of obvious less effective choices, but they made it in the book. I don't feel compelled to buy books as I did in previous editions. I'm not even sure I'm going to pick up the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. It doesn't look like a very interesting book. The new archetypes don't seem compelling. The new material seems more fluffy than useful. I'm sure one of my friends will pick it up so I can take a look. Even the modules have been underwhelming prior to Out of the Abyss. Even that module has some parts where I'm left scratching my head as to what the module designers think is a challenge for a group. I wonder if they play test this stuff with inexperienced players that don't work as a group.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I wonder if they play test this stuff with inexperienced players that don't work as a group.

To an extent, this is probably exactly what they do. 5E is not built around expert players looking for tactical challenges like, say, 4E was. Which is fine. It's just important to know that if that's what you are looking for.

 

[Frylock]

Nice. This is something I like. It makes it easier to copy and paste a stat block into a word document for modification.

I have a mixed of 5E. I do enjoy the simplicity of the combat system. At the same time the game is too easy and takes a lot of modification when you add in magic items and feats to make it challenging. The fights don't feel very epic, though I do like that fights are more entertaining to narrate. The classes lack robust and diverse abilities that are truly useful compared to a game like Pathfinder. It feels like you do the same thing a lot of the time because there are a small, select group of things that are useful and everything else is taken only as a style choice. There a ton of obvious less effective choices, but they made it in the book. I don't feel compelled to buy books as I did in previous editions. I'm not even sure I'm going to pick up the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. It doesn't look like a very interesting book. The new archetypes don't seem compelling. The new material seems more fluffy than useful. I'm sure one of my friends will pick it up so I can take a look. Even the modules have been underwhelming prior to Out of the Abyss. Even that module has some parts where I'm left scratching my head as to what the module designers think is a challenge for a group. I wonder if they play test this stuff with inexperienced players that don't work as a group.

Thanks for the comment. My personal opinion, FWIW, is that 5e is a fantastic system -- AD&D cleaned up by decades of gaming evolution -- but at points, poorly implemented. Still, it's a fun system and worth a look to every gamer.

 

[Celtavian]

To an extent, this is probably exactly what they do. 5E is not built around expert players looking for tactical challenges like, say, 4E was. Which is fine. It's just important to know that if that's what you are looking for.

How long does it take to gain that kind of experience? If the game isn't challenging, how will that affect long-term playability? Seems strange to me not to build the game with the idea making it challenging in mind.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

How long does it take to gain that kind of experience? If the game isn't challenging, how will that affect long-term playability? Seems strange to me not to build the game with the idea making it challenging in mind.

You are reminding of the great Combat as Sport vs Combat as War thread from a couple years back. Many players don't approach combat in D&D as a game you get good at. They will go to great lengths to avoid taking part in combat that is an actual challenge.

 

[mflayermonk]

Thank you. This is especially useful for things like the cult fanatic, druid, priest and mage.

 

[CapnZapp]

No, I didn't stop reading after the first sentence, Frylock.

I stopped reading after "In quite a few cases" and "for example".

Since changing MM entries is kind of a big deal, I directly went to this thread to ask you to provide a comprehensive list of the changes you have made.

In my opinion, changing the MM makes it less useful. Some people might appreciate you spicing up your giants, but I consider it homebrewing.

A list of changes would make it easy for me to judge whether your changes are superficial enough for me to use your document. But it would have to be complete. In contrast, just getting some cases and some examples isn't helpful if there are more changes, which your language strongly indicated.

Honestly, I'm confused. You don't want to complete the MM for reasons. But you say you can't be taken down by a C&D. So why not make your document a true one-stop destination, by faithfully reproducing all MM monsters with their powers as written, only changed the way you must have changed them in order to get away with it (I confess I haven't looked closely enough to understand what and how).

But anyway. Nothing to be done. It's your doc!

Good luck,
Zapp

 

[CapnZapp]

Celtavian, I am not quite getting your... discontent (in this thread and various others).

You seem to be a pretty seasoned DM. Why do you focus on your... dissatisfaction(?) with the printed difficulty levels.

For an experienced DM like you it should be easy to tailor the difficulty level to your party's expectations?

I mean, this has been true for D&D in every edition. It's not like I am seriously considering having a combat with three goblins (or whatever they call a "medium" fight).

If you have analytic players like I do, and you seem to, then you will always have to double or triple the opposition or you could as well skip the entire fight.

But that's not exclusive to this edition.

What is new is feats and magic items. Use them and the curve warps decisively.

But 5E is still a dream compared to 4E which had a lot of wonkiness and where fights took forever. And it is a dream compared to 3E where high-level fights became an utter joke, where the side with Scry & Teleport always wins. Where high-level NPCs are walking goodie boxes just for the taking. Except they take hours to stat up.

The truth is that AD&D-d20-5E-style D&D has never been more balanced. Even if it is still way unbalanced for your group, or mine.

I mean, if the players steamroll a Balor, it's easy to give them one each. Not so easy now, huh?

And obviously you chuck the CR system, right?

Cheers

 

[mflayermonk]

So why not make your document a true one-stop destination, by faithfully reproducing all MM monsters with their powers as written, only changed the way you must have changed them in order to get away with it (I confess I haven't looked closely enough to understand what and how).

If you have an encounter with 5 sharks, you won't use this. The MM is perfectly fine. If you have 5 Sharks and a fishman priest is when you can use this.

I did something similar myself with index cards of the monster and their spell abilities where I just kept notes on the spellcasting abilities and kept the index cards in a box for when I used that monster. The index cards also make fine bookmarks. The main purpose was to keep me from breaking atmosphere and pacing by flipping around multiple books wondering what the range on lightning bolt is or how many targets can I effect with water breathing.

 

[Frylock]

Since changing MM entries is kind of a big deal, I directly went to this thread to ask you to provide a comprehensive list of the changes you have made. [\QUOTE]

This is the first time you've actually asked that. Not a bad idea, though. I'll do that.

Honestly, I'm confused. You don't want to complete the MM for reasons. But you say you can't be taken down by a C&D. So why not make your document a true one-stop destination, by faithfully reproducing all MM monsters with their powers as written, only changed the way you must have changed them in order to get away with it (I confess I haven't looked closely enough to understand what and how).

But anyway. Nothing to be done. It's your doc!

Good luck,
Zapp

Just because you have a right to do something doesn't mean you should. Free speech comes to mind. There are a lot of things we can legally say but don't because it wouldn't be "the right thing to do." In fact, try to say them here, and ENWorld will replace them with smiley faces.

I also find in interesting that, in this and many other contexts throughout the years, everyone feels comfortable making demands for people to do a lot of work free of charge, but when they're provided the means to do the work themselves, they seem to ignore it. As I stated, I'll be posting an MS Word version of this doc. Why don't you pick up the mantle and complete the Monster Manual? Or at least why don't you revert my changes (once I make it clear what I changed)?

Or not. If this doc isn't of value to you, that's fine. I can't please everyone. If you don't have time, I certainly understand. I appreciate criticism, though, as I want to make reasonable changes the public demands. However, my time is limited (something you don't seem to appreciate for some odd reason), and severely damaging the market for WotC's Monster Manual is not something I'm willing to do. Call me sentimental, but I appreciate what they've done in the industry.

 

[Eric V]

Looking forward to the Word doc! Thanks!

 

[dave2008]

Thanks - this is very helpful. Just wish you had used the spell casting option and added some spells to the dragons Thank you for sharing!