D&D 5E One-Stop Stat Blocks for D&D 5th Edition
- Thread starter Frylock
- Start date
bmcdaniel
Adventurer
This is fabulous. I always prepare index cards with statblocks before a session with shorthand of spells and spell like abilities (I have no idea how people play without doing so... Do you really pause a game until you flip to the PHB spell description?). So this will be very useful for me, especially once you put it in Word format.
If I could make one suggestion, it would be to start every stat block on a new page. That way a DM can print out just the stat blocks needed (of course easily done individually once the Word doc is posted).
For those who have suggestions or critiques, I challenge you to also release some useful gaming aids back to the community, whether it be new monsters, classes, spells, DM screen, modules, battlemaps, etc. I've done some in the past but I should put more of my own homemade materials in shape to be more widely used. I'm about to create a dozen different orcs for an upcoming campaign and I'll pledge to put them online, and in Frylocks fabulous format.
If I could make one suggestion, it would be to start every stat block on a new page. That way a DM can print out just the stat blocks needed (of course easily done individually once the Word doc is posted).
For those who have suggestions or critiques, I challenge you to also release some useful gaming aids back to the community, whether it be new monsters, classes, spells, DM screen, modules, battlemaps, etc. I've done some in the past but I should put more of my own homemade materials in shape to be more widely used. I'm about to create a dozen different orcs for an upcoming campaign and I'll pledge to put them online, and in Frylocks fabulous format.
Frylock
Explorer
Thanks for your comments. In answer to your first question, my experience has been that DMs simply cast the spells they know, which means every spell that's cast is sleep, fireball, or hold person. This greatly reduces the versatility, and therefore challenge, of the monster in question.
As for starting every stat block on a new page, I just uploaded that to the site.
Also, you should tweet [MENTION=81765]MonkeyKing[/MENTION] and KoboldPress to tell them you want their new bestiary to use this format. This should be the way to go for these stat blocks in the future.
NOTE: I've deleted the older files in my media library, but Wordpress doesn't truly delete them, so the PDF name has changed. If you want to bookmark the bestiary, bookmark the blog page, then click the link.
Send me your email in a PM. I'll email you something that will make it easier to create those Orc stat blocks.
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Jester David
Hero
Considering you have a lot of non-OGL monsters that are product identity (kuo-toa, mind flayer, yuan-to, and yugoloth) I imagine it'll be an easy case for them...
Frylock
Explorer
No, it'd be a loser, which is why they won't sue. And there are enough people at WotC that know me that the attorneys there will be told not to screw with me. I could explain this, but every time I try to explain copyright law on ENWorld, the cognitive dissonance kicks in, and people refuse to listen. There's absolutely no risk that I'd ever lose that lawsuit, and I promise you, I'm happy to fight it.
But I'm sick of trying to explain why to people that don't listen, so feel free to continue to self-censor yourself. I won't.
EDIT: For the record, I've encountered no such narrow-mindedness from you in particular, Jester. I'm simply stating that enough people are unwilling to accept that they don't know American copyright law that I'm unwilling to allow myself to be drawn into a debate on the subject. I've been practicing too long to subject myself to that.
EDIT: Okay, nothing is absolute, but I'd probably win 9-0 before the Supreme Court if it came to that.
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http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html
No, he's not in much danger. Stat blocks and names are not copyrightable. If he were using WotC histories with the names or imagery, he would be in trouble. Printing rules absent descriptive text like 3d10 acid damage is not copyrightable. Even writing Solar or Mindflayer absent any explanation as to what the creature is or any of its history I don't believe is copyrightable either. It's once he makes it obvious with images and monster explanations that it is a D&D mind flayer he could get hammered.
It's a fine line. I'm sure he knows the line well being a lawyer dealing with this subject matter.
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Well the WoTC stat block format might be copyrightable - but he's not using their stat block format.
darjr
I crit!
Very good, Celtavian.
Hey, watch the broad brush there! Seems needlessly unfair and condescending considering that some of these folks agree with you.
Li Shenron
Legend
Are you more safe from C&D if you only include monsters and abilities which are already publicly available in Basic D&D documents?
Very good, Celtavian.
They may be incorrect. But, being snarky and a bit of a jerk about it does not exactly make you a winner.
We expect you to treat each other with respect, even if you disagree, or they are just wrong. I hope that is clear. If not, please drop a line to a mod or admin to discuss it.
Warbringer
Explorer
We never argue in circles, or ad nauseum, around here....
sunrisekid
Explorer
Great contribution to the community, thank you for the work!
Here's my dumb question: exactly how do you use this in your game? On a tablet, skimming up and down for stats? Or keep the MM open for one thing while this document is open to another?
The document seems promising but I'm not sure how to use it to good effect.
(I'm a DM who "wings it" a lot, relying on ad hoc adjudication just as often as flipping through pages for reference. I prefer a narrative judgement call to spending two minutes flipping pages. To be clear, I do in fact have 3 books open in front of me, stacked atop each other, with colored tabs throughout bookmarking what I need for the session. It's more awkward than a 4E combat but still much faster and looser - which is how I like it.)
(edit: grammar)
Here's my dumb question: exactly how do you use this in your game? On a tablet, skimming up and down for stats? Or keep the MM open for one thing while this document is open to another?
The document seems promising but I'm not sure how to use it to good effect.
(I'm a DM who "wings it" a lot, relying on ad hoc adjudication just as often as flipping through pages for reference. I prefer a narrative judgement call to spending two minutes flipping pages. To be clear, I do in fact have 3 books open in front of me, stacked atop each other, with colored tabs throughout bookmarking what I need for the session. It's more awkward than a 4E combat but still much faster and looser - which is how I like it.)
(edit: grammar)
Frylock
Explorer
There were some significant typos (clearly copy-and-paste errors) in the Hill Giant that I corrected last night when I reedited the document. Searching ...
Yep, the top half of the block is still a clusterf. Fixing now. Give me a few minutes. Thanks for the catch!
Frylock
Explorer
I corrected the stat block but added the Hill Giant to errata. The Rock power has a rider that knocks targets prone. Without it, Hill Giants are ridiculously boring IMHO.
Thanks again for the catch. I imagine there are at least a couple of spells that reference a different monster (e.g., a Drow stat block that says, "The couatl casts a fireball...."). Because I have a job, this was all done in the evening, sometimes very late at night. My brain wasn't operating on all hemispheres at times.
Frylock
Explorer
Not a dumb question. Unfortunately, unless I completely reproduce the MM (something I'm not willing to do for the reasons stated above), you're likely always going to have the MM in front of you (unless you're running a published adventure with the stat block in there). In the worst case scenario, let's say you've got a bunch of stone golems accompanied by the lich that created him. The golems are run from the MM, and the lich is run from my doc because it lists out the spells (the creature's powers have NOT been changed). The lich's stat block is two full pages, so it's one of the most unwieldy of the blocks I created (but totally worth the complexity because that lich as written is very powerful and a fun challenge for the PCs).
What you'll have to do is have the MM (or relevant source book) sitting on your lap, then two pieces of paper on the table in front of you. The reason I started this project is because, and unwieldy as that may be, that's much better than having a MM on your lap that you must jump through between the lich and golem entries, and another hardcover book (the PHB) that you must thumb through as you're going from spell to spell on the lich. Is the first scenario perfect? No, but it's seemingly infinitely better.
The scenario I described, however, is unlikely. Most of these two-page stat blocks are for creatures that can absolutely stand alone, so you can create interesting and memorable encounters that can be run without the MM sitting on your lap. On the other hand, if you're using my couatl stat block, you still have the scenario I described above, but the unwieldiness is reduced because the couatl is only one page, and if you're using a small tablet, it doesn't take up much space at all. Off the top of my head, the only exception to these caveats (there may be others) are the Drow Mage and Drow Priestess. These are not legendary creatures. They'll almost certainly have allies with them, yet their stat blocks are over a page long. Still, this is better than having two hardcover books on your lap, thumbing back and forth through each depending on initiative order and what spell is being cast.
I hope you can find a use for these that works for you.
GMforPowergamers
Legend
I just down loaded this... I already love it.
thanks...
]
thanks...
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sunrisekid
Explorer
Thanks for the reply. You described precisely how I currently handle the "paperwork". I usually have an ipad next to me (for Donjon's generators), but I'll be sure to keep your stat blocks handy, too. Thanks again!
Ainulindalion
First Post
Fry -
I'm really glad you put the change Appendix in, as that makes it much more useful for running AL games, where you aren't allowed to play with the monsters that way.
Pretty sure the vast majority of your changes were improvements (I'm less sure on up'd damage output, simply because I play enough that I don't want it to hurt more).
I'm really glad you put the change Appendix in, as that makes it much more useful for running AL games, where you aren't allowed to play with the monsters that way.
Pretty sure the vast majority of your changes were improvements (I'm less sure on up'd damage output, simply because I play enough that I don't want it to hurt more).
