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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1479864" data-attributes="member: 99">I recommend this for similar reasons that others have mentioned.&nbsp; It makes it easy to keep track of initiative order, readied and held actions and that sort of thing.&nbsp; Plus, I can use the card to note the likely actions that the bad guy will take in combat.&nbsp; If it is a spellcaster, I record the spells they have ready and those most likely to be cast in the first few rounds of the battle.Mostly it is just that I absorb information well through writing.&nbsp; If I say, &quot;The party is going to encounter a Beholder.&nbsp; I'll just mark that page in the MM for reference.&quot; the encounter will almost certainly go less smoothly than if I rewrite the stat block on the index card.&nbsp; The mere fact that I've transcribed the information means that I'll be less likely to have to consult it.Another benefit I've reaped from this method is that if there are monsters or NPC's that recur throughout the campaign, I can just thumb through my stack of pre-written cards and pull it out again.&nbsp; And, once you've built up a large enough library of the cards, it is easy to just whip out something appropriate in the event of a random encounter.It is also easier to modify them on the fly if you already have recorded the info on them.&nbsp; My group encountered some Ogres in my most recent campaign.&nbsp; Later they ran into some more Ogres that were better trained and equipped.&nbsp; I pulled out the old card and said to myself, &quot;Well, if I give them three levels of Fighter, platemail and these two feats...&quot;&nbsp; And voila, after less than a minute of jotting notes on the card, I had modified the encounter to something about right for the party.I guess what I'm saying is that transcribing the info onto the cards is a vital part of my session preparation and it speeds up combat not just because I'm better organized but because, through the act of writing the info down by my own hand, I have a better grasp of the foes I'm pitting against the party.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rel, post: 1479864, member: 99"] I recommend this for similar reasons that others have mentioned. It makes it easy to keep track of initiative order, readied and held actions and that sort of thing. Plus, I can use the card to note the likely actions that the bad guy will take in combat. If it is a spellcaster, I record the spells they have ready and those most likely to be cast in the first few rounds of the battle. Mostly it is just that I absorb information well through writing. If I say, "The party is going to encounter a Beholder. I'll just mark that page in the MM for reference." the encounter will almost certainly go less smoothly than if I rewrite the stat block on the index card. The mere fact that I've transcribed the information means that I'll be less likely to have to consult it. Another benefit I've reaped from this method is that if there are monsters or NPC's that recur throughout the campaign, I can just thumb through my stack of pre-written cards and pull it out again. And, once you've built up a large enough library of the cards, it is easy to just whip out something appropriate in the event of a random encounter. It is also easier to modify them on the fly if you already have recorded the info on them. My group encountered some Ogres in my most recent campaign. Later they ran into some more Ogres that were better trained and equipped. I pulled out the old card and said to myself, "Well, if I give them three levels of Fighter, platemail and these two feats..." And voila, after less than a minute of jotting notes on the card, I had modified the encounter to something about right for the party. I guess what I'm saying is that transcribing the info onto the cards is a vital part of my session preparation and it speeds up combat not just because I'm better organized but because, through the act of writing the info down by my own hand, I have a better grasp of the foes I'm pitting against the party. [/QUOTE]

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