The Essential Guide to a GM’s Notebook *Updated 11/10 - Chapter 12*
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Nightcloak
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GM Notebook Essentials #9: Monsters - Part 1
Part 1: Monster Encounters
You’ve taking the time to prepare your NPCs. You’ve also spent pages preparing possible DNPCs (Disposable Non-Player Characters). Maybe you copied the NPC advancement chart or bought some of the wonderful third party products out there to fill in the gaps. Heck, you’ve even gone so far as to create lists of names for every encounter.
But that is only part of the battle. And by battle, I mean what the PCs will be fighting. While NPCs are incredibly important and the most immediately useful to a GM, and thus detailed earlier in these posts, they are only one part of the picture and up to know we have glossed over a significant portion of the available encounters.
NPCs are generally humanoids. But there are other types also, namely monsters. Be they aberrations or undead or animals or dragon types, they are categorized as monsters. Monsters are the stuff legends are made of, and the heart of a standard D&D game. Lets face it, the players will probably get bored quickly if the game had no monsters.
Further, most GMs have tons of monster books filling the shelves and probably at least several PDFs on the computer. Everyone loves a good monster book and nothing is quite as fun as surprising players with something new. Come on folks, lets see a show of hands, how many of you have more monster books than you will probably ever need.
*Raises Hand*
I know I do.
A quick count shows I have 11 monster manual type books (like MM1), 6 books with significant amounts of monster information or are about monsters (Draconomican), and one book of templates (Advanced Bestiary – very cool). I also have several PDFs on the computer. Wow, I’m horrified a little. This is the first time I’ve bothered to count them and I can think of many more that I want.
Back to the point: If you are like me, and I have reason to believe so (based on years of reading these boards), then you have as many books if not even more. Obviously you’ll never get around to using all of those critters. At least you won’t unless you make an effort to do something about it now.
You have two concerns to address.
One: An in game concern, listed at the beginning of this post – the need for encounters that are not an NPC, usually on a moments notice.
Two: An out of game concern – all those monster sitting on the shelves.
It’s the Notebook to the rescue.
You have two problems that are a marriage of mutual self-interest. Time to pull down those monster books and go through them. Go through each one, but look for things that you like (Hey! That’s cool) but never get around to placing in an adventure. The game is for you to have fun also, so pull out those beasts that you like and write them up. Jot down the stats and make a note of the CR and environment they can be found. A couple of descriptive words might be helpful also to jog your memory later. Write down whatever you may need in combat, but don’t over due it or you’ll be buried in work.
Speaking of work. Do your self a favor and just download the SRD of monsters so you can print them up and save yourself the hassle. PDFs are also wonderful as you can just print the appropriate parts also.
The moral of the story is:
1.You need to have prepared monster encounters for the players. Just like the NPCs, you may need to have monster encounters on the fly. Get monster encounters into the notebook just like you did the NPCs. It will save you time and hassle later.
2. You probably have tons of monsters you think are cool but never get around to using. Well, just start to use them. Write them into you list of prepared monster encounters. That way, the next time you need something on the fly, you’ll open your notebook and hopeful have an “Oh Yea!!!” moment as you pull out something cool and original.
My advice is that you put each monster on its own page, and then sort the pages by challenge rating. That way, when you go to this part of your notebook, you can easily flip to the challenges of the level you need.
Now, the next time your players go to that old tower that was flavor text, not only will you have a map of it (if you followed these article and prepared your maps ahead of time) but now you will have a monster to place in there as well. Thanks to a well-prepared notebook, you suddenly have several hours worth of adventure ready to roll at a moments notice. Your players will be amazed that you have prepared for so much adventure, or at least they would be amazed if they weren’t too busy having fun due to the non-stop action.
Part 1: Monster Encounters
You’ve taking the time to prepare your NPCs. You’ve also spent pages preparing possible DNPCs (Disposable Non-Player Characters). Maybe you copied the NPC advancement chart or bought some of the wonderful third party products out there to fill in the gaps. Heck, you’ve even gone so far as to create lists of names for every encounter.
But that is only part of the battle. And by battle, I mean what the PCs will be fighting. While NPCs are incredibly important and the most immediately useful to a GM, and thus detailed earlier in these posts, they are only one part of the picture and up to know we have glossed over a significant portion of the available encounters.
NPCs are generally humanoids. But there are other types also, namely monsters. Be they aberrations or undead or animals or dragon types, they are categorized as monsters. Monsters are the stuff legends are made of, and the heart of a standard D&D game. Lets face it, the players will probably get bored quickly if the game had no monsters.
Further, most GMs have tons of monster books filling the shelves and probably at least several PDFs on the computer. Everyone loves a good monster book and nothing is quite as fun as surprising players with something new. Come on folks, lets see a show of hands, how many of you have more monster books than you will probably ever need.
*Raises Hand*
I know I do.
A quick count shows I have 11 monster manual type books (like MM1), 6 books with significant amounts of monster information or are about monsters (Draconomican), and one book of templates (Advanced Bestiary – very cool). I also have several PDFs on the computer. Wow, I’m horrified a little. This is the first time I’ve bothered to count them and I can think of many more that I want.
Back to the point: If you are like me, and I have reason to believe so (based on years of reading these boards), then you have as many books if not even more. Obviously you’ll never get around to using all of those critters. At least you won’t unless you make an effort to do something about it now.
You have two concerns to address.
One: An in game concern, listed at the beginning of this post – the need for encounters that are not an NPC, usually on a moments notice.
Two: An out of game concern – all those monster sitting on the shelves.
It’s the Notebook to the rescue.
You have two problems that are a marriage of mutual self-interest. Time to pull down those monster books and go through them. Go through each one, but look for things that you like (Hey! That’s cool) but never get around to placing in an adventure. The game is for you to have fun also, so pull out those beasts that you like and write them up. Jot down the stats and make a note of the CR and environment they can be found. A couple of descriptive words might be helpful also to jog your memory later. Write down whatever you may need in combat, but don’t over due it or you’ll be buried in work.
Speaking of work. Do your self a favor and just download the SRD of monsters so you can print them up and save yourself the hassle. PDFs are also wonderful as you can just print the appropriate parts also.
The moral of the story is:
1.You need to have prepared monster encounters for the players. Just like the NPCs, you may need to have monster encounters on the fly. Get monster encounters into the notebook just like you did the NPCs. It will save you time and hassle later.
2. You probably have tons of monsters you think are cool but never get around to using. Well, just start to use them. Write them into you list of prepared monster encounters. That way, the next time you need something on the fly, you’ll open your notebook and hopeful have an “Oh Yea!!!” moment as you pull out something cool and original.
My advice is that you put each monster on its own page, and then sort the pages by challenge rating. That way, when you go to this part of your notebook, you can easily flip to the challenges of the level you need.
Now, the next time your players go to that old tower that was flavor text, not only will you have a map of it (if you followed these article and prepared your maps ahead of time) but now you will have a monster to place in there as well. Thanks to a well-prepared notebook, you suddenly have several hours worth of adventure ready to roll at a moments notice. Your players will be amazed that you have prepared for so much adventure, or at least they would be amazed if they weren’t too busy having fun due to the non-stop action.
Nightcloak
First Post
MarkCsigs said:
Indeed. I've down loaded it now and I like it a lot. Plan on using it immediately.
Last edited:
This guide has been the most helpful thing i have seen in a long time. I have already started setting up my own Notebook. Since i cant bring my computer with me to where i game, and i cant afford a laptop, i am just writing everything out, and copying stuff i need, i plan on adding to it a little bit each day. Be it names, a map or two, or more traits, and monsters.
And i hope to see more sections
heh
Thanks
Slaunt
And i hope to see more sections
hehThanks
Slaunt
Nightcloak
First Post
Welcome to the forums slaunt!
Kind words indeed from the old sage of the north
Thank You
And on that happy note, better take care of Mr. Catavarie's fix...
derbacher said:Glad you followed the thread. We're all quite proud of Mr Nightcloak around here.
Kind words indeed from the old sage of the north
Thank You
And on that happy note, better take care of Mr. Catavarie's fix...
Last edited:
Nightcloak
First Post
GM Notebook Essentials #9: Monster Encounters part 2
It’s Alive! – Dr. Frankenstein
You may have noticed a trend in these articles. Sometimes I take a subject and break it out into a second part to highlight something specific. I basically take a point and provide an option to take it to the next level. Sometimes it is just to be specific, like the NPC matrix, while other times it is a chance to “Kick it up a notch” and run wild with an idea, like I did with the food prices. This episode of part two does the later. It takes the monster encounter idea and kicks it up a notch.
Monsters are the number one encounter in most games, which is why it is so important to be prepared. Having extra monster encounters in your notebook goes a long way towards not only guaranteeing that you will be prepared. But also, if you followed the advice in part one, it allows you to have fun by inserting all those cool monsters you have been collecting on the shelf but just never seem to use.
But why stop there?
Kick in the door on the many options available in d20 and really go to town with those monsters. Time to personalize some of that monstrous goodness and make your PCs go wide-eyed with amazement. When I say personalize, I mean make them your own.
Lets look at two options to make new monsters:
1. Templates:
Templates are something amazingly wonderful the creators of 3E came up with. You no longer have a vampire, you have a vampire that use to be a… well, lets hope it wasn’t something nasty like a 18th level necromancer or a dragon. Templates allow you to add a concept to an existing creature and make it not only something so much more challenging, but unique and interesting. A beholder is an interesting and scary encounter. A beholder ghost is just plain wrong, and will definitely freak out your players.
When you went through all of those monster books, I hope you noted some cool templates to use. If not, you may want to revisit them real quick. Templates are nothing more than monsters waiting to be finished – by you . And that is the key. Did I say you should “kick it up a notch”, like the famous chief? Well, it aptly applies to being a GM in this situation. You are a chief, and it’s your job to mix the ingredients to make something new and interesting.
So brush up on those templates and start adding them to a few monsters. With all of those books, you should have a few templates lying around you haven’t used. The classics can be fun also when added to something original. The key here is to have fun! Go for it and release your imagination. Werewolf template: Hmmm… Been there, done that. A humanoid werewolf has been done to death. Sure, the halfling were-bear is fun once (look ma, a teddy bear!) but it is all pretty mundane unless you are lucky enough to have a good GM in a gothic centered campaign (but that is a completely different kind of advice column). I don’t even now when the last time I used one. So skip the humanoids and move on to something new and original. Maybe a were-wolf ettin encounter in the woods will get their attention, or go for broke and just slap that template onto a troll and make the players life interesting.
Note there is no rule that says you have to stop with one. Use two templates to make something completely new. Orcs can become mundane after several levels, but a one-time encounter with a fiendish draconic orc will be remembered. Give him a few levels of barbarian and watch the players sweat. That takes us to the next idea…
2. Prestige Classes:
Prestige classes are highly abused and over produced. But there is a reason for that – they are cool. They are so ritually abused by players it is easy to forget that you can use them too. Time to rectify that:
Step 1: Pull a few NPCs from your DNPC encounter section of the notebook and choose a few prestige classes for them. The oracle prestige class is kind of simple, but throw it onto an expert and suddenly you may have an interesting sage or priest for some future encounter. Never got around to using some of those creepy prestige classes from the Book of Vile Darkness. No problem, mix a few in with the NPCs and you suddenly have really interesting encounters for your notebook (heck, you may wind up with a great story arc!) Won’t your players be surprised when that old tower they run into actually has a diabolical priest hiding in it!
Of course, you need to be careful. Don’t just slap a prestige class onto a PC without making sure the character can actually qualify for it. Otherwise you may end up with something whose power level is all whacked out. You don’t need to necessarily make sure that every skill point or odd feat choice is exact, but make sure the level range for hitting it is right and your close on everything. Seriously, missing several skill points or one feat won’t break the bank. Just don’t fleece the character of anything essential, something like arcane casting or feats with a theme. Do make sure base attack bonuses or save bonusues do match as they help insure the monster is at a good level.
Step 2: Pull some monsters from your encounter section of your notebook Time to add prestige levels to those monsters to really shake things up. As an example, I once took a Thri-Keen and gave him 2 levels of fighter and 8 levels of the tempest prestige class. Four arms with all of those two weapon fighting feats made for an awful lot of attacks. The look I got was priceless. The players ended up calling it the “Chainsaw”.
So open up your monsters to prestige classes and all of those wonderful powers that come from class abilities. An assassin is an interesting prestige class. Making a cool NPC from an unusual race is even better; say an elf or a goblin. Put that class onto a doppelganger and you have one exciting encounter.
This also applies to regular classes for that matter. And there are a lot of new classes on the market. An Illithid Enchanter can be fun, but an Illithid Warlock is better and original. That’ll wake those PCs up.
Now some monsters do not have advancement by character class. This brings a minor problem to the scenario, fortunately you have access to the final judge of the rules: You. If you want a non-standard monster to advance in a class, then it simply is. It’s your campaign, so have at it. My only advice is to watch the combos you come up with. The rules were not play tested for dragons that can do a ‘flurry of blows’ or ghasts that ‘smite good’ so you may want to take a trial run with the beast and see if the CR needs to be increased. Odds are it will. Dropping you players is no way to learn that something is too powerful. The point is flavor, not the wholesale slaughter of the PCs when you figure out that a wraith with sneak attack damage may be too powerful at the current level.
Hmmm… Incorporeal sneak attack, must remember that one…
Note: Don’t abuse these ideas or insert them regularly into your game (at least without a good story reason). You’ll risk them becoming common and old hat. You want these encounters to be memorable, not a flavor of the week scenario that becomes as mundane as dire rats at 8th level.
And of course, as a final note, these ideas can be mixed also. But I’m sure I didn’t need to point that out. Your mind is probably already racing with some horrifying combo.
However, when your players cry fowl, don’t blame it on me, from here on out it’s your monster…
It’s Alive! – Dr. Frankenstein
You may have noticed a trend in these articles. Sometimes I take a subject and break it out into a second part to highlight something specific. I basically take a point and provide an option to take it to the next level. Sometimes it is just to be specific, like the NPC matrix, while other times it is a chance to “Kick it up a notch” and run wild with an idea, like I did with the food prices. This episode of part two does the later. It takes the monster encounter idea and kicks it up a notch.
Monsters are the number one encounter in most games, which is why it is so important to be prepared. Having extra monster encounters in your notebook goes a long way towards not only guaranteeing that you will be prepared. But also, if you followed the advice in part one, it allows you to have fun by inserting all those cool monsters you have been collecting on the shelf but just never seem to use.
But why stop there?
Kick in the door on the many options available in d20 and really go to town with those monsters. Time to personalize some of that monstrous goodness and make your PCs go wide-eyed with amazement. When I say personalize, I mean make them your own.
Lets look at two options to make new monsters:
1. Templates:
Templates are something amazingly wonderful the creators of 3E came up with. You no longer have a vampire, you have a vampire that use to be a… well, lets hope it wasn’t something nasty like a 18th level necromancer or a dragon. Templates allow you to add a concept to an existing creature and make it not only something so much more challenging, but unique and interesting. A beholder is an interesting and scary encounter. A beholder ghost is just plain wrong, and will definitely freak out your players.
When you went through all of those monster books, I hope you noted some cool templates to use. If not, you may want to revisit them real quick. Templates are nothing more than monsters waiting to be finished – by you . And that is the key. Did I say you should “kick it up a notch”, like the famous chief? Well, it aptly applies to being a GM in this situation. You are a chief, and it’s your job to mix the ingredients to make something new and interesting.
So brush up on those templates and start adding them to a few monsters. With all of those books, you should have a few templates lying around you haven’t used. The classics can be fun also when added to something original. The key here is to have fun! Go for it and release your imagination. Werewolf template: Hmmm… Been there, done that. A humanoid werewolf has been done to death. Sure, the halfling were-bear is fun once (look ma, a teddy bear!) but it is all pretty mundane unless you are lucky enough to have a good GM in a gothic centered campaign (but that is a completely different kind of advice column). I don’t even now when the last time I used one. So skip the humanoids and move on to something new and original. Maybe a were-wolf ettin encounter in the woods will get their attention, or go for broke and just slap that template onto a troll and make the players life interesting.
Note there is no rule that says you have to stop with one. Use two templates to make something completely new. Orcs can become mundane after several levels, but a one-time encounter with a fiendish draconic orc will be remembered. Give him a few levels of barbarian and watch the players sweat. That takes us to the next idea…
2. Prestige Classes:
Prestige classes are highly abused and over produced. But there is a reason for that – they are cool. They are so ritually abused by players it is easy to forget that you can use them too. Time to rectify that:
Step 1: Pull a few NPCs from your DNPC encounter section of the notebook and choose a few prestige classes for them. The oracle prestige class is kind of simple, but throw it onto an expert and suddenly you may have an interesting sage or priest for some future encounter. Never got around to using some of those creepy prestige classes from the Book of Vile Darkness. No problem, mix a few in with the NPCs and you suddenly have really interesting encounters for your notebook (heck, you may wind up with a great story arc!) Won’t your players be surprised when that old tower they run into actually has a diabolical priest hiding in it!
Of course, you need to be careful. Don’t just slap a prestige class onto a PC without making sure the character can actually qualify for it. Otherwise you may end up with something whose power level is all whacked out. You don’t need to necessarily make sure that every skill point or odd feat choice is exact, but make sure the level range for hitting it is right and your close on everything. Seriously, missing several skill points or one feat won’t break the bank. Just don’t fleece the character of anything essential, something like arcane casting or feats with a theme. Do make sure base attack bonuses or save bonusues do match as they help insure the monster is at a good level.
Step 2: Pull some monsters from your encounter section of your notebook Time to add prestige levels to those monsters to really shake things up. As an example, I once took a Thri-Keen and gave him 2 levels of fighter and 8 levels of the tempest prestige class. Four arms with all of those two weapon fighting feats made for an awful lot of attacks. The look I got was priceless. The players ended up calling it the “Chainsaw”.
So open up your monsters to prestige classes and all of those wonderful powers that come from class abilities. An assassin is an interesting prestige class. Making a cool NPC from an unusual race is even better; say an elf or a goblin. Put that class onto a doppelganger and you have one exciting encounter.
This also applies to regular classes for that matter. And there are a lot of new classes on the market. An Illithid Enchanter can be fun, but an Illithid Warlock is better and original. That’ll wake those PCs up.
Now some monsters do not have advancement by character class. This brings a minor problem to the scenario, fortunately you have access to the final judge of the rules: You. If you want a non-standard monster to advance in a class, then it simply is. It’s your campaign, so have at it. My only advice is to watch the combos you come up with. The rules were not play tested for dragons that can do a ‘flurry of blows’ or ghasts that ‘smite good’ so you may want to take a trial run with the beast and see if the CR needs to be increased. Odds are it will. Dropping you players is no way to learn that something is too powerful. The point is flavor, not the wholesale slaughter of the PCs when you figure out that a wraith with sneak attack damage may be too powerful at the current level.
Hmmm… Incorporeal sneak attack, must remember that one…
Note: Don’t abuse these ideas or insert them regularly into your game (at least without a good story reason). You’ll risk them becoming common and old hat. You want these encounters to be memorable, not a flavor of the week scenario that becomes as mundane as dire rats at 8th level.
And of course, as a final note, these ideas can be mixed also. But I’m sure I didn’t need to point that out. Your mind is probably already racing with some horrifying combo.
However, when your players cry fowl, don’t blame it on me, from here on out it’s your monster…
Last edited:
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