Things other than rulebooks

[SWBaxter]

Spell cards used to exist for 2nd ed. Wasn't a bad idea but once again it runs into the same problem as that stat book. Too many spells from too many third party publishers.

I dunno, I think the problem for both is "only WOTC could publish a full product", because so much WOTC stuff isn't OGC. A third-party publisher would have to leave gaps where WOTC has reserved particular creatures, classes, spells, etc. and might later have their effort counterfeited should WOTC decide to create a similar product.

 

[smootrk]

I would love to see from WOTC, especially before a new version 4, is a revised set of Player's Handbooks, maybe even splitting the books into different volumes.

One for Races & Classes
One for Equipment, Skills, & Feats
One for Spells
One for PRC's

Basically, just reorganize, update, and compile the info in all the various races & complete books into a new set of core books.

I know many don't want to buy the same information again, but personally I dislike thumbing through all the different books. One logically organized set of books would be something I would spend my money on.

Maybe call it the "Complete Player's Handbooks, Volumes I thru IV".

 

[Campbell]

What I'd trully love to see is a set of bench marks provided for NPCs of a given level broken down by function that included things such as Total Attack Bonus, AC broken down into the 3 types, Damage likely to result from attack, movement rates, number of spells a given wizard should have available, etc... Such benchmarks would both serve to aid me in both NPC creation process and winging NPCs within the context of combat.

 

[Andre]

Spell cards used to exist for 2nd ed. Wasn't a bad idea but once again it runs into the same problem as that stat book. Too many spells from too many third party publishers.

I love the spell cards Paradigm Concepts did for 3.0. I found those spell cards to be an excellent tool for teaching newbies how to play casters. Unfortunately, the company did not produce 3.5 versions, so the originals are just sitting on my shelf.

These could be done electronically, of course. That way a GM could type in any new spells and print them off. But only for additional spells. I don't want to have to go to Kinko's, buy a ton of cardstock, print all the SRD spells, cut up the cards, and so on. For me, I'd only be interested if the core spells came pre-printed like the 3.0 versions, with an electronic template available for adding a few of my own.

Unfortunately, I doubt such a product could make money - darn it.

 

[Silveras]

Absolutely. However, if you're talking an electronic product, then rather than providing a database of pre-generated stat-blocks, I think I would prefer a tool to quickly and easily generate stat blocks. So I can take the standard orc, add any combination of classes and templates, and print the whole.

There are two key features I think I'd need from such a tool. The first is the ability to expand the database (to support MMII, MMIII, and a future MMIV), which would need to be supported by both Wizards and the 3rd party publishers (because if I have to enter new monsters from one or the other by hand, or worse I simply can't add monsters from one or the other, the product is worthless to me.

(Incidentally, the task of adding new monsters to the database would require that the designs be subjected to the rules associated with feats and skills, in a form where they won't be missed by the editors. It is therefore entirely possible that this would cut down on the stat errors in all the latest monster books.)

I've built that for my own use. Access db with Access front-end application. Data entry is all manual, though. I have 96% of the MM monsters (darned Dragons with their 12-in-1 entry format), and a few of the MMII, FF, and 3rd party products that I use.

It does apply all of the rules, and the process of entering the data has identified some flaws in various monsters. I had a steady stream of e-mail to WotC regarding skill point errors for a while there; probably why they stopped taking e-mail errata.

I also track PCs and encounters with it, as well as XP for the PCs.

It can apply some Templates (each is actually a routine that must be coded by hand, making it impossible to add them with just a data pack).

It is possible to run a report showing all Monsters of X type found in terrain Y and climate Z of a CR between A and B. Very helpful for random encounters.

When I am preparing an adventure, I create a record for the adventure, then create records for each Encounter within the Adventure (and some extras for random encounters). I can then select the base monster I want (Orc War 1) and quantity (12), hit a button, and it adds them to the encounter. I can then run a report that prints me stat block and sheets with checkboxes for their hit points.

Now, all that being said, here's what it CANNOT do: it cannot guarantee that any character is "street-legal". Why ? Because in order to make it enforce rules about feat pre-requisites, and so on, I would have to eliminate the ability to override the rules. So the program relies on the human using it to know when something is "irregular", and trusts that any "irregularities" are there with DM approval.

The only game system for which you can write a definitive program like this, in my opinion, is one where growth and innovation have stopped. Only at that point can you say "I know what I need to be able to do, and what I need to be able to prevent people from doing".



Its companion db also has every SRD spell, sortable by descriptor, caster type, level, school, targeting type, etc. I can print custom spell references for players based on what their characters have access to (whole class-specific references up to level N, or individual spell lists per character). I have also added all the spells from almost all WotC non-World-Specific products, and some from 3rd party sources as well.


Hmm... maybe I do have too much time on my hands.

 

[Andre]

I've built that for my own use. Access db with Access front-end application. Data entry is all manual, though. I have 96% of the MM monsters (darned Dragons with their 12-in-1 entry format), and a few of the MMII, FF, and 3rd party products that I use... snip ...Its companion db also has every SRD spell, sortable by descriptor, caster type, level, school, targeting type, etc. I can print custom spell references for players based on what their characters have access to (whole class-specific references up to level N, or individual spell lists per character). I have also added all the spells from almost all WotC non-World-Specific products, and some from 3rd party sources as well.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to share the OGL parts of this? I've created my own db's for these purposes, but they're not nearly as complete or sophisticated as what you describe.

 

[der_kluge]

Originally Posted by RyanD
Why doesn't someone make a book that becomes a "user's guide to the magic item" system? Flowcharts for simplicity. A ton of magic items built per the spec with stat blocks already derived and ready for use. A detailed look at the costing mechanism for effects for weapons & armor so that you could add new effects within the parameters of the system. Notice how there's no intelligent items in the DMG? That's a whole chapter of pre-built stuff right there.

Someone already did - I did. It's called the Artificer's Handbook. Except that it ignores the DMG's creation system (which is greatly flawed) and creates its own. It doesn't have a ton of magic items, but it recreates some of the DMG's items using the new system to show how it's done. And it's a formula-based system that allows you to add any effect to any item and figure out the cost easily. It also has a section covering intelligent items and artifacts.

 

[Storminator]

Someone already did - I did. It's called the Artificer's Handbook. Except that it ignores the DMG's creation system (which is greatly flawed) and creates its own. It doesn't have a ton of magic items, but it recreates some of the DMG's items using the new system to show how it's done. And it's a formula-based system that allows you to add any effect to any item and figure out the cost easily. It also has a section covering intelligent items and artifacts.

Unfortunately, it's a non-standard system, which means it needs DM buy in. I know, I have, I like, and I don't use it.

PS

 

[blargney the second]

Someone already did - I did. It's called the Artificer's Handbook.

I *love* The Artificer's Handbook! It gives me great guidelines for making whatever I want. It irked me no end trying to make custom magic items with the DMG rules, and now I'm totally irkless!

-blarg

ps - It's not a non-standard system. It gives clear, consistent, and easy-to-use rules for making magic items for use in Dungeons & Dragons. The prices it generates are typically quite close to DMG values for the stock items, and the rest are all eminently reasonable.

 

[Campbell]

I *love* The Artificer's Handbook! It gives me great guidelines for making whatever I want. It irked me no end trying to make custom magic items with the DMG rules, and now I'm totally irkless!

-blarg

ps - It's not a non-standard system. It gives clear, consistent, and easy-to-use rules for making magic items for use in Dungeons & Dragons. The prices it generates are typically quite close to DMG values for the stock items, and the rest are all eminently reasonable.

The Artificier's Handbook is my favorite D20 supplement. I just wish it was available in electronic form with a spreadsheet utility to match.