Category: RPG

#5e #DnD One-Stop Stat Blocks for Volo’s Guide to Monsters cc: @CartridgeBros #rpg

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Edit: You can find the one-stop stat blocks starting here. Each sourcebook conversion was published as a separate post on the same day, so just go to the link provided, then jump to the bottom of that page, and then click on the link to the next post in line.

At the request of a Twitter user, I’ve resumed my work on the One-Stop Stat Blocks for Volo’s Guide to Monsters. I’m nowhere’s near finished — I’ve finished only 17 of the 45 stat blocks I intend to convert — but something is better than nothing, and more are coming. Also of note is that I found some errors in two of my existing docs, so they’re replaced below. Please contact me with any errors you find.

These were removed on May 12, 2019, at 8:14 PM EDT. They should be back within the week, along with other material that I wasn’t planning on publishing. If you loved what I was doing, you’re really going to love what’s coming.

I don’t do this for the money, but if you’d like to donate to my efforts, feel free to send me whatever you want (including nothing) via PayPal.

As a last note, I get a recurring question on these docs. People have requested the Word document that I use as a template to create these stat blocks. I don’t give that out because I don’t want to make this easy for people to copy all of the stat blocks from any of the books (something that is clearly on the minds of many people criticizing me*** for not publishing the template). Doing so could damage Wizard of the Coast’s sales for their books. My intent is to fill a hole that they left in their work, not to replace their work entirely and harm their sales. I appreciate the hard work they did in producing the game and want them to enjoy the benefits of that work.

*** Yeah, you read that correctly. I’ve actually been criticized for delivering a free, supplemental product that isn’t comprehensive enough.

Here’s the complete list of stat block files.

OSSB Monster Manual
OSSB Volo
OSSB Tome of Foes
OSSB Dragon Heist
OSSB Mad Mage
OSSB Ravnica
OSSB Saltmarsh
OSSB Tomb of Annihilation
OSSB Yawning Portal

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D&D Beyond and the Operatic Bard Class for #5e #DnD #RPG

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An opera singer has created the Operatic Bard subclass for 5th Edition D&D, which she’s selling on the DM’s Guild for $1.99. This is interesting, but not necessarily in the way you think.

Journey To Ragnarok AvatarWhy would I pay one cent for this if I didn’t know whether or not it was useful to me?

On the other hand, if she published it without a paywall, then asked for money, she’d get next to nothing regardless of how good it is.

Unlike adventures, content like this will always be cursed by this paradox unless the content retains a value after being published as a PDF. Ergo, I believe the solution here is for WotC to facilitate incorporation of this material into their digital system, D&D Beyond. Beyond doesn’t allow us to create custom classes or builds because it requires more complicated coding behind the scenes. Therefore, the only way for it to be incorporated into Beyond is for WotC to do it themselves, which opens up the market for this kind of community-created content. She could sell the Operatic Bard for $1.99 and get the same cut that she currently gets for the PDF. Or more. Or less. The details don’t currently concern me.

The timing of this article is of particular interest to me because I just received the magnificent Journey to Ragnarok and have no way of incorporating the new class (Rune Master) into D&D Beyond, nor can I add the new builds for the barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard (yeah, pretty much all of them). My gaming has dropped off dramatically as of late. Long story short, it’s not worth the time investment to play. Being able to run Journey to Ragnarok with access to D&D Beyond would be quite an incentive to get me back into the fold. If not, then my interest will continue to wane. I don’t know if I’m in any way representative of a large group of people, but there’s some anecdotal evidence as to why this is a good idea.

Again, I don’t think this applies to NPC stat blocks because they’re easily added to Beyond by the end user. I also don’t think this applies to adventures because players are willing to take chances on adventures based on the synopsis and based on the fact that even a “bad” adventure can still be fun. This applies only to classes, builds, or anything else that end users can’t add to D&D Beyond themselves.

What do you think? Is WotC dropping the ball to some extent by not incorporating community-created classes and builds into D&D Beyond? Would you be more inclined to create classes and builds if you knew they could sell.

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“Pure” #5e #DnD One-Stop Stat Blocks for the Monster Manual #rpg cc: @bandofmisfits @stitched

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Please visit this post for the latest status.

Well, that was fast. Converting my original “one-stop” stat blocks document to a “pure” form was easier than expected. What does “pure” mean?

In the original document, I edited the stat blocks for a couple of reasons. Monsters over CR 5 are typically underpowered with respect to how much damage their Actions do. I suspect that the reason for this is related to the fact that the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide were released separately. While that time difference is relatively short, I suspect the two were written independently and thus aren’t in sync. I suggest the following changes in order to reconcile these stat blocks with the table on page 274 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Statistics by Challenge Rating.

Some of these changes, however, I suggest because I found the monsters as written boring or otherwise lacking. While I found the giants far too similar to one another, I was especially annoyed by the fact that the Azer, Githzerai, and Githyanki don’t have ranged attacks. As far as I’m concerned, a DM should be able to create an encounter based on what’s interesting rather than whether it makes tactics too easy for the PCs, and the entire point of this project was to make things easier on the DM. I also find it incredulous that a Cloud Giant doesn’t have a Create Beanstalk power. C’mon!

Nevertheless, my changes resulted in complaints. The Adventurers League players were concerned that my stat blocks were “illegal” because they made changes that the DMs weren’t permitted to make those changes. To satisfy their concerns, I created an index that  showed exactly how I changed the stat blocks. Converting them back to their boring, underpowered selves would be a snap.

Nope. Still not good enough for some, so in the spirit of making this as easy for the DMs as possible, I’ve created a “pure” document in which the stat blocks have no edits. Then I changed the appendix to reflect my edits as suggestions. That’s what I’ve provided here. As a reminder, the same rules apply to this document, which includes, among others, that I used shorthand to keep them as reasonable in length as possible. This means that one could take advantage of loose language to maximize the creatures. If you choose to do that, that’s on you. Also, I could use your proofreading, and if you have any other suggestions, please let me know. As you can see from the original post, I respond.

My next project will be based on Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and will take much longer to complete. Moreover, it’s competing with some other projects I have. Please be patient.

Here’s the complete list so far (in order of creation):

Latest Versions Available Here

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#5e #DnD One-Stop Stat Blocks for Tales from the Yawning Portal. #rpg @bandofmisfits @stitched

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Please visit this post for the latest status.

As promised, I’ve converted stat blocks as necessary for Tales from the Yawing Portal using my “one-stop” method. I may need your help proofreading the document, so keep your eyes open. Note that this time I didn’t make any modifications to the stat blocks. They are mechanically identical to those appearing in the source material. However, the same rules apply, which includes, among others, that I used shorthand to keep them as reasonable in length as possible. This means that one could take advantage of loose language to maximize the creatures. If you choose to do that, that’s on you.

My next project will be to create what @stitched refers to as a “pure” copy of my original document. My original document made changes to the stat blocks to make them more interesting (in my humble opinion) and provided an appendix specifying all of my modifications. This resulted in some complaints (though I can’t imagine anyone not liking what I did to the Azer). In the “pure” document, I’ll remove my modifications from the stat blocks and alter the appendix to include those modifications as suggestions. Both documents will remain on my site, so you can use what whichever you want.

The project after that will be based on Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and will take much longer to complete. Be patient. I’m committed, so you’ll get them eventually. As some of you may know, a friend and I are designing our own RPG system, and we’re ready for alpha testing. What little free time I have is being divided between all of these projects, so again, be patient.

Here they are: Latest Versions Available Here 

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The Sunless Citadel: #5e #DnD One-Stop Stat Blocks #rpg @bandofmisfits

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As promised yesterday, I’ve completed the one-stop stat blocks for the recently-released preview of the Sunless Citadel, as it will appear in the upcoming Tales of the Yawing Portal.

Here they are: Latest Versions Available Here. There aren’t many, but I’ll be hard at work on Volo’s Guide to Monsters soon enough.

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Resolved: More #5e #DnD One-Stop Stat Blocks Are Coming. #rpg @bandofmisfits

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Please visit this post for the latest status.

I had some back and forth on Twitter today with @bandofmisfits, and that got me thinking. I’ve decided that I’m going to create a new document of my one-stop stat blocks. It will include the creatures from Volo’s Guide to Monsters. I have some other things to deal with this weekend, but I’ll at least start the project. Stay tuned.

Also, I intend to run some of the adventures in Tales of the Yawing Portal, and if there are any of those that require conversion, I’ll do that as well. The Sunless Citadel has already been released, so I’ll have that one done tomorrow night.

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#5e #DnD Calculating Character Sheet #RPG

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I’ve done a bit of tinkering with the 5th Edition D&D character sheet, adding some basic calculations. The trick with Adobe files is that it’s not a database, and so there’s no (reasonable) way to include everything a full-fledged character builder would have, and it’s tough to produce a truly idiot-proof version that prevents all user mistakes. That’s quite a disadvantage considering that’s the entire point of adding calculations to it. Even where it’s possible to make a change, I might not be able because it would be unnecessarily restrictive (q.v.). On the other hand, it’s free 🙂 (unless you want to contribute voluntarily to my work by making a payment via PayPal).

So, here are my design notes. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for changes.

  1. Your ability score modifiers are calculated automatically. That was an easy one, though you may not like how I use the textboxes. I prefer that the ability score bonus be the bigger of the two numbers.
  2. Inspiration is now a checkbox (i.e., either on or off). Also easy.
  3. Unfortunately, you may select only two classes. In hindsight, I can fit a third in there, so I will on my next edit.
  4. I fixed the “tab order” for pages one and two. Maybe one day I’ll take the time to fix page three (which is a mess), but I doubt it. Tab order is a pain in the neck in Adobe, and any fixes I make are often undone by the program. I’m not inclined to spend all that time fixing the tab order on page three only to have it screwed up again through no fault of my own.
  5. Classes, backgrounds, races, and alignments are now “drop-down textboxes.” You can select an item that I’ve provided for you, but if an option you need is missing, you can instead type whatever you want.
  6. Skill bonuses are now calculated for you based on your level and relevant ability score. When I referred to things as “unnecessarily restrictive” above, this is a great example. There are a ton of exceptions to the general rules that could impact your score, and I can’t consider them all. Accordingly, I’ve added a drop-down textbox where you can select whether you’re not proficient, you add only 1/2 your proficiency (e.g., bards), you’re fully proficient, or you add twice your proficiency bonus (e.g., rogues). That sure beats a checkbox, but it doesn’t quite cover everything. Next to the proficiency drop-down textbox, I added a field where you can simply enter a number that gets added to your skill bonus. In most cases, this number is 0, so the character sheet is still saving you some brainpower. However, even where you have to enter a number, it serves as a reminder that you’ve got something going on there, perhaps reducing the possibility that you’ll forget a bonus you earned with a feat or class feature.
  7. I may not have fixed the tab order on page three, but at least now the spell save DC and spell attack bonus are calculated. I’m worried these might also be unnecessarily restrictive (e.g., there’s some feat that gives you a +2 to your spell attack bonus), so if I need to add something in order to account for exceptions to the general rules, please let me know. I know of no instance where a spell uses Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution to determine your DC or attack bonus, but you can do that in case either I’m wrong or the rules are changed one day.

Now, there’s some good news about page three. I think it sucks, so eventually I’ll replace it. It doesn’t allow for multiple spellcasting abilities, which, unless I’m wrong, is necessary for multiclass spellcasters. That is, I believe that a Wizard 3/Bard 2 would use Intelligence for Wizard spells but Charisma for Bard spells. (My PHB is in my car, and I’m too lazy to go get it right now.) At the very least, you need to provide spellcasting DCs and attack expressions for all relevant spellcasting. I also would like for you to be able to select durations, targets, etc. from drop-down textboxes. In other words, I’d really like to change page three, but don’t hold your breath waiting for me to do so, and when I do, don’t expect it to be artistic. I’ll probably look like a raw spreadsheet when I’m done.

In case you missed the link above, here it is again: Form-Fillable Character Sheet with Calculations.

EDITS:

10/23/2016: Calculating Character Sheet v1.1 (added builds to classes drop-down textboxes; deleted blank page 4)

As always, please provide any suggestions you have, and happy gaming!

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Follow up on the Magic: The Gathering Suit #gaming #mtg @wizards_mtg

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Based on the opinion of at least one a labor law attorney, WotC will be deemed an employer. I don’t believe this is good for the community, but the law is the law.

Note: I don’t understand the analysis of that attorney. I still see a huge distinction between the cases, but as I don’t work in employment law, I don’t appreciate all the subtleties that may apply. It does leave me scratching my head that I feel this is a slam-dunk for WotC, yet this attorney believes it’s a slam-dunk for the judges.

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Breaking: Wizards Under Fire for Providing Enjoyment to Many #Gaming #MTG @wizards_magic

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Wizards of the Coast was just sued by several Magic: the Gathering judges. The complaint can be found here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/309867466/Shaw-Et-Al-v-Wizards-of-the-Coast-LLC. I’ve read the complaint, but I just found out about this, and I’ve spoken with no one about this. That being said….

This is crazy. Probably not enough to get sanctions against the plaintiffs, but crazy. They allege and employer-employer relationship, but I don’t see a logical basis for that claim, which would mean that the entire suit falls apart. (Note: They don’t need to prove that basis at this point. I’m simply stating that, in my mind, there’s no factual basis for that claim.) I don’t play Magic, but I’ve organized RP games for the DC area for over a decade, even running a convention for a couple of years. During the 3rd edition, Living Greyhawk days, I took two tests to earn some sort of certification as a judge. Nevertheless, we all know that this is volunteer work. We’re “working” for the community, not the company, and I know of no instance when WotC has ever claimed that judges were anything other than volunteers.
 
Most important to me is, if Shaw, et al. win, without exaggeration, I predict that it’s the end of organized play of any sort. If everyone who judges a game day for Magic, Dungeons & Dragons, or any other organized play event would need to be paid, reimbursed for expenses, etc., then these events have negative value to the companies that sanction them. There’s simply no reason even to allow them, let alone provide support for them.
In the long run, who does that help (other than the attorneys for the plaintiff)?
Please, if someone has a different view, let me know. If your argument is, “It’s really hard work,” then you’re missing my point. I’m one of the last people that needs to be lectured on how much work this sort of thing is. I’ve done it for a decade, suffering massive burnout from time to time, but it doesn’t justify me being paid.

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