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Zeta Kai
2009-06-29, 12:34 PM
What is the preferred format for posting a monster for 4th Edition D&D? It seems that WotC uses a table format, which is unwieldy at best for homebrewers & other people who would post a monster in a vBulletin thread. So how do people do it here? I've looked for examples, & come up with nothing significant? Are there any 4E players out there who have a good system?

HMS Invincible
2009-06-29, 12:46 PM
I just use excel because it fits nicely into the grid format. With proper formatting of the text, it avoids most of the confusing except with what is a basic attack. (a lower case m instead of Uppercase.)

Random832
2009-06-29, 01:00 PM
What is the preferred format for posting a monster for 4th Edition D&D? It seems that WotC uses a table format, which is unwieldy at best for homebrewers & other people who would post a monster in a vBulletin thread. So how do people do it here? I've looked for examples, & come up with nothing significant? Are there any 4E players out there who have a good system?

Table markup isn't hard. Using [square] brackets instead of (round), do

(table)Cell1|Cell2
Cell3|Cell4(/table)
Like so:
{table]Cell1|Cell2
Cell3|Cell4[/table]

Copy from excel, paste into notepad, global search and replace tab to |, add the opening and closing tags

(you'll have to copy a tab to the clipboard to paste it in the search/replace window)

RTGoodman
2009-06-29, 01:09 PM
Gralamin posted a very excellent 4E Monster Creation Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84617) a while back. That's the way I'd go. I was writing up a whole 4E Guide to Homebrewing a while ago, too, and was going just use his template for the monster section.

If you're interested in attack symbols, I made a set of 'em for folks to use:

Area: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/Area.png
Area Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/AreaBasic.png
Close: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/Close.png
Close Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/CloseBasic.png
Melee: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/Melee.png
Melee Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/MeleeBasic.png
Ranged: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/Ranged.png
Ranged Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/RangedBasic.png
Recharge (1-6): http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/1.png http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/2.png http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/3.png http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/4.png http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/5.png http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/6.png

Mando Knight
2009-06-29, 01:31 PM
Table markup isn't hard.

That's not what he's talking about. He's saying that the format that WotC uses for monster statblocks (like the Beholder Ultimate Tyrant shown here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20090508)) is rather unwieldy for homebrewers and forum-goers to post.

Here's what I would use for posting monsters and such:

Example Monster of Awesome (Level X Role Whatever)
Size Origin Type (Subtype) (XP for Level X)

Initiative +X Senses +Y (Additional powers)
HP Plenty Bloodied Plenty/2 see also Power That Activates When Bloodied
AC Q Fort(itude) T Ref(lex) S Will Z
Immune Something Resist Something Else Vulnerable Kryptonite
Saving Throws +2/5 if Elite/Solo
Speed y Gonzalez
Action Points 1/2 if Elite/Solo, more if Deity or Primordial

http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/MeleeBasic.pngPower 1 (Action, frequency) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/symbol/x.gif Keywords

Power description
(Power Type Image)Power 2 (Action, frequency) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/symbol/x.gif Keywords

Power description
Alignment Scary
Languages If it can talk
Skills As appropriate
{table]Str ST ((ST-10)/2+Lv/2)|Dex DX ((DX-10)/2+Lv/2)|Wis WS ((WS-10)/2+Lv/2)
Con CN ((CN-10)/2+Lv/2)|Int IT ((IT-10)/2+Lv/2)|Cha CA ((CA-10)/2+Lv/2)[/table]

Zeta Kai
2009-06-29, 01:35 PM
Example Monster of Awesome (Level X Role Whatever)
Size Origin Type (Subtype) (XP for Level X)
Initiative +X Senses +Y (Additional powers)
HP Plenty Bloodied Plenty/2 see also Power That Activates When Bloodied
AC Q Fort(itude) T Ref(lex) S Will Z
Immune Something Resist Something Else Vulnerable Kryptonite
Saving Throws +2/5 if Elite/Solo
Speed y Gonzalez
Action Points 1/2 if Elite/Solo, more if Deity or Primordial
http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/MeleeBasic.pngPower 1 (Action, frequency) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/symbol/x.gif Keywords

Power description
(Power Type Image)Power 2 (Action, frequency) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/symbol/x.gif Keywords

Power description

That's what I'm looking for. Thanks Mando!

Mando Knight
2009-06-29, 01:36 PM
That's what I'm looking for. Thanks Mando!

Updated it (slightly) because I hit Submit Reply too soon (meant to hit Preview Post)...

Zeta Kai
2009-06-29, 03:40 PM
Updated it (slightly) because I hit Submit Reply too soon (meant to hit Preview Post)...

Thank you for the update; it is much appreciated.

And to think, people believe that I don't know how to make tables (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5611684#post5611684)...

Sinfire Titan
2009-06-29, 04:25 PM
As HMS Invincible said, you can use Excel. If you have Adobe PDF converter or a freeware PDF creater, you can just go to the menu option and hit Print, then select the PDF creater as the printer. It does the work for you, and oyu end up with a PDF file of the monster you are trying to create. If you have artwork, then you can also put that into the PDF.


In order to host it, you have one of two options: Convert the PDF into a Jpeg or Bitmap file via Adobe and host it page by page on Photobucket, or sign up to a website like Keep And Share (Keepandshare.com), which lets you post the PDF file as-is (it takes a little work to make the file Public-access).


I did this with the Ensouled Masquerader (http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1157318&da=y), and ended up copying WotC's format for 3.5 classes in the process. I now have the entire method down, and can mimic their 4E formating with ease.

Colmarr
2009-06-29, 05:30 PM
Area Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/AreaBasic.png
...
Close Basic: http://rtg0922.googlepages.com/CloseBasic.png


Do Area basic and Close basic attacks exist? Or is that just for completeness?

RTGoodman
2009-06-29, 05:38 PM
Do Area basic and Close basic attacks exist? Or is that just for completeness?

Mostly just for completeness - I don't THINK there are any monsters with them yet, but it's not impossible to think there might eventually be one or that a homebrewer might come up with something. (Also, I do believe one of the several 4E icon fonts that you can find online had them, so I figured if they did, I might as well, too.)

Shadow_Elf
2009-06-29, 05:43 PM
Do Area basic and Close basic attacks exist? Or is that just for completeness?

Funny thing, actually. They do exist, just no for monsters. See War Wizard of Cormyr, Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. They get to pick any one at-will and make it a basic attack. This includes Thunderwave and Scorching Burst.

Zeta Kai
2009-06-29, 06:17 PM
BTW, Shadow_Elf, just in case you couldn't tell, this thread's for you. :smallwink:

Also, RTG, thanks for the symbols. Good work.

Colmarr
2009-06-29, 06:29 PM
You may also want to look at Asmor's monster maker (http://asmor.com/programs/monstermaker/index.php). It automatically outputs html code.

I think I recall from previous GitP homebrew threads that it works on this forum.

Shadow_Elf
2009-06-29, 06:39 PM
BTW, Shadow_Elf, just in case you couldn't tell, this thread's for you. :smallwink:

Also, RTG, thanks for the symbols. Good work.

Yes, and I greatly appreciate that. vBulletin formatting is the bane of my existence, after all:smalltongue:.

Gralamin
2009-06-29, 07:17 PM
You may also want to look at Asmor's monster maker (http://asmor.com/programs/monstermaker/index.php). It automatically outputs html code.

I think I recall from previous GitP homebrew threads that it works on this forum.

HTML Doesn't work on this forum, and besides, it requires a custom .css file, that while you can import into it, not everyone may know how to do that.


Gralamin posted a very excellent 4E Monster Creation Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84617) a while back. That's the way I'd go. I was writing up a whole 4E Guide to Homebrewing a while ago, too, and was going just use his template for the monster section.

I forgot all about that! I think I'll actually bother to fix that Noparse finally.

Colmarr
2009-06-29, 08:22 PM
HTML Doesn't work on this forum, and besides, it requires a custom .css file, that while you can import into it, not everyone may know how to do that.

Fair enough. Didn't know that.

Gralamin
2009-06-29, 08:31 PM
Fair enough. Didn't know that.

Its a very good program though. Use it all the time for my notes.