Monster Sorter

[pwykersotz]

So it's not much, but I made a quick spreadsheet of monsters for whom we have available stat blocks. It only contains the monster name, challenge, type, and book source. It's fully sortable (though I didn't take the time to make it as elegant as Ari's Spell Sorter (http://mouseferatu.com/index.php/news/august-8-2014-a-special-gift-for-my-fellow-dd-fans/)).

Monsters that are only for the monster manual can be referenced in obryn's thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?367735-MM-Spoilers-Aplenty-Warning-GIANT-images). Most of the creatures are already in the free file Dungeon Master's D&D Basic Rules (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules).

Anyway, I hope you guys find it useful.

Edit: Now with the Monster Manual!

Monster Sorter - Excel Spreadsheet (http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=57494664745189016632) / Open Document (http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=76712520289882712269) / PDF (http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=90796103381245623407)

[pwykersotz]

Added Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Hoard of the Dragon Queen supplement (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/hoard-dragon-queen).

Modified the original post with the new file.

[pwykersotz]

Well, if the replies are any indicator, it hasn't been too useful yet. :smallfrown:

Still, I keep plugging away. With the Monster Manual Index (http://s3.amazonaws.com/slyflourish_content/monsters_by_cr.pdf) that recently came out, I've included a great deal more monsters, and in addition there are now options to sort by Descriptor and Race. Creature types are a work in progress. Also, the original post has been updated to have an open document format and a PDF (the pdf isn't sortable, but it is searchable).

Still a work in progress, let me know if you have any feedback that would improve the sheet. :smallsmile:

[dragoonsgone]

Looks nice, Ty for the work. Be great to be able to search by CR for stuff

[Slipperychicken]

Have you considered making an MS Access database for monster-sorting? That could let you do things like connect types and subtypes to their traits (like immunities, special abilities, and relevant rules), so you wouldn't (for example) need to list every undead individually as immune to fear: just list them as undead, and the database would know that the creature is associated with fear-immunity. Using that kind of structure ([creature] belongs to [category], and [category] grants [traits]. Therefore [creature] has [traits]), could probably save a lot of work. Traits and abilities which don't come from category (such as ability scores) would have to be listed individually though. With larger amounts of work, this could also connect monster SLAs to the relevant spell-description.

From there, one could probably turn such a database into a legit app which tells the user everything he needs to know about a selected monster and its abilities without the need to trace through D&D's spaghetti-code rulebooks.

[pwykersotz]

Have you considered making an MS Access database for monster-sorting? That could let you do things like connect types and subtypes to their traits (like immunities, special abilities, and relevant rules), so you wouldn't (for example) need to list every undead individually as immune to fear: just list them as undead, and the database would know that the creature is associated with fear-immunity. Using that kind of structure ([creature] belongs to [category], and [category] grants [traits]. Therefore [creature] has [traits]), could probably save a lot of work. Traits and abilities which don't come from category (such as ability scores) would have to be listed individually though. With larger amounts of work, this could also connect monster SLAs to the relevant spell-description.

From there, one could probably turn such a database into a legit app which tells the user everything he needs to know about a selected monster and its abilities without the need to trace through D&D's spaghetti-code rulebooks.

I have considered it, and it's the next logical step. For right now though, I was just trying to create something to quickly and easily organize available monsters. I'll have to find the time to fully detail it eventually...my coding skills have rusted over the last 8 years or so.

[Totema]

Favorited! I hope you keep working on it!

[rlc]

good thread.