4E Monster Format?

[Zeta Kai]

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]

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]

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]

Gralamin posted a very excellent 4E Monster Creation Guide 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:
Area Basic:
Close:
Close Basic:
Melee:
Melee Basic:
Ranged:
Ranged Basic:
Recharge (1-6):

[Mando Knight]

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) 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

Power 1 (Action, frequency) Keywords

Power description

(Power Type Image)Power 2 (Action, frequency) 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]

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
Power 1 (Action, frequency) Keywords

Power description

(Power Type Image)Power 2 (Action, frequency) Keywords

Power description

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

[Mando Knight]

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]

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...

[Sinfire Titan]

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, 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, 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]

Area Basic:
...
Close Basic:

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

[RTGoodman]

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]

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]

BTW, Shadow_Elf, just in case you couldn't tell, this thread's for you.

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

[Colmarr]

You may also want to look at Asmor's monster maker. It automatically outputs html code.

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

[Shadow_Elf]

BTW, Shadow_Elf, just in case you couldn't tell, this thread's for you.

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

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

[Gralamin]

You may also want to look at Asmor's monster maker. 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 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]

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]

Fair enough. Didn't know that.

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