Creative Director
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SO! In the Shackled City hardcover, I'm currently going with the "City of the Spider Queen" method for stat blocks. That is, rather than including full stat blocks as part of the encounter descriptions in the main adventures, they'll all get shunted into a phat appendix at the back of the book. This should help a lot in both reading the adventure (since it'll look nicer without those stat blocks cluttering everything up) and running the adventure (since all the stat blocks are gonna be in one place, alphebetized, and all that). I'll even see if we can't provide a PDF version of the stat block appendix, though no promises there...
So what do you all think? Do you prefer stat blocks in a seperate appendix? Or do you prefer them to show up in the running text of the adventure?
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I think this is an excellent idea, but I would only request that the stat blocks be sorted by adventure, then alphabetized, so that one isn't flipping through the appendix during multi-NPC events (like Lords of Oblivion).
(I've collected all the adventures through back-orders of Dungeon, but am thrilled to see the care you and the staff are taking to improve upon your accomplishment. Keep up the great work.)
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Creative Director
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The stat block appendix will definately be sorted alphabetically. Since a lot of the stat blocks get used in multiple adventures (demodands and canomorphs, for example), arranging them by adventure gets a little tricky. Space is also an issue (as always). I think that putting all the stat blocks into one long alphabetized list is the best way to go. And of course, if we can get them posted as a web enhancemnet PDF, you'll be able to print out just what you need for that night's game, so that should help as well.
The stat block appendix will definately be sorted alphabetically. Since a lot of the stat blocks get used in multiple adventures (demodands and canomorphs, for example), arranging them by adventure gets a little tricky. Space is also an issue (as always). I think that putting all the stat blocks into one long alphabetized list is the best way to go. And of course, if we can get them posted as a web enhancemnet PDF, you'll be able to print out just what you need for that night's game, so that should help as well.
Hey James,
I've been reading your posts about AP1's hardcover with great interest as I'm planning on using it for my next campaign (just getting geared up to run the final story arc in a Kalamar campaign). I'm pretty excited about the hardcover and thought I'd add my 2 cents on this topic.
Personally, I love the idea of a stat block appendix, especially if it is available as a web enhancement PDF. One thing I might add to the wish list (a toughie mostly due to space issues) is a brief synopsis of the role the NPC plays along with their stat block. With hundreds of NPCs, it gets tough to remember exactly who NPC XYZ is and why I'm printing his stats out. Having a one-liner about an NPC helps keep me from having to do more work.
For example, "Pyllrak Shyraat is an Underdark slaver in 'Life's Bazaar' PCs may encounter in the Malachite Fortress" is a statement that would help me keep everything straight.
Thanks and keep up the great work on putting this together!
Morgan
James,
Putting the stat blocks at the end sound good. One question though... For characters that advance throughout the campaign will we see multiple listing of them? Or will this be done in some other manner?
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Creative Director
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James,
Putting the stat blocks at the end sound good. One question though... For characters that advance throughout the campaign will we see multiple listing of them? Or will this be done in some other manner?
I'm not sure how I'll be handling these dozen or so NPCs. I'll probably do tables similar to those on pages 112-127 of the DMG. Printing 15-18 different statblocks for Jenya, Shensen, the Stormblades, Jil, and the others is probably not the most efficient use of the available page count...
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Hey James,
Why not do what is often done for a barbarian npc statblock, with a follow-up mini-statblock for raging stats?
Publish (for example) Jenya's statblock, and then post any changes to her stats as she levels up and gains new magical gear, not repeating anything that stays the same.
I'm not sure how well this could be executed, but hey, ideas are free, right?
James, I hate to say this, but putting all related NPCs in one spot makes things a heck of a lot easier for the DM. I don't have to do lots of page turning or bookmark several pages just to keep track of all the npcs in a given fight. And photocopying all the pages is a pain that I'd rather do without. Please, at least, list with the NPC stat block a page number and what module they're with... make things easier for us, please?
Squid
I was hoping you'd do this. To make it easier for us DM's, the one aditional thing I would really like is to index them as well. For example, in Flood Season, room x has two allybashers. Stats are on page 604. If I look at page 604, there's an entry that tells me that allybashers can be encountered in room x,y and z of the Lucky Monkey and rooms a and b of the copru ruins
From an organizational standpoint, putting all the statblocks at the end is good but it doesn't make it any easier to run the actual modules.
I ran about half of CotSQ and I found the layout to be very difficult to use in actual play. I had to continuously flip back and forth, sometimes losing my place while I did so. The fact that it was softcover certainly didn't help though. It became every more difficult when stats for creatures or NPC's were on different pages (more flipping).
What I ended up doing was either photocopying certain pages or making my own stat blocks in Word so I could print them out and have everything on one page. From a book layout perspective, I'm not sure there is any way around this but providing a pdf of the stat blocks would be awesome.
Another idea: Would it be possible to organize the stat blocks according to module? Then within each module, the stat blocks could be alphabetical.
Why not have the stat blocks in a separate booklet? That way you wouldn't have to photocopy them, and you wouldn't have to flip through the book to get to them either.
I have DM'ed both ways. The problem with stat blocks at the end is that you could have 6 different NPC's that are on 6 different pages and you have to keep going from one to the other and then going back to the original encounter room. It can become quite confusing. I understand that it will be cheaper for you guys to print everything only once at the end and what is cheaper for you ends up cheaper for us. With the stat blocks in the encounter you have less hunting around to do but it dosent look as nice. The best would be if you put up the stat blocks on the Dungeon Paizo site as well as in the back of the book. Then i could simply print out the pages i need.
A separate stat booklet would be awesome. A booklet for maps would be great as well.
I'm gearing up to run this campaign again...so I've made combat cards with all the stats on them. For the first three adventures anyway, I don't think my players will get any further than that before the book comes out.
Having a PDF so that I can copy and paste would save me a whole lot of typing :) But having all the stats in one place will also help me finish the project.
Stat blocks in one place is great. A PDF I can print out (as opposed to photocopying) is even better. And a separate book is the best idea (with the storage sleeve!).
Having said that I tend to re-write any NPC that has spells or spell like abilities. I then list all those spells and their affects. For example in Maure's Castle I re-wrote Maure out into a notepad but I just used the stat blocks of his two cronies.
So I would expect I would do the same thing again no matter how you presented. But a separate section/book would make my life a lot easier for the mundane monster/NPCS (non-casters).
The more i read this the more i want it.... the Apnx stat block is a great idea. If it could be in PDF my world would be so much easyer... it would be great... no more copying stat blocks to monster cards or trying to read the cramped stat block in the magazine...
I use etools and print out stat cards that I created. Takes a little work, but it is well worth it in the end. I was inspired by the old RPGA Inititive Cards and the Game Mechanics' Inititive Cards.
Print them on card stock and run the game.
BUT....I would love to see all of the stat blocks in one place, seperated by secitons. Have a recurring NPC's section, and then list each adventure in order and the NPCs/monsters alphabetically within each adventure section. Alternately, instead of listing stat blocks per each adventure, listing them via locale would be better. For instance, Cauldron Proper (divided into social seperations, such as clergy, political figures, commoners and shopkeepers, monsters and villians), Lucky Monkey, Redgorge, Kopru Ruins....and so on...
If the stat block appendix could be a seperate booklet like the proposed map booklet, all the better. However, barring that, a download (similar to the one offered for Incursion) at a low cost would be something I would by in pdf to make my game and life easier.
Neomorte
James,
I really hope to hear an answer on the idea of a sleeve on the inside back cover to store any detached maps/stat blocks that might be in the book. Is this doable? Is it too expensive to do? Let us know.
PS - Just in case you missed my previous post on it. ;)
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Creative Director
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It looks like including a pocket for the map booklet is gonna be too expensive; we'll see what we can do, but that little goodie looks grim.
As for a seperate booklet for the stat blocks... that also won't be happening, I'm afraid. We've pretty much got the budget for the map booklet and fold-out map and that's it.
As for a seperate booklet for the stat blocks... that also won't be happening, I'm afraid. We've pretty much got the budget for the map booklet and fold-out map and that's it.
Could you make the stat blocks available as a PDF web enhancement in that case?