Taken from another thread:
Hey, would it be useful to create a list of stat blocks somewhere as a resource?
That would be a great idea - an online NPC repository! I ran across one of these for 2nd Ed. a couple of years back, but it was populated by a bunch of uber-characters that were mostly generated by youngsters out to immortalize their indestructible Godlings.
If there was ever an online stat block repository for varying level NPCs, I would use it constantly!
Imagine - an online database of NPC statblocks, possibly categorized by CR, class, race, etc...all for use whenever you need instant encounters or NPC parties...
Administrative vetting of submissions would rock also, but that's just wishful thinking...
Does anyone know of a resource like this, or has the resources to build a web site like this, with a 'form' to submit your own NPC stat blocks?
As an almost-40 DM with a busy life in between sessions, I've been relying on published material ever since the big change to d20 rules; it would be great to return to original material, using this kind of resources to populate the game.
M
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Why not just use one of the many NPC generators out on the web? They're a lot easier to customize and you don't have to go through a cumbersome search.
I think a stat block bank falls under the heading of better in theory than in practice. I doubt it would save you much time because 1) you'd have to spend a lot of time sorting wheat from chaff, 2) you couldn't be sure of the accuracy of the data, and 3) it would take a lot of time to search.
Besides, it's not like stat blocks aren't available in large quantities on the Wizard's website or in Dungeon itself. If you're hard up for stat blocks, poke around there and see what you can find.
That would be awesome. I've done something similar with my personal wiki to keep track of NPC and player information. It's worked out pretty good, so far.
Why not just use one of the many NPC generators out on the web? They're a lot easier to customize and you don't have to go through a cumbersome search.
I've seen some of them; they would suffice, but still remain too 'generic'. A database of fully fleshed out NPCs would include equipment/magic items, background in some cases and a prepared, custom spell list in others.
i.e., Ready to run NPCs, not just a stat block to build on.
I think a stat block bank falls under the heading of better in theory than in practice. I doubt it would save you much time because 1) you'd have to spend a lot of time sorting wheat from chaff, 2) you couldn't be sure of the accuracy of the data, and 3) it would take a lot of time to search.
If the database had an administrator or filtering criteris for submissions, we could keep the chaff to a minumum.
Possible criteria:
- No epic level (or a separate database for level 20+ characters)
- No gestalt characters (or a separate listing, as above)
- Monster races listed separately (as above)
Besides, it's not like stat blocks aren't available in large quantities on the Wizard's website or in Dungeon itself. If you're hard up for stat blocks, poke around there and see what you can find.
I haven't looked for sites like this - what are the most reputable ones?
M
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Wizards main D&D site is a huge trove of resources. You can find blank maps, short adventures, and the fight club - which presents a complex NPC with backstory at three levels of challenge. Just go to:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/features
The biggest weakness is that a lot of the info tends to be too specific to the latest book wizards put out. For example, they have Meepo (from Sunless Citadel fame) statted out this month in the fight club article and he has a prestige class from the Races of the Dragon book.
...has the resources to build a web site like this, with a 'form' to submit your own NPC stat blocks?
I have the resources & the expertise, but not necessarily the time. I may have to make the time, though. This is too good a thing to pass up.
I have found that despite my initial reservations, I like the new stat block format. In putting my player's characters into a stat block format, I've got a much better idea of their capabilities in an easy to read format.
I do have a blank stat block template, if anyone would like me to post it.
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I think a stat block resource would be great!
What would be best? A single page listing an infinite number of statblocks, so a simple text search of "vampire" or "Wizard" would find you what you need, or a hyperlinked index, or what?
Sorting them by CR seems like the best idea to me, as a DM that's what I would use. I've indexed a lot of the WOTC NPCs and monsters provided as 'examples' of prestige classes, etc in recent books, and it's been helpful to find an appropriate NPC on the fly ...
I think a stat block resource would be great!
What would be best? A single page listing an infinite number of statblocks, so a simple text search of "vampire" or "Wizard" would find you what you need, or a hyperlinked index, or what?
Sorting them by CR seems like the best idea to me, as a DM that's what I would use. I've indexed a lot of the WOTC NPCs and monsters provided as 'examples' of prestige classes, etc in recent books, and it's been helpful to find an appropriate NPC on the fly ...
Hrm. You definitely want it to be initially searchable by CR - that makes it easiest on DMs just looking for a "drag & drop" NPC. Keywords allowing search by type would be incredibly useful.
Here are my thoughts (in order of importance):
CR
Classes
Race
Template
Campaign Setting
Terrain
I'd be willing to add some time on this - I've got quite a few already in my files.
I'm no web designer or DB admin...my field is network administration - I'm a CCNA... That's why I was wishing...
Looks like we have a nice web-community project going, here!
:-D
M
I'll see what I can whip up this weekend for a searchable sortable interface...*plots plans plots*
I'll see what I can whip up this weekend for a searchable sortable interface...*plots plans plots*
My G/F has a web hosting service for a site she has, but she might not appreciate the sudden burden on her bandwidth, nor would her provider...
Anyone out there own a decent web server? *grin*
Anyone out there own a decent web server? *grin*
My webhoster is very capable - :-D If I get anything up, I'll post a link here for y'all.
(Too bad I can't use the servers here at work...sigh!)
Anyone out there own a decent web server? *grin*My webhoster is very capable - :-D If I get anything up, I'll post a link here for y'all.
(Too bad I can't use the servers here at work...sigh!)
I can agree with that sentiment. I'm lucky I can log into these forums with the amount of internet restrictions I face!
I want to contribute! I love making stat blocks!
If you get this up and running, I'll drop in every stat block I make in the campaign I'm currently designing. I'm always eager to make NPCs, but sometimes its just great to pull one out that's already made. The campaign should run from 1st to 20th level, provided the group sticks with it, so it should provide quite a range of resources.
Director of Game Development
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If you get this up and running, I'll drop in every stat block I make in the campaign I'm currently designing. I'm always eager to make NPCs, but sometimes its just great to pull one out that's already made. The campaign should run from 1st to 20th level, provided the group sticks with it, so it should provide quite a range of resources.
Same here. All the characters in my game are 2nd right now, so stat mining this game would be very easy and provide a wide range of levels and concepts.
I'd love to contribute what I have and work up new stuff too, but if we put it on the web, doesn't it have to be OGL? (Hopefully I didn't spoil everyone's enthusiasm, because something like this would be a great resource)
I'd love to contribute what I have and work up new stuff too, but if we put it on the web, doesn't it have to be OGL? (Hopefully I didn't spoil everyone's enthusiasm, because something like this would be a great resource)
Hmmm....that's a good question...that I will leave to those more knowledgeable than I. My gut response is "no" because you're not providing the juicy details about class features and such, merely providing a "list of numbers and words." But, I dunno...
Perhaps provide a list of sources that were used in building the NPC, with an alternate build if only core rules were used?
*notes to self...provide way to search by campaign setting...*
STATUS UPDATE!
Have worked out ways to sort and display NPCs. :-D Whee!
Perhaps provide a list of sources that were used in building the NPC, with an alternate build if only core rules were used?Stuff from the SRD beyond the core rules (like psionics & epic material) should also be fine as long as a link (such as to the term on d20srd.org) is provided.
*notes to self...provide way to search by campaign setting...*
And by CR, theme (horror, cold, exalted), creature type, class, niche, etc....
What I've got so far is:
Sort by Campaign
Sort by CR
Sort by Class(es)
Sort by Race
Any other ideas?
Okay, my initial build is up & running, ready for dissection and blasting by my fellow forum members. Feel free to register, log in, add to the Bank.
http://www.darkmoongallery.com/npc
Things that you currently cannot do:
*Edit entries
*Add familiars/animal companions
*Searches
As it stands right now, any new entries you make have to "approved" before they show up in the list (more to prevent naughty spammers and munchkins than anything else).
If anyone has anymore comments or suggestions, please make them. :-D (It's late now, and I'm tired...code code code sleep eat code code code code...)
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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Okay, my initial build is up & running, ready for dissection and blasting by my fellow forum members. Feel free to register, log in, add to the Bank.
Very nice. I think this will probably start to fill up fairly fast. When I've got a couple of minutes I'll definitely post a few.
Lilith,
I just submitted an NPC--this kicks ass! You are awesome, truly awesome....this is the best thing to come around in a long time!
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Okay, my initial build is up & running, ready for dissection and blasting by my fellow forum members. Feel free to register, log in, add to the Bank.
(...)
If anyone has anymore comments or suggestions, please make them. :-D (It's late now, and I'm tired...code code code sleep eat code code code code...)
Hello Lilith,
great job!
One thing that keeps me wondering: Most people here surely adhere to high quality standards. I saw some NPC dbs, though, which contained a collection of quite different quality NPCs.
When more people keep on adding entries to the db, is there any kind of quality check intended?
Keep up the great work!
Guenther
I think the ultimate quality control would rest with the DM who uses the bank....if you feel an NPC is not suitable...don't use that NPC in your campaign. I noticed that I already submitted one NPC with the format slightly off, but I corrected myself with the next submission.
I personally don't sweat the petty things. If an NPC's skills are off by +1 or +2, I don't worry about it. NPC has an extra feat? Maybe they got it from some magic item or whatever in the past.
I'm not saying we should abandon all the 3.5 rules and make up NPC's that are totally off the charts, but an occasional error here or there is no big deal in my book. If I see a 3rd level NPC with a +18 in a skill, I'll probably wonder what's going on and I would not use that NPC. I think most good DM's are pretty good at spotting glaring errors or problems and those are the only ones I'm going to really worry about.
....plus Lilith reviews the stat blocks before putting them in the database and she knows what she's doing.
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Just came about this - AWESOME and THANK YOU LILITH!!!
This is just the thing to make the day of a DM.
I see it like F2K - The final responsibility should rest with the one who's searching an NPC. My players never realized, and don't care at all, if an NPC has a Feat he shouldn't or if his skill values are off some numbers...
This whole thing is a really cool idea and I will add my stuff as well...
I hope a lot of people jump in on this!
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Thanks Lilith!
Question -- is there a way we can set up the Databank to handle cut & pasted stat blocks? I have about 50 I'd like to contribute, and if there's an easier way to enter them, now seems like the time to ask ... ;>
If not, I'll start entering my NPCs and monsters now ...
Thanks so much for your hard work!
Archade
Truely an awesome enterprise. Congratulations on what should become a central location for all DMs to shop for NPCs.
igi
Guys, you might like to look at this wiki http://d20npcs.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page full of D20 NPCs.
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If anyone has anymore comments or suggestions, please make them. :-D (It's late now, and I'm tired...code code code sleep eat code code code code...)
I'd like to see a reputation management/rating system if the database gets large. (See, for instance the NWN scenario database.)
I'd also like to see a one- or two-word descriptor for higher-level lists. Something like, "Mercenary Archer", or "Item Creator". The intent would be to make it easier to find a character to meet a need.
HTH. What you have now looks very useful; thanks for your work.
Hey guys, thanks for the kudos! I'll answer the questions here:
When more people keep on adding entries to the db, is there any kind of quality check intended?
Sorta kinda. There's the rough outline of a QC system in place (nothing terribly fancy) so that "moderators" can release entries into the system. That part is in its infancy, though.
...is there a way we can set up the Databank to handle cut & pasted stat blocks?
Not really, except for the larger info blocks.
I'd like to see a reputation management/rating system if the database gets large.
Are we talking about a rating system for the NPC, or the contributor/author? If it's for the author, I kinda had an idea in mind for that that's roughly in place. If an author is marked with an unmoderated status, they could add NPCs without having to go through the approval process.
I'd also like to see a one- or two-word descriptor for higher-level lists. Something like, "Mercenary Archer", or "Item Creator".
This was the intent of the "name" section - something I forgot to add in the "Add" page. I'll be working on making that page more descriptive as to what the formatting should be like. :-D
I'll be making some slight alterations to what's been entered. I've noticed a couple of bugs already that have slipped in, but nothing major.
Keep on adding stuff, guys!
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Hey guys, thanks for the kudos! I'll answer the questions here:
I'd like to see a reputation management/rating system if the database gets large.Are we talking about a rating system for the NPC, or the contributor/author? If it's for the author, I kinda had an idea in mind for that that's roughly in place. If an author is marked with an unmoderated status, they could add NPCs without having to go through the approval process.
My thought was rating the character and the author (an aggregate of the character ratings). If you want to get really fancy, start new characters out with a provisional rating equal to the author's rating, perhaps weighted as if ten individual rankings. That's probably more trouble than it's worth, though.
* Added support for familiars/servants/mounts. At the bottom of the "Add Stat Block" page you'll see a "Servant of" box, where you can tie one stat block to another. You can only tie your statblocks to each other, though!
Example - the Antipaladin has a Fiendish Heavy Warhorse servant. I created the Antipaladin first, then the Fiendish Heavy Warhorse, selected "Antipaladin" in the "Servant of" box.
* Added an "HP Adjustments" field for fast healing, regeneration & damage reduction. (Thx Archade!)
* Added a "Special Abilities" field for explaining special abilites. (Thx again Archade!)
Hmm...noticed a bug that had cut off some of the larger stat blocks, such as feats, spell blocks and possessions. Double check anything you may have submitted - if you find an error, let me know.
Thanks, Lilith!
Great page Lilith (!), I'm sure it will be a very useful database soon since so many people populate these boards. Just a few suggestions:
- It would be nice to be able to search the entire database cause some DMs (me included) don't always know what exactly they're looking for.
- To make things more handy, the NPCs could include names to make them less generic.
- Maybe one could add a "could be used as" line for those characters that aren't very specific. A CR1 warrior e.g. might be used as a town guard, a soldier, a security for a noble etc.
- I'd also like to see a "personality", "appearance" and maybe even a "personal goals" line as I find it the most difficult to make these thing up.
A sample PERSONALITY entry could be:
"Rude, pessimistic, given to complaining. Arrogant when confronted with nobles, is easily intimidated by magic."
APPEARANCE:
"slim but strong, wears a brown robe and a cap made from wolf fur, inprinted with the sign of a hand clutching a burning dagger"
PERSONAL GOALS:
"Wants to become a member of the local militia, secretly loves the daughter the local weaponsmith"
Maybe these three could even be combined in a single line?
Great work, will try to contribute soon when I have more time!
I was away for the weekend at a fencing demo and wasn't within reach of a PC;
Lilith - I just took alook at the site and it's awesome; you are a magician and a hero for all the harried DMs that cross these boards. You deserve a round of kudos from everyone for picking up the ball on this and running with it!
This kind of project is a testament to what resources, if not found anywhere, can be literally created out of the Ether by a group of committed players of the game.
If I were a man of wealth, I'd be paying you grandly for this sizeable bit of your effort and time - I humbly suggest that anyone of means please do so, on my and everyone else's behalf; it shouldn't be difficult, considering that I noticed the email contact link for contributors. If bandwidth, web hosting or other technical expenses begin to rise due to this site, I hope that you get some kind of charitable assistance to keep the site running.
The framework has been built - now let's all get out there and fill it up with stat blocks!
M
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Ummm ... before I start a pogrom ...
Don't get me wrong James, as a DM I benefit greatly from Dungeon ... heck, my campaign of the last year has been running 70% on the Shackled City adventures, cutting my workload and increasing the quality of my campaign far above what I could create on my own. I shamelessly use stat blocks for NPCs and monsters, and use adventures for inspiration and ideas, if nothing else.
But specifically, I find a number of adventures very specific to setting, and I can only steal partially when I'd rather steal whole cloth.
Example to wit, my PCs are going off the beaten campaign track to go explore a haunted village filled with zombies. I've decided to include a vampire in their midst as the big bad guys. I can find vampire stat blocks aplenty, espcially with the recent vampires in waterdeep trilogy, but what I can't find is a simple vampire lair adventure. And I have Dungeon going back to issue 85 or so ...
Sometimes, the adventures published in Dungeon are just too complex in setting or surroundings to easily plug them in. The old side trek adventures were closer to what I'm looking for, but truth be told, having recently flipped through my entire Dungeon collection, there are a number of simple theme adventures I'd have a hard time filling. Again, not because of lack of quality -- many of the adventures are well written and thoughtful, but at the same time, maybe the adventure locales considered 'cliche' could use some treatment. My memory has never been the best, but I can't find the following in my collection of magazines of the last four years ...
- a lonely vampire's lair
- a haunted house to be explored
- a merchant's house to be robbed/infiltrated
Of course, if you want articles contributed for something like this, I'm perfectly willing to put my money where my mouth is and submit a proposal ...
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Lillith,
I am also a web developer. I do a lot of design work, especially using CSS to creat GUIs for databased driven PHP and JSP sites. One of my recent projects has been with the difficult20 gaming group. They're still raising money to pay for the hosting, but a beta version of the site is available at http://d20.mattylee.com It looks like you've got things under control I would love to help you out if you decide you want to put together a slightly flashier GUI. If you need any help, feel free to contact me (ml@mattylee.com).
- It would be nice to be able to search the entire database cause some DMs (me included) don't always know what exactly they're looking for.
This is definitely something that I'm looking to doing, as I can understand the need to "browse" without knowing specifically what you're looking for.
- To make things more handy, the NPCs could include names to make them less generic.
I have an old name generator that I could use (though there are certainly others out there that are way better than anything I came up with).
- Maybe one could add a "could be used as" line for those characters that aren't very specific. A CR1 warrior e.g. might be used as a town guard, a soldier, a security for a noble etc.
As part of the search function, I'd want to include a keyword search system for this kind of thing.
- I'd also like to see a "personality", "appearance" and maybe even a "personal goals" line as I find it the most difficult to make these thing up.
I've got something like this that I've been playing around with:
Obon Targeweather, Male Dwarf
* Occupation: Mason (Expert 4)
* Personality: Ascetic, Judgemental
* Appearance: Warts and acne
It wouldn't take much to integrate that in on the detail pages, along with eye, skin and hair color. You'd just refresh the page for name, personality, appearance. I do like the idea of the personal goals - I may have to figure something out for that.
Thanks everybody for your ideas (any fixes, alterations or new "features" will have to wait until after work - sigh!!)! I love to see the new stat blocks, makes me go - "What can I use this for?"
Which is the point, of course. :-D
I'd like to keep the interface as clean and uncluttered as possible, so I'll be keeping the flashies down to a minimum (not only for bandwidth sake, but also for clarity).
~~~
Of course, if you want articles contributed for something like this, I'm perfectly willing to put my money where my mouth is and submit a proposal ...
Archade, I'm not sure if you cross-posted this in the wrong thread by accident or not, but if it's here...
I think that what you're referring to is either a very small adventure or a very large single encounter; in either case, it would be impractical for Dungeon to publish it - if they did, the readers would consider that issue a failure for releasing cliche' material that most DMs could generate themselves using the MMs and some time.
Based on the NPC stat block database idea, perhaps someone would be willing to create an "online encounter library", to share their own generated encounters and adventures, regardless of format, plot or game world...
...but that's for someone else to dream up.
M
I suppose something else I need to do is show the psionic love...
Will also add sections for psionics. :-D
Woo-hoo! Added new features, like:
*Edit your submissions, including those that have not been approved yet. Yay!
*Browse entire DB.
*Browse by contibutor.
Found a bug: if you go to edit an entry, it wipes whatever you had written for the hook.
Looking great so far, though!