Streamlining Monster/NPC stat blocks

[King Dude]

Hey guys, I'm looking into using the yellow BRP book but my only background is in OD&D. The monster/npc stat blocks seem incredibly big to me and I was wondering if there was any way to reduce them to make it easier on a first time gm?

[frogspawner]

...or even a long-time GM. Very good question! Closely tied to exactly which rules options you play, though, so there's probably no perfect answer. but I'll certainly be watching to see what people can come up with...

[nclarke]

Well you can put all of the Attributes in a String 11,12,13,12, etc., you need these for STR rolls for example. But if you have Hit locations there's little you can do to reduce that - you'll have seven boxes next to 7 values for the HP and another seven boxes for Armour points. Using Total HP will keep the size of stat blacks down a bit, but the list of skills will take up a lot of room. Keeping it only to the combat skills plus interpersonal skills might minimise it a little.

So Attributes, weapon skill, dodge skill, interpersonal skills and total HP is probably as small as it will get.

If you are looking for a replacement for OD&D Openquest will probably be easier to work with.

[Zit]

For "cannon fodder" and if not playing hit locations, you actually only need HP, armour, DEX, main weapons %, damages and AP. Add POW for resistance to spells. Should you exceptionally need more, then write only the one you need (like APP if you know that the NPC will try to charm the PCs). If necessary, 1 or 2 skills which are to be used when interacting with the PCs (like a "first aid" and "medicine" for a healer), possibly instead of weapons. Key NPCs require of course some more details, at least a few skills.

[King Dude]

I'm thinking about using the big yellow book, as that's the only book I have apart from CoC 6. What would a monster stat block look like distilled down to it's bare minimum requirements to serve as a combat challenge to the player characters?

Oh, I'm probably going to play with all the options turned off. No hit locations etc.

[Zit]

I'm thinking about using the big yellow book, as that's the only book I have apart from CoC 6. What would a monster stat block look like distilled down to it's bare minimum requirements to serve as a combat challenge to the player characters?

Oh, I'm probably going to play with all the options turned off. No hit locations etc.

See my previous post:

hit points

DEX

Armour points

Weapons % (incl. shield)

Weapon damage incl. bonus

Weapon HO/AP

Dodge

Ex: hoplite with full cumbersome plate armour

HP 13, AP 8, db +1D4

Spear 50% 1d6+1+1d4 HP15

Shield 50% HP 26

Shortsword 40% 1d6+1+1d4 HP15

Dodge 5%

If using magic, add POW. If you need knockback (unlikely), just use SIZ=STR= [hit points +20% for big creatures and -20% for small ones]. i'm not sure you even need the weapons HP.

[nclarke]

You could reduce it a little more by not listing the stats for weapons. If you have applicable weapons on a list with their stats they don't need to be repeated in the stat block. It will however be slightly more cumbersome as you'll have to look in two places for information.

My suggestion would be to write a scene with say 5 enemies statted up and run it in session zero after everyone has made their characters. Use it as a training scene to show everyone how combat works. How that runs will allow you to refine what you need and don't need during the campaign.

For mook types i.e. goblins, what I do is write out the full stat block at the top of a sheet. Below that make a chart with boxes labelled 1 to 20 down in the first column then put their primary weapon as the title and weapon and skill% in the second column, shield as the title and skill% in third, AP in the fourth column, HP taken in the fifth and Dodge skill % in the last. As each one gets hit adjust the HP and when killed put a line through the NPC. Use a pencil and the sheet is re-usable.

Full stat block goes up here.

No. Spear Shield AP Hits Dodge

1 50 50 8 -- 5

2 50 50 8 -- 5

etc.

[BMonroe]

Half the time, for cannon-fodder NPCs, I don't even bother with weapon/shield stats.

I just say, for example, "Attack/Defend: 50%, Damage 1d8, AP 15". And then I also only note the DEX for initiative, and the hit points. If something comes up in play that doesn't fit those, I just pull the average stats from the book.

So, for example:

Bandit

Attack/Defend 50%, Damage 1d8, AP 15, DEX: 12 HP: 12

No reason why you couldn't put that into a grid, as above, too. If it's important, I might also note a difference between a ranged and melee attack.

[Atgxtg]

Another thing that might help is to standardized the stats for rank & file NPCs, print them on cards or sheets of paper and reuse them. Games like RQ3 and Pendragon give examples of Young, Average, Old (veteran) Knights, Vikings, or whatnot and use them over and over for the generic nameless foes. Significant NPCs can have their own stats, or just use the gweneric ones, perhaps with a couple of tweaks. For example, the bandit leader could use the veteran bandit stats, but he has a higher CON, more HP, and uses a battleaxe instead of a spear.

While this approach won't make the stat blocks themselves any smaller, it will reduce the number of stat block you need, and thus reduce the time, space, and effort spent on writing up the stats. And it will let you just note the stuff that is different from the norm. For instance, you could put, "use standard hoplite stats, but up the damage bonus to +1D6" ,in an adventure instead of a stat block..

[ORtrail]

If you get a chance to buy some PDFs on the cheap (Basic Creatures for example is just $5) then a quick copy-and-paste can make life pretty easy. You can create a binder with sets of basic foes and tweak for special cases as needed. I feel old when I recall my days of riding my bike down to the local "want ads" paper to use the photocopy machine for my RPG needs -but having everything I need at home to scan,copy,print and tweak in electronic format is SO much easier. Not to mention Google Image searches and all the gaming resources online.

"You kids today have it SO EASY. Now get off my lawn!"

[tzunder]

Orc 1, DX 13, Combat 45%, HP 12, AP2

Orc 2, DX 9, Combat 35%, HP 12, AP1

Orc 3, DX 11, Combat 35%, HP10, AP0

Axe, 1d8+1

OR

Orcs, DX11, Combat 35%, AP1, Axe 1d8+1

Orc1, HP12

Orc2, HP10

Orc3, HP11

[nclarke]

If you get a chance to buy some PDFs on the cheap (Basic Creatures for example is just $5) then a quick copy-and-paste can make life pretty easy. You can create a binder with sets of basic foes and tweak for special cases as needed. I feel old when I recall my days of riding my bike down to the local "want ads" paper to use the photocopy machine for my RPG needs -but having everything I need at home to scan,copy,print and tweak in electronic format is SO much easier. Not to mention Google Image searches and all the gaming resources online.

"You kids today have it SO EASY. Now get off my lawn!"

At least you had access to a copier, I had to type my earliest submissions to fanzines on mimeograph paper. Typos were a nightmare to correct so if your page had too many it was easier to start again than correct them. Writing up material by hand for scenarios meant doing it twice, once for the players and then again with the secret notes to run it.

[threedeesix]

While not as lite as some of those posted above, I do use an abbreviated stat block for my Classic Fantasy adventures. I still like to have most of the important stuff present so it does take up a little more room.

Here is an example featuring an encounter with 4 gnolls.

Gnolls (4): HP 16, 16, 16, 16, AP 8 [banded armor over thick hide], MOV 8, Bite 40%, 1D6+1D3 (bleeding), battle axe 60%, 1D8+2+1D6 (bleeding), round shield 60%, 1D3+1D6 (knockback), climb 45%, dodge 55%, first aid 45%, hide 55%, jump 65%, listen 65%, sense 75%, spot 65%, stealth 65%, throw 60%, and track 65%

STR 14, CON 13, SIZ 18, INT 10, POW 10, DEX 10, CHA 7, MOR 50%

Still may be more than your looking for however.

Rod