New Monster Statblock - First Attempt (Ankheg)
Not that long ago, I posted a rant about monster statblocks, and how much I find the GURPS statblock underwhelming. In short, I found it lacking information that would be useful for me as a GM both in combat and out of combat. It made me realize that I want something closer to a proper Monster Manual entry that a "bare" statblock with all the information that the GM can use to incorporate the monster into the world and quickly use it in the game. I decided to try it on the good ol' ankheg. I can say that I'm satisfied with the result, but I may be missing something. I would love to receive some feedback on this to help me refine it.
Here's the result in a PDF format - link.
EDIT: Added a section with useful rules and the trample attack.
EDIT #2: Added information about the activity cycle, organization, and edibility.
EDIT #3: Added numbers to the hex layout and tied Reach to them.
That is one hell of a stat block! Amazing! It has EVERYTHING in it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad that you liked it
DeleteReally good ! Best stat block ever.
ReplyDeleteYou ask for suggestion so here a few :
-> number of creatures you meet in the lair or probability to be in the lair. (with day/night comportment also ?)
-> Nocturnal, diurnal, ect...
-> maybe a simple table with quick information about ecology (Number in lair, hybernate : y/n, Diurnal-Nocturnal, Can a human eat it : y/n, easiest way to find one, useful for crafting/magic: y/n )
-> Tracks : Is it easy to follow the creature ? track, scent , noise ect..
-> Important information highlighted (like in vision, we learn that melee attack are at -2 !, important to know, it's a big debuff)
Thank you for the feedback!
DeleteI'll update this document with your suggestions when I have some free time
seriously this crazy stat-block is the best GURPS innovation since the Delver-to-grow book
DeleteThank you! I updated the document. I decided against making an ecology table, and just noted down its activity cycle and organization in separate subsections. Activity cycle is likely to be the first one alphabetically, so it will be visible. As for organization, I simply went with the likely number to be encountered. For some monsters, a chance of encountering on in the lair would be appropriate, but here it makes less sense, as the ankheg is a nomadic creature that stays in its lair only when hibernating or nesting. If a creature will be particularly difficult or easy to track, then I will create another subsection for that information. Also, I added the edibility information into the "Spoils" section, as it is too long to work as a table entry.
DeleteFair enough. Good work ! It could be cool to have a sort of "empty template" of your statblock, so we have a sort of to-do list when we stat a monster and not forget anything.
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