Necrozius
Legendary Pubber
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- Apr 25, 2017
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So there's there are these 2 little tables in the book The Lazy DM's Woprkbook by Sly Flourish. It's for D&D 5e. Based on the author's copious studies on the system, he's created minimalistic tables to let DMs "wing" it with traps (for damage and DCs to avoid, disarm etc...). They look like this:
I've been using these tables... A LOT. Not just for traps either. Random hazards and unexpected dangers. I even... *gasp*... used these to generate the attacks and attributes of a monster!!
This got me thinking... Especially after reading Numenera, in which a statblock can basically be a single number (with some fluff). Why do I even need a Monster Manual anymore?
I would simplify my life as a DM significantly if I just ditched pre-made stat blocks and used this instead.
HP? Not a problem, 5e uses certain die types for different sizes of creature:
To keep things challenging for HP, just categorize each creature by "Setback, Dangerous or Deadly":
Has anyone done something similar? If not for D&D, for other RPGs?
Character level | Setback | Dangerous | Deadly |
---|---|---|---|
1st-4th | 5 (1d10) | 11 (2d10) | 22 (4d10) |
5th-10th | 11 (2d10) | 22 (4d10) | 55 (10d10) |
11th-16th | 22 (4d10) | 55 (10d10) | 99 (18d10) |
17th-20th | 55 (10d10) | 99 (18d10) | 132 (24d10) |
Trap danger | Save DC | Attack Bonus |
---|---|---|
Setback | 10-11 | +3 to +5 |
Dangerous | 12-15 | +6 to +8 |
Deadly | 16-20 | +9 to +12 |
I've been using these tables... A LOT. Not just for traps either. Random hazards and unexpected dangers. I even... *gasp*... used these to generate the attacks and attributes of a monster!!
This got me thinking... Especially after reading Numenera, in which a statblock can basically be a single number (with some fluff). Why do I even need a Monster Manual anymore?
I would simplify my life as a DM significantly if I just ditched pre-made stat blocks and used this instead.
HP? Not a problem, 5e uses certain die types for different sizes of creature:
- Small: 1d6
- Medium: 1d8
- Large: 1d10
- Huge: 1d12
- Gargantuan: 1d20
To keep things challenging for HP, just categorize each creature by "Setback, Dangerous or Deadly":
- Minimum HP for Setback (ie, 3d8 would roll only 3 HP)
- Average HP for Dangerous (ie, 3d8 would roll 15 HP)
- Max HP for Deadly (ie, 3d8 would roll 24 HP)
Has anyone done something similar? If not for D&D, for other RPGs?