In 2006, Wizards of the Coast unveiled a revised format for 3.5 stat blocks. James Wyatt explained the logic behind the new form in a Design & Development column in July 2006. Basically, the new stat block was designed around two principles:

1. All the information you need to use the monster should be present in the stat block.

2. The information in the stat block should be organized around the way in which the information is actually used in an encounter.

The new stat block featured five “sections”.

Section 1: The information you need to begin an encounter. (What is the monster? How does it detect the PCs? Will the PCs be able to speak to it? What’s it’s initiative? And so forth.)

Section 2: The information you’ll need to know about on the PCs’ turn. (What’s its AC? Hit points? Saving throws? Resistances and immunities? And so forth.)

Section 3: The information you’ll need to know on the monster’s turn. (What can it do? What attack options does it have? What special actions can it take?)

Section 4: The information you don’t need to know during combat. (Or, at least, generally won’t need to know.)

Section 5: Explanatory text. If an unusual ability is mentioned in the first four sections, it’s given a full explanation at the bottom of the stat block.

CRITICISMS

This new stat block did exactly what it was supposed to do: It made it easier to use the monster, particularly during the high-stress period of combat.

But it wasn’t without criticism. These criticisms generally fell into one of two categories:

1. IT TAKES UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

There is both a legitimate and a non-legitimate side to this critique.

Let’s start with the legitimate critique, because it’s easier: There is no doubt that the new stat block takes up more space in published adventures than the old adventure stat block. The old adventure stat block was literally a stat block. The information was all crammed into one big paragraph.

By separating the information out into separate sections and giving it some air to breathe, the WotC designers made it easier to use, but also made it take up a lot more space.

The non-legitimate critique was that the new stat block also took up more space in the Monster Manual products.

For example, take a look at the magmacore golem from Monster Manual V. This creature is very similar to a flesh golem from the original 3.5 Monster Manual.

The magmacore golem stat block requires 22 lines. The flesh golem stat block requires 27 lines.

This is one of the cases in which the new stat block actually requires less space than the old stat block. In some cases the opposite is true. But the difference is never particularly large or significant.

Now, what is true is that the newer Monster Manual entries include a lot of new information outside of the stat blocks, most notable Knowledge check DCs for monster lore and sample encounters.

But the real reason that a lot of people think that the new stat blocks take up more space is because they take up more space on the page. But this isn’t because of the stat blocks: It’s because WotC increased their font size. The original Monster Manual, for example, has 67 lines to the page. Monster Manual V, on the other hand, only has 55 lines to the page.

2. THEY LEFT OUT INFORMATION!

There’s no mitigation for this complaint. (Most notably, the Hit Die type and full hit point calculation for each creature was removed. ) And, frankly, it leaves me scratching my head. The WotC design team trumpeted the idea of making sure that all the information you need to use the monster is in the monster’s entry… while simultaneously rolling out a revised stat block that removed essential information and forced you to look for it elsewhere.

3. INFORMATION HAS BEEN DUPLICATED!

This is true, but it’s not a meaningful critique.. For example, a creature’s Spot and Listen modifiers are included in both the first section of the stat block (because that determines when and how they detect the PCs) and in the fourth section of the stat block (in the complete list of the creature’s skills).

There are not many examples of this duplication, and wherever it occurs it makes sense: The information belongs in both locations. If this were causing the stat block to bloat in size, it might be problematical. But, as we’ve discussed, this isn’t actually the case.

REVISING THE REVISION

I think the revised stat block was generally a move in the right direction: Breaking the information down into utility-based sections make the new stat blocks considerably easier to use in play.

However, by leaving out essential information, the new stat blocks became more difficult to use in prep (and even more difficult to use if you wanted to make adjustments on-the-fly). And using what was essentially a full-blown Monster Manual stat block for every NPC that appeared in an adventure did, in fact, chew up a lot of space and result in less detailed and elaborate adventures (on a page-for-page comparison).

So I’m revising the revision. Basically I’ve made two major changes:

1. I’ve used tabs to introduce more white space and make the stat blocks even easier to read. For example, instead of:

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

My version of the stat blocks reads:

Space: 5 ft.                Reach: 5 ft.

2. Information that was removed from the WotC stat block — like the HD type and full hit point calculation — has been restored in my stat block.

Minor differences? Sure. But every little bit of utility helps.

My revised stat block is available as an RTF file, which includes the blank template and two samples (a goblin and a balor):

Revised Stat Block

SHORT STAT BLOCK

To address the concern that the full version of the revised stat block unnecessarily devours space for stat blocks that don’t require that level of detail, I have also designed a short stat block. It looks like this:

NAME (CR #) – [Gender] [Race] – [Class] [Level] – [Alignment] [Size] [Type]
DETECTION – [special], Listen +#, Spot +#; Init +#; Aura …; Languages [list], [special]
DEFENSES –  AC #, touch #, flat-footed #; hp # (HD); Miss #%; DR #; Immune …; Resist …; Weakness …
ACTIONS – Spd # ft.; Melee attack +# (damage); Ranged attack +# (damage); Space # ft.; Reach # ft.; Base Atk +#; Grapple +#; Atk Options …; SA …; Combat Feats …; Combat Gear …
SQ …
STR #, DEX #, CON #, INT #, WIS #, CHA #
FORT +#, REF +#, WILL +#;
FEATS:
SKILLS:
POSSESSIONS:

And here’s an example using a lesser bloodwight, a creature which can be found Mini-Adventure 1: The Complex of Zombies:

LESSER BLOODWIGHT (CR 2) – Always NE Undead
DETECTION – Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +7, Spot +7; Init +1; Aura bloodsheen 30 ft.; Languages: Infernal
DEFENSES – AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14; hp 26 (4d12); DR 5/slashing; Immune undead immunities (death effects, disease, mind-affecting, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning)
ACTIONS – Spd 30 ft.; Melee claw +3 (1d6+2 plus blood welt); Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +2; Grapple +3
STR 14, DEX 12, CON –, INT 11, WIS 13, CHA 16
FORT +1, REF +2, WILL +5
FEATS: Ability Focus (bloodsheen), Combat Reflexes
SKILLS: Hide +8, Listen +7, Move Silently +16, Spot +7

And here’s an elite city guard from Mini-Adventure 2: The Black Mist:

ELITE CITY GUARDS (CR 4) – Human – Fighter 4 – LN Medium Humanoid
DETECTION – Listen +5, Spot +9; Init +1; Languages: Common
DEFENSES – AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17; hp 30 (4d10+8)
ACTIONS – Spd 20 ft. (run 60 ft.); Melee greatsword +8 (2d6+6, 17-20/x2); Ranged heavy crossbow +4 (1d10, 19-20/x2); Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +4; Grapple +7; Combat Feats: Rapid Reload (heavy crossbow); Combat Gear: alchemist’s fire (x2), potion of cure light wounds (x2), smokestick (x2)
STR 16, DEX 11, CON 12, INT 10, WIS 12, CHA 10
FORT +5, REF +3, WILL +1
FEATS: Alertness, Improved Critical (greatsword), Rapid Reload (heavy crossbows), Skill Focus (Spot), Weapon Focus (greatsword), Weapon Specialization (greatsword)
SKILLS: Climb +5, Intimidate +2, Listen +5, Spot +9
POSSESSIONS: masterwork greatsword, half-plate, heavy crossbow (12 quarrels), 3d8+10 gp in loose change

This short stat block, along with the examples, can also be found in RTF format:

Short Stat Block

These stat blocks have also been placed under the OGL for your convenience.

John and Abigail, my critically-acclaimed Fringe show, is returning for a limited engagement as a South High Theater Alumni Event from October 23rd to October 26th. For this encore performance, Sarah Martin is reprising her role as Abigail Adams and I’ll once again star as John Adams. Proceeds from the event will contribute to the South High Theater program.

South High School in Minneapolis, MN has a really amazing theater program run by a woman by the name of Louise Bormann. She believes that students learn best when they are (a) allowed to do something meaningful and (b) asked to do something challenging. When it comes to theater, that means putting on difficult plays and allowing students to take part in every part of the production: Acting, directing, lighting, sound design, set building, costuming — if there’s a job you can do in theater, you can do it as a student at South High.

There have been years when South High Theater put on more than eight shows in a single year. This year, they’re only doing six: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, the musical Cabaret, August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, an undetermined project directed by a senior in the spring, and the 17th Annual Student Written and Directed One Acts.

The result of Louise’s dedication and belief in the capabilities of her students have been routinely excellent high school productions of challenging theatrical pieces: Not just shows which are “good for high school students”, but shows which are just flat-out worth watching.

The success of the program can be seen not only in the hundreds of students it benefits every year, but also in the success stories it has produced: Not only have local theatrical stars like Emily Gunyou Halaas and Nathan Keepers (Theater de la Jeune Leune) emerged from the program, but also Hollywood stars like Josh Hartnett (30 Days of Night) and Rachel Leigh Cook (Nancy Drew).

I attended South High School as part of the class of 1998. My first role in theater was Demetrius in the 1994 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Later that year the first play I ever wrote — a modern adaptation of Faust — was produced as part of the Student Written and Directed One Acts. The next year I was honored to star as Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac and was the assistant director for West Side Story. These were seminal experiences which changed the direction of my life and continue to shape my life on a day-to-day basis. They genuinely made me a better person and more talented artist.

So I’m really excited and truly honored to have the opportunity to put on this encore performance of John and Abigail and give a little something back from the theater program which has given me so much.

October 23rd thru 26th – 7:00 pm
South High’s Skybox Theater
3131 19th Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN
Reservations: 612-719-1994

Cast – Crew
Poster – Production Photos
Buy the Script!