cards for spells, monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

cards for spells, monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Halornn_Kaala
07-20-05, 11:34 AM As a DM, I've taken to creating index cards on my PC for each monster I'm likely to use in the upcoming game - so I don't have to lug around and flip through one or more MMs during the game. This is time intensive, though, and my question is whether a d20 company sells packs of cards which put the stats in an easy-to-use card format. I realize there are cards that come with the minis, but I don't always need/want the mini itself, and there are still plenty of monsters who don't have appropriate minis. Same question for spells.

Thanks in advance,
Halornn
dragonchic1500
07-20-05, 02:05 PM There is a company that makes cards for monsters and spell stats. Each card is about the same size as a trading card. The maker is The Other Game Company. I bought mine from one of those legit RPG download sites or you can try http://www.theothergamecompany.com/. I know they have a free version of the cards which are blank; you can give those a look and if you like buy the pre-filled version. They are a d20 company and produce items that are OGC (sorry, no beholders for you). Hope this helps.
Bruunwald
07-20-05, 03:38 PM I make my own trading-card sized cards for my game. It is time consuming, but they're extremely handy. I prefer my own cards because I can then format them in a way that makes finding information easier for me. Also, I tend not to use too many "normal" monsters. I tend to give them class levels or alter them, so the store-bought ones do not always do for me.

I recommend making some up for the PCs as well, and then stacking them in their initiative order. This way, you have all of their info, in case you need to make a check for them, and if initiative changes, you just drop the appropriate card into a different place in the deck.

Again, very time consuming, prep-wise. But our combats have sped up about 50% since I began doing this. I also now have a small library in a folder, making pulling out a creature on the fly, quite quick and easy.

I also recommend spell and rules cards. I make those up about business card size. But only for the tough stuff: the stuff that starts arguments or spells that are a little harder to remember.
ccerose
07-20-05, 06:33 PM There is a company that makes cards for monsters and spell stats. Each card is about the same size as a trading card. The maker is The Other Game Company. I bought mine from one of those legit RPG download sites or you can try http://www.theothergamecompany.com/. I know they have a free version of the cards which are blank; you can give those a look and if you like buy the pre-filled version. They are a d20 company and produce items that are OGC (sorry, no beholders for you). Hope this helps.

Those cards are really cool. They are small, yet provide a lot of information. I had been using the free ones from The Game Mechanics (http://www.thegamemechanics.com/freebies/index.asp). They are a little larger and only have one side. They have been working fine for my game. If you go to the link, scroll to the bottom sectioned called Fantasy Freebies.
Thomar_of_Uointer
07-20-05, 08:01 PM Preparation is always time-consuming, but well worth it. The best thing you can do is share (http://www.snipersquad.net/tom/Grid.pdf) stuff (http://www.snipersquad.net/tom/MediumFoldup.pdf) with others, and borrow liberally.
chrisnd
07-20-05, 10:31 PM I never thought that I would actually do this as a DM, but...

Back in December, my firm decided that the work that I was going to be doing in 2005 would require me to be out of the office and at clients more often. As a result, I receive a Dell Latitude laptop. A very nice computer indeed. The best part about it, it was, for all intents and purposes (intensive porpoises?) my computer. I could take it home on a regular basis. So, with a D&D session coming up soon, I decided to put some information in Excel (monster stats, NPC character names, various campaign scribbles, other such stuff) and used the computer during the session.

It didn't bother the players, and it is now a regular fixture on the gaming table. I have all the notes that I need, and I have a spreadsheet that contains all the vital information for each enemy the group will face. I even have a little chart that calculates each enemy's appropriate initiative based on my die roll.

If you have access to a laptop, I would highly recommend bringing it to the gaming session with you. You can really store a lot of stuff, and battles go really smooth when the enemies in one particular encounter include 6 skeletons, 1 giant skeleton, 4 ghouls, 2 ghasts, 2 low level clerics, a 5th level mage, and a 7th level cleric all in one battle. Having to flip through either the MM or pages of notes makes a battle like that incredibly cumbersome. My computer, on the other hand, is a brilliant addition.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Halornn_Kaala 07-20-05, 11:34 AM	As a DM, I've taken to creating index cards on my PC for each monster I'm likely to use in the upcoming game - so I don't have to lug around and flip through one or more MMs during the game. This is time intensive, though, and my question is whether a d20 company sells packs of cards which put the stats in an easy-to-use card format. I realize there are cards that come with the minis, but I don't always need/want the mini itself, and there are still plenty of monsters who don't have appropriate minis. Same question for spells. Thanks in advance, Halornn
dragonchic1500 07-20-05, 02:05 PM	There is a company that makes cards for monsters and spell stats. Each card is about the same size as a trading card. The maker is The Other Game Company. I bought mine from one of those legit RPG download sites or you can try http://www.theothergamecompany.com/. I know they have a free version of the cards which are blank; you can give those a look and if you like buy the pre-filled version. They are a d20 company and produce items that are OGC (sorry, no beholders for you). Hope this helps.
Bruunwald 07-20-05, 03:38 PM	I make my own trading-card sized cards for my game. It is time consuming, but they're extremely handy. I prefer my own cards because I can then format them in a way that makes finding information easier for me. Also, I tend not to use too many "normal" monsters. I tend to give them class levels or alter them, so the store-bought ones do not always do for me. I recommend making some up for the PCs as well, and then stacking them in their initiative order. This way, you have all of their info, in case you need to make a check for them, and if initiative changes, you just drop the appropriate card into a different place in the deck. Again, very time consuming, prep-wise. But our combats have sped up about 50% since I began doing this. I also now have a small library in a folder, making pulling out a creature on the fly, quite quick and easy. I also recommend spell and rules cards. I make those up about business card size. But only for the tough stuff: the stuff that starts arguments or spells that are a little harder to remember.
ccerose 07-20-05, 06:33 PM	There is a company that makes cards for monsters and spell stats. Each card is about the same size as a trading card. The maker is The Other Game Company. I bought mine from one of those legit RPG download sites or you can try http://www.theothergamecompany.com/. I know they have a free version of the cards which are blank; you can give those a look and if you like buy the pre-filled version. They are a d20 company and produce items that are OGC (sorry, no beholders for you). Hope this helps. Those cards are really cool. They are small, yet provide a lot of information. I had been using the free ones from The Game Mechanics (http://www.thegamemechanics.com/freebies/index.asp). They are a little larger and only have one side. They have been working fine for my game. If you go to the link, scroll to the bottom sectioned called Fantasy Freebies.
Thomar_of_Uointer 07-20-05, 08:01 PM	Preparation is always time-consuming, but well worth it. The best thing you can do is share (http://www.snipersquad.net/tom/Grid.pdf) stuff (http://www.snipersquad.net/tom/MediumFoldup.pdf) with others, and borrow liberally.
chrisnd 07-20-05, 10:31 PM	I never thought that I would actually do this as a DM, but... Back in December, my firm decided that the work that I was going to be doing in 2005 would require me to be out of the office and at clients more often. As a result, I receive a Dell Latitude laptop. A very nice computer indeed. The best part about it, it was, for all intents and purposes (intensive porpoises?) my computer. I could take it home on a regular basis. So, with a D&D session coming up soon, I decided to put some information in Excel (monster stats, NPC character names, various campaign scribbles, other such stuff) and used the computer during the session. It didn't bother the players, and it is now a regular fixture on the gaming table. I have all the notes that I need, and I have a spreadsheet that contains all the vital information for each enemy the group will face. I even have a little chart that calculates each enemy's appropriate initiative based on my die roll. If you have access to a laptop, I would highly recommend bringing it to the gaming session with you. You can really store a lot of stuff, and battles go really smooth when the enemies in one particular encounter include 6 skeletons, 1 giant skeleton, 4 ghouls, 2 ghasts, 2 low level clerics, a 5th level mage, and a 7th level cleric all in one battle. Having to flip through either the MM or pages of notes makes a battle like that incredibly cumbersome. My computer, on the other hand, is a brilliant addition.