Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 30, 2009 16:32:32	Given that the Monster Builder was released for Dungeons & Dragons Insider today, I've put in some overtime today and created a wiki framework which allows users to submit their own characters and monsters built with the DDI tools. I've added explanations on how to submit characters and how to submit monsters which I hope are self-explanatory. If you want to know what the final entries look like, here is a sample character and here is a sample monster. I've enabled anonymous edits for the time being, so it shouldn't be necessary to register at Wikidot.Com (though it is useful for bragging rights...). Hopefully, you won't have any problems with submitting content. Unfortunately, I won't be able to answer any further questions right now, as it is quickly approaching midnight in my time zone. But I will try to accommodate your questions tomorrow, and see if the basic structure of the wiki needs any further improvements by the weekend. Good night, and have fun!
#2 feyberry Jul 30, 2009 23:00:10	Looks like a great idea. Hopefully you'll get plenty of people submitting monsters.
#3 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 30, 2009 23:09:00	So far, there are three monsters in the wiki: The Sewer Squid: The Rat King: And the Sliver Juvenile: Keep them coming!
#4 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 31, 2009 10:06:01	A new creature was submitted - a Storm Ray.
#5 AvonRekaes Jul 31, 2009 10:28:58	I nominate this thread for Sticky.
#6 feyberry Jul 31, 2009 10:53:32	I second the motion.
#7 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 31, 2009 14:09:11	And another entry - a Forge Dwarf:
#8 xi_mao Jul 31, 2009 14:14:02	Ooo, Nice Work.
#9 Herrozerro Jul 31, 2009 14:23:42	I updated the forge dwarf. I screwed up on making Explosive Reaction an atwil instead of encounter.
#10 AvonRekaes Jul 31, 2009 14:37:14	I updated the forge dwarf. I screwed up on making Explosive Reaction an atwil instead of encounter. Constructive Criticism, sblocked in case you don't want it You forgot the "Area" in Flame Bursts's attack. It should read "Area burst 1 within 10". Also all your damages should read "+ 4 fire damage." instead of just "+ 4"
#11 Herrozerro Jul 31, 2009 14:44:12	Constructive Criticism, sblocked in case you don't want it You forgot the "Area" in Flame Bursts's attack. It should read "Area burst 1 within 10". Also all your damages should read "+ 4 fire damage." instead of just "+ 4"
#12 Ore Jul 31, 2009 16:44:38	Yeah, this thread is definitely a candidate for Sticky.
#13 asmodeuslore Jul 31, 2009 17:29:58	I've sent the request for stickiness on this thread to MudBunny. Unrelated, You may want to take note of that copyright notice at the bottom of each monster exported. There may be some legal ramifications because of that.
#14 WotC_Trevor Jul 31, 2009 17:40:14	I'll go ahead and sticky the thread. It's possible that we might have a forum specifically dedicated to sharing custom monsters at some point in the future - I'll keep everyone updated.
#15 midgardserpent Jul 31, 2009 19:29:15	I've uploaded my first two monsters. I'll probably add more as I go along.
#16 AvonRekaes Jul 31, 2009 19:43:58	Uploaded my first monster. I've actually posted this on one particular thread before.... heh. For people wondering how I did the split format and custom equipment: Photoshop.
#17 midgardserpent Jul 31, 2009 20:51:57	Whoever posted the sliver juvenile, I like it. I'd love to see more slivers in there, they make perfect sense in 4e.
#18 AvonRekaes Jul 31, 2009 21:31:48	And another one! ... you can tell I like designing campaign-enders. :D
#19 feyberry Jul 31, 2009 21:44:19	Whoever posted the sliver juvenile, I like it. I'd love to see more slivers in there, they make perfect sense in 4e. You're in luck: http://heavensgate.wikidot.com/local--files/start/SliverEcology.pdf Just keep in mind those were all created by my DM using just the DMG formulas. She's going through and recreating them in the monster builder.
#20 kamikazegerbil Jul 31, 2009 21:54:37	Some great stuff here. I too hope to see more slivers. I may even use them in my game. I've been idly running off stats for special characters from the Wahammer Fantasy Battles universe (the levels of each are of course decided by my own subjective opinion of course others may disagree). I'm reticent to post them though. The characters them selves are the intelectual property of Games Workshop. So I worry that posting the stat blocks for said characters with the WotC copyright at the bottom would cause legal issues. Anyone with the legal knowledge to confirm/deny my fears. I'd love to share.
#21 mudbunny Jul 31, 2009 22:57:51	I'm reticent to post them though. The characters them selves are the intelectual property of Games Workshop. So I worry that posting the stat blocks for said characters with the WotC copyright at the bottom would cause legal issues. Anyone with the legal knowledge to confirm/deny my fears. I'd love to share. I am not a lawyer, but my gut tells me that to do so would be badbadbad and would cause problems. I don't know how related it would be, but back when City of Heroes first came out, a large number of people were recreating various superheroes from Marvel and DC. This resulted in a number of rounds of legal documents and court appearances, resulting in the developers being forced to place certain restrictions on the characters you could create.
#22 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 31, 2009 23:04:11	I've sent the request for stickiness on this thread to MudBunny. Unrelated, You may want to take note of that copyright notice at the bottom of each monster exported. There may be some legal ramifications because of that. I don't really see how this copyright notice is a problem for the wiki.
#23 mudbunny Jul 31, 2009 23:22:22	I don't really see how this copyright notice is a problem for the wiki. My general feeling from chatting with some WotC employees about this is that so long as the wiki doesn't start hosting monsters that WotC has published in any of their books, adventures, etc, and there is no money exchanged for access to the wiki there is not likely to be a problem. I am not a lawyer, this is not intended to be binding on WotC or any of its employees.
#24 Jurgen_Hubert Jul 31, 2009 23:47:12	My general feeling from chatting with some WotC employees about this is that so long as the wiki doesn't start hosting monsters that WotC has published in any of their books, adventures, etc, and there is no money exchanged for access to the wiki there is not likely to be a problem. That's okay, I don't intend to do that - though if anyone notices such a thing occurring, please notify me so that I can delete the relevant entries. (Speaking of which... I hope there hasn't been a stat block for Bane in existing WotC publications. Does anyone know?) Some site changes: I've activated the forum of the wiki. Among other things, this means that you can now discuss whether or not a monster is balanced by clicking on the "discuss" button at the bottom of the individual entries. Encouragement for the creator of the monster, suggestions for variants, comments on their use in your campaign and so forth are of course also very welcome. ;) If you have used the template I have provided for creating your own entries, you might also have noticed that there is a "rate" icon in the top right corner of the page. You can use that to rate the entries of other users if you are logged in to Wikidot.Com. Once they are rated, they will appear on the 100 Top Entries page. Which is currently empty, as nobody has rated anything yet. ;) But I'm sure we will get there eventually. Use this module to give a sign of appreciation and encouragement to the authors of your favorite entries!
#25 AvonRekaes Aug 01, 2009 0:43:08	(Speaking of which... I hope there hasn't been a stat block for Bane in existing WotC publications. Does anyone know? Actually, there was an intentional decision not to have Bane's stats show up in the Deities and Demigods article written by Ari Marmell. When asked, he said it was because the decision was made not to include stats that would never be used. A level 39 solo cannot be beaten, so they didn't show us a level 39 solo. So I made one. :D With the bonus tool monster creater, no less, which, like the current Monster Builder, goes up to level 40. Makes you wonder...
#26 ToeSama Aug 01, 2009 1:05:58	And another one! ... you can tell I like designing campaign-enders. :D How did you get the images to sit like that? Was it manually done or can you adjust the image of the stat block to look like this?
#27 midgardserpent Aug 01, 2009 1:39:33	I've just posted my third monster, which I'm quite proud of. The Gilded Page Tornado
#28 AvonRekaes Aug 01, 2009 2:12:47	How did you get the images to sit like that? Was it manually done or can you adjust the image of the stat block to look like this? Sorry, I manually edited it in photoshop.
#29 Jurgen_Hubert Aug 01, 2009 2:20:04	And another new addition from my own campaign setting - as well as a homage to a classical bit of London folklore: Pumpkin Jack!
#30 ToeSama Aug 01, 2009 2:30:04	Sorry, I manually edited it in photoshop. Thought so. Guess I can at least do that much.
#31 Jurgen_Hubert Aug 01, 2009 9:43:19	Note: I've said before that I've activated per page discussions on the wiki so that users can discuss the game balance of monsters, among other things. But if you do criticize the submission of another user, please make your criticism constructive. That is to say, explain yourself a bit more thoroughly than just saying "This is good"/"This is bad". Give the original author some advice and suggestions on what aspects to change, improve, or remove while keeping the overall concept of the creature intact.
#32 Ore Aug 01, 2009 19:41:37	My first contribution to the wiki, the Lesser Glim. I have not done a lot of monster design work so please feel free to critique my work. That is one of the reasons I started small. I want to make sure I know what I am doing before I work my way up the monster ladder.
#33 ToeSama Aug 02, 2009 7:10:45	My first contribution to the wiki, the Lesser Glim. I have not done a lot of monster design work so please feel free to critique my work. That is one of the reasons I started small. I want to make sure I know what I am doing before I work my way up the monster ladder. The Lighting Field ability is worded poorly for the way it was probably suppose to work on paper. As it stands, they need to be next to another creature with Lightning powers to use a close burst attack that targets all creatures, including those lightning creatures that are fueling the attack. In other words, they are hurting their own allies in the process. If you had this in mind when making the monster, that's fine, but otherwise, I'd add in "targets enemies" to the attack, lest your little guys end up frying each other when they swarm together as minions sometimes are designed to do. That aside, the ability is way to powerful for a level 1 minion to begin with. Dazed isn't really anything to sniff at in Heroic tier, and as a Minion, a whole horde of these things could probably cause a serious disruption, especially when used in a boss type fight. Lightning Arc is fine, but Lightning field needs to be taken back to the workshop and heavily retooled. Since you've clearly got an Insider subscription (otherwise how are you using the Monster Builder? XD), go in the compendium and take a look at Minions. Gather basic ideas from other creatures. The entire Heroic Tier should do you well to get you started.
#34 Ore Aug 02, 2009 10:19:01	Lightning Field removed. I am working this morning on the Greater Glim which is a Level 3 Brute. Lightning Field will be reworked into that creature with the suggested changes (so he is not harming his allies).
#35 Ore Aug 02, 2009 10:53:17	Greater Glim Moved the Lightning Field to Greater Glim. Removed the Dazed effect. Added restrictions on the Lightning Field effect for balance and flavor reasons. Now I need to find some miniatures to represent floating balls of lightning, hehe.
#36 osothebear Aug 02, 2009 12:41:34	Thought Eater Classic, ridiculous monster. He's based on the 1e version, not the 3.x version, so he's still a floating, ethereal platypus.
#37 midgardserpent Aug 02, 2009 18:13:26	Greater Glim Moved the Lightning Field to Greater Glim. Removed the Dazed effect. Added restrictions on the Lightning Field effect for balance and flavor reasons. Now I need to find some miniatures to represent floating balls of lightning, hehe. Lightning Field is badly worded. It's a standard action that says "when first bloodied." That kind of terminology is for immediate reactions. You could just change it to a standard action that is usable when bloodied, or an immediate reaction that occurs "when first bloodied" and it will work fine. Otherwise I think they're great.
#38 Ore Aug 02, 2009 19:28:23	Reworded. I am adding "wording" to the top of the list of things I need to keep an eye out for henceforth.
#39 ToeSama Aug 02, 2009 21:35:09	Something to take note of Ore; when you want to add a specific target set to an attack power, write the targets in the description line above the Range in the attack block. That will help you for the targeting correction in the future.
#40 midgardserpent Aug 03, 2009 11:13:58	I actually think having the lesser glim have it's own self destructing burst 2 is ok as long as it does set minion type damage. It could be a voluntary sacrifice or a death burst...maybe in response to a melee miss?
#41 Ore Aug 03, 2009 14:37:31	And lock it in at 3 lightning damage? That is something to think about for sure.
#42 Machamacha Aug 03, 2009 16:19:31	Here's mine: Volcanic Drake Swarm Swarm of Volcanic Drakes from the Elemental Chaos. Evolved as symbiotic scavengars, they can usually be found near Volcanic Dragons. I couldn't find a good place for flavor text in the Monster Builder, but the idea behind the Sacrificial Burst power is that the Drakes start attacking each other and throw the dead bodies and entrails out in a zone (think of the alien escape scene in Alien:Resurrection). I know that power is really wordy, would appreciate any advice on improving that. Thanks!
#43 ToeSama Aug 03, 2009 18:17:25	Finally got around to joining the wiki and posting my first submission. The Menhir.
#44 feyberry Aug 03, 2009 21:07:43	Here's mine: Volcanic Drake Swarm Swarm of Volcanic Drakes from the Elemental Chaos. Evolved as symbiotic scavengars, they can usually be found near Volcanic Dragons. I couldn't find a good place for flavor text in the Monster Builder, but the idea behind the Sacrificial Burst power is that the Drakes start attacking each other and throw the dead bodies and entrails out in a zone (think of the alien escape scene in Alien:Resurrection). I know that power is really wordy, would appreciate any advice on improving that. http://ddiwiki.wikidot.com/local--files/volcanic-drake-swarm/Volcanic_Drake_Swarm.png Thanks! Don't forget that swarms take half damage from ranged and melee attacks.
#45 midgardserpent Aug 05, 2009 12:22:50	People seem to be posting links for monsters but then not submitting the monsters. What's going on there?
#46 osothebear Aug 05, 2009 12:25:35	Maybe they don't know off-hand the best way to insert images. Maybe add a simple tutorial to the OP?
#47 Ore Aug 05, 2009 16:40:29	Maybe. If you login to the wiki you will see a list of links on the left. One is a tutorial for how to set it all up.
#48 Jurgen_Hubert Aug 06, 2009 3:14:57	I thought that everything was explained clearly on the Monsters page. But if this doesn't suffice, please tell me what you still need to know.
#49 osothebear Aug 06, 2009 4:15:14	Hey J?rgen, I didn't mean to imply that your instructions weren't clear. I was able to follow them without any problems. I just meant that the expectation of posting the monsters as images in this thread wasn't necessarily obvious to someone who just casually browses on. We all know forum users don't always read super carefully. Thanks for starting the wiki!
#50 Jurgen_Hubert Aug 06, 2009 6:20:14	Hey J?rgen, My actual name was supposed to be "Jürgen", but the forum software mangled the umlaut. Just in case someone was wondering about that... I didn't mean to imply that your instructions weren't clear. I was able to follow them without any problems. I just meant that the expectation of posting the monsters as images in this thread wasn't necessarily obvious to someone who just casually browses on. We all know forum users don't always read super carefully. Well, I've posted links to this wiki to other forums as well, so not all the users on the wiki come from here... Thanks for starting the wiki! No problem. I have a habit of starting wikis... ;) Oh, and I've added some counters to the side bar. If you give your entries the "Monster" tag like the instructions say, they will be counted and their number shown. Currently, we are at 20 monsters...
#51 Direach Aug 13, 2009 19:09:25	This is the keraunath, a monster I created based on the Young Krayt Dragon mini from the Star Wars line:
#52 midgardserpent Aug 14, 2009 4:51:39	I posted a bunch of monsters today, a series of cultists of the Bleak Cabal for my epic characters. Like everything else I've made so far they are level 25 since that's what's appropriate for my party. You can find my newest monsters here. I intend to create at least two more so that I fill each role. Please let me know what you think of them. http://ddiwiki.wikidot.com/system:page-tags/tag/bleak-cabal
#53 midgardserpent Aug 16, 2009 23:27:26	We're up over 40 monsters now with my newest additions coming in quickly. my latest contribution is L4D&D, a series of heroic tier monsters modeled after the monsters from the video game Left 4 Dead. You can check em out in the Wiki here and I'll be making a post about them in the forums once they're all done.
#54 Direach Aug 27, 2009 23:47:20	Nuckelavee is one of the most terrible and loathsome of all fey creatures. It dwells along remote and forbidding ocean coastlines in the Feywild and in the natural world, and tends to prefer colder climes. Rarely, it may be encountered in or on the shores of vast, stagnant underground seas. Nuckelavee resembles a giant horse, with flippers instead of hooves and a single huge, burning red eye in its forehead. Its jaws are filled with long, sharp teeth. Rising from the center of its back is a thick humanoid torso with two very long arms ending in hooked black talons. Atop the torso is a thin neck supporting a massive leering head three feet across, which lolls about hideously as Nuckelavee moves. The entire creature is skinless, exposing raw red muscle, glistening white tendons, and thick yellow veins pulsing with black blood. Nuckelavee relishes spreading destruction and corruption, and takes particular pleasure in tormenting and killing elves and humans. Fortunately, it rarely ventures far from the ocean. Fresh water is anathema to Nuckelavee, and it will avoid even approaching fresh water whenever possible.
#55 dave_the_DM Sep 02, 2009 20:42:11	Well, I really enjoyed the Diablo series when it was released for 3E, and with 4E out it seems even more appropriate. Most monsters already fit the bill: Skeletons, Skeleton Archers, Zombies, etc. Needed goatmen though, and here they are for your enjoyment!! Note: Ignore "Shadow wolf", and insert "hell clan goat man"... too tired to reedit right now. As per the description the hell clan has the powers of both the night clan and blood clans! Ack!
#56 Generic_Fighter Sep 30, 2009 21:19:02	Added a monster Anounamously last night, The Waterspitter Elemental. Had to use a PDF for the statblock, though, since I just got GIMP his morning. Also, tried to sign up and it won't accept my E-Mail address for some reason. Never had this problem before. Anyone know why it doesn't accept my E-Mail? In the mantime, I'll add a couple as an Anon tonight. Thanks for the Wiki and any help withsigning up. GF
#57 vultureboy Oct 10, 2009 6:46:33	We're up over 40 monsters now with my newest additions coming in quickly. my latest contribution is L4D&D, a series of heroic tier monsters modeled after the monsters from the video game Left 4 Dead. You can check em out in the Wiki here and I'll be making a post about them in the forums once they're all done. Nice. I love Left 4 Dead so know exactly what you're coming from Only made one monster so far which was inspired by the Tendriculos from 3rd/3.5 edition D&D. Will post when I figure out how (New to the D&D forums :P)
#58 vultureboy Oct 10, 2009 7:09:54	We're up over 40 monsters now with my newest additions coming in quickly. my latest contribution is L4D&D, a series of heroic tier monsters modeled after the monsters from the video game Left 4 Dead. You can check em out in the Wiki here and I'll be making a post about them in the forums once they're all done. Nice. I love Left 4 Dead so know exactly what you're coming from Only made one monster so far which was inspired by the Tendriculos from 3rd/3.5 edition D&D. Will post when I figure out how (New to the D&D forums :P) This is only my first monster so go easy on me
#59 hellgrammite00 Feb 13, 2010 11:17:27	Added an Adult Spelleater (dragon from 3.5 Dragon Magic book.)
#60 Iceman2321 Dec 16, 2010 20:10:08	This incarnation is based on the Red Dragon from the new Monster Vault.