The Nimble booklet says:
A DM can use any 5e compatible monster book or stat block, as written. Only two small tweaks are made and can be done easily, on the fly:
Monster Attacks. Like PCs, monsters simply roll their damage dice + stat modifier, as usual. They miss on an attack by rolling a 1 on their Primary Die, and crit by rolling the maximum.
Monster AC. Unlike PCs, monster armor is simplified into three groups:
(0–13 AC) Light armor takes damage as usual: damage dice + ability modifier.
(14–17 AC) Medium armor takes damage ONLY from the dice, ignoring ALL damage modifiers (e.g., STR/DEX bonuses, agonizing blast, etc.) unless they are negative.
(18+ AC) Heavy armor takes half damage from all sources (rounded up). PC critical hits, saving throw spells, and damage type vulnerabilities ignore monster armor altogether.
This is convenient if one has the full stat block, but D&D 5 stat blocks can be long. For my DM notes, or for monsters I create, I’d like something shorter and more concise.
Luckily from my (limited) DMing experience I developed a way to summarize a monster in a simple table with the following columns.
- Monster or NPC Name
- Initiative Modifier
- Armor Class
- Hit Points
- Movement Rates
- Saving Throws: “Fort” (Con), “Ref” (Dex), “Will” (Wis)
- Attacks in a shorthand of “weapon to-hit-bonus/damage-avg damage-type [+ effects]”, e.g. “club +3/4 bludgeoning”, “bite +2/2 piercing + 10 poison”, or “claw +4/7 slashing + paralysis”.
- Special abilities
If the special abilities overflow the space alotted, I just write the creature’s name and full effects (with rules as needed) underneath the table.
Between this format and some simplifications for Nimble player characters I think I can shorten the Nimble monster statblock.
The Nimble Short Form
Thus I propose a “short form” for monsters either developed for Nimble or summarized for use in a Nimble session.
Monster Summary
First comes the Monster Summary in a horizontal table.
- Name
- (optional) CR
- Armor: Light, Medium, Heavy
- Hit Points
- Movement Rate(s)
- Saving Throws
- Str: avg of Str and Con, rounded up
- Dex: Dex
- Will: sum of best and worst mental stat
- Attacks
- name
- “(L)” if Legendary
- dice
- extra effect if any (by name)
- Notable Special Actions (name, (L) if Legendary)
- Notable Special Abilities (name)
Note that the Str saving throw replaces Con and Str saving throws, and the Will saving throw replaces the separate Int, Cha, and Wis saving throws. The combined saving throw may be substantially higher or lower than the single ability saving throws themselves, particularly since monsters aren’t constrained by “standard arrays” or character points.
In all other ways monster rules are the same as in Nimble and D&D 5e. Monsters still take the standard Move, Action, and Reaction on their turns, and possible Legendary or Lair actions on player turns, as in standard 5e. They do not use Action Points or Heroic Reactions from Nimble.
Monster Details
Below the Monster Summary Table comes a list of abilities, disabilities, and actions that could not fit completely into the table. For example:
- Resistances
- damage type
- Immunities
- damage type or condition
- Vision
- type
- range
- Languages
- list
- Multiattack
- attacks per round
- each Special Disability
- Name
- Details
- each Special Ability
- Name
(L)
if Legendary- Recharge (if any)
- Conditions (if any)
- Effect
- each Special Action
- Name
(L)
if Legendary- Type (Action, Move, Reaction)
- Effect
- each Attack
- Name
(L)
if Legendary- Number of times per round
- “melee” or “ranged” if not implied in Name
- attack/damage dice
- attack/damage type
- special effect, if any (e.g. Poison, Paralysis) and applicable saving throws.
Example
Wight (D&D SRD)
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 14 (studded leather)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 10 (+0) | 13 (+1) | 15 (+2) |
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing
from Nonmagical Attacks that aren’t Silvered
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages The languages it knew in life
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wight has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Multiattack. The wight makes two longsword attacks or two longbow attacks. It can use its Life Drain in place of one longsword attack.
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a zombie under the wight’s control, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The wight can have no more than twelve zombies under its control at one time.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.
Wight (Nimble Short Form)
Name | CR | AC | HP | MR | Str | Dex | Will | Notable Attacks/Actions/Abilities |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wight | 3 | M | 45 | 30' | +2 | +2 | +2 | 2x(sword 1d8+2/1d10+2 2h) or (sword & Life Drain) or 2x(bow 1d8+2) |
Wight
- Senses: Darkvision 60’, Passive Perception 13
- Resistance: Necrotic, Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing from non-Silvered
- Immunity: Poison, Exhaustion
- Sunlight Sensitivity: in sunlight disadv. on vision Perception checks.
- Life Drain: melee 1d6+2 necrotic & DC 13 Str or HP Max reduced by damage taken. If HP Max = 0 then creature dies. HP Max restored after long rest. Humanoid slain rises 24 hours later as a zombie under wight’s control unless restored to life or body destroyed. Wight may have ≤ 12 zombies at a time.