Lillhans
December 18th, 2016, 19:41
What: Modules that add random encounters, tables (by CR), NPC:s to fill some monster groups, and indexes (monster by type) of the titular environment category/categories
Where: Tables (populate the Table section), Encounters (populate the Random Encounters section), NPC:s (populate the NPC section), Indexes (populate the Story Section).
Pointers:
#All encounters are tagged with the average encounter CR in the title (thereby searchable).
#For monster groups, the group moniker is written out in the encounter title (all lower-case, thereby distinguishable from single-monster encounters).
#Monsters not found in the bestiary/familiar modules are not included, with the exception of monsters with class levels (see the NPC section of the module for these quick-fixes of questionable quality :))
# In addition to Bestiary 1-5 and Basic Familiar modules, you also need to have NPC Codex and Gamesmastery Guide modules installed.
Known issues
Any Environment - The primary source of enrivonment data was the bestiary appendices - specifically the Monster by Terrain listings. While the d20pfsrd.com monster database is exhaustive, it wasn't ideal for setting up the cross-reference database I needed for populating tables at an industrial rate. Unfortunately, the appendix listings contain a degree of discrepancy: the minotaur is just one example of where the primary entry says one thing (temperate ruins or underground) and the appendix another (the Any Terrain category). While some were discovered during the process of grouping monsters not all such errors were accounted for. Expect some variations of Any [whatnot] showing up in this module, or Any [climate etc] not showing up in those other modules!
Group CR - assigning CR to groups of single-type monsters as well as composite groups was done by taking the average number of units and then matching it with CR calculations off https://juneberryjournal.weebly.com/cr-calculator.html. That calculator provides the margin of error for any given entry. 10 monsters of CR 1/5, for instance, constitute a CR 5 encounter but overshoots the CR 5 XP expectancy by 25% when considering the XP per unit. Other combinations will similarily fall short of the XP expectancy. This may put some groups in the wrong CR range entirely - but then again, CR was never an exact science to begin with.
Actual CR - since fraction CR:s typically don't have the required decimal CR to make good use of the XP calculator (most have a 1 instead), you may want to double check once the encounter is generated. The entries in the random encounter library are all tagged with proper CR, so you can always check there to begin with. Notably, NPC elements (i.e. extras from Game Master Guide or NPC codex) are trickier in this regard, but such is life! (it's tricky sometimes)
To-do list
# The Cold, Temperate and Warm climate modules: one module each, catering to each of the six land environment types.
# The Underground module: self-explanatory.
# The Planar and Vacuum moduel: weird environments. Naturally, they should be paired up :)
# The Water and Sky module: self-explanatory.
# The Urban and Ruins module: or, the Before and After Black Friday couple :)
# The complete cross-reference database (in CSV-friendly format) which was used in the preparation phase
Where: Tables (populate the Table section), Encounters (populate the Random Encounters section), NPC:s (populate the NPC section), Indexes (populate the Story Section).
Pointers:
#All encounters are tagged with the average encounter CR in the title (thereby searchable).
#For monster groups, the group moniker is written out in the encounter title (all lower-case, thereby distinguishable from single-monster encounters).
#Monsters not found in the bestiary/familiar modules are not included, with the exception of monsters with class levels (see the NPC section of the module for these quick-fixes of questionable quality :))
# In addition to Bestiary 1-5 and Basic Familiar modules, you also need to have NPC Codex and Gamesmastery Guide modules installed.
Known issues
Any Environment - The primary source of enrivonment data was the bestiary appendices - specifically the Monster by Terrain listings. While the d20pfsrd.com monster database is exhaustive, it wasn't ideal for setting up the cross-reference database I needed for populating tables at an industrial rate. Unfortunately, the appendix listings contain a degree of discrepancy: the minotaur is just one example of where the primary entry says one thing (temperate ruins or underground) and the appendix another (the Any Terrain category). While some were discovered during the process of grouping monsters not all such errors were accounted for. Expect some variations of Any [whatnot] showing up in this module, or Any [climate etc] not showing up in those other modules!
Group CR - assigning CR to groups of single-type monsters as well as composite groups was done by taking the average number of units and then matching it with CR calculations off https://juneberryjournal.weebly.com/cr-calculator.html. That calculator provides the margin of error for any given entry. 10 monsters of CR 1/5, for instance, constitute a CR 5 encounter but overshoots the CR 5 XP expectancy by 25% when considering the XP per unit. Other combinations will similarily fall short of the XP expectancy. This may put some groups in the wrong CR range entirely - but then again, CR was never an exact science to begin with.
Actual CR - since fraction CR:s typically don't have the required decimal CR to make good use of the XP calculator (most have a 1 instead), you may want to double check once the encounter is generated. The entries in the random encounter library are all tagged with proper CR, so you can always check there to begin with. Notably, NPC elements (i.e. extras from Game Master Guide or NPC codex) are trickier in this regard, but such is life! (it's tricky sometimes)
To-do list
# The Cold, Temperate and Warm climate modules: one module each, catering to each of the six land environment types.
# The Underground module: self-explanatory.
# The Planar and Vacuum moduel: weird environments. Naturally, they should be paired up :)
# The Water and Sky module: self-explanatory.
# The Urban and Ruins module: or, the Before and After Black Friday couple :)
# The complete cross-reference database (in CSV-friendly format) which was used in the preparation phase