Author Topic: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database  (Read 4480 times)

Offline TC X0 Lt 0X

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Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« on: October 06, 2015, 05:31:23 AM »
So I have a group project for my current Data Structures class and someone in my group suggested we do a Database of 3.5 Monsters. We will be writing the code in C++ and will probably only put in data in the SRD or MM1, though it would be easy enough to stick data from other sources if someone wanted to do so.

Obviously the Database should be able to search for monsters based on Type, CR, HD, and LA, but am wondering what you people as DMs and Players would like to see a Database be able to perform?

In regards to searching, Id imagine searching by Environment, Immunities, and Special Abilities would be useful.
If we want to get really detailed into it, I should easily be able to pull off a exportable Statblock. It might be cool to have the option to be able to apply templates to a exported monster stat block.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2015, 05:34:04 AM by TC X0 Lt 0X »
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Offline stanprollyright

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2015, 06:04:43 AM »
Movement modes/speed, flight maneuverability, # of natural attacks, alignment
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Offline TenaciousJ

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2015, 10:09:50 AM »
Advancement (by HD, by class, etc.) would be a nice one for people customizing monsters.
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Offline kitep

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2015, 02:47:55 PM »
I'd like to be able to use it to see what I can summon with Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Ally and have it list what their special abilities (mostly SU, SLA, or spell-casting) are.

It would also be nice if I could put in my druid's stats, and it spits out a stat block for whatever I'm wildshaping into (or polymorphing, or shapechanging, etc).

There's also a recent thread by Dictum Mortuum who's also creating a database.  Maybe you could bounce ideas off each other, or at least share data entry duty.  His thread is Topic: Creating a Druid Handbook

Good luck!

Offline ketaro

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2015, 12:58:54 AM »
Being able to search by subtype might be just as useful as being able to search for creature type.

Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2015, 10:48:13 AM »
Databases are GOOD. Quick lookups are GOOD. So THANK YOU, if you succeed! Here are my 3 things.

ENVIRONMENT. I'm sick of using "any" monsters that totally don't fit a swamp-thing sort of attack!

ORGANIZATION. Sometimes I just want to throw a dozen critters at a party ... but I can't search for a dozen fluff-compatible creatures at a given CR. It would take forever.

KNOWLEDGE DCs. Sometimes I want to reward the bard or the archivist or the poor ranger who took Know(Nat) and really maxed his DC. But I can't search for "Knowledge Nature DC40" in even an OCR'd PDF. It's a LOT of manual digging that isn't necessary.

Offline Nifft

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2015, 10:55:39 AM »
What can I Summon Monster (#) to give me access to THIS spell?
- As a spell-like ability.
- As a spell.
- As some other effect (e.g. "horn effects").

What can I (Greater/Lesser) Planar Bind to give me access to THIS spell?
- (etc.)

Generate a list of 3 per spell level thematic summons for an NPC spellcaster.
- Elemental theme.
- Plane-of-origin theme.
- Environment theme.
- Attack type theme.
- Special ability theme.

Offline kitep

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2015, 12:43:58 PM »
Monsters in MM1 have their saving throws and skills presented as 1 number.  Great when you're running a monster straight out of the book.  A nuisance at other times.  How about back-calculating base saves and skill ranks?

Offline Maelphaxerazz

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2015, 01:20:28 AM »
If you would be perfect, a monster database with CR, AC (as well as touch and flat-footed AC), attack bonus, saves, average damage per hit, highest spell level (that it can cast), SR, and Damage Reduction: that would be complete.

Offline kitep

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2016, 09:37:03 AM »
So I have a group project for my current Data Structures class and someone in my group suggested we do a Database of 3.5 Monsters. We will be writing the code in C++ and will probably only put in data in the SRD or MM1, though it would be easy enough to stick data from other sources if someone wanted to do so.

Obviously the Database should be able to search for monsters based on Type, CR, HD, and LA, but am wondering what you people as DMs and Players would like to see a Database be able to perform?

In regards to searching, Id imagine searching by Environment, Immunities, and Special Abilities would be useful.
If we want to get really detailed into it, I should easily be able to pull off a exportable Statblock. It might be cool to have the option to be able to apply templates to a exported monster stat block.

So how'd it go?  Did you figure out any interesting things to do with it?

Offline TC X0 Lt 0X

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2016, 10:20:29 AM »
Well to make a long story short, we were short 1 team member, another team member dropped out mid way through, and the final team member did not actually contribute to the project.
On top of that I wasn't really able to convince the rest of my team to add very much data fields that would be anymore useful then the monster search option on the SRD. We basically made the special abilities note as a catch all of all monster abilities, and as a result it wasn't really viable to use it as a search field.

I think we had search options down for name and type. I was put in charge of the File IO so I wasnt directly working with the search options. Not to mention at the last meeting the code was so finicky and thrown together that the two in charge basically sat around for 10+ hours trying to everything to work together. For some reason one of our guys wanted to declare all the variables as static which is a big nono.

At the end of the day it got turned in and passed but otherwise it was a pretty worthless project.
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Offline kitep

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Re: Creating a 3.5 Monster Database
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2016, 04:11:41 PM »
Ah, bummer.  Well at least it passed.