What Do We Really Need in a Stat Block?

A D&D stat block needs to find the Goldilocks zone between too much and too little information. I can think of several times in the past few months where I overlooked something during a game, or struggled to make a monster interesting for lack of options.

When I make my own creatures, I include far less info in my notes than I find in the typical stat block. Inspired by a thread over on the EN World forums, I want to do an experiment: What does a minimum viable stat block look like? What do I actually use in running a session?

Taking a look at a monster stat block, there's a lot of information I rarely use at the table.

Size: I almost never use this. 5e has only six size categories, and it easy to remember which one to use simply based on the size of a mini or my sense of a creature's size. It's useful in a monster book, but not something I need at the table.

Type: Like size, I can usually remember this without look at a stat block.

Alignment: This has no mechanical impact on play, and I can either remember it or just ignore it in favor of roleplaying a monster's personality. It's more important that the ogre who confronts the party is hungry than that she's usually chaotic evil.

Armor Class: I use this multiple times each round, so we need to keep it.

Hit Points: Like AC, it's critical to running a monster. I'd dump Hit Dice, though. I never need them during an encounter.

Speed: Useful each turn, so I need it.

Ability Scores, Saving Throws, Skills: These see use, but I hate having them split out into saving throws, skill checks, and then the raw scores. I also, perhaps controversially, think six is too many for monsters. I'd like to have fewer of them over all, and have one value that I use in all three cases.

Senses: I'd rather see special cases called out as special monster abilities. I can never remember the difference between all the weirdo types of vision. I'd remove them from the stat block and include them with other traits or special actions.

Languages: I'd rather note these in the adventure text or in a monster book entry. I don't need this in my stat write up. In my game, I assume anything that can speak can speak Common. Languages are more important for reading old messages or carvings.

Challenge and XP: These have no impact during an encounter, so they can go.

An Extra Slimming Step

I hate tracking ability modifiers, saving throws, and skill bonuses separately. I also loathe wading through six ability scores. That level of detail makes sense for a player who is going to run a character for over 100 hours. It's far more detail than I need for an orc bandit who is lucky to survive to round two.

In my own design, I'm toying with going back to 3e and 4e's use of Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. Fortitude covers Strength and Constitution. Reflex covers Dexterity. Will covers Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The values printed in a stat block cover ability checks, saving throws, and skill checks. I also need only the modifiers. The scores just get in the way.

For those three, I decide if a creature should be trained in the stat group then use a value that reflects its attributes.

A Slimmed Down Stat Block

So, what does it look like? Here's a rough approximation. Let's start with an orc stat block from the SRD:

And here's a rough take using the notes above:

I'd love to say that having six total things in a stat block so that they neatly work out into two rows of three, but that was entirely by accident. However, I do like it.

So what about special attacks and such? Again, I think we can get away with less info.

Here's the orc's stuff from the SRD:

Once more, there is a lot of info here that I don't need. Does the weapon name matter to me? Not really, as I use minis with all sorts of weapons based on what I have in my minis case. I just attack bonus and damage. I also need to add in darkvision after I chopped it out of the core stat block.

I've also cut out a ton of info that I feel is overly fiddly or formal. Is it really important that the orc move closer to an enemy? Does the game break? I really don't think so, and I also like the call out to Tolkien's Fighting Uruk-Hai and the idea that orcs can cover ground quickly. That feels more distinct to me.

That standard 5e stat block also includes a lot of info that is an obvious default. Why +5 to hit? What else would I add that to? Why include the word damage? Perhaps it would be useful to specify weapon in each entry - Melee Weapon Attack instead of just Melee Attack - but in the heat of running a game all of those words just get in my way.

Do you struggle to use stat block in play? Does collapsing down to three attributes for monsters sound like a time saver or a pain in the neck? Let me know in the comments.