monster5e

A LaTeX class for creating monster stat block reference cards for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

Monster stat blocks included in this repository are copyright Wizards of the Coast and are used under the Open Game License v1.0a.

Introduction

When running D&D, I like to have reference cards for things like monster stat blocks. With reference cards, rather than having to flick between pages of the Monster Manual, I can have all relevant stat blocks present on the table in front of me.

This LaTeX class is a way for me to consistently format these cards and to reduce some of the duplication in formatting and typing.

This class includes key-word based population of key parts of the stat block, automatic calculation of modifiers from ability scores and XP from CR, and macros for headers, attacks, and abilities in the main body of the stat block.

The intent of this class is that you will print and cut out the documents created. Formatting minimises gaps between cards, and it has the capability to print card backgrounds.

You might like a different formatting. That's fine. This class should be simple enough to edit if you prefer different styles.

Usage

For examples of the usage of this class, I recommend inspecting the Example.tex file and included files in DnD_Monsters.

Preamble

The preamble should include

\documentclass{monster5e}
\setBackground{MonsterBackground}

where you can replace MonsterBackground with another file that you want for the background.

In my preamble, I also include the following code:

\newcommand{\ddir}{DnD_Monsters/}
\newcommand{\Input}[1]{\input{\ddir #1}\unskip}

I then include my stat blocks in separate .tex files and insert them into the main .tex file using the new \Input macro. The \unskip is important to prevent \input from inserting unwanted whitespace. This step is optional, though. You can use your own workflow if you like.

Document

In the document, call \monsterCard to draw a card. Do not put whitespace between cards on the same line. Three cards fit on a line and six on a page.

If you want to include card background, use \sixMonsterBackgrounds to draw the card backgrounds, doing so once every six cards.

monsterCard

\monsterCard[<keyword>=<argument>]{<body>}

This command is the primary command in this class. It generates a card with its stat block. It occupies one sixth of an A4 page.

Note that the formatting can get funny if the body text overflows from the card. If this occurs, you should either edit the body text to take up fewer lines, or use the scale keyword argument to shrink the text.

Keyword arguments use PGF-TikZ, meaning you have the keyword (which may contain spaces), followed by an '=' sign, followed by the argument (which may contain spaces). Keyword arguments are delimited by commas. If the argument contains a comma, then the argument must be enclosed in curly braces. monsterCard accepts the following keyword arguments:

title : the name of the monster.
type : a subheading, where you can write the size, type, and alignment.
source : optional. For citing the relevant reference book.
str, dex, con, int, wis, cha : integer between 0 and 30. Abilty scores.
cr : Challenge rating. If an integer between 0 and 30, or 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2, then it automatically calculates the associated XP.
ac, hp, speed : Fields for AC, HP, and speed respectively.
languages : Field for languages. If left blank, defaults to 'None'.
condition immunities, damage immunities, resistances, saves, senses, skills, vulnerabilities: optional fields. Does not display if not included.
scale : number (optional). Quantity by which to scale body text by. Title, type, source, and ability scores are not scaled. Use this if you have too much text to fit within a card at normal font size, although you should try to edit the body text to use less space first.

Formatting monster abilities

Fill the body of \monsterCard with these bits of formatting.

\ability{<name>}{<description>}

For most abilities. Give it the name and description.

\MeleeAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}
\MeleeRangedAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}
\MeleeThrownAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}
\RangedAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}
\MeleeSpellAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}
\RangedSpellAttack{<name>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}

For attacks. Include the name of the attack/weapon (e.g. Sword), then the targeting information (e.g. "+4 to hit, reach 5ft, one target."), then the body description for what happens on a Hit (e.g. "1d8+3 slashing damage").

(MeleeThrownAttack does not appear in official stat blocks, which instead used MeleeRangedAttack. However, I like to differentiate between the cases of a ranged weapon or a thrown weapon.)

\attack{<name>}{<type>}{<targeting>}{<hit>}

As above, but includes the type field, which indicates the type of attack (e.g. "Melee", "Ranged"). For if the previous macros miss an attack type.

\spells{<type>}{<spells>}

For listing spells, typically after an \ability{Spellcasting}{<description>} block. Specify the type of spell along with the number of uses (e.g. "Cantrips (at will)", "1st level (3 slots)"), then list the spells.

\Actions
\BonusActions
\Reactions

Section headings for actions, bonus actions, and reactions respectively.

(Bonus actions don't get a dedicated section in official stat blocks, instead occupying the space before Actions. But I like to differentiate them.)

\abilityheader{<text>}

Generic section heading with user-specified text.

\LegendaryActions{[uses]}

Section heading for legendary actions. Optionally allows specifying how many legendary actions the creature gets (defaults to 3).

Card Backgrounds

\setBackground{<file>}

Sets the graphics file to be used as the card background (via \includegraphics). I assume the file is a 446 x 470 pixel image. Formatting might not work properly if this is not the case (you might have a few pixels lee-way, but I haven't tested it).

\sixMonsterBackgrounds

Draws six card backgrounds, enough to fill a full page.

\monsterBackground

Draws a single card background.

bfield1 / dnd5e-monster-cards