Best of the Web - Monsters With No HP, Campaign Bibles, and Leveling up Monsters

Evlyn Moreau of Le Chaudron Chromatique has a post titled Monsters with no HP in which she throws out a few tables on creature reactions when hit, instead of using hit points. She admits the idea isn't fully formed but it looks to me as if the idea has some nice potential. Not as a full replacement for HP, but as a supplement. I mean most combatants aren't gonna just keep swinging away as their HP drop, these tables could be used to provide actions for a Morale table customized by beast. You could also combine the tables into one big one and use the amount of damage as the determining factor, when they've lost 5 HPs this is what they do, when they've lost 12 this... Lots of potential but possibly too much overhead in use. It is an intriguing idea though.

The Angry GM has a post called the Campaign Bible which is about the sloppy book of notes most GMs build up over the years describing their campain area.  James W West at Doomslakers has a response post called The DM's Notebook vs. The Campaign Bible in which he discusses the idea and brings up the TSR World Builder's Guidebook which seems to be the only TSR product that talks about the idea. If I ever finish my fantasy Heartbreaker I think the GMs book will probably have a bit about it because organization, and having a Swipe file seem excellent ways to juice the creativity on those days its lacking.

Over at DELTA'S D&D HOTSPOT he's got a post called Gygax on Leveling Up Monsters in which he talks about Gygax discussing giving frequently encountered Kobolds in Castle Greyhaw perks whenever they won a combat. This concept should be a staple of Megadungeons. Anything living near to a frequent entrance will be encountered again and again and will likely get boring if not improved. Again, another thing to add to that GMs Book someday.