Ever stare at a blank stat block and wonder where to even start? In this episode of Dr. Homebrew, we pull back the curtain on the monster-building framework we use here at Tabletop Journeys. It's a rules-first, narrative-driven system we've refined across dozens of NPCs, published adventures, and card decks.

Whether you're crafting a terrifying custom beast or a compelling villain NPC, this episode breaks down our full process step by step. We cover everything from how Challenge Rating (CR) anchors the entire stat block, to feature points as a spendable currency, to how we handle spellcasting differently from the official Monster Manual and why we made those calls.

We even walk through a brand new NPC, Arwir Echagüe (CR4, undead, and very hard to read 👀), to show you exactly how it all comes together in practice.

🔑 Topics covered in this episode:

Why CR is the foundation of every stat block we build

Feature points, the hidden currency that balances your monsters

Why we put spells directly into the action economy (and why it matters at the table)

A full live walkthrough of a CR4 NPC stat block

Shoutouts to the incredible work of Teos Abadía, Mike Shea, and Tom Dunn that helped shape our process

💬 We want to hear from YOU! Drop a comment and let us know: Are we getting it right? Would you want access to the full ruleset? Interested in a Foundry module? Tell us below!

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🔗 Links & Resources mentioned in the episode:

Tao Sabadia & Mike Shea: https://slyflourish.com/lazy_5e_monster_building_resource_document.html

Tom Dunn: https://tomedunn.github.io/the-finished-book/monsters/monster-manual-2024/

🧭 Tabletop Journeys Links:

Patreon: patreon.com/ttjourneys

Bluesky: @ttjourneys.bsky.social

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ttjourneys

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ttjourneys

Website: https://ttjourneys.com/

Email: [email protected]

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