# Obsidian - Fantasy Statblocks 2024 ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024.webp]] [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_W6zNooDgI) · 34:04 · Josh Plunkett · 2024-03-04 ## Outline ### 00:00 Intro - Community members said his earlier Fantasy Statblocks video was out of date, so this is a fresh look. It's one of the first TTRPG plugins for Obsidian, and Josh runs all his combat out of it. - Its standout feature is **linked statblocks**: spells and abilities on a statblock link to the notes that explain them. - The combat buttons on screen come from the separate **Initiative Tracker** plugin, which is saved for another video. ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024-t0030.webp]] ### 01:39 Installation and Config - **Integrate Dice Roller** works if you install the Dice Roller plugin. Josh leaves it on but rarely uses it. - **Try to render wikilinks** is the one he really recommends turning on, because it makes the links inside statblocks work. - **Disable 5e SRD** is up to you; turn it off if you don't play 5e. - **Parse frontmatter for creatures** scans your notes for monsters and feeds them to the plugin. - The old way was importing JSON or homebrew files into the plugin. That data lives in `.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-5e-statblocks/data.json` (the plugin started as "5e Statblocks" and kept the ID so it wouldn't need re-review). Josh has lost every monster when that file reset, so he keeps backups, pushes them to GitHub, and now prefers storing monsters in notes. - **Bestiary folders**: list the exact folders that hold monster notes (for example `2-Mechanics/CLI/Bestiary`) so parsing doesn't scan the whole vault. A plain `/` means the whole vault, which is slow. ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024-t0640.webp]] - **Layouts**: basic 5e by default, plus bundled options such as Pathfinder 2e and Vampire: The Masquerade. The Pathfinder 2e layout shows action icons and linked abilities, which Josh says makes the system easier to learn. - A **layout editor** lets you drag blocks around, change colors and preview custom layouts (he warns against touching the advanced regex options). - The creatures list shows what's loaded (484 homebrew creatures in his vault). - A monster note, such as his Amethyst Greatwyrm, holds a fenced `statblock` code block plus the property **`statblock: inline`**, which tells the plugin the note contains a monster. ### 11:14 Sourcing Monsters - On obsidianttrpgtutorials.com, **Community Supported Games** lists the systems the community has content for. - **D&D 5e**: use **TTRPG Convert CLI** with its optional statblock template to bring in books you own. Josh says to skip the JSON and CSV importers and D&D Beyond imports. - **Pathfinder 2e**: there's original and Remaster content. His preferred route exports from **Foundry VTT** (a one-off license of roughly $50 to $60). That captures adventure-specific NPC variants as well as rulebook monsters, and Paizo sells official Foundry modules and its PDFs from paizo.com. The non-Foundry option is easier but less complete. - Licensing varies a lot. Paizo's community use policy is generous, D&D only covers the SRD, and some publishers allow nothing. The community only hosts what it's legally allowed to, which is part of why Josh picked Pathfinder 2e. - After dropping new folders in, run **Fantasy Statblocks: Parse frontmatter for creatures** from the command palette. Parsing 15,000 notes can take about 20 minutes, and a statblock showing only a name and lines means parsing failed. - For other systems, he's trained **ChatGPT** on his monster template and pasted monsters from PDFs to convert them. It does an okay job, but you have to check and coach it. ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024-t1240.webp]] ### 19:35 Add Statblocks to a Note - He opens a dungeon room note pinned on an **Obsidian Leaflet** map, presses **Alt+T** to insert the "insert monster TTRPG statblock" template (included in his Patreon vault), then clicks out of the block so it renders. - Change the `monster:` name to swap creatures. The plugin autocompletes monster names, for example an Albino Death Weasel from Creature Codex, or Goblin variants with source suffixes like `goblin-mpmm`. - **Various Complements** (an autocomplete plugin) sometimes wraps the name in link brackets. Delete the extra brackets so only the monster name is left. ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024-t2000.webp]] ### 23:37 Add Templates - Without his vault, enable the core **Templates** plugin, set a templates folder (he suggests `z_Templates` so it sorts to the bottom), and save the statblock code from the plugin's README as a template note. - Check **Hotkeys** for "Templates: Insert template" (Alt+T for him). **Templater** is the more advanced alternative, out of scope here. Insert templates on a new line. - The README also has a **custom statblock** example. Inserting it lets him type a monster from scratch with AC 50, HP 250 and stats that the plugin calculates, plus wikilinks such as `[[Fireball]]` in descriptions. - Where to keep custom monsters: TTRPG Convert CLI output is a package you shouldn't edit, because you may refresh it later. Josh keeps his own creations in a separate **Bestiary** folder. - A new monster note needs the custom template plus `statblock: inline`. Re-run parsing (or restart Obsidian) before it shows up in other notes. ![[images/Obsidian-Fantasy-Statblocks-2024-t2500.webp]] ### 31:04 Outro - Initiative Tracker integration will get its own video. The plugin works for any system you configure, not just 5e or Pathfinder 2e. - Start at obsidianttrpgtutorials.com (Getting Started, Plugin Tutorials, Community Supported Games, Templates), and ask questions in the **Obsidian TTRPG Community Discord** rather than YouTube comments. - His Patreon vault includes plugins, templates and layout but no game content. ## Things mentioned ### Obsidian plugins and tools - **Fantasy Statblocks** by Jeremy Valentine (valentine195), free, with its README templates for standard and custom statblocks - **Initiative Tracker**, free, for combat management (future video) - **Dice Roller**, free, optional integration - **Obsidian Leaflet**, free, for interactive maps with pinned rooms - **Various Complements**, free autocomplete that can interfere with statblock names - Core **Templates** plugin (free, built in) and **Templater** (free, more advanced) - **TTRPG Convert CLI**, free, for converting content you own into Obsidian notes, with an optional statblock template - `statblock` code blocks and the `statblock: inline` property - GitHub for backing up plugin data, and **ChatGPT** for converting monsters from PDFs ### TTRPG systems and products - **Dungeons & Dragons 5e** (SRD content, Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse goblins, D&D Beyond) - **Pathfinder 2e** and the **PF2e Remaster**, with Paizo's community use policy, official Foundry modules and Paizo PDFs (paid) - **Foundry VTT**, a paid one-off license of about $50 to $60, used to export Pathfinder content - **Creature Codex** by Kobold Press (paid), **Vampire: The Masquerade** and **Worlds Without Number** ### Websites and communities - [Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials](https://obsidianttrpgtutorials.com/), with Community Supported Games and the Discord link - [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) - [Buy Jeremy A Coffee](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/valentine195), the plugin developer's optional tip jar - [Official Obsidian Discord](https://discord.com/invite/veuWUTm) and the [Obsidian TTRPG Users Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/obsidianttrpgusers), both free - [Josh Plunkett on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/JPlunkett), paid, includes his template vault ## Bios - **Josh Plunkett**: Australian YouTuber and long-time dungeon master who makes Obsidian tutorials for tabletop RPG players and GMs, covering plugins, vault setup and importing game content. He runs a Patreon and an Obsidian TTRPG community. - **Jeremy Valentine (valentine195)**: Developer of Fantasy Statblocks and several other popular TTRPG-focused Obsidian plugins, including Initiative Tracker, Dice Roller and Obsidian Leaflet. He originally built the plugin for his own 5e games.