Update! Monster contest is now closed! Vote for your favourite!
Update! The end of the contest has been pushed back to 10/3! You have another week to send in your monsters!
The monster contest runs from 8/26 until 9/26. Make a monster with the Monster Gen, flesh it out, and send it in. Use this template to make both our lives easier.
Once the contest is over, all the entries (or just the best, if there's tons of entries) will be compiled into a free pdf, which will be posted on the website, available for all.
Your entry should include your fluff and crunch in a Word document (needs to be .doc not .docx), and you should also include the original monster from the generator in your email. You don't need to stick with exactly what the generator gives you, but the link between the generated monster and your entry should be obvious.
Here's an example entry: Kraujin Veilcaster. I created it from the monster gen suggestion,
- "This small draconic beast dwells in deserts. It lies in wait for its prey, which includes small creatures, other monsters of the same type, monstrous humanoids, and other predators. It attacks with strangling grabs, noxious fumes, debilitating effects and illusions. They hunt in families of 5-20."
I also suggest Asmor's Monster Math Cruncher, especially if you don't have a DMG. It does all the number-crunching for you, so you can focus on the fun creative stuff.
Each individual monster, including fluff and crunch, counts as one entry. But, if you also include original artwork, then it counts double! That's right - every monster that you send in along with a picture doubles your chances to win!
Be aware that since all the entries will be collected into a free pdf at the end, you need to own the rights to the picture - nothing you found or photoshopped together off of Google. You'll still own the copyright, so don't worry about not being able to post the picture somewhere yourself. I just don't want to get in trouble because someone sent in stolen art!
Winners and Prizes
There will be seven winners total. That's right - seven! Our awesome sponsors are Dungeon Mastering, Johnn Four of the Roleplaying Tips e-zine, Unnatural 20, and (of course) Chaotic Shiny Productions.
Best Crunch
I'll select a group of semi-finalist (the size of the group will depend on the number of entries) for Best Crunch, then put them up for voting for two weeks. The winner and runner-up will both receive prizes.
Winner: 1 year of DM Tools premium membership, GM Mastery: Inn Essentials, The Night Wyrm, Martial Flavor
Runner-up: GM Mastery: Inn Essentials, The Night Wyrm, Martial Flavor
Best Fluff
I'll select a group of semi-finalist (the size of the group will depend on the number of entries) for Best Fluff, then put them up for voting for two weeks. The winner and runner-up will both receive prizes.
Winner: 1 year of DM Tools premium membership, GM Mastery: Holiday Essentials, The Night Wyrm, Martial Flavor
Runner-up: GM Mastery: Holiday Essentials, The Night Wyrm, Martial Flavor
Random Winners
In a probably-doomed attempt to get some kind of evenness in the entries, I will be randomly drawing a winning entry from each tier. That means one random Heroic Tier monster, one random Paragon Tier monster, and one random Epic Tier monster. The fewer monsters in your tier, the more likely your entry is to win, so try to spread your entries out.
Each randomly drawn winner will get a free copy of Martial Flavor. Not only that, but one of the three (again, randomly selected) will get one year of DM Tools premium membership.
That's right: even if your monster totally sucks, you still have a chance to get free stuff! So what are you waiting for? Go make some monsters!
FAQ
Where do I send my entry?
Send it to swordgleam [at] chaoticshiny [dot] com with the subject "Monster Contest Entry." I'll email you back to let you know I got it. If I haven't emailed you back in a day or two, try again.
Exception: I'll be traveling the first week of September, so if you send your entry in then, it might take three or four days for me to get back to you.
Does my monster have to be for 4e D&D? What about other versions of D&D? Other games entirely? What if I just want to submit fluff?
If you want to be eligible for Best Crunch and the randomly drawn prizes, and included in the pdf, your monster has to be for 4e. But if you want to make a monster for another edition, you'll still be eligible for Best Fluff.
Monsters for other games or just plain fluff monsters will be eligible for Best Fluff as well.
If I get a large number of non-4e monsters, I'll consider putting together a second pdf of those entries.
Does my entry have to be in a certain format?
If you want your entry to be eligible for inclusion in the free pdf that will be released of all the entries, use this template. Depending on the number of entries, not using the format might also make you ineligible for the Best Crunch category. Also, your entry needs to be a .doc or .rtf. If you send me something in .docx I will not be able to open it.
Spellcheck?
For the love of all things holy, please.
How much fluff should I have?
Totally up to you. I'd say ~300 words as a rough guideline. At a minimum, have a couple of paragraphs. Try not to go over a page. Remember - it's quality, not quantity.
Can I send in multiple monsters?
Yes! The more you send in, the more chances to win.
How should I send in multiple monsters of the same type? (Ie, minion version, normal version, solo version of the same monster)
Send them all in together, in the same document. That will make it easier to put them into the free pdf. Each one will still count as a separate contest entry, so each one increases your chances to win.
Can I win multiple prizes?
No. Only one of your entries can be a semi-finalist for either Best Crunch or Best Fluff, and if you win a prize for one of those, you can't win one of the random prizes. But all of your entries will be considered, and the more you enter the more likely you are to win one of the random drawings. So enter as many times as you want!
Spellcheck?
Yes. Also grammar. Just do your best.
Will you own my monster?
Nope! By submitting it, you're agreeing that I can put it on the website for voting if you're a semi-finalist, and I can put it into a free pdf of all the entries. You're also promising me that it's your original work, and I won't get in trouble for plagiarism. That's it. You still own all the rights.
Why haven't I entered this contest yet?
I've been wondering the exact same thing. Why haven't you?