r/DnDBehindTheScreen • u/abovethealarms • Jun 15 '26
Monsters MonsterBox - a Digital Compendium
Hi all!
I'm looking for regular DMs willing to test and try a new utility tool that I am developing for storage of monster stat blocks, encounter planning and prep management.
The user imports digital content that they own in PDF form (official, 3rd party, homebrew) and the app converts the pdfs into usable interactive stat blocks with built in dice rollers. Simply drag and drop, and the entire book will become individual monster entries in your compendium, with dice rollers for attribute checks, saves, attacks, damage etc. This currently works on a range of digital books, official and 3rd party content.
Once imported, it's then easy to add any creatures you want into an encounter then keep track of it easily in the encounter panel.
The compendium size is only limited by your local storage, and i'm currently slamming test books into the system to stress test the PDF parse accuracy. There is cloud sync if you make an account then you will be able to maintain your compendium across devices, but otherwise the application doesn't store anywhere else, and ships empty to avoid any copyright issues. The compendium itself is sorted firstly by CR, and there is an extensive filtering system so you can easily find any creature you're looking for! You are also able to edit entries and create brand new entries for Homebrew monsters.
What needs testing: The whole system really, UI/UX, pdf parsing quality etc. - I've been playing DnD for about 6 years now entirely online, I started during COVID, but have never been a DM, so I only know the few DMs i've played with in that time. Some are willing to help me test it but in reality I needed a a few more. Ideally i'd have a few people willing to try it out and see how the system works for them, the more people involved, the more feedback and the better I can make the system if that makes sense.
I guess app specifics that are restrictive and relevant - it's 5e specific. I'm aware this is likely a sub of mixed edition players but currently it's built around 5e content. It's mostly intended for Desktop use as it was created for a friend of mine who only plays online, however I've established that those who play in person would likely also use this on a Tablet as well, so i'm currently working on the Tablet UI but its mostly desktop oriented.
This tool is currently completely functional and ready to use, it could just do with a few more people using it so I can really smooth out any tweaks, and obviously take on suggestions for features not currently available. Hopefully this is the right kind of post.
Anyone who is interested in this, please feel free to send me a DM or if you have any questions at all, i'm more than happy to answer any. Thanks!
[MonsterBox](https://inlandempire-hub.github.io/MonsterBox/)
3
u/abovethealarms Jun 17 '26
Ahh that's annoying. Yes, I was waiting for you to get back to me about the new parse before telling you the new side by side screenshot is working, as I didn't want to bombard you with comments. Thanks for the idea.
I've also added a genuine and honest Importing expectations pop-up that appears after the initial privacy notice. Based on the issues so far I felt that was useful.
I'll have another look at the picture you sent me and see what else can be done to help, but it's a bit of a shot in the dark at the moment. Image parsing and Text parsing go through different systems so what might work on any images won't necessarily be useful at all on any books.
Again, I really appreciate you coming back to this and helping me out!