Yea, the old NPC stat block is pretty bad. Granted, the new one isn't too much better. It has redundant info, and unless you happen to have read a certain article on the WotC D&D site, you can't find anything in the darn thing. The one thing the new block does well is save space. (Sometimes) But in general, I like the 'old-school' monster manual stat block vs the new one for monsters. I am used to it, and it's pretty straight forward.
For npcs, now thats where it gets tricky. Simple NPCs (fighters, rogues, etc) don't benefit from the stat block. That attack/full attack line pretty much sums up what they do in combat, which is all you need the stat block for most of the time.
But NPCs like a Warlock, a Shape-Shifter, or, more appropriately, A deity with Uncanny Atomic Effect, have far more options and attack patterns than just 'attack/full attack'. The "attack options" heading in the new format is pretty convenient; One can just list all of the different toggle-able class features or feats that modify it's combat ability. Try packing all that into the old Npc format, or even the old monster format, and see if someone else can figure out what their abilities do. (If you write up your own NPC stats, you probably will remember exactly how they kill the PCs most efficiently; Other readers might not.)
Though as a whole, I definitely think for the monster entries, U_K should stick to the old format. Everyone likes it, its simple, and it keeps an aesthetic sense of 'wholeness' throughout the books. As for the deities; I don't know.
This was the format I was using in Excel; (no auto-calculations or anything, but arranged to be readable) It is based on the new stat block format, but modified for IH convenience.
[sblock]Name:
Class:
Alignment:
Size/Type:
Initiative:
Senses:
Aura: (Radius); (Effects)
Languages:
AC:
- Equipment Modifications: (Important with the prominence of Anti-magic)
HP:
Immune:
Resistant:
Spell Resistance: (Could be included on the 'resistant' line)
Saves:
Speed:
Melee: (List melee options or combinations)
Ranged: (List ranged attack options, like ray attacks etc)
Space:
Reach:
Base Attack Bonus: (Just in case)
Grapple: (Could be combined with the above BaB line like in monster entries)
Attack Options: (one of the most useful lines)
Special Actions: (Another very useful stat line)
Combat Gear:
Spells Prepared:
Spell-Like Abilities:
Ability scores:
Special Qualities: (Anything not covered above)
Feats: (Sometimes I break this down into categories, but that takes up more space)
Skills:
Non-Combat Possessions: (Instant Fortress? Wand of Knock?)
Spellbook:
Divine Rank:
Divine Status:
Divine Salient Abilities:
Cosmic Salient Abilities:
Transcendent Salient Abilities:
Omnific Salient Abilities:
[/sblock]
