Open5e SRD 5.1 Scraper

Open5e SRD 5.1 Scraper

Scrape the Open5e SRD 5.1 database for monsters, spells, magic items, and more, up to a million entries per run. Every entry comes as a flat row with its full stat block, description, and source document. No API key or registration. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The Open5e API is rate-limited and returns nested JSON that is hard to flatten. This Actor reads the public Open5e SRD 5.1 database directly, filters by search term, challenge rating, spell level, or source document, and returns each entry in one fixed schema. Build your own monster manual, spellbook, or item compendium without writing a single line of code.

Who uses it	What they scrape Open5e for
Game masters	Build a custom encounter table with monsters filtered by challenge rating and source book
Homebrew designers	Export the SRD baseline for spells or magic items to compare against their own creations
Tool developers	Populate a searchable database for a character builder or virtual tabletop
Data analysts	Study the distribution of monster stats or spell levels across official and third-party sources

What it does

This Actor collects Open5e SRD 5.1 entries by resource type, search query, challenge rating, spell level, or source document, and returns each one as a flat row.

• 📚 Resource families: monsters, spells, magic items, weapons, armor, classes, races, feats, backgrounds, conditions, and rules sections.
• 🔍 Search query: free-text search across the chosen resource, such as 'dragon' or 'fireball'.
• 🎯 Challenge rating filter: narrow monsters to a specific CR, from 0 to 30.
• ✨ Spell level filter: restrict spells to cantrips (0) or levels 1 through 9.
• 📄 Source document filter: limit results to Wizards SRD, Tome of Beasts, Deep Magic, and more.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Open5e data

🐉 Build a monster manual.

A game master scrapes all monsters with challenge rating 5 or lower from the Wizards SRD and Tome of Beasts, then exports the dataset to CSV for a custom encounter binder.

🔮 Create a spellbook app.

A developer scrapes every spell from levels 0 to 9, filters by the search term 'fire', and loads the flat JSON into a mobile spell reference.

⚔️ Compare magic items across sources.

A homebrew designer scrapes all magic items from Deep Magic and Vault of Magic, then uses the dataset to check for duplicates before publishing new content.

📊 Analyze stat distributions.

A data analyst scrapes all monsters from the Wizards SRD and computes average hit points and armor class by challenge rating for a balance study.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	The Actor reads the public Open5e database directly, so you do not need to register or manage tokens.
Flat output	Every entry is returned as a single row with consistent fields, ready for spreadsheets or databases.
Up to a million entries	Set maxItems as high as 1,000,000 to pull the entire SRD in one run.
Multiple formats	Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets Open5e the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	Open5e SRD 5.1 Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When Open5e changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from resource type, search query, challenge rating, spell level, and source document, alone or together, and filters run as each entry is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "resourceType": "monsters"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "resourceType": "monsters"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.005 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.50
1,000 results	$5.00
10,000 results	$50.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Open5e SRD 5.1 Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Open5e through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/open5e-srd-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your filters. If you set a searchQuery that does not match any entry, or combine a challengeRating with a non-monster resource, the Actor returns an empty dataset. Try clearing filters or broadening the search term.

Why does the run stop before reaching maxItems?

The Actor stops when it has collected all entries that match your filters. If the total number of matching entries is less than maxItems, the run ends early. Increase maxItems or remove filters to get more data.

Why are some fields empty in the output?

Not every entry has every field. For example, a monster may not have a damage vulnerability, or a spell may not have a material component. Empty fields are normal and reflect the source data.

Can I scrape multiple resource types in one run?

No, the Actor scrapes one resource type per run. Run it multiple times with different resourceType values and merge the datasets if needed.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is the Open5e SRD 5.1?	It is a community-maintained database of the D&D 5th Edition System Reference Document plus popular third-party content like Tome of Beasts and Deep Magic. This Actor scrapes that database directly.
Do I need an API key or registration?	No. The Actor reads the public Open5e database without authentication, so you can start scraping immediately.
Can I scrape all monsters at once?	Yes. Set resourceType to 'monsters' and maxItems to 1000000 to collect the entire monster database in a single run.
How do I filter by challenge rating?	Use the challengeRating input. It accepts values like '1/2', '5', or '20'. Leave it empty to include all challenge ratings.
Can I search for a specific spell or item?	Yes. Set resourceType to 'spells' or 'magicitems' and enter a searchQuery like 'fireball' or 'cloak'. The Actor returns only matching entries.
What source documents are supported?	The document input includes Wizards SRD, Tome of Beasts 1-3, Creature Codex, Deep Magic, Vault of Magic, Level Up Advanced 5e, and more. Choose one or leave it empty for all sources.
What output formats are available?	You can export the dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from the Apify platform.
Is the data flat or nested?	The Actor flattens each entry into a single row with consistent fields, so you can load it straight into a spreadsheet or database.
Can I scrape rules sections?	Yes. Set resourceType to 'sections' to collect rules text from the SRD, such as combat or spellcasting rules.
How many entries can I scrape per run?	You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The actual number returned depends on the filters you apply.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Open5e. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.