Chapter 8: Monsters

There’s not a lot of detail given about the monsters, because the more detail given, the more your own mental image of the fantasy world is going to be locked into a single track. We’re not going to say that giant ants are red, nocturnal, three feet long, and fond of eating Elves. Because, in your mind, they might be blue, diurnal, five feet long, and eat only plants unless attacked. Details about monsters toss roadblocks in front of the imagination. Yes, details can also inspire imagination, but we’re making the assumption that if you’re interested in fantasy gaming in the first place, you’ve got a good imagination as-is and don’t require details about the size of a giant ant.

One important characteristic of all monsters, though, is that they can see in the dark.

Individual monster entries are split into their own pages. Use the Monster Index to browse them. The Iconic Monster Substitutions Index provides quick conversion suggestions for familiar monster niches, and the Expanded Monster Encounter Tables provide SRD-wide d% and d1000 encounter tables.

Reading Monster Descriptions

The following is a quick reference guide for how to read monster descriptions:

Armor Class

“Armor Class” is explained earlier in the rules for combat. If you’re using the Descending AC system (where lower AC is better), disregard the numbers in brackets. If you’re using the Ascending AC system (where a high AC is better), use the numbers in brackets.

Attacks

“Attacks” lists the number of attacks a monster has and the damage they inflict. Most monsters have one attack and inflict 1d6 damage—there are, however, some exceptions.

Experience Points

“Experience Points” are presented after a monster’s Hit Dice Equivalent (HDE) rating, and list the number of XP the adventuring party gains as a result of killing the creature. In some cases, however, the Referee may choose to award experience points for defeating a creature without killing it (circumventing it by creative means, capturing it to bring home, etc.). Some monsters have multiple Experience Points listed—this is because certain monsters have a range of hit dice. Order is always from lowest HD to highest HD.

Hit Dice

“Hit Dice” is the number of dice (d6) rolled to determine an individual creature’s Hit Points (HP). If there is a plus or minus after the number, add or subtract that number once from the total rolled.

Hit Dice Equivalent

“Hit Dice Equivalent” is used to separate monsters into “difficulty levels” so that when creating an adventure the Referee has some guidelines concerning what characters can and cannot handle. Some monsters have multiple HDE’s listed—this is because certain monsters have a range of hit dice. Order is always from lowest HD to highest HD.

Magic Resistance

“Magic Resistance” isn’t one of the entries, but some creatures may have “magic resistance.” The given percentage chance is the likelihood that any magic used against the creature (other than bonuses from weapons) will fail to take effect. To determine whether or not magic used will have an impact, roll a d100. The magic fails if the result is less than the given percentage.

Move

“Move” is the monster’s movement rate and is handled like it is for PCs.

Saving Throw

“Saving Throw” isn’t one of the entries, but all creatures have a saving throw. It is the number on the d20 the monster needs to equal or exceed in order to avoid a threat or lessen its effect. It is found by subtracting the monster’s HD from 19. For example, a monster with 4 HD has a saving throw of 15. Alternatively, a monster can simply be treated as a Fighter or whatever character class makes sense for that monster, with the monster’s hit dice being used for its level.

Special

“Special” is just a “flag” of sorts for the Referee that serves as a reminder that a monster has a special ability.

Tougher Monsters

There is really no limit as to how high monsters can go, and often it’s fun to trick the players by throwing über-monsters at them. The Referee should feel free to adjust AC, HD, or other factors to make monsters more challenging. Also, feel free to try new options like a super strain of orcs, goblin spider-riders, or fire-resistant mummies just to keep the players on their toes.

Monster Levels

You may notice that while suggested character levels are capped, monster levels are not. The reasons for this are simple:

• Players run in packs and big monsters need levels to overcome a disadvantage in numbers.
• Players tend to be creative while many Referees allow monsters to “play stupid.”

The Referee has the option of allowing characters to continue to advance, or to put a cap on monster levels as he or she sees fit.

Creating Monsters

Monsters are not Player Characters, and their abilities are not at all determined by the rules for PCs—not even the stats for races that can have player characters, such as Dwarves. A monster’s abilities are determined by the Referee, not by any rules! Feel free to add wings, breath weapons, extra hit dice, wounded versions, or whatever suits your adventure and your campaign. Toggle and tweak, imagine and invent! You are responsible for the quality of the swords and sorcery in your game, not the rules. So don’t try to create monsters according to any sort of power formula. Create monsters based on how they feel and how they play at the gaming table. Create challenges for the players, not headaches for yourself. Your job is to imagine and create, not to slave at rulebooks finding out what you’re “allowed” to do.