Improving Creatures

The usual monster statistic block describes a typical creature of its kind. However, there are several methods by which extraordinary or unique monsters can be created using a typical creature as the foundation: by adding character classes, increasing a monster’s Hit Dice, or by adding a template to a monster. These methods are not mutually exclusive⁠—it’s possible for a monster with a template (a half-dragon lammasu, for example) to be improved by both increasing its Hit Dice and adding character class levels.

Class Levels: Intelligent creatures that are reasonably humanoid in shape most commonly advance by adding class levels. Creatures that fall into this category have an entry of “By character class” in their Advancement line. When a monster adds a class level, that level usually represents an increase in experience and learned skills and capabilities.

Increased Hit Dice: Intelligent creatures that are not humanoid in shape, and nonintelligent monsters, can advance by increasing their Hit Dice. Creatures with increased Hit Dice are usually superior specimens of their race, bigger and more powerful than their run-of-the-mill fellows.

Templates: Both intelligent and nonintelligent creatures with an unusual heritage (such as draconic or fiendish blood) or an inflicted change in their essential nature (undeath or lycanthropy) may be modified with a template. Templates usually result in tougher monsters with capabilities that differ from those of their common kin.

Each of these three methods for improving monsters is discussed in more detail below.

Ability Score Arrays

Monsters are assumed to have completely average (or standard) ability scores⁠—a 10 or an 11 in each ability, as modified by their racial bonuses. However, improved monsters are individuals and often have better than normal ability scores, and usually make use of either the elite array or the nonelite array of ability scores.

Monsters who improve by adding a template, and monsters who improve by increasing their Hit Dice, may use any of the three arrays (standard, nonelite, or elite). Any monster unique enough to be improved could easily be considered elite.

Elite Array: The elite array is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. These numbers result in modifying the standard scores by +4, +4, +2, +2, +0, and –⁠2. While the monster has one weakness compared to a typical member of its race, it is significantly better overall. The elite array is most appropriate for monsters who add levels in a player character class. A player who wants to play a monster out of this book as a player character but doesn’t want to roll its ability scores should use the elite array.

Nonelite Array: The nonelite array is 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. These numbers result in modifying the standard scores by +2, +2, +0, +0, –⁠2, and –⁠2. The nonelite array does not necessarily make a monster better than normal, but it does customize the monster as an individual with strengths and weaknesses compared to a typical member of its race. The nonelite array is most appropriate for monsters who add class levels in a NPC class such as warrior or adept.

Ability Score Improvement: Whenever a monster reaches a number of Hit Dice divisible by 4, it improves one ability score by 1 point. For example, a lammasu of 7 Hit Dice increased to 14 Hit Dice gains an ability score improvement at 8 HD and another one at 12 HD. Monsters do not gain ability score increases for levels they “already reached” with their racial Hit Dice, since these adjustments are included in their basic ability scores.

Monsters and Class Levels

If a creature acquires a character class, it follows the rules for multiclass characters described on pages 59–60 of the Player’s Handbook. The creature’s Hit Dice equal the number of class levels it has plus its racial Hit Dice. For example, an ogre normally has 4 HD. If it picks up one level of barbarian, it becomes a creature of 5 Hit Dice: 4d8 HD for its ogre levels, plus 1d12 HD for its barbarian level. A creature’s “monster class” is always a favored class, and the creature never takes XP penalties for having it. Additional Hit Dice gained from taking levels in a character class never affect a creature’s size.

Humanoids and Class Levels: Creatures with 1 or less HD replace their monster levels with their character levels. For example, a goblin sorcerer loses its humanoid attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skills, and feats, and gains the attack bonus, save bonuses, skills, feats, and other class abilities of a 1st-level sorcerer.

Level Adjustment and Effective Character Level: To determine the effective character level (ECL) of a monster character, add its level adjustment to its racial Hit Dice and character class levels. The monster is considered to have experience points equal to the minimum needed to be a character of its ECL. For example, a 4th-level minotaur barbarian has an ECL of 12 (6 for its minotaur HD, 4 for its class levels, and 2 for its level adjustment). As the equivalent of a 12th-level character, it has 66,000 XP, and must reach a total of 78,000 XP to become 13th level and add another class level.

If you choose to equip a monster with gear, use its ECL as its character level for purposes of determining how much equipment it can purchase. Generally, only monsters with an Advancement entry of “By character class” receive NPC gear; other creatures adding character levels should be treated as monsters of the appropriate CR and assigned treasure, not equipment.

Feat Acquisition and Ability Score Increases: A monster’s total Hit Dice, not its ECL, govern its acquisition of feats and ability score increases.

For example, a 1st-level minotaur barbarian has a total of 7 HD. It has three feats (for its 1st, 3rd, and 6th HD). When it gains 2nd level as a barbarian, it becomes a creature of 8 Hit Dice and improves one ability score by 1 point. When it adds its 3rd level of barbarian, the minotaur becomes a creature of 9 Hit Dice and gains its fourth feat.

Increasing Hit Dice

As its Hit Dice increase, a creature’s attack bonuses and saving throw modifiers might improve. It gains more feats and skills, depending on its type, as shown on Table 4–1.

Saving throw bonuses are given on the Base Save and Base Attack Bonuses table. A “good” saving throw uses the higher of the listed values.

Note that if a creature acquires a character class, it improves according to its class, not its type.

See the sidebar on page 292 for an example of how to adjust the statistics for a creature whose Hit Dice have been increased.

Size Increases

A creature may become larger when its Hit Dice are increased (the new size is noted parenthetically in the monster’s Advancement entry).

A size increase affects any special ability the creature has that is affected by size, such as improved grab. Increased size also affects a creature’s ability scores, AC, attack bonuses, and damage values as indicated on the Changes to Statistics by Size table and the Increased Damage By Size table below.

Templates

Certain creatures are created by adding a template to an existing creature. A templated creature can represent a freak of nature, the individual creation of a single experimenter, or the first generation of offspring from parents of different species.

Acquired and Inherited Templates

Some templates can be added to creatures anytime. A monster or character may become a ghost after death. A spellcaster of at least 11th level can become a lich. Those with 5 or more HD killed by vampires may become vampires. Templates such as these are referred to as acquired templates, indicating that the creature did not always have the attributes of the template.

Other templates, known as inherited templates, are part of a creature from the beginning of its existence. Examples include the celestial, fiendish, half-celestial, half-dragon, and half-fiend templates⁠—​all assume the creature was born with the template.

It’s possible for a certain kind of template to be of either type. The lycanthrope template, for instance, is inherited for a creature that was born with the affliction. It can also be acquired by a creature that is bitten by a natural lycanthrope.

Reading a Template

A template’s description provides a set of instructions for altering an existing creature, known as the base creature.

The changes that a template might cause to each line of a creature’s statistics block are discussed below. Generally, if a template does not cause a change to a certain statistic, that entry is missing from the template description. For clarity, the entry for a statistic or attribute that is not changed is sometimes given as “Same as the base creature.”

Size and Type: Templates often change a creature’s type, and may change the creature’s size.

If a template changes the base creature’s type, the creature also acquires the augmented subtype unless the template description indicates otherwise. The augmented subtype is always paired with the creature’s original type. For example, a unicorn with the half-celestial template is an outsider with the augmented magical beast subtype. Unless a template indicates otherwise, the new creature has the traits of the new type but the features of the original type. The example half-celestial unicorn has outsider traits (darkvision out to 60 feet, no soul) and magical beast features (10-sided Hit Dice, base attack bonus equal to total Hit Dice, good Fortitude and Reflex saves, and so on).

If a template changes a creature’s size, use Changes to Statistics by Size table to calculate changes to natural armor, Armor Class, attack rolls, and grapple bonus.

Hit Dice and Hit Points: Most templates do not change the number of Hit Dice a monster has, but some do.

Some templates change the size of a creature’s Hit Dice (usually by changing the creature type). A few templates change previously acquired Hit Dice, and continue to change Hit Dice gained with class levels, but most templates that change Hit Dice change only the creature’s original HD and leave class Hit Dice unchanged.

If the Hit Dice entry in a template description is missing, Hit Dice and hit points do not change unless the creature’s Constitution modifier changes.

Initiative: If a template changes the monster’s Dexterity, or if it adds or removes the Improved Initiative feat, this entry changes.

Speed: If a template modifies a creature’s speed, the template states how that happens. More commonly, a template adds a new movement mode, such as a fly speed.

Armor Class: If a template changes the creature’s size, see the Changes to Statistics by Size table to determine its new Armor Class and to see whether its natural armor changes. In some cases, such as with the ghost template, the method of determining Armor Class changes radically; the template description explains how to adjust the creature’s AC.

Base Attack/Grapple: Templates usually do not change a creature’s base attack bonus. If a template modifies a creature’s base attack bonus, the template description states how that happens. Changes to a creature’s Strength score can change a creature’s grapple bonus, as can changes to its size; see Creature Sizes.

Attack and Full Attack: Most templates do not change a creature’s attack bonus or modes of attack, even when the creature’s type changes (the creature’s base attack bonus is the same as a creature of the original type). Of course, any change in ability scores may affect attack bonuses. If Strength or Dexterity changes, use the new modifier to determine attack bonuses. A change in a monster’s size also changes its attack bonus; see the Changes to Statistics by Size table.

Damage: Damage changes with Strength. If the creature uses a two-handed weapon or has a single natural weapon, it adds 1½ times its Strength bonus to the damage. If it has more than a single attack, such as a character with two weapons or a monster with claws and a bite, then it adds its Strength bonus to damage rolls for the primary attack and ½ its Strength bonus to all secondary attacks.

Space/Reach: A template may change this entry if it changes the monster’s size. The typical space and reach for monsters of each size is given on the Creature Sizes table. Note that this table does not take into account special situations such as a roper’s strands.

Special Attacks: A template may add or remove special attacks. The template description gives the details of any special attacks a template provides, including how to determine saving throw DCs, if applicable.

Special Qualities: A template may add or remove special qualities. The template description gives the details of any special qualities a template provides, including how to determine saving throw DCs, if applicable. Even if the special qualities entry is missing from a template description, the creature still gains any qualities associated with its new type (see Types, Subtypes, and Special Abilities).

Base Saves: As with attacks, changing a monster’s type does not always change its base saving throw bonuses. You only need to adjust them for new modifiers for Constitution, Dexterity, or Wisdom. A template may, however, state that a monster has a different “good” saving throw⁠—see Changes to Statistics by Size.

Abilities: If a template changes one or more ability scores, these changes are noted here.

Skills: As with attacks, changing a monster’s type does not always change its skill points. Most templates don’t change the number of Hit Dice a creature has, so you don’t need to adjust skills in that case unless the key abilities for those skills have changed, or the template gives a bonus on one or more skills, or unless the template gives a feat that provides a bonus on a skill check.

Some templates change how skill points are determined, but this change usually only affects skill points gained after the template is applied. Treat skills listed in the base creature’s description as class skills, as well as any new skills provided by the template.

Feats: Since most templates do not change the number of Hit Dice a creature has, a template will not change the number of feats the creature has. Some templates grant one or more bonus feats.

Environment: Usually the same as the base creature.

Organization: Usually the same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Most templates increase the creature’s Challenge Rating. A template might provide a modifier to be added to the base creature’s CR, or it might specify a range of modifiers depending on the base creature’s original Hit Dice or CR.

Treasure: Usually the same as the base creature.

Alignment: Usually the same as the base creature, unless the template is associated with a certain alignment (such as the celestial and fiendish templates, and any template that changes a creature’s type to undead).

Advancement: Usually the same as the base creature.

Level Adjustment: This entry is a modifier to the base creature’s level adjustment. Any level adjustment is meaningless unless the creature retains a high enough Intelligence (minimum 3) to gain class levels after applying the template.

Adding a Template, Step-by-Step

All the templates presented in this book include at least one example of the template applied to a creature. To apply a template to a creature yourself, follow the steps outlined below.

If the template changes the base creature’s size, use the Changes to Statistics by Size table to determine changes to natural armor, Armor Class, and attack rolls. Check the text of the template to see if you apply size modifiers to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. The template’s Abilities entry may already account for those adjustments.

Add all ability score modifiers, from size and from the Abilities entry, to the base creature’s ability scores.

When you know the new Constitution modifier and any change to Hit Die size, recalculate the templated monster’s hit points. See Hit Dice and Hit Points, above.

The new Constitution modifier also modifies the creature’s Fortitude saving throw modifier and any skill modifier for Concentration checks. Check for Great Fortitude or any other feat that affects the Fortitude saving throw modifier and apply the change now.

When you know the new Dexterity modifier, recalculate the creature’s modifier on initiative checks and Armor Class. Apply modifiers for size and natural armor at this time. Check for Improved Initiative and any other feat that affects Initiative and apply the change now.

Check to see if either the base creature or the templated creature uses Weapon Finesse with one or more of its attacks. If it does, use the new Dexterity modifier to recalculate the attack bonus. Apply any size modifiers at the same time.

The new Dexterity modifier also modifies the Reflex saving throw modifier and the modifiers of any skills with Dexterity as the key ability. Check for Lightning Reflexes or any other feat that affects the Reflex saving throw modifier and apply the change now.

When you know the new Strength modifier, check to see if either the base creature or the templated creature has Weapon Finesse. For all attacks that do not use Weapon Finesse, use the new Strength modifier to recalculate attack bonus. Apply any size modifiers at the same time.

The new Strength modifier affects damage and any modifiers for skills with Strength as the key ability.

When you know the new Intelligence modifier, recalculate skill modifiers for any skills that use Intelligence as the key ability.

When you know the new Wisdom modifier, recalculate the Will saving throw modifier and the modifiers for any skills that use Wisdom as the key ability. Check for Iron Will or any other feat that affects the Will saving throw modifier and apply the change now.

For all special abilities of the base creature that remain, recalculate saving throw DCs (the template description tells how to calculate the DCs for any special abilities the template provides). The formula for most save DCs is 10 + ½ the creature’s Hit Dice + the relevant ability score modifier of the creature using the ability. Typically, each ability is associated with certain kinds of abilities, as follows.

Strength: Any application of force, crushing, binding, or constriction.

Dexterity: Movement, movement restrictions, hitting with a missile, entanglement.

Constitution: Almost anything that comes from the creature’s body, including poison attacks and breath weapons.

Intelligence: Illusion effects.

Wisdom: Mental or perception effects (except charms and compulsions; see Charisma).

Charisma: A creature’s Charisma modifier affects the save DC for any spell-like abilities it has. Use Charisma for anything pitting the creature’s will against an opponent, such as gaze attacks, charms, compulsions, and energy drain effects. Also use Charisma for any DC that normally would be based on an ability score the creature does not have. For example, undead have no Constitution score, so any poison attack an undead creature has would use Charisma to determine the save DC.

Add any new special abilities granted by the template.

Add any skill bonuses given by the template.

Add any feats given by the template that are not already taken into account.

Update the Challenge Rating as instructed by the template.

Adding More Than One Template

In theory, there’s no limit to the number of templates you can add to a creature. To add more than one template, just apply each template one at a time. Always apply inherited templates before applying acquired templates. Whenever you add multiple templates, pay attention to the creature’s type⁠—you may add a template that makes the creature ineligible for other templates you might want to add. For example, a vampire cannot become a lich and vice versa.

Advanced Monster Challenge Rating

When you add higher ability scores, class levels, more Hit Dice, or a template to a monster, you make it a more challenging opponent for your players.

When adding class levels to a creature with 1 or less HD, you advance the creature like a character. Otherwise, use the following guidelines.

Adding Class Levels

If you are advancing a monster by adding player character class levels, decide if the class levels directly improve the monster’s existing capabilities.

When adding class levels to a creature, you should give it typical ability scores appropriate for that class. Most creatures in this book are built using the standard array of ability scores: 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, adjusted by racial modifiers. If you give a creature a PC class, such as fighter or druid, use the elite array of ability scores before racial adjustments: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. For example, the troll hunter (in the Troll entry) is a ranger and uses the elite array, which is then modified by the troll’s racial adjustments (Str +12, Dex +4, Con +12, Int –⁠4, Wis –⁠2, Cha –⁠4). Creatures with NPC classes, such as adept or warrior, use the nonelite array of 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. The orc warrior presented in this book is an example.

Estimating CR: Assigning a Challenge Rating is a subjective judgment, not an exact science⁠—meaning that you have control over what the CR of an monster with class levels should be. If you find a class combination that improves a monster’s capabilities significantly⁠—or not as significantly as this guideline supposes⁠—you should modify its CR as seems logical. Err on the side of overestimating: If a monster has a higher Challenge Rating than it deserves, it’s less likely to kill off an entire party than if you had erred in the other direction.

Associated Class Levels

Class levels that increase a monster’s existing strengths are known as associated class levels. Each associated class level a monster has increases its CR by 1.

Barbarian, fighter, paladin, and ranger are associated classes for a creature that relies on its fighting ability. For example, if you add a level of fighter, barbarian, ranger, or paladin to a frost giant, this directly improves the monster’s existing strengths and is therefore an associated class level.

Rogue and ranger are associated classes for a creature that relies on stealth to surprise its foes, or on skill use to give itself an advantage. The babau demon, for example, is “sneaky and sly” and has sneak attack as a special ability. Rogue is an associated class for this creature.

A spellcasting class is an associated class for a creature that already has the ability to cast spells as a character of the class in question, since the monster’s levels in the spellcasting class stack with its innate spellcasting ability. A rakshasa, for example, casts spells as a 7th-level sorcerer. If it picks up a level of sorcerer, it casts spells as an 8th-level sorcerer.

Nonassociated Class Levels

If you add a class level that doesn’t directly play to a creature’s strength (such as adding a sorcerer level to a frost giant), the class level is considered nonassociated, and things get a little more complicated. Adding a nonassociated class level to a monster increases its CR by ½ per level until one of its nonassociated class levels equals its original Hit Dice. At that point, each additional level of the same class or a similar one is considered associated and increases the monster’s CR by 1.

For example, frost giants have 14 HD. After you add 14 levels of sorcerer to a frost giant (and +7 to its CR), any further sorcerer class levels are considered associated. Adding one more sorcerer level increases this particular frost giant’s CR by 1.

Levels in NPC classes are always treated as nonassociated.

Adding Hit Dice

When you improve a monster by adding Hit Dice, use the Improved Monster CR Increase table to determine the effect on the creature’s CR. Keep in mind that many monsters that advance by adding Hit Dice also increase in size. Do not stack this CR increase with any increase from class levels.

In general, once you’ve doubled a creature’s CR, you should closely watch any additional increases in its abilities. Adding Hit Dice to a creature improves several of its abilities, and radical increases might not follow this progression indefinitely. Compare the monster’s improved attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, and any DCs of its special abilities from the HD increase to typical characters of the appropriate level and adjust the CR accordingly.

Increasing Size

Generally, increasing a monster’s size increases its combat effectiveness. Large creatures gain increased Strength, reach, and other benefits. Apply this modifier if you increase a creature beyond Medium and in conjunction with any other increases.

Be careful, though. Monsters that benefit from a smaller size may actually lose effectiveness because of a size increase. A grig, for example, gains AC and attack bonuses for being Tiny, and reduced Dexterity from a size increase actually hurts its Weapon Finesse capability. Monsters that don’t benefit from size increases don’t advance in that manner for this reason.

Adding Special Abilities

You can add any sort of spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary ability to a creature. As with a class level, you should determine how much, or how little, this ability adds to the creature’s existing repertoire. A suite of abilities that work together should be treated as a single modifier for this purpose. If the ability (or combination of abilities) significantly increases the monster’s combat effectiveness, increase its CR by 2. Minor abilities increase the creature’s CR by 1, and truly trivial abilities may not increase CR at all. If the special abilities a monster gains are not tied to a class or Hit Die increase, this CR increase stacks.

A significant special attack is one that stands a good chance of incapacitating or crippling a character in one round; the troll’s rend ability, while it is dangerous, does not make it significantly more dangerous than it already is, but an umber hulk’s confusing gaze can take characters out of the fight every round. A significant special quality is one that seriously diminishes the monster’s vulnerability to common attacks, such as spell resistance or an undead creature’s immunities. Do not add this factor twice if a monster has both special attacks and special qualities.

Make sure to “scale” your evaluation of these abilities by the monster’s current CR. Giving a CR 15 monster built for melee combat the ability to cast bull’s strength once per day is pretty trivial, taken all by itself. It probably wouldn’t bump the CR at all, or at best, by 1. If you give a melee combat monster of CR 1 the same ability, however, that’s fairly significant: Increase the CR by 2.

Adding lots of abilities is always problematic. Monsters usually only spend a short period of time “on screen” in any adventure. If you give a monster more special abilities than it can reliably use in a single encounter, you may just be increasing complexity for no real improvement.