Monster Traits
When using Generic Monster Statblocks to create monsters, you can add some traits to the monster that would make sense based on its environment. Use this method when building your own monsters, or if the adventure you are running does not provide a usable statblock.
Actions
These traits require a monster to use one (or more) of its attack actions.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Magic | Cast a Spell — 3rd Level = 2 attacks, 4th Level = 3 attacks, 5th Level = 4 attacks |
| Melee | Make a melee attack — use the listed damage |
| Ranged | Make a ranged attack — subtract 1 from the listed damage |
| Petrifying Gaze | Target a creature the monster can see. They make a DC XX Mental Defense Check. On a failure, they are turned to stone and Paralyzed. |
| Damage Burst | The monster can forgo all of its attacks to choose a target it can see. The target and all creatures Engaged with it make a DC XX Mental Defense or Physical Defense Check depending on the nature of the burst. On a failure, they take damage equal to Half the monster's DPR. On a success, they take half as much. |
| Darkness | Extinguish all light sources within 1 Zone of the monster. |
Passives
These traits passively apply to a monster.
Minor
| d10 | Passive | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ambush | Thief | All hits against Surprised creatures count as Critical Hits. |
| 2 | Attach | Stirge | On hit: Becomes attached. Automatically hits Melee Attacks while attached. Requires an Action to remove it. |
| 3 | Blindsight | Giant Scorpion | The creature has some method of fine perception that does not rely on sight, and is thus unaffected by Blinded. |
| 4 | Disease | Rat | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you are Exhausted. |
| 5 | Dodge | Goblin | Force an Attack that would hit them to be a miss ONCE per day. They cannot dodge a Critical Hit. |
| 6 | Knockdown | Bear | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you fall Prone. |
| 7 | Life Drain (Lesser) | Will 'O Wisp | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you are Wounded. |
| 8 | Magical Constitution | Werewolf, Wight | Immune to Mundane Damage |
| 9 | Movement | Eagle | Has more movement, or a advantageous movement (ex. fly) |
| 10 | Venom | Snake | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you are Poisoned 1. |
Moderate
| d14 | Passive | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corrode | Rust Monster | On hit: Roll a d6. On a 1-3, destroys a piece of Equipment that has the Mundane Property, if any exist. |
| 2 | Cursed Disease | Werewolf / Vampire | If you are Wounded by this monster, you contract their Cursed Diseases. |
| 3 | Favored Terrain | Crocodile (Water) | When their target is in their favored terrain, all hits against that target count as Critical Hits. |
| 4 | Grapple | Owlbear | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you are Restrained. You may repeat this Check as an Action. |
| 5 | Hidden | Animated Armor, Grick | When standing still, they can blend into the environment. The PCs are Surprised by these encounters. |
| 6 | Keen Senses | Golem | Cannot be Surprised. |
| 7 | Life Drain (Greater) | Wight | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you gain 1 Scar. |
| 8 | Magical Constitution | Werewolf, Wight | Immune to Mundane Damage |
| 9 | Pack Tactics | Dire Wolf | Has Advantage on Melee Attacks as long as an ally is Engaged with the target. |
| 10 | Paralysis Poison | Ghoul | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you are Paralyzed until the end of your next Turn. |
| 11 | Resistance (Lesser) | Frost Wight | Resistant to the Damage Type of its nature. |
| 12 |
Sleep Poison | Fairy | On hit: DC XX Physical Defense Check. On a failure, you fall Unconscious until roused. |
| 13 | Slime Split | Ochre Jelly | Cutting in half spawns another slime. Split the HP among them. |
| 14 | Strong | Minotaur | Has Advantage on Strength Checks not part of an Attack. |
Major
| d8 | Passive | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damage Aura | Demon Lord | When a creature becomes Engaged with the monster for the first time on a Turn, they take damage equal to half the damage of one of the monster's attacks. This passive should reduce the # of attacks the monster has by 1. |
| 2 | Damage Transfer | Archlich | When the creature takes damage, they transfer Half of that damage to a willing creature in their Zone. |
| 3 | Immune | Fire Dragon | Immune to the Damage Type of its environment. |
| 4 | Regeneration | Troll | Heals HP equivalent to the damage an attack deals unless it took Fire or Acid damage since last Round. |
| 5 | Resistance (Greater) | Adamantine Golem | Resistant to all Damage Types except its weakness. |
| 6 | Retaliation Damage | Fire Elemental | Whenever the creature is hit by a Melee Attack, the attacker takes XX damage of the relevant type, where XX is 1d6 for weaker monsters, and 5 for harder monsters. |
| 7 | Shapechanger | Hag | Can change its appearance at will to look like any Humanoid. |
| 8 | Swallow | Dragon | On hit: Swallows the target — only triggers on their first Attack on their Turn. |
Generally, the number of passives you give a monster should not exceed its number of attacks. It will often be less. One to three flavorful passives is usually where you want to be.