7 easy ways to make new/variant monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

7 easy ways to make new/variant monsters [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Morninglord
12-06-04, 07:48 AM So, you're tired of sending the same old monsters against your players, but feel it takes too much effort to make up a whole new creature. Fear not, cause there are easier ways to make different monsters for your campaign. Many of these can be used together:

- Add a template
This is the simplest solution. There are many templates out there and slapping those on a base creature gives it a new twist.

- Advance the monster
This solution comes to mind rather easy as well. By using the rules for advancement you can make an otherwise simple animal a bit tougher.

- Weaken the monster
If you can make a monster tougher by advancing it, you can make it weaker by reversing the advancement rules. Maybe you want to add pygmy elephants to your campaign. If so, just reduce the power (and size) of the normal version.

- Add/change the subtype
You want fire wolves? Just add the fire subtype and you're done. Aquatic ropers? Add the aquatic subtype.

- Change the creature type
You want elves and gnomes among the fey? Just give them the fey type. You want ghouls to be insane cannibals instead of walking corpses? Give them the humanoid type.

- Change feats
By simply changing the feats (and perhaps bonus feats) a creature possess, you can give it a different focus.

- Change spell-like abilities
By trading one spell-like ability a creature possess with another of the same level, you can give it a different focus as with the feats above.
Jimmy_Groove
12-06-04, 10:36 AM The hard part is adjusting them afterwards. Changing gnomes to fey for instance; they gain immunity to quite a few low-level spells, but the change means far less at high levels. Thus, the question is: how much of a CR or ECL adjustment does this warrant. In this case I'd probably go for CR+0/ECL+1, but a bit of tweaking couldn't hurt.
IceFractal
12-07-04, 06:23 PM And of course, giving it the double post 1/round ability will be very annoying.
IceFractal
12-07-04, 06:23 PM I've got another one: Change attack types.
Changing a slam to a bite or claw, claw attacks to energy rays, a manufactured weapon to a natural weapon or vice versa can all have a big difference.

Of course, in conjuction with all of these, changing the way the monster and its abilities are described is important.
Slagger the Chuul
12-07-04, 11:14 PM Of course, in conjuction with all of these, changing the way the monster and its abilities are described is important.

Definitely the easiest way to change a creature, even without making any statistical changes. Too many players recognize monsters by their description and suddenly have a few ideas about how to combat it.

I think the easiest one I've done was a black pudding that looked like a chaos beast. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Morninglord 12-06-04, 07:48 AM	So, you're tired of sending the same old monsters against your players, but feel it takes too much effort to make up a whole new creature. Fear not, cause there are easier ways to make different monsters for your campaign. Many of these can be used together: - Add a template This is the simplest solution. There are many templates out there and slapping those on a base creature gives it a new twist. - Advance the monster This solution comes to mind rather easy as well. By using the rules for advancement you can make an otherwise simple animal a bit tougher. - Weaken the monster If you can make a monster tougher by advancing it, you can make it weaker by reversing the advancement rules. Maybe you want to add pygmy elephants to your campaign. If so, just reduce the power (and size) of the normal version. - Add/change the subtype You want fire wolves? Just add the fire subtype and you're done. Aquatic ropers? Add the aquatic subtype. - Change the creature type You want elves and gnomes among the fey? Just give them the fey type. You want ghouls to be insane cannibals instead of walking corpses? Give them the humanoid type. - Change feats By simply changing the feats (and perhaps bonus feats) a creature possess, you can give it a different focus. - Change spell-like abilities By trading one spell-like ability a creature possess with another of the same level, you can give it a different focus as with the feats above.
Jimmy_Groove 12-06-04, 10:36 AM	The hard part is adjusting them afterwards. Changing gnomes to fey for instance; they gain immunity to quite a few low-level spells, but the change means far less at high levels. Thus, the question is: how much of a CR or ECL adjustment does this warrant. In this case I'd probably go for CR+0/ECL+1, but a bit of tweaking couldn't hurt.
IceFractal 12-07-04, 06:23 PM	And of course, giving it the double post 1/round ability will be very annoying.
IceFractal 12-07-04, 06:23 PM	I've got another one: Change attack types. Changing a slam to a bite or claw, claw attacks to energy rays, a manufactured weapon to a natural weapon or vice versa can all have a big difference. Of course, in conjuction with all of these, changing the way the monster and its abilities are described is important.
Slagger the Chuul 12-07-04, 11:14 PM	Of course, in conjuction with all of these, changing the way the monster and its abilities are described is important. Definitely the easiest way to change a creature, even without making any statistical changes. Too many players recognize monsters by their description and suddenly have a few ideas about how to combat it. I think the easiest one I've done was a black pudding that looked like a chaos beast. :)