Intro:
Before we start: Thanks to the many, many people who have contributed to this. I do apologize upfront for some rather direct and uncredited quotes I have taken from discussion on other threads, there really are too many to credit properly (If you want credit for something I copied just let me know, ok?)
Next: here are the rules: I will post questions that are frequently asked on this board and answers to those questions. If I forget any, or if I made a mistake, please let me know and we can get this right. Quirky/odd rules discussions should be left to other threads, and non-MM specific questions should be asked on the appropriate board FAQ, which can be found at the following links:
>>General Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer)
>>Player's Handbook FAQ<<(maintainted by Josh_Kablack)
>>Races Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer)
>>Classes Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer)
>>Skills and Feats, Combat and Weapons Board FAQ<< (maintained by tiornys)
>>Spells and Magic Items Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer)
>>Dungeon Master's Guide Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer);
>>What's a DM to Do? - Rights and Responsibilities<< (maintained by Frez)
>>Min/Max Borad FAQ<< (maintained by stembolt)
>>Psionics Handbook Board FAQ<< (maintained by Dr. Draco)
>>Meta-Board FAQ<< (maintained by the WizOs)
This FAQ is for basic MM related info.
In the future, you can refer people here and not have to keep answering the same questions over and over again
Contents:
- SECTION 1: Monster Stats
- SECTION 2: CRs, XP, ECLs
- SECTION 3: Monster Attacks
- SECTION 4: Specific Monster Abilities
- SECTION 5: Monster Advancement
- SECTION 6: Templates
- SECTION 7: Specific Creatures
- SECTION 8: The Monster Manual II
- SECTION 9: Misc.
- SECTION 10: Frequently Asked, but unanswerable Questions
Q: What does the hit dice listing mean? Does the DM come up with a starting value and then roll the dice or what?
A: Its really very simple: The dice listed are a randomized way to generate the monsters Hit Points, the number in parentheses is the average result rolled on those dice.
For example:
quote:Orc entry on page 146The (4hp) is the average Hit Points for the monster and can be used to save time. The 1d8 is the range of hps for the monster, 1 to 8. If you want to use non average hps, roll 1d8.
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4hp)
Q: Why do monsters such as Stirges and Rats have damage listings of 1d3-4 or other formulae that result in negative numbers?
A: As per page 118 of The Player’s Handbook a hit always deals a minimum of 1 point of damage. The dice sizes and Strength modifiers are provided to help keep the system standardized and to provide easy answers to how various magical augmentations (such as Bull’s Strength) affect the creature’s damage dealt.
Q: Can somebody post the Stats for a <printed monster x> ?
A: No, that's quite possibly a violation of copyright law. But what you can do is check the online System Reference Document >>Link<< and see if the stats you want are available under the Open Gaming License.
Q: Where can I find stats for a <non-printed monster>?
and Q: Has anyone done a conversion for <monster from previous edition> ?
A:Your best bet for finding decent (if unofficial) stats and conversions is to check the Creature Catalog >>Link<< hosted by EN world. Also you might be surprised by the material you can find using google or other such search engines to look for your particular beastie.
Q: How big is creature <x>?
A: Look at pg. 5 of the MM - it gives dimensions and weights. Furthermore, each creature has a face/reach listed under it - the face statistics tell you about how big it is on a battlemat or hex grid. Some creatures are exceptions to the listed weight or reach, but such exceptions are always noted in a given creature’s stats block or description.
Q: How do I go about making up a new monster?
A: Use your imagination, and check this >>Link<< for the Dragon Magazine article dealing with the rules mechanics for it.
Q: I just made up a new monster, what CR should it be?
A: Your best bet is to check out the CR Guesstimator from Dragon 282 >>Link<< to get an idea of what CR a given monster should be. It's not perfect, but it gives you a decent starting point.
Q: Where can I find some nifty new monsters?
A: (shameless plug) You can check out my
~¤~ Quick Links to Custom Creatures ~¤~ thread at this >>Link<< to see some of the excellent creatures posted on this very forum.
Q: Since Undead have no Constitution score, how do I figure out their Fortitude save against those few Fortitude effects that can effect them (such as Disintegrate?
A: Firstly, all undead in the MM do have a Fortitude save listed in their entry, you can just look it up. However if you need to compute it for some reason: The modifier for a nonability (like Undead's Con) is +0. (see MM 10, Column 2, Nonabilities) So their Fortitude save is a poor save (like a rogue's Fort save) + zero for Con + any other applicible modifiers
**********Section 2: XP, CR, ECLs**********
Q: How much XP is critter <x> worth?
A: In 3rd Ed., PCs do not receive flat amounts of XP for defeating a given monster (as was the case in previous editions). Instead the value for defeating a monster is based on it's Challenge Rating (CR) compared to the level of the PCs. Full information is given on pages 165-167 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. In general, a party that defeats a monster of CR equal to the party level will receive and amount of XP equal to 300x the CR (divided amongst the party members), while a lower level party will receive a greater amount of XP for defeating the same monster and a higher level party will receive a smaller amount of XP.
Q: How does the CR (Challenge Rating) system work ?
A: A single monster of CR <x>, or group of monsters with total Encounter Level (EL) <x> is a good fight for a typical party of four level <x> adventurers. In general, it is assumed that such a fight will exhaust about 20% of the party's total resources (HPs, spells, limited use magic items, etc.). See pages 100-103 and 165-167 of the DMG for further details.
Q: How do I calculate the EL for encounters involving different types of monsters?
A: In general (for monsters of CR 1 or greater) two monsters of the same CR working together have a combined Encounter Level of that CR+2, four monsters of the same CR working together have a combined Encounter Level of that CR+4, eight monsters of the same CR working together have a combined Encounter Level of that CR+6 and so on. Also in general two monsters of close but not equal CRs working together have a combined Encounter Level of the higher CR+1.
However, if the monsters have individual CRs of less than 1, the math is different.
In general, for a creature with a CR of 1/6, 8 of them are a CR 1 encounter
See pages 101-103 and 165-167 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for a more complete explanation. Pay special attention to the Encounter Numbers chart on page 101 and the guidelines for Modifying Encounter Levels on page 167.
Q: What does ECL stand for? How do I use it ? Is there a relationship between CR and ECL?
A: ECL stands for Equivalent Character Level. It is a level adjustment used to help "balance" out PCs of more powerful non-standard races such as Drow, Genasi, and Hengeyokai as well as Monsterous PCs. It is the more common name for what is called Level Equivalent on page 22 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. You use ECL as a shift to the XP chart, so that a Hengeyokai (ECL +1) character needs as much XP to reach 3rd level as a human character needs to reach 4th level, as much XP to reach 7th level as the human needs to reach 8th, and so on.
The matter of relating CRs to ECLs is a subject of hot debate right now. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and the Dungeon Master's Guide present different modifiers for some of the same races, and a recent Dragon Magazine (293?) has a long list that frequently disagrees with both, (but asks for reader opinion as to whether these suggestions are appropriate). I recommend you ask your DM what numbers he or she is using. Or if you are a DM who finds the official word inadequate, I recommend you check out ENB Soldarin's thread on the matter >>Link<<for some excellent suggestions and a very balanced system for deriving new ECLs.
Apparently the forthcoming book Savage Species will contain official ECLs for nearly all monsters found in The Monster Manual
Q: How do I calculate the CR for advanced monsters?
A: The Challenge rating note at the bottom of page 14 of the Monster Manual states that the CR for a monster advanced by hit dice does not change, but that the experience point award increases by the same ratio as the increase in HD. There is however errata to this which states that each doubling of the creature's HD increase the creature's CR by 2 and that each 50% increase in the creature's HD increases the creature's CR by 1. This results in the same amount of XP as would be awarded by doing it the way mentioned in the MM, but no longer implies that an advanced creature is a fair fight for PCs who are on par with the base creature.
Note: I think that there is a small error in the current MM errata on this, which states:
quote:**********Section 3: Creature Attacks**********
Each 50% increase to the creature’s original HD increases the CR of a monster by 1. Doubling the HD raises the CR by 2. Tripling the HD raises the CR by 4.
Q: How many attacks does a monster get?
A: First of all that depends what type of action the monster is using. A monster using a partial or standard action may only take 1 attack (barring certain exceptions), a monster using the full attack action (usually) gets to make all the attacks listed in the Attacks line of its entry. (Please see pages 122-127 in the Player’s Handbook for details on the various types of actions)
Q: What is the primary weapon for a monster?
A: It is the weapon that is (usually) listed first in the monster description, and they have the highest BAB. However what gets confusing is that a monster can have more than one primary weapon.
Examples:
quote:GhoulThe bite is the one primary weapon
Attacks: Bite +3 melee, 2 claws +0 melee
quote:Bear, BrownAnd both claws are considered primary weapons, with the bite being the secondary weapon.
Attacks: 2 claws +11 melee, bite +6 melee
Q: Can a monster use both primary weapons without using a full-attack action?
A: By a strict reading of the rules no. This does result in a few logical inconsistencies when applied to real world animals such as hawks diving in to catch a fish, but many monsters for which such things are relevant have Pounce and/or Rake abilities (see section 4 below) which let them do exactly that.
Q: Do monsters ever have multiple types of primary attack mode?
A: A few monsters (notably Balors, Lizardfolk, and Elephants) have attack routines listed that include the word “or” in the middle. Presumably, that is an exclusive or and creatures with such listings can use either the attacks listed before the “or” or the attacks listed after the “or” but not both. Also presumably in such cases, the first attack after the “or” is treated as a different primary attack for numerical purposes.
Also, presumably such attack routines are separated in the text by a semicolon instead of the usual comma, but there are many notable instances (mainly animals) where a semicolon is used in place of a comma with no difference in meaning.
Q: What is the rule governing which natural weapon attacks gain extra attacks for high Base Attack Bonus?
A: You get no extra attacks for a high base attack when you use a natural weapon. (Except for some slams).
Q: I was under the impression that natural weapons did not receive extra attacks for high BAB, but several creatures, all with a single "slam" type attack, have multiple attacks. (e.g. - Djinni, Efreeti, the larger elementals, Invisible Stalker, and Shield Guardian.)
A: These are racial special abilities of the listed creature types. However, other creatures with high BAB and a single natural weapon attack such as a bite, gore, or tail slap, do not receive extra attacks no matter what their BAB is.
Q: If a single, "slam" type attack is entitled to multiple attacks, why are Animated Objects not granted multiple attacks with their single slam attack when other constructs (Shield Guardian) are? If the vampire template were applied to a creature with a high enough BAB, would it gain multiple attacks using its slam attack?
A: See previous answers (also see Attacks, page 7 of the MM)
Q: Under what circumstances are creatures with natural weapons allowed to "mix" their natural weapons with manufactured weapon attack regimes. ?
A: All of them.
Q: Some creatures are explained explicitly (e.g. - the Athach), but others are unclear and were perhaps not considered when originally designed. For example, an awakened bear could potentially use weapons (if they were given the Opposable enchantment from Masters of the Wild), but would it be able to use its secondary natural weapon (bite) while wielding a weapon as the Athach is?
A: Yes. The natural weapon becomes secondary (-5 to attack, or -2 with Multiattack).
Q: Is there a rule that creatures are not allowed to mix natural weaponry with manufactured weaponry unless it specifically declares that they can in the monster description?
A: No, see previous answer.
Q: Can I have iterative attacks with natural weapon attacks?
A: No. Exception: If you have only a single natural Slam attack, it is considered to be a manufactured weapon attack, in the same way as an "unarmed" attack is considered to be a manufactured weapon attack for purposes of attacks per round.
Q: Can I combine natural weapon attacks and manufactured attacks?
A: Yes.
Q: If I have natural weapon attacks and Manufactured weapon attacks, how do I apply my BAB?
A: You get to apply your full BAB to your first Manufactured Weapon Attack. You may take iterative attacks at the normal -5/-10/etc. with your first Manufactured Weapon. Any and all natural weapons are considered secondary natural weapon attacks, and are at -5 each (-2 with multiattack). Even natural weapons which would normally be your primary natural weapon are considered secondary when combined with manufactured weaponry.
Q: I have natural weapon attacks, how much damage do I inflict?
A: You add your strength bonus to damage on any primary natural weapon attack. You add one half your strength bonus to any secondary natural weapon attack, and you add one and a half strength bonus to damage on a primary natural weapon attack if you make no other attacks that turn.
Q: I am a walking armory, and am completely covered with natural and manufactured weaponry, how many attacks do I get? What are my penalties on those attacks?
A1: You get a single attack with a primary manufactured weapon, with a single additional attack for each extra manufactured weapon and a single additional attack for each natural weapon you have.
A2: Your attacks with manufactured weaponry are all (including your primary attack) at variable penalties based on the rest of your equipment and your feats. The base penalties for TWF are in the PHB on page 125. The penalties for fighting with more than 2 weapons are similar, with the following modifications:
1. For purposes of penalties to-hit, every single additional weapon is an "off-hand" weapon, you suffer the additional -2 penalty if any of your additional weapons are not light.
2. Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting do not help in any way, see MotW or The Monster Manual (page 11) for the equivalent relevant feats (Multidexterity and Multiweapon Fighting).
3. For purposes of damage, all additional weapons are "off hand" and inflict only one half strength bonus to damage, whether they are used in a hand or not. (Possible but unconfirmed exception: an offhand weapon wielded two-handed by a multilimbed creature may deal full Str bonus in damage.-Now Confirmed by MM2. Will update soon)
Finally, secondary natural weapons are not affected by how many manufactured weapons you are using, nor are they affected by what size those weapons may be. Every secondary natural weapon attack is at -5 to-hit (-2 with the multiattack feat), regardless of what other equipment or feats you are or are not using.
Q: I am a Lizardfolk Monk/Fighter, I have a BAB of +6 and have Multiattack, Multidexterity, Multiweapon Fighting, and Boot Blade Proficiency. How many attacks do I get? What are my penalties on each attack, and why?
A: For starters, you must designate a primary attack, which in turn must be a manufactured weapon if you intend to combine the natural weapons and the manufactured weapons.
So your primary attack must be either "Unarmed", or one of your two Boot Blades. In either case, your primary attack will be at -2 to-hit as you are multiweapon fighting with light weapons and have both feats. You will get an iterative attack at -5 with that weapon (total: -7).
You also have 2 secondary manufactured weapon attacks, which will be either with 2 boot blades or 1 boot blade and 1 unarmed attack depending upon what your primary attack was. Both attacks will be at -2 and only add 1/2 strength bonus to damage.
Finally, you have 2 claws and a bite, all of which provide a single secondary natural weapon attack at -2 to-hit, and which add one half strength bonus to damage.
Q: The Athach is really complicated, how does it work?
A: The Athach has a BAB of +10, a Strength bonus of +8, and a -2 Size Penalty.
It is multiweapon fighting with at least one non-light additional weapon, which means that even after multidexterity and multiweapon fighting it is at -4 to each manufactured weapon attack.
It has a primary Club which gets an iterative attack at an additional -5 (-9 total), and 2 more additional clubs each of which provide a single extra attack at -4.
Finally, it has a secondary natural weapon (bite, which is at -2).
This breaks down to:
Primary Club: (+10+8-4-2) +12 / (+10+8-4-2-5) +7
Additional Clubs: (+10+8-4-2) +12/+12
Bite: (+10+8-2-2) +14
It applies full strength bonus to damage on the primary club, and one half strength bonus on both additional clubs and the bite.
Q: On a partially related note: What happens when you critical miss with a natural weapon?
A: That's easy: 3rd ed. does not have critical misses. Except as an option mentioned on page 65 of the DMG:
quote: You need to decide what it means to fumble, but in general that character should probably lose a turn of activity as he regains his balance, picks up a dropped weapon, clears his head, steadies himself, or whatever.***********Section 4: Creature Abilities***********
Q: How does Damage Reduction work now? Is a creature with Damage Reduction in a Anti-Magic Field invulnerable?
A: Damage Reduction is a Supernatural Ability for creatures that negates a certain amount of damage from weapons of less than the listed bonus. Damage reduction does not apply against magic or elemental damage (such as that caused by Alchemist's fire. Also note that since Damage Reduction is a Supernatural (Su) ability it does not function in an Anti-Magic Field or similar circumstances. See pages 73&74 of the Dungeon Master's Guide and pages 9&10 of the Monster Manual for a more complete explanation. The spell description of Anti-Magic Field on page 175 of the Player’s Handbook notes a few exceptions in certain cases. (Also a few creatures have their Damage Reduction listed as an Extraordinary ability- but discussion of those is beyond the scope of this FAQ, as no such creatures are listed in The Monster Manual)
Q: How does Regeneration work now? Isn’t it just like Fast Healing?
A: A creature with Fast Healing merely gains back a specified amount of HP each round. A creature with Regeneration takes subdual damage from all but the listed attack forms and heals the listed amount of Subdual damage each round. These may seem similar, but there are a number of differences, the main one being that a creature with regenerate cannot be slain by attack types that convert to normal damage. Please see page 10 of the Monster Manual and page 81 of The Dungeon Master’s Guide for a full discussion of the Regeneration ability and pages 34&35 of The Player’s Handbook for a discussion of how Subdual damage works.
Also note that if a creature with Regeneration does not have an attack type that deals normal damage mentioned in its descriptive text (or a mention that nothing deals normal damage) in its description it is a typo, which will be fixed in the errata (if it hasn’t already.)
Retrievers, Planetars and Solars all have Fast Healing with the as per the MM Errata. The rate of healing is equal to the original number listed for their Regeneration abilities in all three cases.
Update:The Elemental Weirds from MMII have regeneration listed with no mention of what attack types deal normal damage. I personally beleive that this is meant to be Fast Healing.
Q: Using a spell-like ability provokes an AoO, right? But can a creature use a spell-like ability 'on the defensive' the way a spell caster can cast a spell? In that case, what's the DC for the concentration check, 15 + spell level?
A: Creatures can use a Spell-Like Ability on the Defensive. The Concentration check DC is 15, as per PHB 126, column 1.
Q: How does Pounce work?
A: If a creature with the Pounce ability dives or leaps upon a foe during the first round of combat, it can make a full attack even if it has already taken a move action. This is particularily effective if done as a partial charge in the surprise round.
Update: As per the pounce descriptions in the MMII, Pounce now works whenever the creature charges. Skip Williams has indicated that he considers this change "semi-official errata" that should probably be retroactively applied to all previous creatures with the pounce ability.
Q: How does Improved Grab work?
A: The monster must first hit with a melee attack. Secondly, the monster must do one of the following:
- immediately use all of its appendages (i.e. attack modes) to grapple the target, and normal grappling rules apply.
- If it has already used an attack or doesn't wish to be considered grappled itself or it has already used some attacks, it must take the -20 penalty to its grapple check.
Q: If a monster has DR 30/+3 but no fire resistance, would a +1, flaming weapon injure it?
A: The weapon damage would probably be insufficient to get through the DR, but the flaming damage is considered separate and goes through normally.
Q: About Rend: If a troll attacks a creature with Damage Reduction and makes a successful attack roll with each claw, but fails to overcome the DR of the target, can it use its rend ability?
A: The board consensus is yes, as Rend works whenever the Troll "hits" with both claws, not whenever the Troll "deals damage" with both claws. However the Damage Reduction must be applied seperately against each of the 3 attacks. IE (Claw1-DR) + (Claw2-DR) + (Rend-DR)
**********Section 5: Creature Advancement**********
Q: What is creature advancement?
A: From page 12 of the Monster Manual, “This book lists only the weakest and most common version of each creature. The advancement line shows how tough the creature can get, ..”
Q: How do creatures advance?
A: Usually by class type, but some creatures can advance their creature type (i.e. they can gain "outsider" hit dice). To find out what abilities you get for advancing you HD, check out pg. 13 of the Monster Manual
Q: How does advancement by HD work?
A: Take a look at the Advancement line of the monster’s statistics block. This will show you its stages and the size category for each.
quote:Example: Hippogriff (page 118 MM).Q: What about size increase/decrease?
A Hippogriff usually has 3 HD and is large. If it advances to 4,5 or 6 HD it remains large, if it advances to 7 or more HD it becomes Huge-sized. When you give it more HD it may gain several abilities: flip your MM to page 13 and look at the relevant type, which in this case is the Beast type .
It gains d10 HD (As always +Con bonus), and it gains the attack bonus of a cleric (so to figure its BAB you can look at page 30 of your PHB and compare the Hippogriff´s HD to the cleric levels in table 3-6, or you).
It has good reflex and fortitude saves (PHB page 22, table 3-1, compare HD to level, high number is good saves, low number is other saves) and it gains 1 skill point per HD gained.
When you give the Hippogriff a total of 7+ HD, it becomes huge. Page 12 describes what happens to creatures who change from one size to another (under the header Size Increases.
You can also look at the example given in the MM page 14.
A: All of the necessary modifications are on pg 12 and 14 of the MM - Str, Dex, Con, AC, natural weapon damage, etc. Remember that each listed modifier represents a movement of only one size category, so that sometime multiple modifiers need to be applied.
***********Section 6: Templates***********
Q: What is a Template? How do I use Templates?
A: A template is a set of modifications you can apply to a listed creature to turn it into something else. The Monster Manual lists templates for Celestial, Fiendish Half-Celestial, Half-Fiend, Half-Dragons, Ghost, Lycanthrope, Lich, and Vampire creatures. You use a template by choosing a base monster and then simply making all of the listed modifications to it.
Q: Can I apply multiple templates to the same creature?
A: In general yes. But keep in mind that many templates can only be applied to creatures that meet alignment or type requirements and many templates change the base creature's alignment or type. For example, the Half-Dragon template can be applied to any corporeal creature and changes the creature's type to "Dragon", but the Lich template can only be applied to humanoids, so a Half-Dragon character cannot become a Lich. (The Dracolich template from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is another story).
Of course many DMs (and players) have problems with and disallow many uses of multiple templates on the general grounds that a half-elf, half-dragon, half-celestial adds up to a total of 1.5 characters.
Q: If you have a human base creature, and apply a template, such as the half-dragon, does the human still get the extra feat and skills at level one?
A: The resulting creature has the skills and feats listed under the relevant headings in the template description block. In the case of the half-dragon template the character gains skills for class levels normally and has the greater of either
- one feat for every four levels
- or the base creature’s total of feats
A: It probably does already. Be sure to double check the creature type and the abilities common to all creatures of that type on pages 5&6 of the Monster Manual.
**********Section 7: Specific Creatures**********
Q: Why do dragons seem so much deadlier than other creatures of the same CRs?
A: Dragon CRs were computed differently than the CRs for other creatures. It was explained in Dragon Magazine 284 that the CRs for dragons assume that a party is specifically prepared to meet that type of dragon.
The thinking behind doing this is that since Dragons are used in the name of the game, they can never be overpowered and should be the toughest fight at any given level. The counterarguments for why this should not have been done are that it wrecks the standardization and balance provided by the CR system and discourages PCs from fighting dragons as they get fewer rewards (less XP and treasure) for fighting dragons than from fighting other equally tough monsters.
If you want a “fair” CR for your dragons you can use the CR Guesstimator to compute one. It has been unofficially suggested on this board that adding 4 to the listed CR, or doubling the listed CR if it is less than 4, is a good fudge factor to fix the average dragon.
Q: Since Vampires and Liches have no Con, what do they do about Concentration?
A: As per MM 6, "An undead spellcaster uses its Charisma modifier when making Concentration checks". (Presumably this also includes vampiric ex-monks.)
Q: Since 3e has no called shot rules, what are the rules for decapitating or staking vampires?
A: At the moment, entirely up to your DM. Some people have suggested coup de grace as a possible solution, but by a strict interpretation of the rules that doesn't work because vampires, being immune to critical hits, are not subject to coup de grace (PHB 133).
Skip Williams has stated that you do not stake a vampire in combat, but are instead supposed to track it back to its coffin and stake it there.
Q: Why do Solars get 5 attacks from their BAB? Isn’t the maximum number of attacks for base attack limited at 4 per round?
A: Solars get 5 iterative attacks from BAB solely because the rules for levels and base attacks above 20 were not written until after the Monster Manual had been printed. So far they have not been errataed to reflect the Epic-Level rules.
UPDATE: As per page 7 of the Epic Level Handbook, Solars, like all monsters, should not get more than 4 iterative attacks from BAB. This will probably be covered in future errata
Q: How exactly do Golems' Magic Immunity abilities work? Can I mire a golem with Transmute Rock to Mud?, can objects thrown via Telekinesis deal damage to golems, can a golem see through my Invisibility spell?
A: According to a recent Sage Email, Golems’ Magic Immunity is indeed unbeatable Spell Resistance which also applies against (Su) abilities. So spells that are listed with "Spell Resistance: No" do indeed effect golems. In this response Skip also specifically stated that Maze does indeed effect golems.
Q: Can an evil wizard cast Bull's Strength on an Iron Golem to make it more effective in combat? Doesn’t the Golem’s Magic Immunity prevent that?
A: By a strict reading of the rules, the golem can voluntarily lower its Magic Immunity to allow beneficial magic to aid it. The relevant reference is Voluntarily Giving Up a Saving Throw on page 150 of The Player’s Handbook. There is however some argument about whether unintelligent constructs can "voluntarily" do anything.
Q: What happens if a beholder is Hasted? Does it get to make 20 eyebeam attacks per round?
A: Probably not. This is under debate right now, but the possibilities are that the eyerays of a beholder are either 1>fired as attack actions or 2>as free actions with a limit of one ray per eye per round regardless of magic. If they are attack actions haste only allows a single extra eye ray per round. If they are limited free actions, then haste does not transcend these limits.
Q: Can undead creatures, such as Liches and Nightshades benefit from Haste? Haste is listed as having a Fortitude Negates (harmless) save, and Undead are listed as being immune to anything which requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect affects objects)? Can undead voluntarily lower their defense against this?
A: Skip Williams has stated that it was the design intent for undead to be able to benefit from Haste. He has also stated that the "voluntarily giving up a saving throw" rules on PHB 150 do not quite allow this to happen by a strict interpretation of the rules. For those concerned with rules consistancy, I recommend houserule changing Haste to have a Will Negates (Harmless) save just like Slow does.
**********Section 8: Monster Manual II Questions**********
Q: Will The MMII get its own board?
A: Nope.
Q: Does that mean this FAQ will deal with MMII questions?
A:Yup.
Q:When is the release date for the MMII.
A:September 13th, 2002 at my game store, the date may be slightly different in other areas.
Q:When's the MMII going to be released in my country?
A: I dunno. Check with your local game store or WoTC customer service.
Q: What's up with the CRs on the Adamantite Horror, Elemental Weirds, Abeil Queen, Spelldancers and Sylphs - aren't they too low?
A: Skip Williams has indicated that the CR on the Abeil Queen is incorrect. As to the others, he merely indicated that "transcription errors happen". I suggest you use the Search feature to find previous discussions of these topics.
Q: What's up with the CRs on the Mountain Giant, Fiendwurm and other high CR monsters, aren't these guys pansys compared to the ELH monsters of the same CR?
A: Here's what the designers had to say about that when I asked them in a chat session:
(transcript edited for relevance)
quote:Q:What creatures will be in the MMII?
You say, "One of the biggest concerns so far about the MM2 seems to be the discrepencies between the relative power levels of the high-end (CR 20+) monsters and those of monsters of comparable CRs from the Epic Level Handbook. Do you think that this is a valid concern? And if so, do you think that the MM2 CRs are more or less “balanced” than those in the ELH? /ga"
rich_redman says, "I think Skip may be the only person here qualified to answer that. I haven't made a comparison. /ga"
steve_winter says, "Nor have I."
You tell dragon_child, "I do not like the sound of that"
dragon_child tells you, "Nor do I..."
steve_winter says, "Although I would say that no CR system, no matter how carefully balanced, will ever substitute for a smart DM."
You tell dragon_child, "COP OUT!!"
steve_winter says, "My 11th level party may be on a completely different plane from someone else's."
rich_redman says, "I know from our experience working on the DDG that at some point CR becomes nothing more than a best guess. /ga"
jeff_grubb says, "I've looked at them. Both ELH and MM2 were in design at about the same time, but coming from different ends of the spectrum."
dragon_child tells you, "Do NOT arrest the designers!"
thesage says, "MM2 used the same guidlines for designing mnsters that epic did, so no, I don;t think that's a valid concern. It's worth noting,however, that MM2 is intened to be a core book, usable with characters level 1 through 20, and the design work behind the...."
thesage says, "does not take epic capabilities into account. /ga"
jeff_grubb says, "ELH was assuming high level characters across the board, with MM2 was set up for everything up to those levels."
jeff_grubb says, "Skip puts it better, here.
thesage says, "If you're running an epic game, it's worth giving the CR 21+ stuff a second look . /ga"
A: Check out the preview art gallery >>Link<< to get a good idea of what’s included.
Q:Why no Flumphs?
A: I think it’s an intentional design decision: See Rich Redman’s commentary at this >>Link<<
**********Section 9: Misc. Questions*************
Q: Where can I find the MM errata?
A: Here is the>>Link<<
Q: What's the deal with Polymorph?
A: The current official errata for Polymorph Other can be found on pages 94 & 95 of Tome and Blood. (It is a source of continuing irritation to me that this errata is not available in the PHB errata download section of the Wizards.com site)
Q: What sort of cool things from the Monster Manual can I Polymorph into.
A: As per the errata, any Aberration, Animal, Beast, Dragon, Fey, Giant, Humanoid, Magical Beast, Monstrous Humanoid, Ooze, Shapechanger, or Vermin is fair game as a Polymorph form so long as it has 15 or less hit dice, equal or less hit dice to the Polymorph target (or the spellcaster, whichever is more) and is no more than 1 size catagory larger than the target of the Polymorph spell. This errata also prohibits polymorphing into a creature with a template.
Further, any Construct, Elemental, Outsider or Undead is a valid Polymorph form, provided it meets the size and hit die restrictions and the target of the polymorph effect is already one of those four types. (This may be an error however, as the more recently released errata to the Psionics Handbook version of Polymorph Self limits this to the Polymorphee being already of the appropriate "restricted" type)
Also, any creature without a Constitution score (A “-“ in the listing) is immune to Polymorph Other, although they can utilize Polymorph Self normally or be affected by Polymorph any Object.
Polymorph Any Object does not have these constraints, although its duration changes depending upon how drastic the form change is, see the spell description for details (PHB, page 236). That spell is also highly subjective, and in serious need of some official clarification. consult your DM before attempting to use the spell.
Q: When I Polymorph into a creature, what abilities do I get?
A: As per the spell description, you gain the creature’s size, natural attack routines, physical ability scores, natural armor bonus, movement speeds and types (within certain constraints) and you gain the creature’s natural abilities but you do not gain the creature’s Extraordinary, Supernatural, or Spell-Like abilities. However “natural abilities” are often ill-defined. Furthermore the errataed spell text still specifically mentions that you get Rake and Constriction abilities, both of which are listed as Extraordinary abilities everywhere they appear in the MM. Additionally, the Sage has at times replied that polymorph does indeed grant specific abilities which are listed as (Ex) in the MM.
The unfortunate final answer here is that you get the creature’s natural abilities, which inclused both the rare few abilities listed as natural and those (Ex) abilities which your DM feels are really “natural” (Ex) abilities and there is no meaningful guideline for which (Ex) abilities to allow.
Personally, I also feel that polymorph should grant supernatural modes of movement in cases where the assumed form’s sole means of movement is a (Su) ability, but only up to the normal movement speed limitations of the spell. I also feel that the movement limitations should be expanded to include seperate speed limits for Swim and Burrow speeds - but my reasons for recommending these changes are beyond the scope of this FAQ.
Q: Since you lose your (Su) abilities while Polymorphed, do creatures with (Su) Alternate Form abilties that work “as Polymorph” (like the Succubus) get stuck in their assumed forms.
A: No. Such creatures are assumed to be “natural shapeshifters”, and as per the last paragraph of the Polymorph Other spell text, such creatures can assume their natural form as a standard action.
Q: What happens to my attacks when I polymorph?
A: You do not gain any additional attacks for polymorphing into a form with additional appendages. However, you may use the damage value for any natural weapon of a polymorphed form as the damage value of your unarmed attack
You also gain any special properties of the attacks that are not supernatural or spell-like when you are using your unarmed strike while in a polymorphed form which has them. For example, your unarmed strikes retain the "Constrict" ability if you are polymorphed into a form which is allowed to Constrict.
Q: I'm a 7th level Barbarian, and I turned into an Annis Hag through Polymorph Other. How many attacks do I get, and why?
A: You get 2 attacks, at +7/+2 (plus strength bonuses, etc.). You count as striking unarmed, so you do not gain additional attacks for the Annis Hag's second claw or bite. (although it’s a natural weapon so you do not provoke an AoO)
Each attack must be either with a Claw or Bite (both of which inflict d6 + Strength Bonus in damage). If you choose to inflict Claw damage with a successful unarmed strike you retain the Improved Grab, Rend, and Tear special properties.
Q: Can I two weapon fight or multiweapon fight while in a polymorphed form?
A: Yes. Sort of.
Remember that the sum total of all natural weapons possessed by a creature are considered to be a single manufactured weapon that is your "unarmed" strike. As such, you can Two Weapon Fight or Multiweapon Fight only by utilizing actual manufactured weapons either in addition to or instead of, using your unarmed strike.
Q: I'm an 8th level Ranger transformed into an Annis Hag, with a longsword in one hand. How many attacks do I get, what are my bonuses, and why?
A: You have effectively 2 manufactured weapons, "Unarmed" and your Longsword. That means that you are Two Weapon Fighting and that your Ranger's TWF and Ambidexterity feats reduce your penalties as normal.
You must select one attack mode as your primary weapons, and the other as your "offhand" weapon as normal for TWF.
Since both weapons are light (unarmed strikes are always light) your penalties are -2 which ever one you choose.
So you would have (without Strength Bonuses, etc.): +6/+1 for your primary weapon, and +6 for your offhand weapon. Whichever weapon was designated as your offhand attack would recieve only 1/2 of your strength bonus as normal for TWF.
Q: OK, now I'm the same character transformed into a Giant Octopus, how many attacks do I get?
A: Two. +8/+3, both are unarmed. If you choose to inflict "Tentacle rake" damage with your unarmed strike you would be able to utilize the tentacle's Improved Grab and Constrict abilities. If you choose to inflict "Bite" damage you would not.
Q: If the same character, still in the form of a Giant Octopus, picked up 8 greatswords, how many attacks would I get, what penalties would I have, and why?
A: By using 9 manufactured weapons, you have stepped way out of the realm of TWF, and those feats no longer help you.
As such, since you are using more than one weapon that is not light and you have no relevent feats, you are at a -6 penalty on your primary attack, and -10 on each additional weapon attack.
You have 9 different weapons to choose from for your primary attack (8 greatswords and unarmed, with your bite).
Your primary weapon attacks at: +2/-3 (+8/+3 base minus 6 penalties)
Your 8 additional weapon attacks are all at -2. (+8 minus 10 penalties)
Q: I already have one or more natural weapons, what does my attack pattern do?
A: Any Natural Weapon attacks you already have are retained if the new form has attacks of the same name. So, by transforming from a Lizardfolk (2 claws and a bite) to an Annis Hag (2 claws and a bite), you would retain all of your attacks.
However, were you to transform from a Lizardfolk into a Centaur (2 hooves), you would lose all of your natural weapon attacks and be allowed to make unarmed attacks with the hooves as per a normal character polymorphed into a centaur. Were you to transform into a Giant Octopus (8 tentacle rakes and a bite), you would retain the Bite as a secondary natural weapon, and be able to make unarmed attacks with a tentacle as normal.
**********Section 10: The Eternal Questions**********
Q: How do you defeat the Tarrasque?
A: This has been discussed many, many times on this boards. Due to a number of confusing rules and perplexing wording in the Tarrasque entry no definitive answer has ever emerged. You can use the SEARCH feature at the top of the page to find a large number of threads discussing the Tarrasque.
Q: Isn’t the CR for a Remorhaz a little low? Is that 10d10 damage a misprint?
Q: Isn’t the CR for a Solar a little low?
Q: Isn’t the CR for Mindflayers a little low?
Q: Isn’t the CR for the Tarrasque a little low?
A: Well, maybe. I suggest you use the SEARCH function to find prior debates on these issues, they are beyond the scope of this FAQ.
Q: How do I pronounce <Creature x>
A1: Try using the search feature to find previous discussions, many creatures are based off of a mythology with an established pronunciation guide.
A2: Since English is a language that allows "Fish" to be spelled phonetically as "Ghoti", then your creature is probably pronounced something like "Fnord"
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[ October 07, 2002, 10:02 PM: Message edited by: Josh_Kablack ]