Creatures in MythCraft
Creating an Encounter
When designing a balanced combat encounter, add up the total level of all of the adventurers involved. Divide that number by two. The total Monster Level (ML) of all of your monsters added together should be equal to this number. If the ML total is higher than 2x the adventurers’ character levels, then the encounter will be more punishing; if the total ML is less than 2x the adventurers’ character levels, then the encounter will be easier.
More ideas for designing and balancing your encounters can be found in the MythCrafter’s Guide.
Monster Strategies
Consider the type of monster that you’re using when you run a combat. A pack of wolves is likely to fight with some level of instinctive strategy, and a group of skilled highway robbers will act with even more strategic nuance. By contrast, a bear is more likely to fight using simple, straightforward tactics. The monster’s tactical skill should be taken into account when you decide what a monster does on its turn.
Not All Figures are Fair
Note that while the majority of your combat encounters should be reasonably balanced, sometimes the adventurers stray off the beaten path. If they head into an area that you have clearly communicated is above their caliber, they might find themselves facing one or more monsters that are significantly too deadly for their current level. In such cases, retreat should usually be an option for the adventuring party.
Initiative
Combat begins when all creatures involved roll Initiative. You typically roll initiative when a monster or adventurer takes some form of aggressive action.
Initiative determines the order in which creatures take their turn during combat.
Initiative is an AWR check: each creature rolls 1d20 and adds their AWR. The one with the highest roll goes first, followed by the second-highest, and so on. After the last creature takes its turn, the first creature takes its second turn. Initiative order is repeated until combat is resolved.
In the event of a tie between one or more creatures, the creature with the higher AWR goes first out of those creatures. If one or more creatures tie and have the same AWR, roll unmodified d20s for each tied creature; the highest roll goes first out of those creatures, then the second highest, etc.
Monster Sizes
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. A creature’s Size is noted immediately below their Monster Level. A creature’s Size might modify its STR and DEX attribute checks (only Attribute checks, not attacks), as well as how many spaces it takes up on a battle map. Below is a table of creature sizes.
| Size | STR Skill Mod | DEX Skill Mod | Spaces | Typical Reach | Typical Height/Length | Typical Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | -16 | +16 | 5 ft | 5 ft | 1/2 ft | 1/8 lb |
| Diminutive | -8 | +8 | 5 ft | 5 ft | 1 ft | 1 lb |
| Tiny | -4 | +4 | 5 ft | 5 ft | 2 ft | 8 lb |
| Small | 0 | 0 | 5 ft | 5 ft | 4 ft | 60 lb |
| Medium | 0 | 0 | 5 ft | 5 ft | 6 ft | 200 lb |
| Large | 0 | 0 | 10 ft | 5 ft | 8 ft | 500 lb |
| Large (long) | 0 | 0 | 5 x 10 ft | 5 ft | 6 ft | 500 lb |
| Large (tall) | 0 | 0 | 5 ft | 10 ft | 16 ft | 1000 lb |
| Huge | +2 | -2 | 15 ft | 10 ft | 15 ft | 1 ton |
| Huge (long) | +2 | -2 | 5 x 15 ft | 10 ft | 15 ft | 1 ton |
| Huge (tall) | +2 | -2 | 10 ft | 15 ft | 30 ft | 2 tons |
| Gargantuan | +4 | -4 | 20 ft | 15 ft | 30 ft | 10 tons |
| Gargantuan (long) | +4 | -4 | 10 x 20 ft | 15 ft | 30 ft | 20 tons |
| Gargantuan (tall) | +4 | -4 | 15 ft | 20 ft | 45 ft | 10 tons |
| Colossal | +8 | -8 | 30ft | 20ft | 60ft | 100 tons |
| Colossal (long) | +8 | -8 | 10x30ft | 20ft | 30ft | 100 tons |
| Colossal (tall) | +8 | -8 | 20ft | 30ft | 90ft | 200 tons |
| Titan | +16 | -16 | 40+ ft | 80% of Spaces | Over 100ft | 200+ tons |
Tags & Traits
Monster Tags
Creatures come in a variety of types, and might have more than one type. Monster tags do not frequently come into play, but are occasionally relevant for talents, spells, abilities, and the like. For example, the Cultist can occasionally summon a creature with the Occult tag. Creature types include mundane and planar groupings.
Mundane
Beast, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Plant
Planar
Avadri, Celestial, Eldritch, Elemental, Fae, Fiend
Some creatures might also have modifying tags or magic tags.
Magic
Arcane, Divine, Occult, Primal, Psionic
Modifying
Abominable, Constructed, Giant, Swarm, Shapechanger, and Undead
- Undead: If a creature has the Undead tag, then by default it does not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, and is immune to Fatigue. Some Undead will specify otherwise within their stats (for example, Vampires must periodically consume blood).
Monster Traits
Creature traits are shorthand for abilities that many creatures have in common. Creature traits that you might encounter in this document are listed below.
Ethereal
A creature with this trait can pass through walls and other barriers and surfaces freely.
Immovable
A creature with this trait cannot be teleported or moved against its will.
Immutable
A creature with this trait cannot have its physical form changed, such as with the Cloven Step spell.
Invisible
A creature with this trait is Unseen.
Iron Will
A creature with this trait cannot gain the Frightened or Shaken conditions.
Mythic
Mythic monsters are incredibly challenging to fight. A Mythic monster has the Iron Will and Steel Mind traits. A Mythic monster is also more difficult to kill: if it gains the Helpless condition, it is not reduced to 0 HP when it takes damage. Instead, all damage that it takes is considered critical. Finally, Mythic monsters do not roll Initiative, but instead act after every 2 characters in Initiative order, making them much more capable of devastating a battlefield.
Regen X
At the start of each of the creature’s turns, the creature regains HP equal to its Regen number.
Steel Mind
A creature with this trait cannot gain the Charmed or Enthralled conditions
Unerring Mind
A creature with this trait cannot be tricked by illusions, disguise magic or magical effects, and sees the true form of any shapechanger or polymorphed creature.
Vigilant
A creature with this trait does not suffer any penalties to its AWR while Unconscious.
Damage Types
There are three categories of Damage in MythCraft: Physical, Elemental, and Energy. Each category contains several types of damage:
Physical
Blunt, Sharp
Elemental
Cold, Corrosive, Fire, Lightning, Toxic
Energy
Necrotic, Psychic, Radiant, Sonic
Resistances
Many creatures might have Resist, Vulnerable, Immune, or DR. These keywords interact with damage, conditions, magic sources, and weapon types in unique ways.
Resist
Resist adds the specified number to a creature’s defenses against that type of damage. When a creature with Resist X is attacked, and that attack would deal Damage or impose a Condition specified by the Resist feature or is made using a Weapon Type or Magic Source specified by the Resist feature, then the creature adds their Resist number to their Defenses, making it less likely that they are hit. If an Attack does multiple types of Damage or would do Damage and impose a Condition, this could result in separate attack values.
For example: A Thresher Moss has Resist Cold 3. If it is targeted by an ability that deals Cold Damage, then the Thresher Moss adds 3 to their relevant Defense. If the Thresher Moss is targeted by an ability that would deal both Cold Damage and Necrotic Damage, then the Thresher Moss compares the Attack Roll against its defenses +3 to determine if it takes Cold Damage, and the Attack Roll unmodified against its Defenses to determine if it takes Necrotic Damage.
Resist is more powerful when it specifies a Weapon Type or a Magic Source, because if a creature Resists Primal then they apply their Resist to every attack roll that targets them if it is Primal Magic.
When an attack misses a creature and would deal 1⁄2 Damage on a miss, if the creature Resists that kind of Damage, they take no Damage instead of 1⁄2.
Immune
Creatures take no damage from the listed damage type if they are immune to it.
Vulnerable
When a creature with Vulnerable X is attacked, and that attack would deal damage or impose a condition specified by the Vulnerable feature or is made using a weapon type or magic source specified by the Vulnerable feature, then the creature adds their Vulnerable number to the attack roll, making it more likely that they are hit. If an attack does multiple types of damage or would do damage and impose a condition, this could result in separate attack values, as with Resist.
An attacking creature also adds this Vulnerable X number to their crit range. For example, if a creature has Vulnerable Blunt 2, then a creature attacking with a Club would Crit on a roll of 18-20. This can never exceed the maximum Crit Range of 16-20.
Vulnerable always trumps DR and DT. No benefits are gained from DR or DT against a damage type to which the creature is Vulnerable.
Damage Reduction (DR)
If a creature has DR, they subtract the number of their DR from all Damage they take from all sources, unless they are Vulnerable to the type of damage they are taking. The DR number may be followed by a weapon tag, magic source, or damage type. This means that creature takes full damage from a weapon with that tag or damage type. For example, a creature with DR 5/Fire would take full damage from Fire, and subtract 5 from all other sources of damage. A creature with DR 15/Silvered would take full damage from Silvered weapons, and subtract 15 from all other damage.
Damage Threshold (DT)
Damage Threshold is a very rare defense that is generally only used by structures or vehicles. The Damage Threshold level determines how much damage a creature must deal at once to deal any damage at all. For example, if a Stone Wall has DT 15, and a player deals 14 damage to it, it instead takes 0. If a player deals 16 damage, conversely, then the stone wall takes all 16 damage because its DT 15 was overcome. For the purposes of overcoming DT, “damage dealt at once” is determined by a single expenditure of AP. If you must add AP to deal additional damage, that additional damage is put against the DT separately.
For example: A spell deals multiple damage sources, such as 2d8 fire damage and 2d8 blunt damage. Since that spell is one expenditure of AP, add them together to determine if it overcomes DT.
A player makes two maul attacks against a stone wall on the same turn. Because these are two expenditures of AP, do not add the damage together from the two attacks to determine if they overcome DT.
Recharge Abilities
Some monsters have abilities that they regain on a recharge or after a set amount of time. If an ability is followed by (Recharge X), that means that after you use the ability, roll 1d6 at the start of each of the creature’s turns until you roll equal to or greater than the Recharge number. Once you do, you regain the ability and can use it on that turn.
Some abilities such as the innate ability to cast specific Spells might specify 1/Day, 1/Recoup, or something similar. Monsters regain these abilities after the specified time has passed.
Monster Senses
Blindsight
A creature with Blindsight can “see” in some way out to a specified range without needing physical eyes, but is completely blind beyond this point.
Darkvision
A creature with Darkvision can see normally out to a specified range.
Low-Light Vision
A creature with Low-Light Vision does not suffer TD when making rolls that rely on sight within the specified range.
Tremorsense
A creature with Tremorsense can detect the footfalls of creatures out to a specified range, even if the creatures are Unseen. It cannot detect flying creatures or objects that are not touching the ground in this way
Truesight
A creature with Truesight can see a creature’s true form if it has magically disguised itself or changed its form. It also ignores the Unseen condition provided that the creature is not gaining Unseen from Total Cover or Darkness (unless the creature also has Darkvision).
Monster Speed
Some monsters have multiple kinds of speed. If a creature has multiple kinds of speed, it cannot use the sum of all of these types of movement; rather, each time it uses an action to move, it chooses which type of movement it uses.
Hover
If a creature has a hover speed, then they hover above the ground when they move. This allows them to ignore Difficult and Hazardous terrain, but it cannot elevate itself more than 5ft off the ground unless it also has a fly speed.
Jump
While moving, a creature may need to jump. A creature cannot jump farther than it can move.
A creature’s default vertical jump distance is 3ft + a number of ft equal to its STR.
A creature’s default horizontal jump distance is double its vertical jump distance.
Moving Through Creatures
A creature may move through an allied creature’s space, but this counts as Difficult Terrain. A creature may not end its turn in an allied creature’s space.
A creature may not move through a hostile creature’s space unless that creature is Paralyzed, Restrained, or Unconscious. In that case, moving through a hostile creature’s space counts as difficult terrain.
Creature Actions
Monsters don’t use AP like adventurers do; instead, they use creature actions. A monster’s stat block will explain how many creature actions they can take on their turn. High-power monsters may have several options, such as taking five normal actions or two or three much stronger actions.
Furthermore, if a creature has one or more Reaction abilities, then the creature can take one reaction per round unless otherwise noted. Some monster reactions (like the Wolf’s Growl ability) require them to take actions on their turn to prepare reactions.
Spellcasters
Some creatures can cast magical abilities like spells and prayers. When casting magic, refer to the creature’s actions instead of the magic ability’s APC when determining how long the ability takes to cast. This means that many magical abilities can be used slightly more quickly by creatures than by adventurers.
The exception is Conjuring. When a creature casts a magical ability with the Conjuring tag, they must continue to conjure that magic for the appropriate number of rounds as normal. For example, if a Mage uses its spellcasting action to cast a Fireball (which has Conjuring 1), the fireball triggers immediately at the start of the Mage’s next turn.
Innate Magic
Some monsters possess the ability to cast magic innately. This means that while they still must observe any Conjuring restrictions, they do not need to track SP when casting their magic.
Some spells have a set number of times that they can be cast innately. Track each spell separately, so if a creature has “(3/Rest) Circle of Haste, Fireball” it means that it can cast each of those spells innately three times, regaining all expended uses when it Takes a Rest.
When a creature innately casts a ritual or invocation, it does not need any material components to do so.