Abilities and reaction rolls
Sometimes you’ll need to make ability rolls for creatures. If you have a good estimate of a creature’s ability score and skill, use it. If you don’t, a good rule of thumb is that the creature will roll against 10 plus half level plus any appropriate bonuses the creature has. Use this rule of thumb wisely, and remember that most creatures already have an estimate of intelligence and charisma. When wisdom is necessary, assume the lower of intelligence or charisma. Reaction rolls will be 4 plus half level, or 4 plus level for their archetypal reaction.
A creature’s size will affect fortitude rolls for large or larger creatures. Large creatures gain +2, huge creatures +4, gigantic creatures +8, and titanic creatures +16. If they have any bonuses on their level numbers these affect strength, endurance, fortitude, and health.
Creature statistics: Frequency
Some creatures are common, some are rare, some are one of a kind. These ratings are especially variable from world to world and campaign to campaign, and can be only seen as the vaguest of guidelines. Within your own games, these creatures may have widely varying goals and desires, inhabit different areas, and be more or less common.
| Frequency | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Individual | Only one such creature exists. |
| Very Rare | Few people have ever seen such a creature in its environment. |
| Rare | Sighting such a creature is a once-in a lifetime event. |
| Uncommon | Such creatures are rarely seen. |
| Common | Such creatures are often seen. |
| Ubiquitous | Such creatures are seen regularly and often. |
Reactions and survival
Creatures acquire their creature level through natural growth to maturity; younger creatures have lower levels. Intelligent monsters may also acquire archetypal levels. When doing so, their creature level counts in their total number of levels for experience costs. They also do not gain initial skills or an initial specialty when taking an initial archetypal level. Their first archetype was monster, and that was their specialty.
Creatures gain survival, fighting skill, and reaction bonuses according to their creature level. The archetypal reaction of most creatures is according to their creature type, unless otherwise specified in the description.
| Creature Type | Archetypal Reaction | Survival die per level | Fighting Arts bonus per level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fantastic: | Health | d8 | 1 |
| Undead: | None | d10 | ½ |
| Animal: | Health | d6 | ½ |
| Faerie: | Evasion | d6 | ½ |
| Divine: | Perception | d8 | 1 |
| Demon: | Fortitude | d8 | 1 |
| Dragon: | Health | d10 | 1 |
| Plant: | Health | d6 | ½ |
Non-player characters and creatures regain level survival each night. Once their survival is at maximum, they lose one injury per night. Non-player characters go unconscious or are incapacitated, unless otherwise specified, on a failed fortitude roll when they lose all survival or gain injuries. When they gain more injuries than their current survival, they die on a failed endurance roll at a penalty of their injuries. There is no contest between endurance and injuries as for player characters. Endurance is 10, plus half level, plus the per-level modifier if there is one.
Statistics block
Many of the statistics listed for creatures are there to assist rather than dictate. For example, the number appearing can be used when you didn’t have anything planned and need to let the dice determine what’s happening.
Activity cycle
Diurnal creatures are active during the day and sleep at night. Nocturnal creatures are active during the night, and sleep during the day. Crepuscular creatures are active during twilight, dusk, and dawn.
Statistics block: Attacks
Poisons and other carried attacks require a called shot. Whether creatures make a called shot is up to the Guide, and will often depend on how much damage the creature does without their carried attack.
Statistics block: Charisma
A creature’s charisma is its force of personality and leadership capability. When in a hurry, a creature or group’s morale may be rolled on d20 vs. charisma, to determine if the creature is willing to stand its ground. Most often you’ll know when the creature’s fear of continuing a fight exceeds their fear of running. Otherwise, you can make a morale roll whenever you think they might run but aren’t sure.
| Charisma/wisdom | Range | Perception modifier | Willpower modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | Not applicable | Not applicable | |
| Animal | 1-2 | -5 | -3 |
| Very low | 3 | -3 | -2 |
| Low | 4-6 | -1 | -1 |
| Low average | 7-9 | ||
| Average | 7-13 | ||
| Good | 11-13 | ||
| High | 14-16 | +1 | +1 |
| Very high | 17-18 | +3 | +2 |
| Incredible | 19-20 | +5 | +3 |
| Divine | 21- | +7+ | +3+ |
Intelligence
Creatures do not by default have all of the ability scores that player characters have. This would be tedious over the long-term. But intelligence and charisma are useful enough to be separated out into general categories.
| Intelligence | Range | Reason bonus | Evasion bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unintelligent/plant | Not applicable | Not applicable | |
| Animal | 1-2 | -5 | -3 |
| Semi-intelligent | 3 | -3 | -2 |
| Low | 4-6 | -1 | -1 |
| Low average | 7-9 | ||
| Average | 7-13 | ||
| Good | 11-13 | ||
| High | 14-16 | +1 | +1 |
| Very high | 17-18 | +3 | +2 |
| Incredible | 19-20 | +5 | +3 |
| Divine | 21- | +7+ | +3+ |
Mindless unintelligent creatures such as walking corpses, skeletons, and moss will not be affected by attacks or divinations that work on or control the mind. Creatures of alien disposition, such as ash-shubab al-muthlimum, will gain a bonus of 2 to reactions against such effects.
Statistics block: Level
Creatures grow into their level as they mature. A creature with a listed level of 5 will have the benefit of fifth level as a creature if full-grown, and less if not full-grown. Some creatures have a bonus or penalty after their level. This is the number of additional survival points the creature receives (or loses, if negative) per survival point die. This modifier also applies to health, fortitude, endurance, and strength.
For example, Orcs have 2+1 listed for level. The average Orc will get two dice for survival and another +1 per die, for a total of 2d8+2 survival. The average Orc also gains a bonus of 1 on health rolls, fortitude rolls, endurance rolls, and strength rolls. Individual creatures can have greater or lesser bonuses as you wish. No survival die can produce less than 1 point, regardless of penalties.
When level is listed as ½ or ¼, the creature is otherwise treated as a level one creature except for survival. Multiply the survival rolled on the creature’s per-level die by that fraction and round up, or use an appropriately lowered die. For ½, use d3 instead of d6, d4 instead of d8, or d5 instead of d10. For ¼, use d2 instead of d8.
Magic resistance
Some creatures, especially demons and powerful spirits, will cause havoc with magic by their presence. Magic resistance is rated from one on up. Whenever a spell is cast or targeted within range of a resistant creature, the Guide should roll d20; if the result is less than or equal to the creature’s magic resistance, the spell fails. For every yard beyond the first yard, the creature’s magic resistance drops by one.
Magic resistance applies to any spellcasting devices as well, such as wands. If the resistance that blocks a spell affects the caster (or the spellcasting device), spells are not lost from the caster’s mind, charges are not lost, and verve is not used. But if the resistance only takes effect at the target, spells and charges are lost, and verve is used.
Magic resistance does not affect prophet spirits or psychic powers unless specified.
Statistics block: Moral code
In general, most individuals are not bound to a moral code, but the species as a whole has a cultural or inborn affinity for this moral code. In some cases, especially for divine or demonic creatures, the nature of the creature will require that moral code.
Statistics block: Movement
Many creatures have more than one means of moving, such as walking and flying, or walking and swimming. Flying creatures can move more easily than walkers. Outside, long-distance movement for fliers is movement miles per hour rather than miles per day, which lets them move eight times further in a day than a walker of the same movement could go.
Flying creatures attacking land-bound creatures usually receive a high ground bonus in combat.
Statistics block: Number
This estimates how many creatures are usually found together when encountered. This number varies greatly depending on circumstances.
Statistics block: Size
Creatures have a general size of fine, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, gigantic, or titanic. Size affects the fortitude roll of large or larger creatures: +2 for large, +4 for huge, +8 for gigantic, and +16 for titanic.
Smaller and larger warriors adjust combat movement differently. Small, medium, and large warriors are all able to add 3 to combat movement per combat bonus point used. Tiny creatures can add 2 per point, and fine creatures 1 per point. Huge creatures can add 6 per point, gigantic creatures 12 per point, and titanic creatures 24 per point.
Special Defenses
Some creatures will have as their special defense “+1 or better required to attack”. This means that any attacks on the creature will be unsuccessful unless the weapon used has at least a bonus of 1 to attack. The bonus must be a magical or divine bonus.
Special Vision
Many monsters have underground or night vision. Night vision is the ability to see in darkness using ambient light from stars or a sliver of a moon. This ability is useless around bright lights. A creature with night vision suffers fewer, if any, penalties due to darkness. Underground vision is a combination of senses, with the creature able to see differences in heat, feel the motion of air, and triangulate from sounds and echoes. A creature with underground vision is able to see and work with no light within enclosed spaces. In the open and outdoors, this vision is less useful. The default penalty for using underground vision in the outdoors is increased by 3. Determining fine differences with underground vision is difficult if not impossible. It can’t be used to read normal text, for example.
Special vision is rarely as good as daylight vision. Creatures have a penalty to perception rolls as shown in their entry. Circumstances may make the special vision less useful, and at the extreme not function at all. If there is no ambient light whatsoever, night vision will not function. If the character is in a wide open space such as a desert, underground vision will function poorly or not at all.
Statistics block: Badlands
Barking spiders
Bobcats
Carrion worms
Cougars
Grey men
Lizards, giant
Orcs
Statistics block: Caves
Barking spiders
Bears, black
Crickets, giant
Dwarves
Hill giants
Ogres
Orcs
Mountain giants
Petraiads
Rats
Snakes, poisonous
Spiders, large and huge
Trolls
Xolome
Chaotic Mist
Bandersnatch
Beaked sweepers
Borogoves
Crazy crabs
Cyclopeata
Fire spiders
Hooded dashers
Jabberwock
Jubjub birds
Leeches, giant
Mist wraiths
Pink horrors
Pink trumpets
Raths
Spinneretts
Toves
Violents
Cities and Towns
Brownies
Elves
Halflings
Humans
Restless dead
Revenants
Wererats
Death Havens
Barrowmen
Carrion worms
Ghosts
Ghouls
Phantoms
Restless dead
Vampires
Vampire slaves
Statistics block: Deserts
Bobcats
Cougars
Grey men
Ogres
Saurians
Spiders, giant
Spiders, large and huge
Lizards, giant
Rocs
Statistics block: Dry City
Echoes
Greythorn vines
Headless men
Memory moss
Not flies
Oblivion fleas
Poltergeists
Prayer bees
Scissormen
Trivial pursuits
Statistics block: Forests
Bears
Bloodthorrns
Bobcats
Brownies
Buzzflies
Carrion worms
Centaurs
Cougars
Dire wolves
Dryads
Gnomes
Gorillas
Grey-hooked bats
Hop snakes
Jaguars
Naiads
Ogres
Orochs
Pigasi
Pixies
Snakes, poisonous
Snakes, large and giant
Spiders, giant
Spiders, large and huge
Squirrel, faerie
Treeherders
Unicorns
Werebears
Werewolves
Wolverines
Wolves
Statistics block: Hell
Bat, screeching
Blood puddles
Crowns of Eyes
Death’s heads
Emotional demons
Gargoyls
Gorgons
Perytons
Shadows
Strigae
Statistics block: Jungles
Bloodthorns
Buzzflies
Gorillas
Ground sloths, giant
Jaguars
Leeches, giant
Lizards, giant
Mold zombies
Pigasi
Pixies
Snakes, poisonous
Snakes, large and giant
Spiders, large and huge
Treeherders
Statistics block: Lakes
Dunkleosteus
Ghouls
Naiads
Snakes, poisonous
Statistics block: Mountains
Bats, giant
Bears
Bobcats
Blood hawks
Cheimon
Cougars
Dire wolves
Dwarves
Goblins
Grey-hooked bats
Grey men
Gryphons
Hill giants
Hippogriffs
Manticores
Mountain giants
Ogres
Pegasi
Petraiads
Phoenix
Pixies
Rocs
Snakes, poisonous
Storm giants
Trolls
Werebears
Wolverines
Wolves
Wyverns
Xolome
Yeti
Statistics block: Plains
Bobcats
Buzzflies
Hop snakes
Horses, wild
Orochs
Snakes, poisonous
Snakes, large and giant
Spiders, large and huge
Prehistoric Lands
Ankylosaurus
Achaeopteryxes
Beetles, giant
Brontosaurus
Burrweeds, giant
Butterflies, giant
Capybara, giant
Centipedes, giant
Crocodiles, giant
Deer, dwarf
Dire wolves
Dragonflies, giant
Dunkleosteus
Great lizards
Ground sloths, giant
Horned gophers
Leeches, giant
Lizards, giant
Mosquitos, giant
Moths, giant
Pterodactyls
Saurians
Stegosaurus
Swinging chain cacti
Triceratops
Tyrannosaurus
Venus flytrap, giant
Wetas, giant
Statistics block: Summoned
Ash-shubab al-muthlimum
Bats, creeching
Blood puddles
Crowns of eyes
Death’s heads
Perytons
Shadows
Skeletons
Strigae
Walking corpses
Statistics block: Swamps
Buzzflies
Jaguars
Killer toads
Leeches, giant
Mold zombies
Pixies
Saurians
Underground
Aeagarsut
Bats, giant
Brilliarch wights
Bubbling eyes
Carrion worms
Creeping slimes
Crickets, giant
Cucumbers, giant
Gakemai
Gangai
Gas molds
Great lizards
Grey men
Hanging vines
Kamekkipialo
Karuat
Ketelekrae
Kugesum
Lizards, giant
Oruat
Sakmat
Spiders, giant
Spiders, large and huge
Tentamort
Trolls
