Monster Maker v1 3 Min
Monster Maker v1 3 Min
MONSTER MAKER
M
onsters lie at the heart of every
adventure, causing trouble for Features
civilians and brave heroes alike. • 7 monster roles: create controllers, defenders,
Sometimes the adventure calls for lurkers, scouts, strikers, snipers, and supporters.
a brand new monster, or your • 4 monster types: create a range of monstrous
players go off-road and you need to minions, standards, elites, and solos.
prep an encounter fast. But how do • 30+ pages of complete monster stat templates.
you create fun, balanced monsters? Don't worry— • Includes 32 monster traits and 35 role powers.
Giffyglyph's Monster Maker is here to help. • Transform your boss monsters with solo phases.
This 5e supplement introduces guides, templates, and • Improvise new monster attacks easily with freeform
advice to help you build new, exciting monsters and attacks and freeform magic.
balanced encounters within minutes—perfect for the DM • Mix-and-match your existing monster collection with
on the go, and compatible with any D&D 5e game! challenge rating conversion tables.
• Build encounters in seconds with monster points.
~ Giffyglyph, December 2018 • And many more...
contents
2
Chapter 1: Making Monsters
O
nce you have an idea for a monster—or
your players have done something
unexpected and triggered a surprise
The Monster Profile
encounter—it's time to start building A quickstart monster profile is more vague than a
monstrous creations for your adventure. standard monster profile, allowing you greater flexibility
Maybe you need to create a high level to improvise. These are the basic features of a profile:
goblin king and his elite entourage, or a
drunken giant and her tiefling friends, or a pack of fierce • Level: Quickstart monsters use monster levels, a one-
dire-wolves hungry for fresh flesh? to-one match for player character levels.
Whatever your need, this chapter will help you create • Role: Every monster has a combat role which
quickstart monster profiles in seconds to get your describes their particular focus on the battlefield.
combat encounters up and running fast. • Armor Class: This represents how hard the monster
is to hit, whether due to armor, agility, magic, training,
Dragonborn Warden or some other significant feature.
Level 5 Defender
• Hit Points: This is the amount of damage that the
Medium humanoid Standard (450 XP)
monster can endure before it dies.
Armor Class 18 Attack Bonus +5
• Speed: Your monster's movement speed.
Hit Points 60 (30) Damage 10
• Attack Bonus: This represents your monster's ability
Speed 20 ft Spell DCs 13, 10
to make successful attacks—melee, ranged, or magic.
• Damage: This is the amount of damage caused by a
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha successful attack. For multi-attacks, split the total
+3 +0 +4 +1 +2 +1 damage across each of the targets.
• Spell DCs: This shows the primary and secondary
Saving Throws Con +8, Str/Wis +5, Cha/Int/Dex +2 DCs of any impromptu effects the monster might use.
Skills Initiative +2, Perception +5, Stealth +2 • Ability Modifiers: These are your monster's ability
modifiers—arrange them however you like. Unlike
Traits player characters, monster modifiers can go beyond 5.
• Saving Throws: These come in three grades—best,
Indominable: You are immune to any effects that ok, and bad. Use the highest bonus for your monster's
would alter your mind or will. best stat, the second bonus for it's 2nd and 3rd best
stats, and the worst bonus for the 3 worst stats.
You Can't Leave: Targets always provoke opportunity
• Initiative: Your monster's combat reaction speed.
attacks, even if they take the Disengage action before • Perception: Your monster's ability to notice things.
leaving your reach. In addition, when you hit with an • Stealth: Your monster's ability to hide.
opportunity attack, the target's speed becomes 0 for • Traits & Powers: These are special abilities and
the rest of the turn. passive perks that the monster has gained from their
race, class, faction, role, or some other feature.
chapter 1: making monsters
3
Quickstart Monsters • Controller: Controllers disorientate their enemies,
moving them around the battlefield and applying
Quickstart monsters are designed to be bare-bones conditions. Controllers deal little direct damage
templates useful for combat or improvised scenarios. For themselves, preferring to weaken their enemies and
that reason—to keep the process quick and simple—they allow their allies to attack with advantage.
don't obey the same rules as player characters when it comes • Defender: Defenders shield their allies and block
to calculating AC, HP, attack bonuses, damage, etc. enemy attacks. They are harder to hit thanks to their
thicker armor, but move slower as a result.
• Lurker: Lurkers hide out of sight until they see a
Building your Monster weak point, then attack for massive damage. They are
glass cannons, capable of dealing a lot of damage yet
Once you're ready to start building your monster, there easily defeated if cornered.
are five basic steps to consider: • Scout: Scouts like to move around, using their speed
and high perception to outmanouever their enemies.
1. Pick a Level: Decide how dangerous your monster They tend to be lightly armored and carry smaller
should be—the higher the level, the bigger the threat it weapons to keep their weight low.
will be to your players. • Sniper: Snipers stay out of harm's way, firing at
2. Assign a Role: Choose how your monster will enemies from a distance. They are good at ranged
function in combat—different roles confer different attacks, but fall quickly if attacked.
benefits, such as a higher AC or attack bonus. • Striker: Strikers forgo defence and focus on hitting
3. Add some Traits: Give your monster some quick the enemy hard. Strikers are easier to hit, but deal
racial or class-based flavour with a few basic traits. much more damage with their attacks.
4. Choose some Powers: Add some special combat • Supporter: Supporters provide aid to their allies,
powers to make your monster stand out in their role. keeping them in peak condition. Supporters deal little
5. Personalisation: Tweak the default monster stats if damage and are relatively frail—they need protection
necessary to better suit your group of players. to survive long on the battlefield.
Step 1. Pick a Level Each role changes the default monster statistics in
some fashion—granting more AC, or reducing damage,
Your first step is to assign a level to your new monster. or inflating health. Try to use a variety of roles to create
Quickstart monsters don't use Challenge Ratings— interesting encounters for your players.
instead, they use monster levels to determine their base Once you've picked a role, check the Monster Roles
strength. Monster levels are a one-to-one match for table to see how it affects your monsters attributes.
character levels—one 4th-level monster should be a
decent contest for one 4th-level character.
For a medium challenge, simply use the same level as With 3 bandits, the DM decides to have one striker
your PCs. Add +2 levels to make a more dangerous dealing heavy damage, one defender to shield the
encounter, or -2 levels for an easier time. striker, and one sniper to support them both.
Once you've decided on a level, check the Monster
Statistics by Level table to find your monster's basic • Defender: 16 AC, 33 HP, +3 attack, 5 damage
attributes—AC, hit points, attack bonuses, damage, etc. • Striker: 10 AC, 42 HP, +5 attack, 7 damage
• Sniper: 14 AC, 25 HP, +3 attack, 7 damage
Valiant, Clanda and Chansi have been unexpectedly
waylaid by some bandits and a combat begins. The PCs
are level 3, so the DM decides to create three 3rd-level Step 3. Add some Traits
bandits for a medium-challenge encounter. To give your monster some flavour, add one or two
From the table, the DM can see that each bandit has passive traits based on its race, class, or faction. Traits
(as a base) 14 AC, 33 HP, and deals 5 damage on a +3
help your monsters feel more unique, but try to keep
them simple—avoid complicated mechanics or using
attack roll (melee or ranged). more than two traits per monster.
See the Monster Traits table for a list of example
Step 2. Apply a Role traits you can apply to your monsters—make your own if
the examples don't fit your particular monster.
Monsters, like player characters, have roles to play. Some
charge in to fight in the front-line, some fire away from
the back, some devastate and destroy their enemies with Because the bandits often work together to overpower
wild abandon, and some lend support to their allies. their victims, the DM decides to give all three a
There are seven core roles that you can apply to your common trait:
quickstart monsters, each with its own strengths and ➤ Teamwork: You have advantage on attack rolls when
weaknesses: controller, defender, lurker, scout, sniper, your target is within 5ft of an unrestrained ally.
striker, and support.
chapter 1: making monsters
4
Step 4. Choose some Powers Bandit, Shield Level 3 Defender
Now it's time to add some combat powers to your Medium humanoid Standard (175 XP)
monster—special features they gain by virtue of their Armor Class 16 Attack Bonus +3
particular role. Powers are a good way to distinguish Hit Points 33 (17) Damage 5
monsters from each other and highlight their roles—they Speed 20 ft Spell DCs 11, 8
allow defenders to defend and strikers to strike.
See the Monster Powers table for a list of example Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
powers you can apply to your monsters. +2 +0 +3 −1 +1 +1
what you're doing—instead, fold it into the fiction. Skills Initiative +1, Perception +1, Stealth +3
Traits
During an encounter, the DM notices that the party are
Teamwork: You have advantage on attack rolls when
having a hard time reliably hitting the defender's AC of
your target is within 5ft of an unrestrained ally.
16. On the next successful hit, the DM says:
"You hear a crack as the bandit's shield splits apart Hold Still: You have advantage on attack rolls when
from the force of your attack, and he throws it aside." your target moved less than 10ft during their last turn.
Monster Armor Hit Attack Damage Spell Percep., Prof. Saving Ability XP
Level Class Points Bonus per DCs Init. & Bonus Throws Modifiers
Action Stealth
-3 13 4 +1 1 10, 7 +1 +1 +3, +1, +0 +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, −1 2
-2 13 8 +1 1 10, 7 +1 +1 +3, +1, +0 +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, −1 6
-1 13 12 +1 1 10, 7 +1 +1 +3, +1, +0 +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, −1 12
0 14 16 +2 1 10, 7 +1 +1 +4, +2, +0 +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1 25
1 14 26 +3 2 11, 8 +1 +2 +5, +3, +0 +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1 50
2 14 30 +3 4 11, 8 +1 +2 +5, +3, +0 +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1 112
3 14 33 +3 5 11, 8 +1 +2 +5, +3, +0 +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1 175
4 15 36 +4 8 12, 9 +2 +2 +6, +3, +1 +4, +3, +2, +1, +1, +0 275
5 16 60 +5 10 13, 10 +2 +3 +7, +4, +1 +4, +3, +2, +1, +1, +0 450
6 16 64 +5 11 13, 10 +2 +3 +7, +4, +1 +4, +3, +2, +1, +1, +0 575
7 16 68 +5 13 13, 10 +2 +3 +7, +4, +1 +4, +3, +2, +1, +1, +0 725
8 17 72 +6 17 14, 11 +3 +3 +8, +5, +1 +5, +3, +2, +2, +1, +0 975
9 18 102 +7 19 15, 12 +3 +4 +9, +5, +2 +5, +3, +2, +2, +1, +0 1,250
10 18 107 +7 21 15, 12 +3 +4 +9, +5, +2 +5, +3, +2, +2, +1, +0 1,475
11 18 111 +7 23 15, 12 +3 +4 +9, +5, +2 +5, +3, +2, +2, +1, +0 1,800
12 18 115 +8 28 15, 12 +3 +4 +10, +6, +2 +6, +4, +3, +2, +1, +0 2,100
13 19 152 +9 30 16, 13 +3 +5 +11, +7, +2 +6, +4, +3, +2, +1, +0 2,500
14 19 157 +9 32 16, 13 +3 +5 +11, +7, +2 +6, +4, +3, +2, +1, +0 2,875
15 19 162 +9 35 16, 13 +3 +5 +11, +7, +2 +6, +4, +3, +2, +1, +0 3,250
16 20 167 +10 41 17, 14 +4 +5 +12, +7, +3 +7, +5, +3, +2, +2, +1 3,750
17 21 210 +11 43 18, 15 +4 +6 +13, +8, +3 +7, +5, +3, +2, +2, +1 4,500
18 21 216 +11 46 18, 15 +4 +6 +13, +8, +3 +7, +5, +3, +2, +2, +1 5,000
19 21 221 +11 48 18, 15 +4 +6 +13, +8, +3 +7, +5, +3, +2, +2, +1 5,500
20 22 226 +12 51 19, 16 +5 +6 +14, +9, +3 +8, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 6,250
21 22 276 +13 53 20, 17 +5 +7 +15, +9, +4 +8, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 8,250
22 22 282 +13 56 20, 17 +5 +7 +15, +9, +4 +8, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 10,250
23 22 288 +13 58 20, 17 +5 +7 +15, +9, +4 +8, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 12,500
24 23 294 +14 61 20, 17 +5 +7 +16, +10, +4 +9, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 15,500
25 24 350 +15 63 21, 18 +5 +8 +17, +11, +4 +9, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 18,750
26 24 357 +15 66 21, 18 +5 +8 +17, +11, +4 +9, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 22,500
27 24 363 +15 68 21, 18 +5 +8 +17, +11, +4 +9, +6, +4, +3, +2, +1 26,250
28 25 369 +16 71 22, 19 +6 +8 +18, +11, +5 +10, +7, +5, +4, +3, +2 30,000
Monster Roles
Role Armor Saving Hit Attack Damage Speed Perception Stealth Initiative
Class Throws Points Bonus per Action
Controller −2 −1 — — — — — — Trained
Defender +2 +1 — — — −10 Trained — —
Lurker −4 −2 x0.5 +2 x1.5 — Trained Trained —
Scout −2 −1 — — x0.75 +10 Trained Trained Trained
Sniper — — x0.75 — x1.25 — — Trained —
Striker −4 −2 x1.25 +2 x1.25 — — — —
Supporter −2 −1 x0.75 — x0.75 — — — Trained
A
ll monsters are equal on the battlefield
—but some are more equal than others.
Some monsters are standard rank-and-file
Elites
troops, some are expendable fodder, and Elites are formidable champions, commanders, and
some are great leaders and commanders. leaders. They are a far greater threat than their
Some are even capable of taking on a underlings, able to withstand more damage while hitting
whole group single-handed. back harder and more reliably—one elite is the equal of
This chapter helps you to turn your standard two standard monsters, and can act twice a round. Elites
quickstart monster into a minion, elite, or solo creature are a great option for mid-boss encounters, as direct
to pit against your players. underlings of the adventure's primary threat.
To build an elite, apply the following template to any
existing quickstart monster:
Minions
Elite Monster
A minion is weaker than other monsters, having very few
hit points—they fall quickly in combat, often in one hit, if Apply to any quickstart monster template
not protected by a strong defender. These are your Armor Class +2 Attack Bonus +2
lackeys, underlings, and lesser henchmen. Hit Points x2 Damage x1.1
Minions rely on their sizeable numbers to overwhelm Saving Throws +2 Spell DC +2
the enemy—four minions are the equal of one standard Initiative +2 Perception +2
quickstart monster—and are a great option if you want to XP x2 Stealth +2
pit your players against mobs, gangs, and hordes.
To build a minion, apply the Minion template below to Traits
any existing quickstart monster. When creating minion
groups, keep things simple for yourself and use the same ➤ Paragon Action: You may take one Paragon Action
role, traits, and powers for each group of 4—4 defender per round to either move or take an action.
minions, 4 striker minions, etc.
Minion Monster Viridian, Sarien, Clanda, and Chansi are battling
Apply to any quickstart monster template through the dangerous Shadowvault and the undead
guardians within. At the Infernal Gallery they find
Armor Class −2 Attack Bonus −2
Hit Points x0.2 Damage x0.75 Mortanius, an elite necromancer seeking to resurrect
Saving Throws −2 Spell DC −2 the Skeleton King. As battle begins, Mortanius
Initiative −2 Perception −2 summons 8 skeletal minions to shield him from the
XP x0.25 Stealth −2 attacking adventurers.
Solo Phases
Fights with a solo monster are a big event—they should Environmental Hazards
be a worthy capstone to your adventure, full of drama Add some interesting environmental hazards to your solo
and excitement. Solo monsters fight hard, changing as encounter to add another layer to your scene—rising
the battle progresses and they start to take damage. water, rotating floors, falling debris, collapsing pillars.
When the solo monster takes enough damage (66% The environment is an important part of your solo
and 33% hit points), it immediately removes any on-going battle, providing variety and—hopefully—another threat
effects and triggers a transition to a new phase of battle: for the players to worry about. Use the environment to
draw their attention and to prevent your players from
• The dragon roars angrily and—in its rage—slams swarming the solo for the entire combat.
down fiercely on the ground, collapsing it and sending
everyone falling into the volcanic lair beneath. Solo Encounter Length
• The golem's metal body cracks, and wild arcane
lighting lances out around it to strike at anyone A single encounter with a solo monster should last for
wearing or wielding metal. around 8-10 rounds of combat, with each individual phase
• The necromancer absorbs the souls of his fallen spanning 3-5 rounds—though this will vary depending on
minions to become a huge, powerful beast. your party's overall combat ability.
option, which is not allowed. Medium humanoid, undead Minion (43 XP)
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
+1 +3 +1 +0 +2 −1 +1 +3 +1 +0 −1 +2
Saving Throws Dex +1, Wis/Str −1, Con/Int/Cha −4 Saving Throws Dex +6, Cha/Con +4, Str/Int/Wis +1
Skills Initiative −1, Perception −1, Stealth −1 Skills Initiative +7, Perception +5, Stealth +3
Traits Traits
Explosive: When you fall to 0 hit points, your body Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions per
explodes and deals damage to everyone within 5ft. You round to either move or perform an action.
can begin detonation on your turn with a bonus action;
Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you may
you explode at the start of your next turn.
remove all on-going effects on yourself and trigger a
Savage Assault: Once per turn, add your level in extra new phase transition.
damage to an attack.
Get Into Position: Halve your attack damage to allow
an ally to spend their reaction and move up to half
The Skeleton King their speed (without provoking opportunity attacks
from the target).
A composite monster formed from the bones of several
skeletons, the Skeleton King is a very dangerous
opponent. With high damage and multiple actions, it can The Skeleton King (3/3)
quickly overcome the unprepared party. Level 3 Striker
At 66% and 33% hit points, the Skeleton King Large humanoid, undead Solo vs 4 (700 XP)
changes form and switches to a new stat block with Armor Class 12 Attack Bonus +7
different abilities. Hit Points 207 (3x 69) Damage 8
Speed 30 ft Spell DCs 15, 12
The Skeleton King (1/3) Level 3 Defender Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Large humanoid, undead Solo vs 4 (700 XP) +2 +1 +1 +0 −1 +3
Armor Class 18 Attack Bonus +5 Saving Throws Cha +5, Str/Con +3, Dex/Int/Wis +0
Hit Points 165 (3x 55) Damage 6 Skills Initiative +5, Perception +5, Stealth +3
Speed 20 ft Spell DCs 13, 10
Traits
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
+3 +1 +1 +0 −1 +2 Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions per
Saving Throws Str +8, Cha/Con +6, Dex/Int/Wis +3 round to either move or perform an action.
Skills Initiative +5, Perception +7, Stealth +3
Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you may
Traits remove all on-going effects on yourself and trigger a
new phase transition.
Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions per
round to either move or perform an action. Relentless: The first time you would fall to 0 hit points
after a long rest, you are instead reduced to 1 hit point.
Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you may
remove all on-going effects on yourself and trigger a Antimagic Zone: Any creature within 10ft of you has
new phase transition. disadvantage when casting magical spells.
You Can't Leave: Targets always provoke opportunity Aura: Damaging: The space around you is dangerous.
attacks, even if they take the Disengage action before Creatures take damage equal to your level when they
leaving your reach. In addition, when you hit with an enter your aura or begin their turn within it.
opportunity attack, the target's speed becomes 0 for Press the Attack: You have advantage on attack rolls
the rest of the turn. against bloodied targets (under 50% hit points).
O
nce you have a monster, it's time to
unleash it on your players. All monsters Multiattacks
need some form of attack for them to be a Once your monsters start dealing over 10 points of
true threat—a sword to slash with, or huge damage per round, break up their single attack into a
jaws to biting down with, or dark magics multiattack—this helps to prevent players being
to cast dangerous spells with. overwhelmed with massive damage from a single hit.
This chapter describes how to use your
quickstart monsters to attack the party, introducing
freeform attacks and magic. Multiattack (X): The monster makes X attacks against
its enemies, dealing [damage / X] damage per attack.
throw at the end of their turn to shrug off the effect— Charmed You can't attack your charmer.
strength to resist being pushed back by the wind, Deafened You can't hear anything.
constitution to resist the vile poison, intelligence to Frightened You can't move towards your terror.
overcome the terrifying illusions.
• Wait X rounds: The effect ends naturally after a set Grappled You can't move.
number of rounds (usually within 2-4). Incapacitated You can't take actions or reactions.
Paralyzed You can't move or speak.
Pick the recovery type that makes the most sense for Petrified You are turned to stone (or other material).
your particular attack, and be consistent with it. Poisoned You have disadvantage on attacks/checks.
Multiattacks Prone You are lying on the ground.
If your monster has a multiattack, you can use one of the Restrained You can't move.
attacks to make a condition attack instead. Stunned You can't move, act, or speak properly.
Unconscious You fall unconscious.
Whilst journeying through the Elsewood, Valiant is
ambushed by a level 7 orc. The orc has Multiattack (2)
and, during a round of combat, uses one of the attacks Deep within the Sunken Temple, Viridian is fighting a
to perform a condition attack on Valiant. dangerous level 10 gorgon. The gorgon has
Multiattack (2) and the Gorgon's Glare ability—a
DM: The orc tries to kick your legs out from under worsening condition that turns victims into stone.
you, Valiant, and knock you prone. Make a Strength
saving throw to resist being knocked down, DC 15. DM: The gorgon turns to you, Viridian, with eyes
Valiant: Ok... (rolls 8) damn it, my legs buckle. glowing bright. Make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw.
DM: You fall painfully on the ground. The orc roars Viridian: Ok... (rolls 14) augh, no luck.
victoriously as it follows up with an attack, raising its DM: You can't resist locking eyes with the gorgon,
mighty axe to hack down at you. Viridian—you are blinded by her gaze.
Valiant: This can't be good... Viridian: Son of a...
Any significant and long-lasting magical effects that a Air Control over air and wind.
monster might cast require some form of concentration Fire Control over fire and heat.
—enchantments, ongoing effects, summons, etc. A Water Control over water and ice.
monster can only maintain one concentration effect at a Strength Control physical power, muscle mass, and
time, unless they are especially powerful creatures. endurance.
Atop the Hellfire Pinnacle, Clanda battles against a DM: The red dragon Kaladax starts to draw in breath.
ferocious tiefling sorceress (a 5th-level monster). Valiant, you can see its chest swell with dangerous
power—an incredible amount of heat is radiating from
DM: Arcane sigils spiral around the sorceress' hands
the dragon already as it goes into overkill.
as she unleashes—
Valiant: Can I see where it's aiming?
Clanda: I cast Counterspell.
DM: You think it's going to flood this entire chamber
DM: Of course you do. It's only a 3rd-level spell (5th-
with searing flame in six seconds.
level monster / 2)—the sigils shatter with a spark of
Valiant: Uh, everyone? We should run.
arcane power. "You'll pay for that, witch," she hisses.
Clanda: I'm sure I will. Why don't I start by teaching
you how to cast fireball properly...? Step 2. Charge up Power
The monster can't use the attack until its next turn—it
spends the full round gathering whatever energy it
Monstrous Counterspell needs. It doesn't take reactions, nor any Paragon Actions,
Your monsters can also wield their own Counterspell until the overkill attack is unleashed.
magics in battle. Sorcerers, eldritch horrors, martial While the monster is charging up the attack, it won't
spellbreakers—whatever their form, they may have an try to move—but it can still be moved by player actions.
option to disrupt spellcasting.
Use this sparingly—a standard monster should only be Step 3. Attack
able to cast Counterspell once per encounter. Elite and Finally, the monster unleashes the overkill attack.
Solo monsters may be able to use this power multiple Anyone in range is automatically hit for 3 times the
times, depending on their nature. damage of a normal attack—increasing to 5 times for
elite monsters, and 6 times for a solo monster.
Clanda: See, first you say the words "I cast fireball,
DM: "You will all burn!" roars Kaladax as he unleashes
you stupid tiefling", and then—
his volcanic attack. Searing flames flood the chamber.
DM: The tiefling casts Counterspell.
Valiant: We're all safe behind this pillar, right?
Clanda: ...Of course she does.
DM: You are, but Krazak isn't. The dwarf, standing his
ground in front of Kaladax, is hit full force by the attack
1. Telegraph the attack: Let your players know what the Cinematic Spectacle
monster is about to do and where is safe.
2. Charge up power: The monster spends a full round
charging up power for the attack. Overkill attacks are a great way to add cinematic spectacle to
your battles. Use them to keep your players on the move, or
3. Attack: The attack happens, and anyone caught in it is highlight the lethal threat posed by your monster.
hit automatically for 3/4/5 times the normal damage.
chapter 3: making attacks
17
Chapter 4: Randomising Damage
T
he monster tables and stat blocks in
this supplement list static damage values Step 2. Choose an Attack Type
for simplicity's sake. Next, decide how unpredictable the damage should be—
But if you want to add a little variety to the more careless the attack, the bigger the damage die
your monster damage, this chapter will and the wider the range of damage your players might
help you to convert your static damage suffer.
values into randomised damage. There are 7 categories of damage: accurate (d4),
predictable (d6), reliable (d8), irregular (d10), volatile
(d12), wild (d20), and chaotic (d100). Choose the type
Static to Random that best suits your attack.
Once you have a monster—be it minion, standard, elite,
or solo—it's easy to convert your static damage into As Gannimor is reckless with his axe and precise with
randomised damage. Simply follow these three steps: his dagger, the DM chooses volatile axe damage and
accurate dagger damage.
1. Get the static damage: Find your monster's base
static damage value from their profile.
2. Choose an attack type: Decide just how accurate or Step 3. Randomise the Damage
unpredictable the attack's damage should be.
3. Randomise the damage: Replace the static damage Finally, look through the Randomised Damage table to
with a dice roll from the Randomised Damage table. find a suitable value based on your chosen damage types
—update your static damage accordingly.
Step 1. Get the Static Damage
First, find your monster's normal static damage for their The DM finds two randomised damage options that
attacks—from either their profile or the monster are a good fit. Gannimor's profile is updated to replace
template tables. the static 14 damage with two attack options:
Attack (Axe): 2d12 + 1 (14 - 13)
The DM is creating Gannimor Strax, a ferocious orc Attack (Dagger): 4d4 + 4 (14 - 10)
pit-fighter who, in battle, dual-wields a battle axe and
dagger. As a 5th-level elite striker, the orc deals 14
Wild Swings
static damage on a successful hit.
For variety, and to emphasis the different weaponry, Rolling big dice for your damage (d10s, d12s, etc) can be
exciting, but may lead to some very swingy combat. Make
the DM wants to use two randomised damage values sure to use a variety of dice options to keep things
—one for an axe attack, and one for a dagger attack. interesting and control the tempo of your monsters.
I
t's time to start a fight. Monsters generally
don't act alone, preferring to work with their The DM is creating a normal encounter for 4 players.
other monstrous allies to surround and Using the Encounter Difficulty table, this generates 4
overcome their enemies—unless they're monster points with which to build the encounter.
independent solos on a wild rampage.
This chapter provides some basic guidelines
on how to build quickstart encounters with Step 2. Add Monsters
varying types of monster for your players to battle.
Now it's time to start adding monsters to your encounter.
Each monster type costs a certain number of monster
The Basic Encounter points—the bigger the threat, the bigger the cost. Keep
adding monsters until you've spent all of your MP.
Building a basic encounter using quickstart monsters is
very simple, requiring three steps: Monster Value
1. Set the difficulty: Decide how dangerous the
encounter should be for your players to calculate how Type MP Cost Type MP Cost
many monster points (MP) you'll get to spend. Minion 1/4 Elite 2
2. Add monsters: Spend your MP to add monsters to Standard 1 Solo 1 per player
the encounter until you reach the limit.
3. Build the monsters: Create your monster profiles as
normal with an eye for interesting synergies.
Monster Levels
Step 1. Set the Difficulty Values listed in the Monster Value table assume you're
using monsters within -3/+3 levels of the average player
First, decide the difficulty of the encounter to see how character—but this may not always be the case.
many monster points (MP) you get to spend. For every 4 levels higher than the players, double the
monster's MP cost. For every 4 levels lower, halve it.
Encounter Difficulty
The DM wants to create a horde-style normal
Difficulty Total Monster Points (MP)
encounter for 4 players. They add one elite monster,
Easy Number of players x 0.5 worth 2 points, leaving 2 points for minions.
Normal Number of players Normally, 2 points can buy 8 minions. But by using
Hard Number of players x 1.5 minions 4 levels lower than the players, the DM is able
Extreme Number of players x 2 to add 16 minions instead.
Basic encounters focus on using standard and minion Two strong elites are ready to fight. 4 MP
T
o help you get your quickstart monsters Craven is an accomplished sorcerer with an affinity for
up and running fast, this chapter features earth magics—at the first sign of trouble, he wraps
templates for each monster type and role himself in a protective layer of hard sand to deflect
across levels −3 to 30. attacks whilst striking back at the enemy with dangerous
Once you have the basic stats, add spears of earth and stone.
traits and powers to give your monster Craven likes to use his earth magic to trap and
some quick and easy flavour in combat. immobilise his enemies for later questioning. Those
judged to be a long-term threat may find themselves
Craven, the Kobold King petrified and placed in the city's Slavemaker Gallery as a
warning to future would-be oppressors.
Craven is the first king of a new kobold city and—
contrary to his namesake—is a firm and decisive leader. Craven, the Kobold King
Craven hates dragons, denouncing them as tyrannical Level 8 Striker
kobold oppressors, and he works ceaselessly to free Small humanoid, kobold Elite (1,950 XP)
kobolds from their draconic servitude. Armor Class 15 Attack Bonus +10
Hit Points 180 (90) Damage 24
Craven's Honor Guard Level 8 Defender Speed 30 ft Spell DCs 18, 15
Small humanoid, kobold Standard (975 XP)
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Armor Class 19 Attack Bonus +6 +0 +1 +2 +5 +3 +2
Hit Points 72 (36) Damage 17
Saving Throws Int +8, Wis/Cha +5, Con/Dex/Str +1
Speed 20 ft Spell DCs 14, 11
Skills Initiative +5, Perception +5, Stealth +5
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
+5 +2 +3 +0 +2 +1 Traits
Saving Throws Str +9, Con/Wis +6, Dex/Cha/Int +2 Paragon Action: You may take one Paragon Action per
Skills Initiative +3, Perception +6, Stealth +3 round to either move or perform an action.
faq
59
What Next?
Monster Maker Webapp Darker Dungeons
Want to create monsters in seconds using your phone or Want to make your D&D 5e campaign more deadly for
computer? Then try Giffyglyph's Monster Maker your players? Then try Giffyglyph's Darker Dungeons,
webapp, featuring: 60+ pages of rules, tweaks, and advice:
• Create your own monster vault in just a few clicks. • Manage equipment with a revised inventory system.
• Build minions, standards, elites, & solos. • Track survival conditions—hunger, thirst, and fatigue.
• Apply monster roles for quick, balanced variety. • Add lingering wounds and injuries to combat.
• Keep your monster vault for later with save & load. • Push characters to their breaking point with Stress.
• Customise monsters with traits, powers, & notes. • Track long-distance travel with the journey phase.
• Add monsters to your own customised encounter list. • Add risk to your magic system with magical burnout.
• And many more. • And many more.
Find it at: www.giffyglyph.com/monstermaker! Find it at: www.giffyglyph.com/darkerdungeons!
what next?
60
Great Heroes
Need Greater
Villains
No adventure is complete without a
monster to battle—a wild dragon raging
through the town, blood-thirsty gnolls
howling in the cold night, a necromancer
commanding armies of savage undead.
GIFFYGLYPH