Bestiary ☰
Presented here is a breakdown of how monster statistics are laid out, how to read them, and what each term means. Each concept and term is listed in the order they would be found on a given monster card.
The first thing presented on a given monster card is the creature's name; clicking on its name will open its card and expand its statistics so information about it is visible. If the Genus of monsters you are looking at is organized by Tier, then all creatures of a given Tier will be given under a heading with that Tier's number; for example, all Tier 0 monsters are listed under the "Tier 0" heading. If the Genus you are looking at is organized any other way, then the Tier of a monster will be the first thing listed under its name once their statistics are opened.
Tier Breakdown. Each Tier assumes that the monster in question is being faced alone by a party of 4 well-equipped and competent PCs with no enchanted equipment and no special abilities beyond their class features. A monster's Tier does not take its tactics or group size into account, so even lower-tier monsters can punch above their weight if they are smart and fight well.
Presented here is a table of which Tiers correspond to which level ranges.
| Tier | Level Range |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 - 1 |
| 1 | 1 - 4 |
| 2 | 5 - 8 |
| 3 | 9 - 12 |
| 4 | 13 - 16 |
| 5 | 17 - 20 |
| 6 | 20+ |
Beneath the Name and Tier of the monster is its mechanical Size and role in combat (explained further below) and, below that, a physical description of what it looks like and a vague outline of its tactics, which are expanded upon at the bottom of the monster's statistics.
A creature's combat role, given next to its Size, is a quick summary of what it specializes in on the battlefield and how it is best used. Given here is a brief description of each role, listed in alphabetical order. A creature can have up to two roles, separated by a '/'.
Ability Scores. The first statistic listed for each monster is their Ability Scores, in order of Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Agility (AGI), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA).
Saves. After a monster's Ability Scores are their Saves, in order of Fortitude (Fort./F.), Reflex (Ref./R.), and Willpower (Will./W.). The bonus to each score is given in parentheses next to the score itself.
Condition Immunities, Resistances, and Vulnerabilities. Below that, if the monster is immune, resistant, or vulnerable to any conditions, they will be listed next to the appropriate label. If a monster is Immune to a condition, then it cannot be affected by it at all; if it is Resistant, then it has advantage on saves against effects that cause that condition; if it is Vulnerable, then it has disadvantage on saves against effects that cause that condition.
Health. Thereafter comes the monster's average Health; in parentheses next to it are the number and value of the monster's Health Dice, as well as the bonus it gains from its CON. This bonus is its CON times the number of Health Dice it has.
Defenses. Below the monster's Health are its Defenses, specifically its Melee Defense (M-DEF) and Ranged Defense (R-DEF), separated by a slash with the M-DEF on the left and the R-DEF on the right. In parentheses next to these values is a breakdown of the monster's Natural Armor, Worn Armor, and Dodge scores.
Damage Immunities, Resistances, and Vulnerabilities. Next comes the Damage Types that the creature is immune, resistant, and vulnerable to, if any. If a creature is Immune to any damage types, then the final damage it takes from sources of that damage type is automatically reduced to 0; if it is Resistant to any damage types, then the final damage it takes from sources of that damage type is reduced by half, rounded down to the next lowest half or whole value if needed; if it is Vulnerable to any damage types, then the final damage it takes from sources of that damage type is doubled. Remember that final damage refers to the amount of damage a creature takes after the appropriate defense has been applied.
Initiative. Where the creature goes in the initiative order.
Speed. After that is listed the creature's Speed in meters per second (m/sec); remember each creature has 3 seconds of movement on its turn independent of its 3 seconds of actions. If a creature is a quadruped (which will grant it an extra 2m/sec), it will be listed in parentheses next to its Speed. If a creature is aquatic, then its Speed will refer to its swimming speed instead of its walking speed; if it is Amphibious, its Speed will refer to both its walking and swimming speed; and if it is Winged, it will refer to both its flying and walking speed.
Action, Tool, and Weapon Skills. Next up, if the monster is proficient in any Action, Tool, or Weapon Skills, they will be listed here. By default, much like PCs, all creatures have 1 proficiency in all Action and Weapon Skills except for those listed in this section; Tool Skills default to 0 proficiency unless otherwise listed.
Senses. If a creature has any noteworthy senses, such as infrared vision, they will be listed here.
Languages. After that comes the languages the monster can speak, if any.
Locations. Finally, the last thing to be listed under a creature's Statistics will be the locations it can typically be found in; if no locations are listed, then the creature can be found anywhere.
If a creature has any passive abilities, they will be listed under its Statistics. Passive abilities are those that are always active and do not require conscious effort or time on the creature's behalf to use or activate.
Arcane Power.In this section will be listed the creature's Arcane Save DR (ASDR) and the amount of Mana they have available to them, if applicable. Spells Known. What spells the creature knows, in alphabetical order. The complete list of spells and their descriptions can be found here.
This section is dedicated to the active abilities and unique actions the monster possesses. Much like PCs, all creatures can perform the standard list of actions (assuming it would make sense for them to be able to do so), but each also has at least one action unique to it; for some, this may just be whatever attacks it has, but many monsters also have truly special and/or unique abilites, and those will be listed here as well. Generally, actions are listed in order of unique or special abilities, then ranged attacks, then melee attacks.
Each action is listed in the following format: Action/Ability Name. Action Type or Area of Effect shape
(action properties), Crit Min (if applicable), number of targets (if applicable), Time Cost, Recharge time
(if applicable), damage (if applicable), save required (if applicable); description (if applicable).
Save Results (if applicable):
The results of saving against a certain ability apply strictly to that ability and the creature making the save unless otherwise explicitly stated by the ability description or save results.
The amount of distance listen next to the Area of Effect shape refers to the diameter if it's a sphere, the length of each side if it is a cube, and the length & width if it is a cone.
Group Size. The size of the group that the creature typically travels with, with the average value given in parentheses.
Strategy. The tactics that the monster uses, including its preferred abilities and how/when it likes to use them, a detailed explanation of the strategy it employs before and during combat, and how it interacts with its fellow monsters, if at all.
Flee Conditions. The conditions under which the creature will flee from active combat or refuse to engage in combat at all.
Equipment. The equipment the creature has on them, such as weapons, armor, and gear.
Treasure. The loot the creature is carrying, as well as any alchemy or crafting materials that may be harvested from their body, if any.