Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
MONSTER MAKER
M
onsters lie at the heart of
every adventure, causing trouble Contents
for civilians and brave heroes alike.
They come in all shapes and sizes, Making Monsters 2
from tiny kobolds to towering The Monster Profile 2
kraken, and each has their own Building your Monster 3
special quirks and abilities. Monster Statistics 5
Sometimes you need to create a brand-new monster Monster Roles 5
in a hurry—often when players do the unexpected and Monster Traits 6
catch you by surprise. When hard-pressed for time, a full Monster Powers 7
stat-block isn't always what you need. Minions, Elites, & Solos 8
This supplement introduces rules to help you build Minions 8
simple monsters quickly, as well as advice on how to use Elites 8
them during encounters. Solos 9
Paragon Actions 10
The Court of Bone 10
Making Attacks 12
Version 1.2 Freeform Attacks 12
Created by Giffyglyph, September 2018 Using Magic 15
Building an Encounter 16
The Basic Encounter 16
Keep up-to-date and follow this project at: Encounter Outlines 17
www.reddit.com/r/darkerdungeons5e Challenge Ratings 18
Monster Templates 19
FAQ 54
If you like my work, you can support it at:
patreon.com/giffyglyph · ko-fi.com/giffyglyph
Credits & Influences
To find and follow my other work, visit: Created By: Giffyglyph
Roles & Stats: D&D 4e, Song of the Blade
www.giffyglyph.com
Advice & Testing: Ben_Scerri, dark_james, Gargle_Fritz,
hajjiman, mulac_snotcloak, nigel037,
Thunder_2414, Xheotris
For questions and feedback, contact me at:
Patrons: Ady
@giffyglyph · giffyglyph@gmail.com
O
nce you have an idea for a
monster—or your players have suddenly The Monster Profile
triggered an unexpected encounter—it's A quickstart monster profile is simpler and a little more
time to start making some monsters. vague than a standard monster profile—this is to allow
Maybe you need a high level goblin king you greater flexibility when improvising. These are the
and his elite entourage, or a drunken giant basic components of a quickstart monster:
and his tiefling friends, or a pack of fierce
dire-wolves hungry for flesh—whatever the case, this • Level: Quickstart monsters use monster levels, a one-
chapter will help you create some quickstart monster to-one match for player character levels.
profiles to get your combat encounters and scenarios up • Role: Every monster has a combat role which
and running fast. describes their particular focus on the battlefield.
• Armor Class: This represents how hard the monster
is to hit, whether due to armor, agility, magic, training,
or some other significant feature.
Dragonborn Warden Level 5 Defender • Hit Points: This is the amount of damage that the
monster can endure before it dies.
Medium humanoid Standard (450 XP)
• Saving Throws: Saving throw bonuses are displayed
in three grades—best, ok, and bad. Pick whichever
Armor Class 18 Attack Bonus +5 categories make the most sense for your monster.
Hit Points 60 (30) Damage 10 • Initiative: Your monster's combat reaction speed.
Saving Throws +8, +5, +2 Spell DCs 13, 10
• Speed: Your monster's movement speed.
• Ability Modifiers: This is your monster's ability
Initiative +2 Perception +5 modifier array—arrange it however you like. Unlike
Speed 20ft Stealth +2 player characters, monster modifiers can go beyond 5.
Ability Modifiers +4, +3, +2, +1, +1, +0 • Attack Bonus: This represents your monster's ability
to make successful attacks—melee, ranged, or magic.
• Damage: This is the amount of damage caused by a
➤ Dragonbreath: You can breathe dragonfire as an successful attack. For multi-attacks, split the total
attack, or use it to light small fires. damage across each of the targets.
➤ You Can't Leave: Targets always provoke • Spell DCs: This shows the primary and secondary
opportunity attacks, even if they take the Disengage DCs of any impromptu effects the monster might use.
action before leaving your reach. In addition, when you
• Perception: Your monster's ability to notice things.
• Stealth: Your monster's ability to hide.
hit with an opportunity attack, the target's speed • Traits & Powers: These are special abilities that the
becomes 0 for the rest of the turn. monster has gained from their race, class, faction, or
role. Most are passive, while some can only be used a
limited number of times.
chapter 1: making monsters
2
• Controller: Controllers disorientate their enemies,
Quickstart Monsters moving them around the battlefield and applying
Quickstart monsters are designed to be bare-bones conditions. Controllers deal little direct damage
templates useful for a combat or improvised scenario. 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
weak point, then attack for massive damage. They are
Building your Monster 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, and • Striker: 10 AC, 42 HP, +5 attack, 7 damage
saving throws. • Sniper: 14 AC, 25 HP, +3 attack, 7 damage
Step 5. Personalisation
Armor Class 10 Attack Bonus +5
Finally, compare the monster template to your player
characters and consider tweaking any values that seem a Hit Points 42 (21) Damage 7
little over or under-powered. Lower the AC or HP if your Saving Throws +3, +1, −2 Spell DCs 13, 10
players have trouble dealing damage, or reduce the Initiative +1 Perception +1
attack bonus or damage if their defences are a little low. Speed 30ft Stealth +1
Ability Modifiers +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1
Because Valiant and Chansi are low on hit points
thanks to an earlier encounter, the DM considers ➤ Teamwork: You have advantage on attack rolls
reducing the overall damage of each bandit by 2. when your target is within 5ft of an unrestrained ally.
But as the party is fortunate enough to be carrying a ➤ Cleave: You can attack two adjacent targets that are
couple of healing potions, the DM decides to leave the within reach, dealing full damage to each.
challenge unchanged.
During an encounter, the DM notices that the party are ➤ Teamwork: You have advantage on attack rolls
having a hard time reliably hitting the defender's AC of when your target is within 5ft of an unrestrained ally.
16. On the next successful hit, the DM says: ➤ Hold Still: You have advantage on attack rolls when
"You hear a crack as the bandit's shield splits apart your target moved less than 10ft during their last turn.
from the force of your attack, and he throws it aside."
Monster Roles
Role Armor Hit Attack Damage Speed Perception Stealth Initiative
Class Points Bonus per Action
Controller −2 — — — — — — Trained
Defender +2 — — — −10 Trained — —
Lurker −4 50% +2 150% — Trained Trained —
Scout −2 — — 75% +10 Trained Trained Trained
Sniper — 75% — 125% — — Trained —
Striker −4 125% +2 125% — — — —
Supporter −2 75% — 75% — — — Trained
A
ll monsters are equal on the
battlefield—but some are more equal than Elites
others. Some monsters are standard rank- Elites are formidable champions, leaders, and
and-file troops, some are expendable commanders. They are a bigger threat than their
fodder, and some are great leaders and underlings, able to withstand more damage and hitting
commanders. Some are even capable of back more reliably. One elite is the equal of two standard
taking on a whole group single-handed. quickstart monsters. Elites are a good option to use
This chapter explains how to turn your basic when building mid-boss encounters, as underlings of the
quickstart monster into a minion, elite, or solo creature adventure's primary threat.
to pit against your players. To build an elite, apply the following template to any
existing quickstart monster:
Minions
A minion is weaker than other monsters, having very few
hit points—they fall quickly in combat if not protected by Elite Monster
a strong defender. Minions often rely on their numbers to
overwhelm their enemies—four minions are the equal of Apply to any quickstart monster template
one standard quickstart monster.
To build a minion, apply the Minion template to any Armor Class +2 Attack Bonus +2
existing quickstart monster. When creating minion Hit Points x2 Damage x1.1
groups, keep it simple and use the same role for each
group of 4—4 defender minions, 4 striker minions, etc. Saving Throws +2 Spell DC +2
Initiative +2 Perception +2
XP x2 Stealth +2
Minion Monster ➤ Paragon Action: You may take one Paragon Action
Apply to any quickstart monster template per round to either move or take an action.
➤ Explosive: When you fall to 0 hit points, your body ➤ Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions
explodes and deals damage to everyone within 5ft. per round to either move or perform an action.
You can begin detonation on your turn with a bonus ➤ Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you
action; you explode at the start of your next turn. may remove all on-going effects on yourself and
➤ Savage Assault: Once per turn, add your level in trigger a new phase transition.
extra damage to an attack. ➤ Teamwork: You have advantage on attack rolls
when your target is within 5ft of an unrestrained ally.
➤ Get Into Position: Halve your attack damage to
allow an ally to spend their reaction and move up to
The Amalgam King half their speed (without provoking opportunity
A composite monster formed from the bones of several attacks from the target).
skeletons, the Amalgam King is a very dangerous
opponent. With high damage and multiple actions,
Amalgam can quickly overcome the unprepared party.
The Amalgam King (3/3) Level 3 Striker
Large humanoid, undead Solo vs 4 (700 XP)
The Amalgam King (1/3) Level 3 Defender Armor Class 12 Attack Bonus +7
Large humanoid, undead Solo vs 4 (700 XP)
Hit Points 207 (3x 69) Damage 8
Saving Throws +5, +3, +0 Spell DCs 15, 12
Armor Class 18 Attack Bonus +5
Initiative +5 Perception +5
Hit Points 165 (3x 55) Damage 6
Speed 30ft Stealth +3
Saving Throws +8, +6, +3 Spell DCs 13, 10
Ability Modifiers +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1
Initiative +5 Perception +7
Speed 20ft Stealth +3
➤ Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions
Ability Modifiers +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, −1
per round to either move or perform an action.
➤ Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you
➤ Paragon Actions: You may take 3 Paragon Actions may remove all on-going effects on yourself and
per round to either move or perform an action. trigger a new phase transition.
➤ Phase Transition: At 66% and 33% hit points, you ➤ Relentless: The first time you would fall to 0 hit
may remove all on-going effects on yourself and points after a long rest, you are instead reduced to 1
trigger a new phase transition. hit point.
➤ Dragonbreath: You can breathe dragonfire as an ➤ Antimagic Zone: Any creature within 10ft of you
attack, or use it to light small fires. has disadvantage when casting magical spells.
➤ You Can't Leave: Targets always provoke ➤ Aura: Damaging: The space around you is
opportunity attacks, even if they take the Disengage dangerous. Creatures take damage equal to your level
action before leaving your reach. In addition, when you when they enter your aura or begin their turn within it.
hit with an opportunity attack, the target's speed ➤ Press the Attack: You have advantage on attack
becomes 0 for the rest of the turn. rolls against bloodied targets (under 50% hit points).
O
nce you have a monster, it's time
to unleash it on your players. All monsters Fiction First
need some form of attack for them to be a
true threat—a sword to slash with, or huge With freeform attacks, monster have a lot of flexibility.
jaws to biting down with, or dark magics However, be sensible and fair to your players with this—give
to cast dangerous spells with. your monster attacks that make sense within the fiction.
This chapter describes how to use your
quickstart monsters to attack the party, introducing
freeform attacks and magic. Multiattacks
Once your monsters start dealing over 10 points of
Freeform Attacks damage per round, break up their single attack into a
Quickstart monsters don't have any specific attacks listed multiattack—this helps to prevent players being
as part of their stat-block—instead, they use freeform overwhelmed with massive damage from a single hit.
attacks for speed, simplicity, and flexibility.
When you are making an attack with a monster, Multiattack (X): The monster makes X attacks against
describe an action that feels appropriate for the monster
and it's weaponry: its enemies, dealing [damage / X] damage per attack.
• Is the dragon slashing wildly with huge claws? Then The Monster Multiattacks table below shows how to
it's making a slashing melee attack. create a basic multiattack based on a monster's overall
• Is it leaning forward to take a lethal bite? Then the damage per action—the higher the damage per action,
melee attack is piercing. the more attacks per action the monster can make.
• Is the beast swiping its massive tail around at you?
Then it's a bludgeoning melee attack. Monster Multiattacks
• Is the dragon breathing searing flame at you? Then Total Damage Attacks Damage Damage (%)
you'll take fire damage from the close attack. per Action per Action per Attack per Attack
0-9 1 0-9 100
Once you have described how the monster is
attacking, make an attack roll using the monster's attack 10-29 2 5-15 50
bonus and damage as normal. 30-59 3 10-20 33
60-99 4 10-25 25
Keep it Simple
Keep your attacks simple and straightforward, and avoid
giving a monster any more than 3 different methods of Minions & Multiattacks
attacking—unless they are particularly notable, such as Minions don't make multiattacks—they either hit hard
an elite leader or solo boss character. with a single attack, or miss.
chapter 3: making attacks
12
Condition Attacks
Attacks don't always have to deal direct damage to the Avoid Repetition
enemy—instead, your monster can attempt to inflict a When using condition attacks, try to avoid doing the same
condition on its target, such as blinded, poisoned, or thing each turn—a general rule of thumb is to leave a
restrained. This is called a condition attack. minimum of 1 turn between each use of a condition type.
Before you make a condition attack, describe what
your monster is trying to achieve and how:
• The hobgoblin snarls as it throws dust into your face, Worsening Conditions
attempting to blind you. Some special condition attacks become increasingly
• The giant frog's neck convulses fiercely as it spits a jet more severe over time, often when a player fails to make
of poisonous fluid at you. a saving throw at the end of their turn—these are
• The giant reaches down towards your weapon and worsening condition attacks.
tries to pull it from your grasp, disarming you. To make a worsening condition attack, pick three
conditions of increasing severity—when the player fails a
Once you've described the condition attack, make an saving throw, the condition advances to the next stage.
attack as normal using the attack bonus or spell DC—if
successful, the monster deals no damage and inflicts the Gorgon's Glare: The target's body quickly turns to
condition on the target.
stone. First it is blinded, then restrained, then petrified.
Recovering from a Condition
When you use a condition attack, try to consider how a If the player makes a successful recovery attempt,
player will recover from it. There are three methods of whether by a saving throw or other relevant action, the
condition recovery: conditions end as per normal.
Use the Conditions table below to help create an
• Take an action: The player can do something on their interesting combination for your worsening attack.
turn to end the effect—wipe mud off their face, pick up
their sword, get up from the floor. This usually Conditions
requires a full action to complete, though some effects Condition Description
may be simple enough to need only a bonus action.
• Make a saving throw: The player can make a saving Blinded You can't see anything.
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
overcome the terrifying illusions. Frightened You can't move towards your terror.
• 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
your particular attack, and be consistent with it. Petrified You are turned to stone (or similar material).
Poisoned You have disadvantage on attacks and 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. Suddenly, your vision goes black—you are
Valiant: This can't be good... blinded by the gorgon's glare...
As with conditions, there are three ways a player can No Damage on a Miss Damage per Action x0.75
attempt to recover from ongoing damage: Half Damage on a Miss Damage per Action x0.5
I
t's time to start a fight. Monsters
generally don't act alone, preferring to work with The DM is creating a normal encounter for 4 players.
their 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
various types of monster for your players to battle.
Now you know how many monster points you have, it's
time to start adding monsters to your encounter. Each
The Basic Encounter monster type has it's own points value—the bigger the
Building a basic encounter using quickstart monsters is threat, the bigger the cost. Keep adding monsters until
very simple, requiring three steps: you've spent all of your MP.
1. Set the difficulty: Decide how dangerous the Monster Value
encounter should be for your players to calculate how Type MP Cost Type MP Cost
many monster points (MP) you'll get to spend.
2. Add monsters: Spend your MP to add monsters to Minion 1/4 Elite 2
the encounter until you reach the limit. Standard 1 Solo 1 per player
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
Your first step is to decide how many players the character—but this may not always be the case.
encounter is targeted at and just how dangerous it For every 4 levels higher than the players, double the
should be—this tells you how many monster points you'll points value of the monster. For every 4 levels lower,
have to spend. More points means more monsters. halve the value instead.
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.
Encounter Outlines
Here are some encounter outlines you might use to help Number Type Role Level Points
Basic Encounters
Basic encounters focus on using standard monsters in
equal numbers to the players. Use these to give your Twin Terrors Normal vs 4 MP 4
players a one-vs-one combat challenge. Two strong elites are ready to fight.
Sharpshooter Hard vs 4 MP 6
A range of snipers supported for maximum damage.
Horde Encounters
Horde encounters swarm your players with hordes of
weak minions. Use these if you want to put your players
Number Type Role Level Points
up against huge numbers of enemies.
2 Standard Support +0 2
4 Standard Sniper +0 4
Vast Minion Horde Hard vs 4 MP 6
An overwhelming horde of minions.
GIFFYGLYPH