Over the weekend, I finalized how I'm going to build creatures. The full rules won't be provided as of yet because much of it has been swiped from both SWN and Hulks & Horrors, and I need to provide OGL distinctions that I'm just not ready to do yet. (I still need to clean up some of the text to make sure I'm not stepping on any PI.) That said I think I can sum it up pretty well.
For starters, here are the stats that make up a creature's statblock:
- Size: This is the relative size of the creature. Medium being roughly the same size as an adult human.
- AC (Armor Class): The armor class of the creature.
- HD (Hit Dice): This is the number and type of die rolled to determine the creature’s hit points. A general amount is given that can be used in lieu of rolling hit points for every creature.
- AB (Attack Bonus): This is the bonus to attack rolls that the creature receives. This bonus is based on the creature’s HD type and number, so a creature with 3d12 HD will have a different Attack Bonus than a creature with 3d8 HD.
- Dmg (Damage): This field lists the number of attacks and the damage done by those attacks.
- Skill: This field will not be found with every creature. Those that utilize skills (typically only intelligent and/or cunning creatures) will have a bonus listed here. The actual skills this bonus is applied to will be found in the creature’s description.
- Group: This is the number of creatures that are commonly encountered at any one time.
- Save: This is the creature’s saving throw score. If the creature is allowed a save to avoid the effects of a weapon or power or some sort of environmental hazard, it must roll the number provided or above it on a d20.
- Move: This is how far the creature can move in a round.
- Int (Intelligence): This is a general average level of intelligence for the creature. Intelligence gives GM’s an idea of how well the creature can plan attacks, if it has the smarts to break off an attack to live to fight another day, and if it a sentient creature.
Creature Size
|
Recommended HD
|
Diminutive to Fine
|
D4
|
Small to Tiny
|
D6
|
Medium
|
D8
|
Large to Huge
|
D10
|
Gargantuan to Colossal
|
D12
|
Size also applies bonuses and penalties to attacks and defense in relation to creatures of a different size. I've added the following matrix to help facilitate these rulings:
DEFENDER
| ||||||||||
Colossal
|
Gargantuan
|
Huge
|
Large
|
Medium
|
Small
|
Tiny
|
Diminutive
|
Fine
| ||
A
T
T
A
C
K
E
R
|
Colossal
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
|
Gargantuan
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
| |
Huge
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
|
-8
|
-8
|
-8
| |
Large
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
|
-8
|
-8
| |
Medium
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
|
-8
| |
Small
|
+8
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
|
-4
| |
Tiny
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
|
-2
| |
Diminutive
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
|
-1
| |
Fine
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
+/-0
| |
Size
|
Stealth (Hiding) Modifier
|
Typical Fighting Space
|
Reach
|
Colossal
|
-16
|
30’ x 30’
|
15’
|
Gargantuan
|
-12
|
20’ x 20’
|
15’
|
Huge
|
-8
|
15’ x 15’
|
10’
|
Large
|
-4
|
10’ x 10’
|
10’
|
Medium
|
+/-0
|
5’ x 5’
|
5’
|
Small
|
+4
|
5’ x 5’
|
5’
|
Tiny
|
+8
|
2.5’ x 2.5’
|
0’
|
Diminutive
|
+12
|
1’ x 1’
|
0’
|
Fine
|
+16
|
6” x 6”
|
0’
|
Creature Attack Bonus by HD
Hit Dice
|
D12
|
D10/D8
|
D6/D4
|
1
|
+1
|
+0
|
+0
|
2
|
+2
|
+1
|
+0
|
3
|
+3
|
+1
|
+1
|
4
|
+4
|
+2
|
+1
|
5
|
+5
|
+2
|
+1
|
6
|
+6
|
+3
|
+2
|
7
|
+7
|
+3
|
+2
|
8
|
+8
|
+4
|
+2
|
9
|
+9
|
+4
|
+3
|
10
|
+10
|
+5
|
+3
|
11
|
+11
|
+5
|
+3
|
12
|
+12
|
+6
|
+4
|
13
|
+13
|
+6
|
+4
|
14
|
+14
|
+7
|
+4
|
15
|
+15
|
+7
|
+5
|
16
|
+16
|
+8
|
+5
|
17
|
+17
|
+8
|
+5
|
18
|
+18
|
+9
|
+6
|
19
|
+19
|
+9
|
+6
|
20
|
+20
|
+10
|
+6
|
21+
|
+1/HD
|
+1/3 HD
|
+1/4 HD
|
Creature Saving Throws by HD
Hit Dice
|
D4
|
D6
|
D8
|
D10
|
D12
|
1
|
19+
|
17+
|
15+
|
13+
|
11+
|
2
|
18+
|
16+
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
3
|
18+
|
16+
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
4
|
17+
|
15+
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
5
|
17+
|
15+
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
6
|
16+
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
7
|
16+
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
8
|
15+
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
9
|
15+
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
10
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
11
|
14+
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
12
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
5+
|
13
|
13+
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
5+
|
14
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
4+
|
15
|
12+
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
4+
|
16
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
5+
|
3+
|
17
|
11+
|
9+
|
7+
|
5+
|
3+
|
18
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
4+
|
2+
|
19
|
10+
|
8+
|
6+
|
4+
|
2+
|
20
|
9+
|
7+
|
5+
|
3+
|
2+
|
Damage has a guideline given (as stated in H&H) of 1 die of damage for every 2 full HD the creature has for natural attacks like claws, teeth, razor spines, etc.
For Skills, a suggested +1 to +4 bonus per HD is suggested, but this number can be increased higher (but no more than +8 per HD at the absolute high end of the scale) for creatures with high natural agility or strength. The actual skills the creature can utilize are given in the descriptive text.
For Intelligence, I added the following table to help clarify the various entries:
Intelligence Rating
|
Relative INT Score
|
Description
|
None
|
0
|
Most simple insects and cellular organisms. Intelligence is so low that it is not ratable
|
Animal
|
1
|
Most low order non-predatory animals like deer, giraffe, etc.
|
Semi
|
2-4
|
High order animals, many cunning predators, species just beginning to evolve to the beginning stages of sentience
|
Low
|
5-7
|
Primitive tool-users or worker drones, species in the early stages of sentience development
|
Average
|
8-11
|
Typical intelligence level of most sentient species in the galaxy
|
Very
|
12-13
|
Typical teacher
|
High
|
14-15
|
Typical for professors and technicians
|
Exceptional
|
16-17
|
Experts in advanced sciences, engineers, many Artificial Intelligences
|
Genius
|
18-19
|
Masters of various technologies and sciences, Advanced AI’s
|
Supra-Genius
|
20-21
|
This level of intelligence is far beyond what most species will ever be capable of, the most futuristic AI’s
|
Cosmic
|
22+
|
Nigh omnipotence, off the scale intelligence
|
From there, I've suggested using the SWN Skinning tables based on various creature types like Insect, Avian, Mammalian, Reptile, Exotic and Hybrid to further flesh out the creature's description.
Lastly, I've reminded the GM's (and therefore myself) that these numbers are largely guidelines. Some creatures may break the mold in various ways, like gargantuan-sized herbivores that use the attack bonus of a D10/D8 HD creature rather than the D12 recommended for a creature of that size.
I'm going to go back through the stats I've written up so far for creatures posted here and change them to use these guidelines and see how I ultimately feel about them. So these rules may be revised or scrapped altogether to stick with SWN's system, but off the cuff I'm happy with what I've got so far.
2 comments:
Linking the HD type to size is genius. I wish I'd thought of that. O_O
That's exactly what I thought when I read the creature section of the Hulks & Horrors rules. I knew that I wanted to swipe those rules when I read them.
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