Frequency — the likelihood of encountering the creature in its typical climate/ terrain. Very rare is a 4% chance, rare is 11%, uncommon is 20%, and common is 65%. These percentages can vary in special areas, as determined by the DM.
Organization — the general social structure the monster adapts. “Solitary” includes small family groups.
Active Cycle — the time of day when the monster is most active. Exceptions are fairly common. Those most active at night may be active at any time in subterranean settings.
Diet — what the monster eats. Carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat plants, and omnivores eat both. Scavengers eat mostly carrion.
Intelligence — the monster’s mental capacity, roughly comparable to the following Intelligence ability scores:
- 0 Non-intelligent or not ratable
- 1 Animal intelligence
- 2-4 Semi-intelligent
- 5-7 Low intelligence
- 8-10 Average (human) intelligence
- 11-12 Very intelligent
- 13-14 Very intelligent
- 15-16 Exceptionally intelligent
- 17-18 Genius
- 19-20 Supra-genius
- 21 + Godlike intelligence
Alignment — the general behavior of an average monster. Exceptions, though uncommon, may be encountered.
No. Appearing — the average number of monsters in a wilderness encounter. The DM can alter this as necessary. This should not be used for dungeon encounters.
Armor Class — a rating of the monster’s protection (abbreviated “AC”). This may be the result of manufactured armor (worn by humans and demihumans), natural armor due to physical structure or magical properties, or the difficulty in hitting due to a creature’s speed, reflexes, or other abilities. Humans and demihumans who wear armor have an unarmored rating in parentheses. AC listings do not include any special bonuses noted in the description.
Movement — the monster’s relative speed. Higher speeds may be possible for short periods. Human and demihuman movement rates often are determined by armor type (unarmored rates appear in parentheses). Movement modes are abbreviated as follows: Fl = flying, Sw = swimming, Br = burrowing, Wb = moving in a web. Flying monsters also have a Maneuverability Class from A to E.
Hit Dice — determines the number of hit points of damage the monster can withstand before dying. Unless stated otherwise, Hit Dice are 8-sided. To determine hit points, roll the indicated number of Hit Dice and total the result, adding any indicated modifiers. (For instance, if a monster has 5+3 HD, roll five 8-sided dice and add 3 to the total.)
THAC0 — the attack roll the monster needs to hit Armor Class 0. This is always a function of Hit Dice, except that humans and demihumans always use player character THAC0s regardless of whether they are PCs or “monsters.” THAC0s do not include any special bonuses noted in the monster descriptions.
Number of Attacks — how many times a monster can attack in a single melee round, excluding special attacks. This number can be modified by circumstance, such as the loss of a limb, or by spells such as slow or haste.
Damage per Attack — the amount of damage caused by a given attack, expressed as a spread of hit points (given as die roll combinations). Modifications are explained in the text.
Special Attacks — unusual attack modes. These are explained in the text.
Special Defenses — unusual defense modes. These, too, are explained in the text.
Magic Resistance — the percentage chance that magic cast upon the creature will fail to affect it. If the magic penetrates the resistance, the monster is still entitled to a normal saving throw.
Size — the monster’s physical dimension. Abbreviations used are: “T” = tiny (2’ tall or less), “S” = small (2’-4’), “M” = mansized (4-7’), “L” = large (7-12’), “H” = huge (12-25’), “G” = gargantuan (25’ +).
Morale: The likelihood of the monster to persevere in the face of adversity or armed opposition. This can be adjusted according to circumstance. Ratings are as follows:
- 2-4 Unreliable
- 5-7 Unsteady
- 8-10 Average
- 11-12 Steady
- 13-14 Elite
- 15-16 Champion
- 17-18 Fanatic
- 19-20 Fearless
Combat — how the monster fights, including special abilities, arms and armor, and tactics.
Habitat/Society — the monster’s general behavior, culture, social structure, attitudes, and goals.
Ecology — how the monster fits into the campaign world, including the monster’s useful products and by-products.
Variations — close variations of a monster (for instance, kappa-ti and vampiric kappa) follow the description of the main monster. The index below serves as a guide for locating these variations.
