This week we continue an exploration of the creature types in the Menagerie, highlighting a few of the more interesting examples from each as we go. So far we've looked at Aberrations & Chimeras, and Angels, Demons & Devils. This week we'll take a look at the backbone of the Menagerie, Animals, Beasts & Insects.
Animals comprise the bulk of the creatures in most settings, and as such they are the most represented creature type in the book. There are twice as many animals as any other category, spread into roughly three types: more basic animals, megafauna, and dinosaurs. These animals tend to also serve double-duty in other sections of the book, as other categories like plants, constructs or chimeras may sometimes appear like typical animals and use many of their vital statistics. Insects big enough to be effective foes, while less common than ordinary animals, are still an important part of a fantasy ecosystem. Beasts, being magically altered animals and insects, often appear much like their more mundane counterparts, but with unusual special abilities that make them more challenging to deal with.
As we look at these creature types, and some examples from the Menagerie, it's important to be refreshed on some of the conventions that the book uses in order to maintain its level-agnostic format. Important statistics like attacks, skill, saves, or the DCs for special abilities do not list a number. Rather, they simply call out a difficulty level from the challenge table. For a DC, this is always whatever the number is directly. For an active roll, such as an attack or saving throw, this is the number on the table minus ten. Hit Points are given as a multiple of the monster's level, and damage is typically listed without a number of dice included. When listed this way, damage dice are assumed to be one die base, plus another die for every five levels the monster has. For example, one of the monster's we'll highlight later, Architeuthis, would deal 1d10+4 piercing damage with its beak if level 1-4, 2d10+4 if level 5-9, 3d10+4 if level 10-14, and so on.
ANIMALS
Creatures of instinct and impulse, animals are extremely varied but not intelligent enough to make use of more than rudimentary tactics. The more dangerous animals tend to be predators, though even otherwise docile herbivores can present a challenge when panicked. Animals do not usually have any common special abilities, weaknesses or resistances as a creature type, but often do on a species level.
Most animals have animal intelligence. If an animal were to increase its intelligence beyond this level, its creature type changes to beast, unless this increase occurs through natural evolution. Animals typically cannot understand or use language as most humanoids know it, but they nonetheless have vocal and non-vocal means of communicating simple concepts with others of the same species. Some magic can allow characters to bridge this communication gulf, allowing diplomacy and understanding to avoid conflict with unfamiliar animals. Many gnomes are so innately in tune with the natural world that they learn to communicate using these natural sounds directly.
This creature type is commonly associated with the natural world. As such, those at least trained in Nature can treat that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify animals.
ARCHITEUTHIS ANIMAL
Role: Bruiser
[Animal, Aquatic, Epic, Huge, Megafauna]
Senses: low-light vision, hex 10 smell; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [med]
Hit Points: 20x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [med], Will: [med]
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 1; hex 8 swim
Melee Attacks:
{A} beak [hard] (d10+6 P)
{A} tentacle [hard] (d4+6 B; agile, grab, reach 2)
Special Attacks:
{A} Squirt Ink: The architeuthis releases a cloud of ink in a hex 5 aura. The ink blocks visual line of sight. The cloud aura reduces in size by 1 hex at the start of each of the architeuthis’s turns.
{A} Swallow (Medium): The architeuthis swallows a Medium or smaller creature it has grabbed or restrained. Swallowed targets take d10 persistent acid and bludgeoning damage.
{F} Gripping Tentacles
Trigger: The architeuthis deals damage with its tentacles.
Effect: The architeuthis Grapples the triggering target.
Multi-Grab: An architeuthis can use each of its 8 primary tentacles to Grapple opponents separately.
STATISTICS
Str: +2, Agi: +0, End: +2, Int: -3, Wis: +2, Cha: -4
Languages: none
Hard Skills: Athletics, Legerdemain, Stealth
Special Abilities:
Epic Action Economy: This monster has extra actions on its turn. It has one extra action, plus one more for every 5 party members.
Kindled Mind: An architeuthis has greater than animal intelligence without magical interference, and thus is not classified as a beast.
ECOLOGY
While colloquially referred to as “giant squid,” the great architeuthis achieves its bulk naturally and without gaining the giant trait as some might expect. Typically preferring to remain in the dark depths of the oceans, giant squid are nonetheless much more cunning than their appearance might suggest. While architeuthis possesses few natural predators, it still retains its smaller cousins’ ability to release a cloud of defensive ink if it feels threatened.
While the iconic Kraken is magical, and thus a beast, the still-impressive giant squid can still be a formidable threat. This is also one of a handful of animals which have happened to evolve intelligence beyond the typical animal, which makes architeuthis encounters potentially more complicated than other, more typical animals. While not truly smart by most humanoid standards, it is nonetheless more capable of learning and adapting to party tactics than a simple predator. While not a boss, the giant squid is still an epic encounter and can leverage its action economy boost to become a flurry of tentacles, or to evade pursuit if it chooses to flee.
BRACHIOSAUR ANIMAL
Role: Juggernaut
[Animal, Colossal, Dinosaur, Epic, Mount]
Senses: low-light vision; Perception: [med]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [hard]
Hit Points: 30x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [easy], Will: [med]
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 5
Melee Attacks:
{A} tail [med] (d8+22 B; forceful, reach 3, shove, sweep, trip)
{A} stomp [med] (d6+22 B; agile, forceful)
Special Attacks:
Titanic Tail: A brachiosaur’s tail deals two more damage dice than normal for its level.
Trample (Huge): A brachiosaur can move unhindered through spaces occupied by Huge or smaller creatures. The first time it moves through a foe’s space each turn, the foe takes stomp damage and must Maintain Balance ([med] DC).
STATISTICS
Str: +6, Agi: -2, End: +6, Int: -6, Wis: +0, Cha: -2
Languages: none
Hard Skills: Athletics
Special Abilities:
Ancient Power: A dinosaur’s ability modifiers are not calculated as normal for monster creation.
Epic Hit Points: After calculating this monster's Hit Points from level, multiply this total by the number of party members.
ECOLOGY
Titanic animals from prehistory, brachiosaurs are a truly staggering sight to those that have witnessed them. While naturally herbivorous, these dinosaurs are capable of defending themselves, and their incredible size and bulk allows them the luxury of having few natural predators. Thought to have gone extinct long ago, small pockets have survived in hidden enclaves or been conserved by magicians or other powerful entities.
One of the more iconic dinosaurs, the Brachiosaurs biggest advantages are its size and longevity. As a colossal creature, it adds a truly titanic static bonus to its damage. Its Epic Hit Points make it likely to stick around for a few rounds in a fight, and its immense reach with its tail makes trying to take one of these majestic beasts in melee a very dangerous prospect. While the animal category does not have definitive bosses like other categories, the rare dinosaurs are the closest thing to it. If even the herbivores are this dangerous, the predatory dinosaurs that can hunt them are truly frightening.
BEASTS
Beasts resemble animals or insects in form, but are infused with, and enhanced by, magic. Many beasts are intelligent and can talk, cast spells, or perform other deeds far beyond the ability of mere animals. Creatures of mythological significance, such as phoenixes and unicorns, are beasts, as are animals that are awakened or transcend their forms, such as by becoming a familiar.
While most animals that become intelligent become beasts, a beast with animal intelligence is not inherently a contradiction. Simply possessing magical or supernatural power is enough to qualify for this creature type. While beasts cannot typically be chosen as a character's animal companion, some might consent to such an arrangement anyway, and are most likely to do so in order to serve as a Paladin's Steed Ally, assuming their goals align.
Because beasts typically use and understand language, encountering them is often more complicated than it is for animals or insects. Similarly, the possibility that an animal or insect might actually be an awakened beast could give reason to think about its behavior, as one never knows when it might object to its treatment.
The magical enhancement involved with most beasts makes this creature type more closely associated with magic than the natural world. As such, those at least trained in Arcana can treat that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify beasts.
KRAKEN TENTACLE BEAST
Role: Void
[Beast, Large, Mindless]
Senses: see Kraken Senses; Perception: [med]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [easy]
Hit Points: 30x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [easy], Will: [med]
Resist: bludgeoning, fire
Immune: cold, emotion, fear, mental
Weak: slashing
Defensive Abilities: (0 Reactions)
Immobile Roots: A kraken tentacle cannot move from the space where it rises above the deck of a ship it is attacking. Any attempt to move one always results in failure.
OFFENSE
Speed: see Immobile Roots
Melee Attacks:
{A} tentacle [hard] (d6+5 B; grab, reach 3)
Special Attacks:
{F} Quick Grab
Trigger: The kraken tentacle deals damage
Effect: The kraken tentacle Grapples the triggering target.
Constrict: A target grabbed or restrained by a kraken tentacle takes d10 persistent bludgeoning damage, which cannot be stopped while either condition remains.
STATISTICS
Str: +4, Agi: +2, End: +4, Int: -, Wis: -, Cha: -
Languages: none
Hard Skills: Athletics
Special Abilities:
Kraken Dependence: A kraken tentacle does not have its own mind or mental ability modifiers. Since a Kraken must generally use only the ends of its tentacles when grabbing a boat, the tentacles have their own size and physical ability modifiers. These alternate statistics are not used if the Kraken itself is present in combat.
Kraken Senses: A kraken tentacle does not have its own senses, and is directed by the Kraken using its own sense of hearing. It uses its Perception for initiative only.
ECOLOGY
A kraken’s immense size and cruel sense of humor or playfulness will often lead to one to attack a boat and its crew with just its tentacles, while the body itself remains unassailable underwater. In such cases, since very few humanoids are adapted for underwater combat, a boat’s crew must defend itself by attacking the tentacles directly. In these combats, each tentacle functions as its own separate entity with its own Hit Points, even though all are guided by the same malevolent kraken.
It has been theorized that krakens attack boats in this way for sport, and since their tentacles always regenerate, are typically content to let boats leave without further molestation if they manage to defeat all of its tentacles. This clemency is never extended to sailors that somehow manage to deal damage to the kraken itself, however.
Having your ship attacked by a Kraken is one of the most immediately iconic dangers that can be posed as a sailing danger. The difficulty is often that a Kraken itself is a strictly underwater creature, not to mention its boss status, an so an incidental encounter with one is not something to throw at a party lightly. But what if the Kraken is intentionally holding back, playing with the puny surface-dwellers for cruel sport? These Kraken tentacles make for a more appropriate challenge for lower-level parties while still being quite dangerous overall.
KRAKEN BEAST
Role: Balanced (Boss)
[Aquatic, Beast, Colossal, Epic]
Senses: low-light vision, hex 15 hearing; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [hard]
Hit Points: 25x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [easy], Will: [med]
Resist: fire, physical
Immune: cold
Weak: electric, slashing
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 1; hex 8 swim
Melee Attacks:
{A} beak [hard] (d10+20 P; grab, versatile S)
{A} tentacle [hard] (d6+20 B; grab, reach 3)
Special Attacks:
{F} Quick Grab
Trigger: The kraken deals damage with a grab attack
Effect: The kraken Grapples the triggering target.
{A} Swallow (Huge): The kraken swallows a Huge or smaller creature it has grabbed or restrained. Swallowed creatures take d10 persistent acid and bludgeoning damage.
{AAA} Tentacular Frenzy: The kraken makes up to ten tentacle attacks, all at its current multiple attack penalty. It must assign a tentacle to each possible target before it can target a creature with more than one tentacle. A kraken cannot assign more than one tentacle to a Large or smaller creature, or more than two to a huge creature.
Constrict: A target grabbed or restrained by a kraken takes d10 persistent bludgeoning damage, which cannot be stopped while either condition remains.
STATISTICS
Str: +4, Agi: +4, End: +2, Int: +4, Wis: +2, Cha: +2
Languages: Aquan (fluent), Abyssal, Aklo, Infernal (conversant)
Hard Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, Stealth
Special Abilities:
Epic Action Economy: This monster has extra actions on its turn. It has one extra action, plus one more for every 5 party members.
Epic Initiative: When this monster rolls initiative it is only used to determine the first time it acts. After it has taken its first turn in combat, its next turn is always inserted into the initiative order after two party members have acted consecutively. Party members that choose to delay their turns do not count toward triggering this monster's next turn.
Epic Resilience: This monster can bolster its saving throws. If the result of its saving throw is any failure, it can use reactions to treat the result as success instead. This costs 1 Reaction if the save is based on an [incredible] DC or better, 2 Reactions if based on a [hard] DC, 3 Reactions if based on a [med] DC. The monster cannot use this ability if its saving throw is based on an [easy] DC.
Tentacular Regeneration: A kraken’s damaged, crippled or severed tentacles completely regenerate each time it takes an Extended Rest.
Tentacular Independence: A kraken’s tentacles can be targeted and treated as separate creatures using the statistics for a Kraken Tentacle. In such cases, a tentacle with fewer than half Hit Points is crippled, while one at 0 Hit Points is severed. While independent for purposes of targeting and health, a kraken’s tentacles do not take their own separate turns or reactions in combat if the kraken itself is present.
Legendary: The difficulty to identify a legendary creature is an [easy] DC.
ECOLOGY
Immense scourges of the sea, the legendary kraken resembles its smaller, natural cousin architeuthis. In addition to increased size, a kraken also possesses a supernaturally keen intellect and a malevolence to match. These beasts typically haunt deep waters and prey on other aquatic megafauna, but are also prone to attacking boats that enter their territory. Whether a kraken attacks humanoids out of sport or because they like the flavor is unknown, but there must be some driving force other than hunger that compels these creatures to do so, because even the complete crew of a massive warship is not enough to satisfy the hunger of a kraken.
A kraken is drawn to planar rifts to the elemental plane of water, and scholars theorize that the first krakens came to mortal worlds from these rifts and decided to stay for their own, inscrutable reasons. Encountering a kraken is subsequently a good clue that such an elemental rift might be nearby, while stumbling across a rift can be taken as a dire warning that one has gained the attention of a kraken. Despite their great intelligence, krakens generally do not choose to converse with mortals unless they are already quite full or, for whatever reason, are not sure where the mortal is.
While some adventuring parties may have once encountered just a Kraken's tentacles while voyaging on the high seas, this is the real thing. Sporting multiple extra turns in an encounter, thanks to its Epic Initiative, but also likely taking multiple extra actions on each of those turns, the iconic Kraken's boss status is well deserved. Perhaps the most terrible thing about the Kraken is its ability to smartly adapt and overcome party tactics. Fortunately, a direct encounter with a Kraken itself is much less common than finding one's self a plaything for its dangerous tentacles on the surface.
INSECTS
Insects share many qualities in common with animals, but are sufficiently different to warrant their own creature type. Like animals, insects cannot have an intelligence modifier greater than -4, although most insects are further limited to a modifier of -6 or lower. Insects that somehow gain greater than animal intelligence usually change their creature type to beast. Insects do not usually have common special abilities as a creature type, but often do on a species level.
As arthropods, insects tend to be easily recognizable by their tendency to have more than four legs. Four, eight, and even more absurd numbers are common among insect kind. These large numbers of legs make insects very difficult to use combat maneuvers like Trip and Shove against, and also make their carrying capacities incredibly huge. Insects are difficult to train, but they make for extremely versatile animal minions if they can be tamed.
Insects typically cannot understand and use language as most humanoids know it, but they nonetheless have vocal and non-vocal means of communicating simple concepts with others of the same species. Some magic can allow characters to bridge this communication gulf, perhaps allowing diplomacy and understanding to avoid conflict with unfamiliar insects. Many gnomes are so innately in tune with the natural world that they learn to communicate using these natural sounds directly.
This creature type is commonly associated with the natural world. As such, those at least trained in Nature can treat that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify insects.
LEVIATHAN BEETLE INSECT
Role: Juggernaut
[Colossal, Epic, Insect, Megafauna]
Senses: low-light vision; Perception: [med]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [incredible]
Hit Points: 20x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [med], Will: [med]
Immune: bludgeoning, slashing
Defensive Abilities: (3 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 6
Melee Attacks:
{A} horn [med] (d8+22 B; Launch, shove)
{A} stomp [med] (d12+22 B; agile)
Special Attacks:
{F} Launch
Trigger: The leviathan beetle deals damage with its horn
Effect: The leviathan beetle Shoves the triggering target. A target that is moved is flung through the air, and the distance it would be moved is increased by 10 hexes. The beetle cannot choose to move with the target.
{A} Sudden Charge: The leviathan beetle Strides up to twice the Strikes with its horn.
Trample (Gargantuan): A leviathan beetle can move unhindered through spaces occupied by up to Gargantuan foes. The first time each turn that the beetle moves through a foe’s space, it deals stomp damage and the target must attempt a [hard] Maintain Balance check.
STATISTICS
Str: +6, Agi: +2, End: +2, Int: -6, Wis: +0, Cha: -4
Languages: none
Incredible Skills: Athletics
Hard Skills: Survival
Special Abilities:
Epic Hit Points: After calculating this monster's Hit Points from level, multiply this total by the number of party members.
Exceptional Carapace: A leviathan beetle’s carapace gives it immunity to bludgeoning and slashing damage.
ECOLOGY
These colossal beetles act much like regular beetles, but with power and devastation proportional to their size. While one would expect that such great insects would have few worries about much smaller creatures than they, but this does not seem to be the case. Indeed, leviathan beetles are cowardly insects and will interpret anything bigger than tiny as a threat, just to be safe. These titanic insects tend to avoid remote areas where other megafauna hide, as monsters of close to their own size are far too much of a danger for their tastes. Instead, this tends to make them the targets of humanoid and goblinoid hunters instead, who either want all that protein or just want to keep them from walking through town and crushing the whole place to rubble.
While most abnormally big insects are comparable in size to humanoids, the Leviathan Beetle belongs to the largest size category in the game. Somewhat more of a defensive monster, thanks to its exceptional carapace, it nonetheless possesses the incredible natural reach of its size. Coupled with its ability to effortlessly fling enemies away, this makes engaging one of these immense insects in melee quite a challenge. Even trying to take one down at range can be tricky, since they are known for charging over great distances quite quickly.
EMPEROR SCORPION INSECT
Role: Tank (Boss)
[Epic, Gargantuan, Insect, Megafauna]
Senses: low-light vision, Tremorsense; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [incredible]
Hit Points: 10x[level]
Fort: [hard], Ref: [hard], Will: [med]
Resist: poison
Immune: bludgeoning, slashing
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 8; hex 8 burrow
Melee Attacks:
{A} claw [hard] (d12+14 B; forceful, grab)
{A} sting [hard] (d8+14 P; agile, Poisoned, reach 1)
Special Attacks:
{F} Gripping Claws
Trigger: The scorpion deals damage with its claws
Effect: The scorpion Grapples the triggering target.
{F} Poisoned
Trigger: A target is damaged by an emperor scorpion’s sting
Effect: The triggering target also takes d12 poison damage and d12 persistent poison damage.
{F} Rapid Sting
Trigger: The scorpion successfully Grapples a creature
Effect: The scorpion stings the triggering target.
{A} Erupt: The scorpion Strides then Strikes, and its attack is one step better. A scorpion can only use this ability if it is currently burrowed underground.
{AAA} Tear Asunder: If an emperor scorpion has a foe grabbed or restrained by its claw and has a free claw, it grips the target in both claws and attempts to simply rip it in half. The target must attempt a [hard] Fortitude save. A creature reduced to 0 Hit Points by this ability is torn in half and slain.
Success: As failure, but half damage.
Success (+10): As success, and 10 less damage.
Failure: The target takes 1d8 un-typed damage per level of the emperor scorpion.
Failure (-10): The target is reduced to 0 Hit Points.
STATISTICS
Str: +6, Agi: +3, End: +0, Int: -6, Wis: +2, Cha: -4
Languages: none
Incredible Skills: Athletics
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Stealth, Survival
Special Abilities:
Epic Invulnerability: This monster's resistances and immunities cannot be circumvented by any means.
Epic Perforation: Targets gain weakness to all damage dealt by this monster, except un-typed damage. The weakness value is equal to the monster's level. This weakness does not stack with other weakness a target may have, if any.
Exceptional Carapace: An emperor scorpion’s carapace gives it immunity to bludgeoning and slashing damage.
Tremorsense: An emperor scorpion can sense vibrations in or on a surface it touches as a precise sense within hex 10.
ECOLOGY
These titanic scorpions thankfully live in very remote areas where they hunt megafauna. Like most of their scorpion cousins, emperor scorpions prefer desert climates if available, but are able to adapt to other climates if necessary in order to ensure they have a steady food supply. Emperor scorpions tend to wait burrowed in the ground for prey to pass by, then erupt forth to grab and sting it to death in a furious frenzy of claws and tail, or simply pull it apart all in one go.
The biggest of the scorpion family in the Menagerie, the Emperor Scorpion truly deserves its status as a boss. It is also one of the more offensively-oriented epic monsters, as it imposes additional weakness to the damage it deals. Even beyond its intense poison, and ability to grapple and sting all at once, perhaps the most terrible aspect of this scorpion is its ability to simply tear its prey to shreds with instant death if they are particularly unlucky or lack a hearty constitution.
Animals, Beasts & Insects collectively make up the most easily recognizable encounters in the Menagerie. In many ways, these categories play the proverbial "straight man" to the more strange and bizarre entries in other creature types, and can often serve as sort of building blocks that can be used to take otherwise typical encounters and turn them into something much more dangerous and alien. Next week we'll continue our tour of the Menagerie with some of the more rigid creatures, Axiomites & Constructs.
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