The monster creation rules in Realm of Runes are designed to be easy to understand and quick to use, but a stable of pre-generated monsters can still be an exceptionally helpful tool in any GM's kit. Pre-written adventures, too, tend to make use of specific and unusual monsters that fit into a specific niche in the plot. In both cases, how that information is presented is very important. A monster (or NPC) stat block needs to convey a lot of necessary information quickly, while being organized such that the user always knows where to look to access important statistics without slowing down the pace of play in a climactic scenario.
STAT BLOCKS AND VARIABLES
When we look at the sample stat blocks later in this blog, one of the first things that will stand out is the use of variables rather than numbers. These variables reference the difficulty table included in the rulebook, and also reproduced in each Menagerie. This use of variables gives each stat block in Realm of Runes incredible flexibility. There are two important contexts in which monster stat blocks are provided, the Menagerie line of rules supplements and first-party pre-written adventures. Both situations present statistics in a similar manner, with a slight variance to better serve the GM in the specific circumstances of use.
First, Menageries leave the level variable entirely up to the GM to decide based on the role the monster needs to fill in the story and environment. Monsters, like characters, are not monolithic and stronger or weaker variants are absolutely fair game. A low-level adventure might call for an inexperienced, low-level demon as a challenge, while a party that has gained a few levels might need to encounter its much more potent and threatening overlord. By providing stat blocks that are level-agnostic, every creature in a Menagerie is quickly useful at any time, and a GM does not have to eschew the use of an interesting and flavorful encounter simply because it's intended for higher-level play.
Second, adventures (whether stand-alone modules or complete adventure paths) peg the level variable aspect of the stat block to the party level, or within a level or two higher or lower. This ensures that the encounter meets the appropriate intention for its challenge, while also maintaining an important degree of flexibility for a GM. For the same reason that the primary rules of Realm of Runes do not use experience points or other hard systems for determining when a party gains a new level, first-party adventures also do not decide for you when leveling up must occur. Whether your party likes to gain levels quickly or spend long periods savoring each level before adding a new one, adventures in Realm of Runes automatically go at your preferred pace without requiring any adjustment. Not only does this mean that different groups might finish an adventure at different levels from each other, it also means that any adventure written using the Realm of Runes format is always ready to slot into your campaign whenever you want it.
While this flexibility is extremely useful, those using adventures or menageries should be careful to keep in mind that not everything should always scale exactly to the player level. When using a monster from a Menagerie or adventure repeatedly with a party, it's strongly recommended that the level of the creature be temporarily "fixed" to the level at which it was first encountered. Generally speaking, as a party gains levels, those early encounters should get easier as a result of that growth. Throwing in more advanced versions of monsters is not a problem necessarily, especially if that increased power level is referenced in-game through description, but random mooks inexplicably keeping up with the party can be extremely frustrating for players and make leveling gains feel somewhat pointless.
DAMAGE DICE, RESISTANCE/WEAKNESS AND SPELL LEVELS
One of the aspects of monster creation in Realm of Runes is inherent potency boosts that occur when the monster passes specific level thresholds. By default, those levels are those that are divisible by 5, which corresponds to the levels at which player characters get four free ability boosts. This helps keep the challenge level smooth across those sudden spikes in player ability, but must be kept in mind when creating level-agnostic stat blocks.
Damage dice is one of those monster boosts. Natural weapons like claws and teeth automatically gain an extra die each time a power level threshold is passed. As such, these damage dice are listed without a corresponding number. It should be assumed that it can't be less than 1 die, but the number might be larger depending on how many times the monster has passed one of these thresholds. It's important to remember that this increase corresponds to monster level, and not necessarily to party level. For example, if an adventure monster's level is [party]-1 and the party is level 10, then the damage dice would scale to 2dX, the initial 1 and a second one for passing level 5. It's also important to note that this only applies to natural weapons. Manufactured weapons, such as swords and bows, should always be improved by utilizing special materials or by adding magic runes.
Resistance and weakness are another aspect of monster advancement that improves at the power level thresholds. Many monsters have some form of resistance or weakness either chosen during creation, or added by the template of its creature type. In order to keep the stat blocks level-agnostic, these weaknesses and resistances are usually listed without a value. The value is therefore assumed to be 5, and increases by 5 each time the monster passes a power level threshold. This scheme also applies to other similar statistics like hardness (a blanket resistance to physical and energy damage), as well as any fast healing or regeneration that the monster might have.
Spells and spell levels can also be a bit tricky with a level-agnostic stat block. One of the ways that Realm of Runes makes this somewhat easier is through heightening and pegging the spell level to the monster level. This way, lower-level spells still maintain their relevance when cast by higher-level variants of a monster. Many stat blocks instead or also include suggested spells for certain monster level thresholds. These spells generally should be unused if the monster is lower level than a character could cast the spell, but are always fair game if the monster has the appropriate level to cast the spell or heighten it. Unless a monster in Realm of Runes specifically casts spells in a specific class-type manner (such as Wizard levels or dedication), it is assumed that spells are always heightened to the maximum level the monster can cast.
SAMPLE STAT BLOCKS
Now that we've talked about the variables peppered throughout the stat blocks, let's take a look at a pair of sample entries. Each one of these was built with the Monster Creation rules included in the primary rules (and reproduced in each Menagerie). One is a more simple creature without many twists, the other belongs to a creature type that grants it a few extra abilities above and beyond those chosen during the monster creation process. When a variable calls out a difficulty for a DC, use the number exactly as it appears in the table. If a variable calls out an active roll, such as an attack or save, subtract 10 from the value listed in the table and treat the result as the modifier to the roll.
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Gargoyle LE Beast
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Role: Balanced (+Defense)
Traits: Beast, Earth, Large
Precise Senses: darkvision; Perception [hard]
Imprecise Senses: hearing, smell
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Defense
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AC [hard]
HP 15x[level]
Fort [hard], Ref [hard], Will [med]
Resist: physical
Weak: magic
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
Constant - Statuesque: On another creature's turn, a Gargoyle has hardness
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Offense
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Speed: hex 5, 5-hex fly
Melee Attacks:
{A} horn [hard] (d6+3 piercing)
{A} claw [hard] (d4+3 slashing; agile)
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Statistics
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Str +1, Agi +2, End +1, Int -1, Wis +2, Cha +0
Languages: Terran [conversant]
[hard] Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation
[med] Skills: Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, Knowledge, Legerdemain, Nature, Stealth, Survival
[easy] Skills: Arcana, Medicine, Occultism, Performance, Religion, Society
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Gray Ooze U Ooze
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Role: Void
Traits: Medium, Mindless, Ooze
Precise Senses: hex 6 tremor sense, Perception [med]
Imprecise Senses: none
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Defense
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AC [easy]
HP 30x[level]
Fort [hard], Ref [med], Will [easy]
Resist: cold, fire
Immune: acid, critical hits, emotion, fear, mental, precision
Weak: electric
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
{F} Acid Body
Trigger: A creature succeeds at an attack with a melee or unarmed attack
Effect: Triggering creature must attempt a [hard] Reflex save.
Success: as failure, but no dents and half damage
Success (+10): no effect
Failure: weapon takes 1 dent, or creature takes d6 acid damage
Failure (-10): as failure, but +1 more dent or +10 acid damage
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Offense
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Speed: hex 3
Melee Attacks:
{A} pseudopod [med] (d4 bludgeoning plus d6 acid; grab)
Special Attacks:
{F} Quick Grab
Trigger: the ooze successfully attacks with its pseudopod
Effect: The ooze Grapples the triggering target at the same multiple attack penalty as the triggering attack. A creature grabbed or restrained by the ooze takes d6 persistent acid damage. This persistent damage cannot be stopped while the target remains grabbed or restrained by the ooze.
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Statistics
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Str +0, Agi +0, End +4, Int -, Wis -4, Cha -6
Languages: none
[hard] Skills: Athletics
[med] Skills: Acrobatics, Stealth, Survival
[easy] Skills: Arcana, Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Knowledge, Legerdemain, Medicine, Nature, Occultism, Performance, Religion, Society
Monster stat blocks are important tools, and Realm of Runes works hard to present useful and engaging monsters to use as either friends or foes in its Menageries and adventures. Next week we'll take a look at the different creature types used by Realm of Runes, and what makes each of them special.
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