Pygmalion: Monsters


The term "monster" can describe any entity capable of independent action, including anything from a magically animated construct to a dragon to a human (even the player character). Monsters are defined by the following statistics:

Name: The name of a specific individual monster.

Species: The generic name for a species of monster.

Type: The category which the monster falls into, based on its physiology and inherent nature. Types include the following:
Humanoid: a natural bipedal creature of intelligence usually roughly comparable to that of a human.
Undead: the body, spirit or both of a dead creature which has been magically returned to life.
Demon: a being formed from the raw magical forces of the world, including elemental spirits and other, more sinister creatures. They tend to regard humanity with contempt at best, which often turns to open hostility when their goals conflict with those of "lesser beings".
Animal: a natural non-humanoid creature, usually of low intelligence. Includes fantastic animals such as the basilisk or chimera.
Dragon: a member of a monstrous reptilian race, including the true dragons and their relatives such as drakes and wyrms.
Plant: a creature made of vegetable matter, usually possessing only a primitive ability to react to its surroundings.
Slime: a simple amorphous life form which exists only to feed.
Construct: an inanimate object, given mobility and rudimentary sentience through magic.

Size: The physical size of the monster: affects its carrying capacity and hit points. An adult human has a size of 4.

Attributes: Attributes define a monster's inherent physical, mental and social capacities. Typical values range from 0 to 50, where 25 is the average human value. Monsters possess the following attributes:
Strength (Str): a monster's ability to apply physical force, relative to other creatures of its size. Strength influences carrying capacity and damage with melee and thrown weapons.
Endurance (End): a monster's general good health and ability to withstand bodily injury, relative to other creatures of its size. Endurance influences hit points and resistance to poison and disease.
Dexterity (Dex): a monster's physical agility and coordination. Dexterity influences movement speed, and accuracy and evasion with physical attacks.
Intelligence (Int): a monster's ability to comprehend, recall and apply information. Intelligence influences a monster's ability to gain and use skills.
Willpower (Wil): a monster's ability to maintain concentration, even in the face of pain or other distractions. Willpower influences a monster's magical power and resistance to stunning and hostile mental effects.
Alertness (Alt): a monster's sensory acuity, reflexes, reaction time, and general awareness of its surroundings. Alertness influences accuracy, evasion and searching ability.
Charisma (Cha): a monster's ability to attract attention and inspire loyalty through speech or action. Charisma influences social interactions in which the goal is to impress, persuade or intimidate others, especially in large groups or among social inferiors.
Savvy (Sav): a monster's ability to resist persuasion and guess the true motives behind others' words or actions. Savvy influences the ability to detect lies and deception in social interaction, and provides some resistance to hostile mental effects.
Wit (Wit): a monster's ability to make a positive personal impression on others. Wit influences social interactions in which the goal is to gain esteem or popularity, especially in one-on-one conversation with relative social equals.

Hit Points: The physical durability of a monster, based on its size, bulk and health. A monster's maximum hit points are calculated based on the following formula:
HP = (Endurance + 30) * Size

For example, an average adult human (Size 4, Endurance 25) would have 220 hit points.

Natural Attacks: Any natural weapons possessed by a creature, their damage types and base damage ratings (before adjustment for Strength and combat skills). If a particular natural attack requires the presence of a functional arm or leg, this is also noted.

Skills: Skills represent a monster's talent and knowledge. A monster's skills are based on its attributes and can  also be improved by experience or training. Some individual monsters or species of monster have bonuses to specific skills, representing their high degree of knowledge in specific areas.

Properties: Inherent qualities of a creature based on its body shape, composition or physiology. Properties may include the following:
Incorporeal: This monster has no tangible physical form. Physical damage has no effect on it, and it can pass through solid objects.
Amorphous: This monster's body is fluid and malleable. It has no fixed Size rating: its Size at any time is set to be the smallest size permissible based on its current hit points and Endurance. Consequently, it also has no maximum hit point rating; if its hit points increase beyond the current maximum for its Size and Endurance, its Size increases to compensate. Its shapeless nature also allows it to squeeze through even the smallest gaps in solid objects (Obstruction 99% or less), although its speed is reduced if moving through a space narrower than could normally accommodate it.
Flying: This monster is capable of levitation or flight. Ground-based hazards do not affect it.
Mindless: This monster has no conscious mental faculties. It is therefore immune to mental effects, but cannot use any skills which require a mind.
Arms: The number of arms or other grasping limbs which a monster possesses.
Legs: The number of legs or other locomotory limbs which a monster possesses.

Resistances: A monster's natural defences against specific types of damage. Expressed in the form X/Y%, where X is a threshold and Y is a percentage damage reduction. A monster may have resistances against one or more of the following damage types:
Piercing (Pce): physical damage or harmful effects from objects with sharp, narrow points
Bashing (Bsh): physical damage or harmful effects from blunt objects
Slashing (Sla): physical damage or harmful effects from objects with sharp edges drawn across the target
Chopping (Chp): physical damage or harmful effects from objects with sharp edges driven directly into the target
Fire (Fir): damage or harmful effects from exposure to extreme heat
Cold (Cld): damage or harmful effects from exposure to extreme cold
Electricity (Elc): damage or harmful effects from exposure to strong electrical currents
Acid (Acd): damage or harmful effects from exposure to corrosive chemicals
Mental (Mnt): damage or harmful effects from magic targeting the mind
Poison (Psn): damage or harmful effects from exposure to toxins
Disease (Dse): damage or harmful effects from natural or magical diseases
Death (Dth): damage or harmful effects from magic which directly targets a monster's life force
Dispel (Dsp): damage or harmful effects from magic which targets the energy sustaining the physical form of undead or demons

Special Abilities: Includes spells, techniques, breath weapons or other unusual abilities which are usable by a monster.

Items: Includes any items or equipment which are carried by default by a monster or species of monster.

Spells Known: Includes spells known by default by a monster or species of monster.

Description: A general description of the monster's nature, abilities and habits.

Example Monster #1
Species: Calcareous Ooze
Type: Slime
Size: Variable (default 2)
Attributes: Str 35, End 45, Dex 15, Int 0, Wil 0, Alt 10, Cha 0, Sav 0, Wit 0.
Hit Points: up to 75 * current size (default 150)
Natural Attacks:
    Slime, 17v5 Acd plus Osteophagy (see Special Abilities)
Skills: No bonuses (mindless)
Properties: Amorphous, Mindless, 0 arms, 0 legs
Resistances: Pce 0/70%, Bsh 0/40%, Sla 0/10%, Chp 0/20%, Fir 0/0%, Cld 0/30%, Elc 0/50%, Acd 0/100%, Mnt 0/100%, Psn 0/100%, Dis 0/100%, Dth 0/100%, Dsp 0/100%
Special Abilities:
Osteophagy: The Calcareous Ooze secretes a powerful digestive acid that permeates through flesh to dissolve a target's bones. A successful melee attack by the ooze inflicting 1 or more points of damage inflicts a disease that lowers the target's Strength and Endurance (3v1 Dse damage to Str and End, each attribute recovers at a rate of 1 point per 24 hours), and heals the ooze by 3 HP for every point of Str and End damage inflicted.
Fission: Upon reaching Size 5 (301 HP or higher), the Calcareous Ooze will automatically divide by binary fission, creating two new oozes. One will have a Size of 2 (150 HP); the other will have the remainder of the Ooze's HP and a size of at least 3. In addition, if the ooze has a Size of 2 to 4 (between 76 and 300 HP), it has a chance to divide into two equal parts whenever it is hit by a Slashing or Chopping attack; the percentage chance of dividing is equal to the damage inflicted.
Items: None. It's a freaking slime.
Spells Known: None.
Description: This mass of whitish-grey sludge inhabits caves and normally feeds on calcareous rocks, but prefers the bones of living or dead animals; it homes in on its targets by sensing their body heat. Its diet gives it a relatively firm consistency, rendering it somewhat more vulnerable to bludgeoning attacks and resistant to slashing attacks than a typical slime.

Example Monster #2
Species: Bodysnatcher
Type: Undead
Size: Variable (default 1, maximum 4)
Attributes: Str 30, End 40, Dex 25, Int 20, Wil 35, Alt 25, Cha 20, Sav 20, Wit 10.
Hit Points: up to 70 * current size (initially 70, maximum 280)
Natural Attacks:
    Bite, 10v3 Chp plus Spiteful Withering (see Special Abilities)
    Punch, 5v2 Bsh (requires 1 arm, 1 attack per arm)
    Kick, 8v2 Bsh (requires 2 legs)
Skills: No default bonuses
Properties: Flying, variable number of arms and legs (default 0)
Resistances: Pce 0/20%, Bsh 0/0%, Sla 0/0%, Chp 0/0%, Fir 0/0%, Cld 0/80%, Elc 0/25%, Acd 0/10%, Mnt 0/80%, Psn 0/100%, Dis 0/100%, Dth 0/100%, Dsp 0/0%
Special Abilities:
Spiteful Withering: On a successful bite attack inflicting 1 or more points of damage against a Humanoid creature with one or more intact limbs, the target must make a save vs. Death (Note to self: design a mechanic for saving throws; also, think of a better name for them). If the save is failed, one randomly-selected limb withers away and becomes disabled (recovering in 7 days if left untreated), and the Bodysnatcher grows a corresponding limb and part of a torso. With no limbs, a Bodysnatcher has a size of 1; with one limb, a size of 2; with two limbs, a size of 3; with three or four limbs, a size of 4. A Bodysnatcher may not have more than two arms and two legs at any time; upon obtaining four limbs, it will attempt to retreat from combat, but will defend itself if pursued. Any limb stolen by a Bodysnatcher will rot away, fall from the Bodysnatcher's body and crumble to dust after 24 hours, forcing it to seek a new limb as a replacement.
Phantom Pain: A Bodysnatcher can deploy a powerful mental attack against its victims. All humanoids with one or more disabled limbs which are within line of sight of the Bodysnatcher when it uses this attack suffer Mnt damage equal to 10v2 per limb lost, and are stunned due to intense pain.
Items: None by default.
Spells Known: None by default.
Description: A hovering, disembodied head. Such an undead can form when a human's head and body are buried in separate locations. It roams the earth eternally, forever seeking its missing body and taking the body parts of others in a vain attempt to make itself complete.

Example Monster #3
Species: Corruption
Type: Demon
Size: 6
Attributes: Str 30, Dex 40, End 20, Int 20, Wil 35, Alt 25, Cha 10, Sav 25, Wit 5.
Hit Points: 300
Natural Attacks:
    Claw, 15v3 Sla plus Noxious Claws (see Special Abilities; requires 1 arm, 1 attack per arm)
Skills: +50 Toximancy, +50 Necromancy, +50 Picromancy
Properties: 2 arms, 2 legs
Resistances: Pce 0/0%, Bsh 0/0%, Sla 0/0%, Chp 0/0%, Fir 0/0%, Cld 0/20%, Elc 0/0%, Acd 0/100%, Mnt 0/50%, Psn 0/100%, Dis 0/100%, Dth 0/100%, Dsp 0/0%
Special Abilities:
Noxious Claws: A Corruption's natural weapons have the properties of both Weapons of Corrosion and Weapons of Venom.
Acid Breath: A Corruption can spew forth a cone of acidic vapour, inflicting (End * 4)v10 Acd damage to all targets within its area of effect. Using this attack fatigues the demon, reducing its Endurance by 5 for a duration of 1 hour; the attack cannot be used if the resulting Endurance loss would reduce it to a current HP of 0 or below.
Aura of Foulness: Any monster adjacent to a Corruption will automatically suffer 5v2 Psn damage per round from exposure to the toxic gases that rise from its skin.
Items: None by default.
Spells Known: Palsy, Consumption, Poison Cloud, Wither, Acid Arrow, Acid Stream, Acid Spray, Acid Rain, Acid Mist
Description: A demon of decay. Its physical form is that of a tall, emaciated humanoid with lidless black eyes and mottled yellow-green skin. It constantly emits an unspeakably foul stench, and all living things wither and rot away at the touch of its long clawed fingers.

Example Monster #4
Species: Jagannath
Type: Construct
Size: 12
Attributes: Str 50, End 50, Dex 10, Int 0, Wil 0, Alt 10, Cha 0, Sav 0, Wit 0.
Hit Points: 960
Natural Attacks:
    Crush, 50v10 Bsh plus Immolation (see Special Abilities)
Skills: No bonuses (mindless)
Properties: Mindless, 0 arms, 0 legs
Resistances: Pce 15/75%, Bsh 5/30%, Sla 10/40%, Chp 5/30%, Fir 0/100%, Cld 0/0%, Elc 0/30%, Acd 0/20%, Mnt 0/100%, Psn 0/100%, Dis 0/100%, Dth 0/100%, Dsp 0/100%
Special Abilities:
Immolation: A Jagannath's natural weapon has the properties of a Weapon of Incineration.
Overrun: After spending at least two consecutive rounds moving at normal speed in the same direction through clear spaces, the Jagannath can begin moving in a straight line at double its normal speed. Any monster or object in its path is automatically subjected to a crush attack, and forced backwards one space unless it is of Size 8 or greater, is immune to knockback, or has no clear space to move back into (for example, if it is up against a stone wall); in any of these cases, the crush attack is still applied, but the Jagannath stops moving and suffers damage equal to its own crush attack due to mechanical stress from the sudden stop. In order to avoid damage from a sudden stop, the Jagannath must spend at least two consecutive rounds moving at normal speed in the same direction through clear spaces after completing an overrun attack.
Items: None by default (can be laden with items, as long as they're fireproof)
Spells Known: None.
Description: An immense flaming chariot built as a monument to the destructive power of nature. All who stand in its path are caught in its mighty wheels, left crushed and burned beyond recognition in its wake.