A monster’s statistics are presented in a format that makes them easy to use right off the page. Each statistics block is divided into sections.
Monster Name: Every monster has a unique name. Related monsters can have similar names, such as the hobgoblin soldier and the hobgoblin archer.
Level and Role: The level of the monster and the role it fills are given in the top right-hand corner of the statistics block. The Dungeon Master’s Guide explains more about monster level and role and how to build encounters using them.
Level: A monster’s level summarizes how tough it is in an encounter. It determines most of the monster’s numerical statistics as well as the experience point (XP) award the PCs earn for defeating the monster.
Role: A monster’s role describes its preferred combat tactics, much as a character class’s role suggests tactics for PCs. Monster roles are artillery, brute, controller, lurker, skirmisher, and soldier.
A monster might have the leader keyword in parentheses, indicating that it grants some sort of boon to its allies in combat, such as a beneficial aura.
Size, Origin, and Type
Each monster has a size, origin, and type, listed in that order. Some monsters also have one or more keywords in parentheses.
Size: A monster’s size determines the space it occupies, as well as its reach.
- Space: This is the number of squares the creature occupies on the battle grid. Tiny creatures have no Space entry because they work a little differently: Four Tiny creatures can fit in a single square.
- Reach: Large, Huge, and Gargantuan creatures often have exceptional reach and can attack enemies that are not adjacent to them. A creature’s reach depends in part on whether it has a tall form, standing upright, or a long form that is oriented lengthwise. Tall creatures often reach farther than long ones. A creature’s reach is built into its melee powers. A Tiny creature has 0 reach; it cannot attack outside its own space. A creature with reach greater than 1 still can’t make opportunity attacks against nonadjacent creatures unless it has threatening reach.
Origin: A monster’s origin summarizes its place in the D&D cosmology. Origins are aberrant, elemental, fey, immortal, natural, and shadow. These terms are defined in the glossary.
Type: A creature’s type summarizes some basic things about its appearance and behavior. Types are animate, beast, humanoid, and magical beast. These terms are defined in the glossary.
Keywords: Some monsters have keywords that further define them. These keywords represent groups of monsters, such as angel, demon, devil, dragon, and undead. Others indicate that a creature is made up of or strongly linked to a certain type of elemental force: air, cold, earth, fire, or water. Monsters can have more than one keyword. If the monster’s name doesn’t include its race, the race is added after the monster’s type and keywords. For example, the snaketongue assassin is categorized as a “Medium natural humanoid (shapechanger), human.”
Experience Points (xp): This entry gives the experience point award for defeating the monster.
Initiative: The monster’s initiative modifier appears here.
Senses: Every monster has a Perception check modifier. Some monsters also have special senses that allow them to detect enemies in unusual situations, such as darkvision or tremorsense; these are defined in the glossary.
Aura: An aura is a passive ability that takes effect when another creature comes within a certain distance of the monster. Not all monsters have auras. For more information on auras, see the glossary.
Hit Points (hp): Damage a monster takes is subtracted from its hit points.
- HP: The monster’s total hit points.
- Bloodied: Half the monster’s total hit points. If the monster’s current hit points are equal to or less than this value, the monster is considered bloodied.
Defenses: This line of the monster’s statistics block lists the monster’s Armor Class (AC) and its Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses.
Immune/Resist/Vulnerable: This line appears if certain attacks have reduced or increased effects against the monster.
Saving Throws: If the monster has a bonus to saving throws, that entry appears above its speed entry.
Speed: This is the number of squares the monster can move with a single move action. Alternative movement modes, such as fly, climb, or swim, are listed as well.
Action Points: Elite and solo monsters have action points they can use to take extra actions, just as PCs do. If a monster has action points, it is noted here. Unlike PCs, a monster can spend more than one action point in a single encounter, but like PCs, they can’t spend one in a surprise round.
Attack Powers
Attack powers are presented so that basic attacks appear first, followed by the monster’s other powers.
Type: Each power has an icon that indicates what type of attack it is: melee (M), ranged (R), close (C), or area (A).
Basic Attack: The first attack presented is always the monster’s basic attack (usually a melee attack). Some monsters have several basic attacks. Monsters use their basic attacks when making opportunity attacks or when using powers that allow a basic attack.
Action: This states the kind of action required to use the power: standard, move, minor, immediate interrupt, immediate reaction, or free. Most immediate actions trigger on a specific event, which is described following the action type. Some powers, especially secondary effects that trigger when the main power hits, do not have an action type. They take place as part of the action required for the main attack, or they simply occur in response to a trigger.
Sustain: The monster can sustain the power’s effect until the start of its next turn, usually as a standard or minor action. If the power requires an attack roll, the attack must succeed before the monster can sustain the power.
Recharge: Some powers can be used only once in a given encounter. Others recharge during the encounter, allowing the monster to use them again.
- At-will: The monster can use an at-will power as often as it wants.
- Encounter: The power can be used once per encounter and recharges after a short rest.
- Daily: The power can be used only once per day and recharges after an extended rest.
- Recharge: The power has a random chance of recharging during each round of combat. At the start of the monster’s turn, roll 1d6. If the roll is one of the die results shown, the power is recharged and the monster can use it again that turn. The power also recharges after a short rest.
- Recharges when…: The power recharges under a specific circumstance, such as when the monster is first bloodied, when it bloodies a foe, and so forth. The power also recharges after a short rest.
Keyword(s): Certain powers have one or more keywords. Monsters and characters might have a special immunity, resistance, or vulnerability to attacks with a particular keyword, such as fire or
poison. Attack power keywords are described in the glossary.
Reach: If the monster has an unusual reach, its melee attack entries include a reach number.
Range, Area, or Targets: Ranged, close, and area attacks specify a range and area of effect in squares. Any kind of attack power might specify targets.
Attack Bonus: This is the modifier to the d20 die roll when the monster attacks. Some powers are automatic hits.
Target Defense: An attack targets AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will. Powers that grant a benefit to allies do not attack a defense.
Effect: This section describes what happens if the attack hits. The most common result of a hit is damage, which occurs instantaneously. Many powers also produce conditions or ongoing damage. These effects might end when the affected creature makes a successful saving throw (“save ends”) or have a stated duration. Typical durations are until the end of the attacking creature’s next turn or until the end of the encounter. Some powers deal damage that combines two or more damage types. Resistance doesn’t reduce damage unless the target has resistance to each type of damage from the attack, and then only the weakest of the resistances applies.
Miss: Sometimes a power has a reduced effect on a miss; this is stated after the main effect.
Secondary Attack/Aftereffect: Sometimes when a power hits, it triggers a secondary attack. A few powers have effects that grow worse each time a saving throw is failed, or that have lingering aftereffects even after a successful saving throw. Such effects work the same way as those produced by PCs’ powers.
Alignment: A monster’s alignment is not rigid, and exceptions can exist to the general rule.
Skills: This line shows only trained skills or skills in which the monster has a racial bonus. A monster’s Perception score appears elsewhere in its statistics and isn’t repeated here.
Ability Scores: This section shows the monster’s six ability scores, presented so that each vertical pair contributes to one of the three defenses (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will). Following each score in parentheses is the adjusted ability score modifier including one-half the monster’s level, which is useful whenever the monster needs to make an untrained skill check or an ability check.
Healing Surges: Monsters, like PCs, have healing surges. However, few monsters have a power that lets them spend a healing surge. The number of healing surges a monster has is based on its level: 1–10, one healing surge; 11–20, two healing surges; 21 or higher, three healing surges. Because they rarely come into play, healing surges are not included in a monster’s statistics block.