Monsters

# Statistics:

A monsters statistics, sometimes referred to as its **Stat Block**, provide the essential information that you need to run the monster.

## Size:

A monster can be Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge or Gargantuan. The Size Categories table shows how much space a creature of a particular size controls in combat.

Size Categories
 Small
 Medium
 Large
 Huge
 Gargantuan

## Type:

A monsters type speaks to its fundamental nature. Certain spells, magic items, class feature and other effects in the game interact in special ways with creatures of a particular type. For example, an Arrow of Dragon Slaying deals extra damage not only to dragons but also other creatures of the dragon type, such as dragon turtles and worms.

The Game includes the following monster types, which have no rules of their own:

* **Aberrations** are utterly alien beings. Many of them have innate magical abilities drawn from the creatures alien mind rather than the mystical forces of the world. The quintessential aberrations are Aboleths, Beholders, Mind Flayers, and Slaadi.
* **Beasts** are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural part of the fantasy ecology. Some of them have magical powers, but more are unintelligent and lack any society or language. Beasts include all variety of ordinary animals, dinosaurs, and giant versions of animals.
* **Celestials** are creatures native to The Upper Planes. Many of them are servants to dieties, employed as messengers or agents in the mortal realm and throughout the planes. Celestials are good by nature, so the exceptional celestial who strays from a good alignment is a horrifying rarity. Celestials include Angels, Couatls, and Pegasi.
* **Dragons** are large reptilian creatures of ancient origin and tremendous power. True dragons, including the good Metallic Dragons, the neutral Gem Dragons, and the evil Chromatic Dragons, are highly intelligent and have innate magic. Also in this category are creatures distantly related to true dragons, but less powerful, less intelligent, and less magical, such as Wyverns and Pseudodragons.
* **Elementals** are creatures native to The Elemental Planes. Some creatures of this type are little more than animate masses of their respective elements, including the creatures simply called elementals. Others have biological forms infused with elemental energy. The Four Elemental Genies form the most important civilizations on the Elemental Planes. Other elemental creatures include Azeris, Invisible Stalkers, and Water Weirds.
* **Fey** are magical creatures closely ties to the forces of nature. They dwell in twilight groves and misty forests. They are closely tied to The Feywild, also called the Plane of Faerie. Some are also found in the Outer Planes. Fey include Dryads, Pixies, and Satyrs.
* **Fiends** are creatures of wickedness that are native to the Outer Planes. A few are servants of dieties, but most serve the Archdevils of the Nine Hells. Evil priests and mages sometimes summon fiends to the Material Plane to do their bidding. Fiends include Demons, Devils, Hell Hounds, Rakshasas, ad Yugoloths.
* **Giants** tower over humans and their kind. They are human like in shape, though some have multiple heads or deformities. The six varieties of true giant are Hill Giants, Stone Giants, Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Cloud Giants, and Storm Giants. Besides these, creatures such as Ogres and Trolls are Giants.
* **Humanoids** are the main peoples of the world, both civilized and savage, including humans and a tremendous variety of other species. They have language and culture, few if any innate magical abilities, and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid species are the ones most suitable as Player Characters: Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Halflings.
* **Monstrosities** are monster in the strictest sense—frightening creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural and almost never benign. Some are the results of magical experimentation gone awry, and other are the product of terrible curses. They defy categorization, and in some sense serve as a catch all category for creatures that don’t fit into any other type.
* **Oozes** are gelatinous creatures that rarely have a fixed shape. They are mostly subterranean, dwelling in caves and dungeons and feeding on refuse, carrion or creature in lucky enough to get in their way. Black Puddings and Gelatenous Cubes are amongst the most recognizable oozes.
* **Plants** in this context are vegetable creature, not ordinary flora. Most of them are ambulatory, and some are carnivorous. The quintessential plants are the Shambling Mound and the Treant. Fungal creatures such as the Gas Spore and Mycanoid also fall into this category.
* **Undead** are once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of undeath through the practice of Necromantic magic or some unholy curse. Undead include walking corpses, such as Vampires and Zombies, as well as bodiless spirits, such as Ghosts and Specters

### **Tags:**

A monster might have one or more tags appended to its type, in parentheses. For example, an Orc has the *Humanoid (Orc)* type. The parathentical rage provide additional categorization for certain creatures. The tags have no rules of their own, but something in the game, such as a magic item, might refer to them.

## Armor Class:

A monster that wears armor or carries a shield has an Armor Class (AC) that take its armor, shield and Dexterity into account. Otherwise, a monster’s AC is based on its Dexteirty Modifier and Natural Armor, if any. If a minster has natural armor, wears armor, or carries a shield, this is noted in parentheses after its AC value.

## Hit Points:

A monster usually dies or is destroyed when it drops to 0 hit points. A monsters hit points are presented both as a die and as an average number. For example, a monster with 2d8 hit points has 9 hit points on average. (2 x 4 1/2) A Monsters size determines the dice used to calculate its hit points, as shown in the Hit Dice by Size.

Hit Dice by Size
 Small
 Medium
 Large
 Huge
 Gargantuan

A monsters Constitution modifier also affects their hit points. Its Constitution modifier is multiplied by the number of Hit Dice it possesses, and the result is added to its hit points. For example, if a monster has a Constitution of 12 (+1) and 2d8 Hit Dice, it has 2d8 + 2 (average 11).

## Speed:

A monster speed tells you how far it can move on its turn. All creatures have a walking speed, simply called the monsters speed. Creatures that have no form of ground based locomotion have a walking speed of 0 feet. Some creature have one or more of the following additional movement modes.

### **Burrow:**

A monster that has a Burrowing Speed can use that speed to move through sand, earth, mud or ice. A monster can’t burrow through solid rock unless it has a special trait that allows it to do so.

### **Climb:**

A monster that has a climbing speed can use all or part of its movement to move on vertical surfaces. The monster doesn’t need to spend extra movement to climb.

### **Fly:**

A monster that has a flying speed can use all or part of its movement to fly. Some monsters have the ability to hover, which makes them hard to knock out of the air. Such a monster stops hovering when it dies.

## Ability Scores:

Every monster have six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) and corresponding modifiers.

## Saving Throws:

The Saving Throws entry is reserved for creatures that are adept at resisting certain kinds of effects. For example, a creature that isn’t easily charmed or frightened might gain a bonus on its Wisdom Saving Throw bonuses. Most creatures don;t have special saving throw bonuses, in which case this section is absent.

A saving throw bonus is the sum of a monster relevant ability modifier and its proficiency bonus, which is determined by the monsters Challenge Rating.

## Skills:

The Skills entry is reserved for monsters that are proficient in one or more skills. A skill bonus is the sum of the monsters relevant ability modifier and its proficiency bonus, which is determined by the monsters Challenge Rating. Other modifiers might apply. For instance, a monster might have a large than expected bonus to account for its heightened expertise.

## Vulnerabilities, Resistances, and Immunities:

Some creatures have vulnerability, resistance or immunity to certain types of damage. Additionally, some creatures are immune to certain conditions. If a monster is immune to a game effect that isn't considered damage or condition, it has a special trait.

## Senses:

The Senses entry notes a monster's passive Perception score, as well as any special senses the monster might have. Special Senses are described below.

### **Blindsight:**

A monster with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius. Creatures without eyes, such as Gridlock's and Grey Oozes, typically have this special sense, as do creatures with echolocation. or heightened senses, such as bats and true dragons. If the monster is naturally blind, it has a parenthetical note to this effect, indicating the radius of its blindsight defines the maximum range of its perception.

### **Darkvision:**

A monster with Darkvision can see in the dark within a specific radius. The monster can see in dim light within the radius as if it were bright light bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The monster can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Many creatures that live underground have this special sense.

### **Tremorsense:**

A monster with tremorsense can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius, provided that the monster and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense can't be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures. Many burrowing creatures, such as ankhegs and umber hulks, have this special sense.

### **Truesight:**

A monster with truesight can, out to a specific range, see in normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, automatically detect visual iilusions and succeed on saving throws against them, and perceive the original form of a shapechanger or a creature that is transformed by magic. Furthermore, the monster can see into the Ethereal Plane within the same range.

## Languages:

The languages that a monster can speak are listed in alphabetical order. Sometimes a monster can understand a language but can't speak it, and this is noted in its entry. A "-" indicates that a creature neither speaks nor understands any language.

### **Telepathy:**

Telepathy is a magical ability that allows a monster to communicate mentally with another creature within a specified range. The contacted creature doesn't need to share a language with the monster to communicate in this way with it,  but it must be able to understand at least one language. A creature without telepathy can receive and respond to telepathic messages but can't initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation. A telepathic monster doesn't need to see a contacted creature and can end the telepathic contact at any time. The contact  is broken as soon as the two creatures are no longer within range of each other or if the telepathic monster contacts a different creature within range. A telepathic monster can initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation without using an Action, but while the monster is incapacitated, it can't initiate telepathic contact, and any current contact is terminated.

## Challenge:

A monster's challenge rating tells you how great a threat the monster is. An appropriately equipped and well-rested party of four adventurers should be able to defeat a monster that has a challenge rating equal to its level without suffering any deaths. For example, a party of four 3rd-level characters should find a monster with a challenge rating of 3 to be a worthy challenge, but not a deadly one.

## Special Traits:

Special traits (which appear after a monster's challenge rating but before any Actions or Reactions) are characteristics that are likely to be relevant in a combat encounter and that require some explanation.

### **Innate Spellcasting:**

A monster with the innate ability to cast spells has the Innate Spellcasting special trait. Unless noted otherwise, an innate spell of 1st level or higher is always cast at its lowest possible level and can't be cast at a higher level. If a monster has a cantrip where its level matters and no level is given, use the monster's challenge rating. An innate spell can have special rules or restrictions. For example, a drow mage can innately cast the Levitate spell, but the spell has a "self only" restriction, which means that the spell affects only the drow mage. A monster's innate spells can't be swapped out with other spells. If a monster's innate spells don't require attack rolls, no attack bonus is given for them.

### **Spellcasting:**

A monster with the Spellcasting class feature has a spellcaster level and spell slots, which it uses to cast its spells of 1st level and higher. The spellcaster level is also used for any cantrips included in the feature. The monster has a list of spells known or prepared from a particular class. The list might also include spells from a feature in that class, such as the Divine Domain feature of the Cleric or the Druid Circle feature of the Druid. A monster can cast a spell from its list ata higher level if it has the spells lot to do so. For example, a drow mage with the 3rd-level Lightning Bolt spell can cast it as a 5th-level spell by using one of its 5th-level spell slots. You can change the spells that a monster knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on a monster's spell list with a different spell of the same levela nd from the same spell list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its challenge rating.

### **Psionics:**

A monster that casts spells using only the power of its mind has the psionics tag added to its Spellcasting or Innate Spellcasting special trait. This tag carries no special rules of its own, but other parts of the game might refer to it. A monster that has this tag typically doesn't require any components to cast its spells.

## Actions:

When a monster takes its Action, it can choose from the options in the Actions section of its stat block or use one of the Actions available to all creatures, such as the Dash or Hide action.

### **Melee and Ranged Attacks:**

The most common actions that a monster will take in combat are melee and ranged attacks. These can be spell attacks or weapon attacks, where the "weapon" might be a manufactured item or a natural weapon, such as a claw or tail spike.

**Creature vs. Target:** The target of a melee or ranged attack is usually either one creature or one target, the difference being that a "target" can be a creature or an object.

**Hit:** Any damage dealt or other effects that occur as a result of an attack hitting a target are described after the "Hit" notation. You have the option of taking average damage or rolling the damage; for this reason, both the average damage and the die expression are presented.

**Miss:** If an attack has an effect that occurs on a miss, that information is presented after the "Miss" notation.

### **Multiattack:**

A creature that can make multiple attacks on its turn has the Multiattack ability. A creature can't use Multiattack when making an opportunity attack, which must be a single melee attack.

## Reactions:

If a monster can do something special with its Reaction, that information is contained here. If a creature has no special Reaction, this section is absent.

## Limited Usage:

Some special abilities have restrictions on the number of times they can be used.

**X/Day:** The notation "X/Day" means a special ability can be used X number of times and that a monster must finish a long rest to regain expended uses. For example, "1/Day" means a special ability can be used once and that the monster must finish a long rest to use it again.

**Recharge X-Y:** The notation "Recharge X- Y" means a monster can use a special ability once and that the ability then has a random chance of recharging during each subsequent round of combat. At the start of each of the monster's turns, roll a d6. If the roll is one of the numbers in the recharge notation, the monster regains the use of the special ability. The ability also recharges when the monster finishes a short or long rest. For example, "Recharge 5- 6" means a monster can use the special ability once. Then, at the start of the monster's turn, it regains the use of that ability if it rolls a 5 or 6 on a d6.

**Recharge after a Short or Long Rest:** This notation means that a monster can use a special ability once and then must finish a short or long rest to use it again.

## Equipment:

A stat block rarely refers to equipment, other than armor or weapons used by a monster. A creature that customarily wears clothes, such as a humanoid, is assumed to be dressed appropriately. You can equip monsters with additional gear and trinkets however you like, and you decide how much of a monster's equipment is recoverable after the creature is slain and whether any of that equipment is still usable. A battered suit of armor made for a monster is rarely usable by someone else, for instance. If a spellcasting monster needs material components to cast its spells, assume that it has the material components it needs to cast the spells in its stat block.

# Legendary Creatures

A legendary creature can do things that ordinary creatures can't. Legendary creatures can take special Actions outside their turns, and a few can exert power over their environment, causing extraordinary magical effects to occur in their vicinity.

## Legendary Actions:

A legendary creature can take a certain number of special actions - called legendary actions - outside its turn. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. A legendary creature regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. It isn't required to use its legendary actions, and it can't use legendary actions while incapacitated.

### **Lair Actions:**

If a legendary creature has lair actions, it can use them to harness the ambient magic in its lair. On initiative count 20 (losing all initiative ties), the creature can use one of its lair action options, or forgo using any of them that round.

### **Regional Effects:**

The mere presence of a legendary creature can have strange and wondrous effects on its environment, as noted in this section. Regional effects end abruptly or dissipate over time when the legendary creature.dies.