Oh this is a good one...
Nature and Arcane spells make the most monsters but divine magic can summon creatures.
This is catagories id use in a beastiary
Abhuman are large, muscular humanoid hybrids. Some types very ancient related to spirits and planar beings meeting in the dawn times. More recent ones are made with a torturous ritual spell that joins a creature and a human into a single hulking humanoid. Most know them as beast folk but also human barbarians, orc barbarians, elemental hybrids and flora based humanoids exist also and other strange types.
Beasts include the animals we know and hear of wild in other lands. Normal animals are mortal and if die well are reborn in the mortal world. Magic can make giant, hybrid, mutant or sentient beasts. They can also restore long-lost species like the prehistoric megabeasts and thunder lizards. Beast include worms (armoured and unarmoured), bugs, arachnids, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Magic beasts are unnatural chimeric hybrids with the abilities of their components. Beast folk are abhumans related to humans and beasts. In the dawn age they were made to protect beasts and were related to nature spirits. Beastlings are smaller human beast folk, less famous for barbaric warfare, instead live humbly in the wilds or with demihumans. Some modern ones were made from the leftovers from creating an abhuman. The oldest ones are ancient but shy allies of nature.
Chimaera is a hybrid of 3 or more species. These creatures eventually breed formless protoplasmic horrors
Nature and Arcane spells make the most monsters but divine magic can summon creatures.
This is catagories id use in a beastiary
Abhuman are large, muscular humanoid hybrids. Some types very ancient related to spirits and planar beings meeting in the dawn times. More recent ones are made with a torturous ritual spell that joins a creature and a human into a single hulking humanoid. Most know them as beast folk but also human barbarians, orc barbarians, elemental hybrids and flora based humanoids exist also and other strange types.
Beasts include the animals we know and hear of wild in other lands. Normal animals are mortal and if die well are reborn in the mortal world. Magic can make giant, hybrid, mutant or sentient beasts. They can also restore long-lost species like the prehistoric megabeasts and thunder lizards. Beast include worms (armoured and unarmoured), bugs, arachnids, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Magic beasts are unnatural chimeric hybrids with the abilities of their components. Beast folk are abhumans related to humans and beasts. In the dawn age they were made to protect beasts and were related to nature spirits. Beastlings are smaller human beast folk, less famous for barbaric warfare, instead live humbly in the wilds or with demihumans. Some modern ones were made from the leftovers from creating an abhuman. The oldest ones are ancient but shy allies of nature.
Chimaera is a hybrid of 3 or more species. These creatures eventually breed formless protoplasmic horrors
Constructs are artificial beings crafted and brought to artificial life with magic and rituals. Includes beings made of meat or protoplasm, like shoggoths or alchemical humanoids. Some of the most perfect pseudobiological androids are a type of abhuman.
Demihumans include elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, changelings and goblinoids. They all share some ancestry and are human-like, but all have pointy ears
Eldritch creatures drawn from the horrible, hungry void of the outer darkness who crave souls and matter to feast on. It includes the elder prehuman gods who served them. They draw from elder arcane powers dwelling before creation, life or the elements. They may have destroyed other cycles of reality. They often draw on the negaverse and use its power to make themselves undying and enslave those they kill
Elementals in purest forms are just elemental matter drawn from pure elemntal worlds. There are hybrid elemental flora and fauna on the elemental planes like we have plants and animals in our world. Certain types of beast types are more likley to be found on certain elemental worlds. There are also hybrid elemental worlds. These are all leftovers from creation of the mortal world and universe before time.
Faerie creatures are the non-mortal inhabitants of the faerielands, which has annexed the former giant and troll worlds. They are sensitive to planar portals to the mortal or faerie world and shun cold iron.
Flora includes slime, mould, lichen, algae, plants, fungus and brainless growing things. Magic can create sentient, giant, mobile, mutant, hybrid or humanoid versions with magic.
Giants include huge humanoids but also a property of other enlarged creatures.
Humanoid any creature that has basic body plan of a human. Wings and tails are borderline cases.
Hybrid are mostly unnatural crossbreed descended from the dawn age or by magic in more times between to species or life types.
Mutants are tainted by magic, elements or other planes. They have wildly altered body structures and sometimes spirits. Mutants risk devolving into chimeric or shoggoth horrors
Planar creatures from the alignment realms beyond the mortal plane althogh they are all linked. The lower planes of hell and the underworld are below the mortal world and the roots of the world tree pierce them and dragons gnaw on the roots. The upper branches reach the gardens of Arcadia and the divine fields around the celestial mountain of heaven and its seven cities. Fragments of creation and the previous universes drift between heavens and hells and these motes are demon worlds ruled by demon monarchs, each of whom believes they are gods. These beings exist in a hierarchy from spirits to footsoldiers or nobility. Planes are connected to specific elements and will have positive or negative powers depending on their alignment.
Spirits are non-corporeal beings, but many can create bodies to interact with the world. Others can't interact with mortals but can spy on them or communicate. Those who dwell near the mortal worlds dwell in the ether world. Those who travel between planes dwell in the astral plane. It is risky for weak spirits on the astral plane. Living things may be associated with spirits, but places of natural beauty, stones, artworks, statues, buildings or dungeons can all form spirits over time. Powerful planar beings may command many spirits, and some spirits bully others or have a local pecking order. Spirits are a good source of information. All these spirits draw from the positive plane of life, but not from base matter or elements.
Thought creatures are beings of thought related to the matter of illusions and phantoms. Creatures from here can be powerful or just illusions or shadows. Nightmare Realms draw power from the negative plane and Dream Domain from the positive plane for their substance. Only the most powerful can cause harm on the mortal world but they might invade dreams.
Troll on a finishing note were more common than demihumans once, and kindred to nature spirits but the creation of the troll type we know today ended all the other species. The surviving trolls are violent and insane cancerous clones. Small trollings still live in barns or behind stoves in some wild or rural places. Trollborn versions of beasts and creatures may be small or huge, some have tusks, large bellies, ravenous apetites and unatural healing. Trolls were wise with magic once but humans know little of their ways.
Undead are either reanimated material corpses or a corrupted portion of the spirit of a formerly living being. Corporeal Dead include skeletons, ghouls, zombies, wights, mummies, vampires, and liches. Spirits of the dead include phantoms, shades, spectres, ghosts, wraiths and more. They are attuned to the negative energy plane for sustenance. They lurk in the ethereal plane, manifesting in the mortal world as intangible beings with strange powers. Often bound to a place or object in the mortal world. Some have spiritual parasites that use part of a soul to make a mockery of the living person; they might also occupy a new corpse and pretend to be the former living or change a corpse to their former living one in appearance. Some freewilled undead have traumatic deaths and unfinished business, and may remain until resolved. Even if not evil, they draw power from the negaverse with their sorrow and bitterness. Positive spirits may return from the afterlife to help the living but this is at the request of a deity. Non-evil undead are easier to put to rest. Evil undead crave flesh and souls and blood and love wicked deeds against the living. Simple undead do as commanded and mostly have no intent, just use some dark animus to animate them. Weakest spooks and phantoms may be just repeating loops that fade over time. Poltergeists are barely aware but excited by emotions like angeror violence. Some phantasms with purpose are more likely to interact with the world or people and may have a tool or a weapon or touch the world. Even a good soul might have their corpse arise while the main part of them is in heaven. A body might arise to send off graverobbers or ghouls. It is powered by negative energy and strong emotions but has only the part of the original person who was good. Such an undead would be seen as righteous and would probably return to sleep. If an item was stolen, it might cause trouble until returned. There are spirits that become linked to objects or artworks or trees or places and may desire revenge or be in love with a living person, they dont all have to be hard, evil. Possibly just bending riles of the dead, drawing negative power and hoping to draw a mortal into love under false pretences that can only have a bad outcome.
d12 Basic Form
1-4 Beast
5-6 Flora
7-10 Humanoid (humans, demihumans, abhumans)
11-12 Spirits (includes spirits of the dead)
d20 Modifiers
1 Chimera
2 Construct
3 Eldritch
4-7 Elemental
8-10 Faerie
11-12 Giant
13-14 Hybrid
15-17 Mutant
18 Planar
19 Thought
20 Troll
Undead
------------------
Fumbles in D&D
They dont really work dont do it.
If you want gritty combat play runequest.
If you want wild combat and magic fumbles, play DCC - it makes more sense if every roll can cause wild stuff. If fighters get more attacks, they get more risk of silly accidents not less.
Basicly fumbles are more unlikely than 5%, but for martial characters this is unfair and punishing
What I would do If I did it
>Make a fumble on a 1 for weapons you have no proficiency in or improvised
or
>You can only fumble once in a round, maximum
or
>Martial classes dont roll fumbles ever
and
>Dropped Weapons are the most common kind of fumble is just to drop your weapon so you can use an action to pick it up or use shield bash and unarmed attacks or draw another weapon, which feels reasonably fun (exotic weird stuff is far more unlikely)
>Fragile Weapons might break if fails a save or be damaged if it makes it, bump damage dice to the next lower type and -1 hit if the item saves. You might increase the fumble chance to break on a damaged weapon by one cumulative each damage. Weapons that are stone, bone, sinew and wood are one type. Crude iron or old metal weapons might also suffer this effect and might start to be damaged, but can be repaired. A bowstring or sling might also break.
>Blackpowder Weapons for non-professionals can explode. This destroys or damages the gun and causes a d4 damage to the user. For a pro gunner, this is a dud charge or jam needing a repair to fire.
Spirits are non-corporeal beings, but many can create bodies to interact with the world. Others can't interact with mortals but can spy on them or communicate. Those who dwell near the mortal worlds dwell in the ether world. Those who travel between planes dwell in the astral plane. It is risky for weak spirits on the astral plane. Living things may be associated with spirits, but places of natural beauty, stones, artworks, statues, buildings or dungeons can all form spirits over time. Powerful planar beings may command many spirits, and some spirits bully others or have a local pecking order. Spirits are a good source of information. All these spirits draw from the positive plane of life, but not from base matter or elements.
Thought creatures are beings of thought related to the matter of illusions and phantoms. Creatures from here can be powerful or just illusions or shadows. Nightmare Realms draw power from the negative plane and Dream Domain from the positive plane for their substance. Only the most powerful can cause harm on the mortal world but they might invade dreams.
Troll on a finishing note were more common than demihumans once, and kindred to nature spirits but the creation of the troll type we know today ended all the other species. The surviving trolls are violent and insane cancerous clones. Small trollings still live in barns or behind stoves in some wild or rural places. Trollborn versions of beasts and creatures may be small or huge, some have tusks, large bellies, ravenous apetites and unatural healing. Trolls were wise with magic once but humans know little of their ways.
Undead are either reanimated material corpses or a corrupted portion of the spirit of a formerly living being. Corporeal Dead include skeletons, ghouls, zombies, wights, mummies, vampires, and liches. Spirits of the dead include phantoms, shades, spectres, ghosts, wraiths and more. They are attuned to the negative energy plane for sustenance. They lurk in the ethereal plane, manifesting in the mortal world as intangible beings with strange powers. Often bound to a place or object in the mortal world. Some have spiritual parasites that use part of a soul to make a mockery of the living person; they might also occupy a new corpse and pretend to be the former living or change a corpse to their former living one in appearance. Some freewilled undead have traumatic deaths and unfinished business, and may remain until resolved. Even if not evil, they draw power from the negaverse with their sorrow and bitterness. Positive spirits may return from the afterlife to help the living but this is at the request of a deity. Non-evil undead are easier to put to rest. Evil undead crave flesh and souls and blood and love wicked deeds against the living. Simple undead do as commanded and mostly have no intent, just use some dark animus to animate them. Weakest spooks and phantoms may be just repeating loops that fade over time. Poltergeists are barely aware but excited by emotions like angeror violence. Some phantasms with purpose are more likely to interact with the world or people and may have a tool or a weapon or touch the world. Even a good soul might have their corpse arise while the main part of them is in heaven. A body might arise to send off graverobbers or ghouls. It is powered by negative energy and strong emotions but has only the part of the original person who was good. Such an undead would be seen as righteous and would probably return to sleep. If an item was stolen, it might cause trouble until returned. There are spirits that become linked to objects or artworks or trees or places and may desire revenge or be in love with a living person, they dont all have to be hard, evil. Possibly just bending riles of the dead, drawing negative power and hoping to draw a mortal into love under false pretences that can only have a bad outcome.
d12 Basic Form
1-4 Beast
5-6 Flora
7-10 Humanoid (humans, demihumans, abhumans)
11-12 Spirits (includes spirits of the dead)
d20 Modifiers
1 Chimera
2 Construct
3 Eldritch
4-7 Elemental
8-10 Faerie
11-12 Giant
13-14 Hybrid
15-17 Mutant
18 Planar
19 Thought
20 Troll
Undead
------------------
Fumbles in D&D
They dont really work dont do it.
If you want gritty combat play runequest.
If you want wild combat and magic fumbles, play DCC - it makes more sense if every roll can cause wild stuff. If fighters get more attacks, they get more risk of silly accidents not less.
Basicly fumbles are more unlikely than 5%, but for martial characters this is unfair and punishing
What I would do If I did it
>Make a fumble on a 1 for weapons you have no proficiency in or improvised
or
>You can only fumble once in a round, maximum
or
>Martial classes dont roll fumbles ever
and
>Dropped Weapons are the most common kind of fumble is just to drop your weapon so you can use an action to pick it up or use shield bash and unarmed attacks or draw another weapon, which feels reasonably fun (exotic weird stuff is far more unlikely)
>Fragile Weapons might break if fails a save or be damaged if it makes it, bump damage dice to the next lower type and -1 hit if the item saves. You might increase the fumble chance to break on a damaged weapon by one cumulative each damage. Weapons that are stone, bone, sinew and wood are one type. Crude iron or old metal weapons might also suffer this effect and might start to be damaged, but can be repaired. A bowstring or sling might also break.
>Blackpowder Weapons for non-professionals can explode. This destroys or damages the gun and causes a d4 damage to the user. For a pro gunner, this is a dud charge or jam needing a repair to fire.
>Articulated Weapons can harm yourself or others (flails, nunchucks, nets, chains, whip). It is very unlikley and they are extra dangerous. Also, it might fling it away or break it (perhaps the head flies off). d4 1=drop at your feet 2=fling it away 2d4 yards + STR bonus 3=hit ally or yourselfor ally 4=break and bit flies off as if thrown (random d12 direction)
>Splash Weapons (thrown grenades, incendiaries, holy water and acid) I roll a d12 compass for where a miss lands and off by half of short range. I also let people attack an area which has a lower AC than targeting a person moving.
Possibly, this is too serious and sucks all the fun away
Enemies dropping weapons is ok
A spell to change fumble odds would be cool, like 1-4 on a d20 as a curse
Defective weapons might fumble more 1-1 on a d20 (loose grip or break)
Cursed items might increase fumbles but stll have + to hit
>Splash Weapons (thrown grenades, incendiaries, holy water and acid) I roll a d12 compass for where a miss lands and off by half of short range. I also let people attack an area which has a lower AC than targeting a person moving.
Possibly, this is too serious and sucks all the fun away
Enemies dropping weapons is ok
A spell to change fumble odds would be cool, like 1-4 on a d20 as a curse
Defective weapons might fumble more 1-1 on a d20 (loose grip or break)
Cursed items might increase fumbles but stll have + to hit
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