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| [[Category:Bestiary]] | | [[Category:Bestiary]] |
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| This is a very old page. Assume that much of this information may be incorrect or misleading.
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| Epic Path features the following monster types, each with unique characteristics:
| | ===Philosophy of Monsterhood=== |
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| {| border="1" cellpadding="5" style="text-align:center"
| | Now, despite the name, this page is not an explanation of [[Monster Patterns and Roles]], even though it would seem like those would be 'monster types'. But in Epic Path we have defined the 'nuts and bolts' of monsterhood in great detail in the Bestiary entries, and in the various Patterns and Roles that can be applied to the base monsters to fit them to each GM's exact needs. |
| ! Monster Type || width="500" | Description || Strong Saves || Vision || Alignment || Breathe? || Eat? || Sleep?
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| ! align="left" | [[Aberration Traits|Aberration]]
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| | align="left" | An aberration has a bizarre anatomy, strange abilities, an alien mindset, or any combination of the three. || Will || Darkvision 60 ft. || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Animal Traits|Animal]]
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| | align="left" | An animal is a living, nonhuman creature, usually a vertebrate with no magical abilities and no innate capacity for language or culture. || Fort, Refl || Low-Light 120 ft. || Neutral || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Construct Traits|Construct]]
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| | align="left" | A construct is an animated object or artificially created creature. || - || Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light 120 ft. || Any (Usually Neutral) || No || No || No
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| ! align="left" | [[Dragon Traits|Dragon]]
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| | align="left" | A dragon is a reptile-like creature, usually winged, with magical or unusual abilities. || Fort, Refl, Will || Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light 120 ft. || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Elemental Traits|Elemental]]
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| | align="left" | These outsiders are from one of the elemental planes, and are animated forms of one of the fundaments. || Varies || Varies || Any (Usually Neutral) || No || No || No
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| ! align="left" | [[Fey Traits|Fey]]
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| | align="left" | A fey is a creature with supernatural abilities and connections to nature and the Fey realm (the First World). Fey are usually human-shaped. || Refl, Will || Low-Light 120 ft. || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Humanoid Traits|Humanoid]]
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| | align="left" | A humanoid usually has two arms, two legs, and one head, or a human-like torso, arms, and a head. Humanoids have few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities, but most can speak and usually have well-developed societies. || Any one (usually Reflex) || - (varies) || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Magical Beast Traits|Magical Beast]]
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| | align="left" | Magical beasts are similar to animals but tend to be smarter. Magical beasts usually have supernatural or extraordinary abilities, but are sometimes merely bizarre in appearance or habits. || Fort, Refl || Low-Light 120 ft. || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Monstrous Humanoid Traits|Monstrous Humanoid]]
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| | align="left" | Monstrous humanoids are similar to humanoids, but with monstrous or animalistic features. They often have magical abilities as well. || Refl, Will || Darkvision 60 ft. || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Ooze Traits|Ooze]]
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| | align="left" | An ooze is an amorphous or mutable creature, usually mindless. || None || Varies (Blindsense 60 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft.) || Any (Usually Neutral) || No || Yes || No
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| ! align="left" | [[Outsider Traits|Outsider]]
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| | align="left" | An outsider is at least partially composed of the essence (but not necessarily the material) of some plane other than the Material Plane. || Refl, Will || Darkvision 60 ft. || Any || Yes || No<sup>1</sup> || No<sup>1</sup>
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| ! align="left" | [[Plant Traits|Plant]]
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| | align="left" | This type comprises monstrous vegetable creatures. Note that regular plants are not creatures, but objects, even though they are alive. || Fort || Low-Light 120 ft. || Any (Usually Neutral) || Yes || Yes || No
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| ! align="left" | [[Protean Traits|Protean]]
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| | align="left" | This type comprises shape-changing creatures or creatures with mutable physical structures. || Fort, Will || - (varies) || Any (Usually Evil) || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Swarm Traits|Swarm]]
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| | align="left" | A swarm is a collection of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that acts as a single creature. || Fort || - (varies) || Any (Usually Neutral) || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Troop Traits|Troop]]
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| | align="left" | A Troop is a collection of small or larger creatures that acts as a single creature, gaining many of the benefits of a swarm. || Fort || - (varies) || Any || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| ! align="left" | [[Undead Traits|Undead]]
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| | align="left" | Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces. || Will || Darkvision 60 ft. || Any (Usually Evil) || No || Varies<sup>2</sup> || Varies<sup>3</sup>
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| ! align="left" | [[Vermin Traits|Vermin]]
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| | align="left" | This type includes insects, arachnids, other arthropods, worms, and similar invertebrates. || Fort || Darkvision 60 ft. || Any (Usually Neutral) || Yes || Yes || Yes
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| | Instead, this page is GM-facing discussion of how monsters can be combined, and their behavior changed, to make your game world feel much more 'alive'. |
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| * <sup>1</sup> - Outsiders with the Native subtype must eat and sleep.
| | To try and simplify this 'philosphical' approach to running monsters, we're going to drastically simplify this whole process, to give GM's something to work with, and sort our monsters into four categories of behavior, or, Monster Types. |
| * <sup>2</sup> - Skeleton and spectral-type undead do not eat, but flesh-type (zombies, ghouls, vampires, etc.) must eat
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| * <sup>3</sup> - Vampires must sleep. Undead who cast spells must meditate or sleep for 6 hours to recover spells.
| | =====Boss Monster Type===== |
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| | A 'boss' monster is the one that more important, based on your story. The Orc Chief, the Fire Giant Mayor, the Goblin Mufti, the 'boss' of a group of monsters is the one that drives the rest of monsters, and how they behave, through the story. For story purposes, enemy warlords, the Evil Sheriff, the White Wizard of the Midden Tower, the boss of a given encounter line, that is always the boss monster. Note that this type of monster frequently has a role, but not always! The 'Golden Child' of an Aranea nest might be just like any other monster, without any Role or Pattern, but in the STORY, that one monster is the boss, the one the rest of the monsters listen to. |
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| | =====Henchman Monster Type===== |
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| | Boss monsters almost always have at least one henchman. A henchman monster is one that is absolutely, utterly loyal to the boss, both in person and for their goals. Certain Roles even have the ability to summon minion-class Henchmen, which serves as a mechanic to ensure that the players are always fighting a properly difficult fight. Those henchman rules are very simple: All fights in Epic Path should average out to one monster per player character. If you have a party of nine players, even a Legend, by themselves |
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| | ====='Story' Monster Monster Type===== |
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| | =====Mooks===== |
Philosophy of Monsterhood
Now, despite the name, this page is not an explanation of Monster Patterns and Roles, even though it would seem like those would be 'monster types'. But in Epic Path we have defined the 'nuts and bolts' of monsterhood in great detail in the Bestiary entries, and in the various Patterns and Roles that can be applied to the base monsters to fit them to each GM's exact needs.
Instead, this page is GM-facing discussion of how monsters can be combined, and their behavior changed, to make your game world feel much more 'alive'.
To try and simplify this 'philosphical' approach to running monsters, we're going to drastically simplify this whole process, to give GM's something to work with, and sort our monsters into four categories of behavior, or, Monster Types.
Boss Monster Type
A 'boss' monster is the one that more important, based on your story. The Orc Chief, the Fire Giant Mayor, the Goblin Mufti, the 'boss' of a group of monsters is the one that drives the rest of monsters, and how they behave, through the story. For story purposes, enemy warlords, the Evil Sheriff, the White Wizard of the Midden Tower, the boss of a given encounter line, that is always the boss monster. Note that this type of monster frequently has a role, but not always! The 'Golden Child' of an Aranea nest might be just like any other monster, without any Role or Pattern, but in the STORY, that one monster is the boss, the one the rest of the monsters listen to.
Henchman Monster Type
Boss monsters almost always have at least one henchman. A henchman monster is one that is absolutely, utterly loyal to the boss, both in person and for their goals. Certain Roles even have the ability to summon minion-class Henchmen, which serves as a mechanic to ensure that the players are always fighting a properly difficult fight. Those henchman rules are very simple: All fights in Epic Path should average out to one monster per player character. If you have a party of nine players, even a Legend, by themselves
'Story' Monster Monster Type
Mooks