Bestiary
Description of monsters
On the following pages you will find descriptions of a large number of monsters and foreign characters the party may encounter. For each monster you will find its basic stats, combat numbers and a description of its appearance, way of life and fighting.
In general, stronger individuals are listed here (those more likely to survive), also because as the GM you cannot fully use their capabilities (that is why they have bases from the upper range).
You can also give monsters any skills (within reason, of course), for example a goblin the ability to set traps, a giant extra Intimidation, or a warrior perhaps some mental skill.
Danger level
Danger level indicates how dangerous the monster is for the party (for example, an average beginning adventurer has a danger level of one, dragons and other strongest monsters around 50). Some spells use this value to determine the summoning cost.This value can serve you as a guide for determining the strength of monsters and contests between them (monsters with Dan 3 will be roughly equally strong).
Attributes
Movement
Movement is calculated the same way as for characters. If a monster has bonuses to sprint, running or swimming, they are listed in the blue box (Other bonuses). Animals in particular run incomparably faster than characters, and therefore have a bonus to sprint (even in combat) and to endurance running a bonus of up to +20 (listed in the description).Many animals and monsters have movement simultaneous with combat.
Swimming
Characters can barely keep up with aquatic creatures. If they cannot breathe and live in water, they automatically have a -10 penalty to combat movement. They practically have no way to master simultaneous fighting and swimming, which is a matter of course for aquatic creatures.Strength
Strength works for monsters the same way as for characters and also takes their size into account. If you need to determine a skill based on it, you must subtract the monster's size from its strength if size has no effect on the skill (for example Climbing, the furious style); on the other hand, full strength shows in Intimidation.Carrying capacity
Four-legged creatures can carry twice the weight given in the Carrying Capacity Table. Many-legged creatures (especially insects) can carry much more.Sen and Perception
If a monster's Perception is not given, take it as equal to Sen + 5 in general
Perception = Sen + 5
animals: Perception = Sen + 15
Workmanship
Since it is unlikely that you would need to determine a monster's Wrk, it is not listed at all. It makes sense only for human-like monsters, and if it is needed, the relevant skill or Wrk itself is described under Other abilities.Vulnerability
Unlike characters, many monsters have partial or complete immunity to ordinary weapons, spells, psychic effects, poisons and the like. If a monster has such a property, its description will say, for example: weapons 1/2 - meaning that all damage caused by weapons is halved, or psychic 0 - meaning complete immunity to psychic spells. See also Secret Arts - Appendix - Invulnerability.
Ordinary character
Characters are vulnerable to practically everything except spells and abilities against magical beings (holy water, white spells).
Animals
Animals are vulnerable to everything except psychic influences and means against magical beings (white spells, holy water). Of psychic influences, only what they can understand and know themselves affects them - fear, hunger, fury and the like - but they cannot be hypnotized, given commands, have their memory erased and so on.
Weapons
This monster can be wounded by an ordinary weapon.Magical being
Magical beings are only half vulnerable to ordinary weapons and fire.
They are immune to frost, psychic effects, poisons and pain (shock and passing out).
Only spells and magic weapons against magical beings work fully on them (see Magic Weapons).
Ghostly being
Ghostly beings are of course magical, but they have one more advantage: they have no material body, so practically nothing harms them except special weapons against ghostly beings (see Magic Weapons and Ghostliness). Not even silver works on them, but rughaine, for example, does.
Silver weapons
Silver weapons form a special group; they affect mainly undead and lycanthropes. Undead count only half of their armor (but this does not combine with an ability such as Magical Strength). Against other monsters they work the same as ordinary weapons.
Psychic
Psychic spells and influences affect only a select group of monsters and characters - only intelligent, non-magical beings.
Fire
Some creatures are resistant or completely immune to fire, especially elementals.
Frost
Frost does not affect magical beings, except fiery ones.
Poison
Poisons affect living creatures - characters, animals, insects and the like. The vast majority of magical beings are immune to them regardless of Constitution.
Plants are likewise immune to most poisons (especially blood poisons).
Venomous monsters (snakes, spiders) have developed resistance or even immunity to their own venom.
Special abilities
In this section you will find a description of the monster's abilities and bonuses, for example detailed styles, magic, priesthood or extraordinary abilities such as causing fear or draining life force by mere presence.
Regeneration
Some monsters, for example lycanthropes, have a special ability - all their wounds regenerate. Regeneration can have different speed and strength - such a creature is then to some extent considered invulnerable, even though this has nothing to do with true invulnerability.
Slow regeneration
The creature heals very quickly - usually all its wounds heal completely within one day.
Fast regeneration
The creature's wounds heal within a short moment, usually one level of damage every few rounds.
Instant regeneration
The creature's wounds close instantly. It can only be killed by a blow that cuts off its head, pierces its heart, or if it takes damage of 10x its Endurance in a single round (the conditions of death may vary, some creatures always heal).
Preventing regeneration
Every creature with regeneration has its weakness. For lycanthropes it is silver or magic weapons - such wounds heal much more slowly for them (like ordinary damage) and so they can be killed more easily. Regeneration is often prevented by fire or acid.
Special Attacks
Blood
The blood of some creatures is a virulent poison to living beings even at a mere touch. Therefore, at every wound of the monster, determine how much blood spurted out and whether it caused corrosion / poisoning.
Count it as an attack: the blood's hit plus the prescribed roll (same as an explosion).
Defense is as against an explosion (halved), but add Constitution to it.
Multiply the result by the poison's efficiency (efficiency) and subtract half the armor (a quarter if the character has no helmet).
If the blood is corrosive (for example acid), it will dissolve the armor it hits. Roll on quality against 10 (corrosive).
Corpse rot
A character afflicted with corpse rot regains no health points through sleep. They are pale and weakened (penalty -1). After about a week the character starts to waste away - each day they lose one HP.
Corpse rot can be treated only with spells, alchemical potions or a herbal brew, and for at least 10 days, otherwise the cure will not succeed.
Poison on a weapon
Characters and monsters can have weapons coated with poison. In that case the strength of the poison decreases by two after each hit.
This rule also applies to venomous beings such as snakes and spiders - their venom refills to maximum only after sleep.
Trampling
Some animals' ability is greatly strengthened if they get up speed. For them, trampling from a standstill and from a run-up is listed (in general it can be applied to all of them; they then have a bonus of WA +2, WP +10).