Monster Traits and Design for TTRPGs
Fun monster design is essential to any good tabletop roleplaying session. By really thinking about the design of the creatures, you can make a session more fun for players. The following sections will help you in design. These are not always needed for the story. But for a large combat, the extra work can really help. Other people have written on this topic to much greater length than I. But I wanted to get some ideas that have really helped me in the last few months of running my own games. I hope it helps!
Core Monster Design Principles
Let’s start with some basic principles to go by. These should get the ball rolling for you.
Review other game and fiction sources - look for design, looks features etc. Video games, films, historical books, novels and more can be great sources of satisfaction.
Review existing sources for the game you are using - reskin existing creatures to look different or have different abilities. If you are playing your own game then see point 1!
Think about your player’s abilities - design around their usual moves. For example they might like to absorb damage from other players, so making a monster a big single attacking brute might be fun for them to take. There is plenty of information available on encounter design in other sources. I might write a guide to it some time.
Think about the story. If the characters are headed into an alien space craft, what otherworldly or mechanical creatures might they meet, that are different from usual monsters they know. What makes sense for the location/terrain and the current point in time for the players?
Starting with clear genre definitions can make it easier to narrow in scope of the type of creatures. For example, in the weird west, a ghostly gunslinger might be appropriate.
Don’t add stats to a creature that Players will only talk with. Save your time and theirs (by not forcing an outcome). Improvise if you have to.
Improved like a professional. Adjust the difficulty of the encounter that you need to, to have fun.
Remember to describe the monster by what it looks like, sounds like, smells like and feels like. If you give it a name (especially one player’s are familiar with), the mystique is lost.
Go with what is FUN!
Monster Category Types
These are some simple categories to start you off for ways to group monsters.
Humanoid eg person, goblin, wolf folk
Beast eg dingo, magpie, goanna
Corrupted eg mutant, slime, dark cultist
Plant eg swamp creature, living tree
Deity eg god, demi-god, immortal
Construct eg mechanical, robot, gargoyle
Otherworldly eg angel, devil, alien
Undead eg zombie, skeleton, ghoul
Fairy eg satyr, pixie, bobble
Ancient eg giant, dragon, turtle island
Myth eg chimera, bashe, kelpie
Monster Design and Roles
These roles will help you in the design of the encounter itself, determining what the creature will do in the fight.
Warrior - Strong melee or Ranged combat skills
Defender: boosted Armour, boosted HP/constitution
Artillery: boosted damage to ranged attacks and speed score
Striker: boosted damage to melee attacks and lower armour
Controller - Gives extra powers
More Powers: Access to additional powers from character lists or conditions on hits, boosted mental scores
Supporter - Used to assist the leader creature
Healer: Provides healing abilities
Ally Assister: Grants damage or to hit bonuses; benefit vanishes when removed from combat
Summoner - Brings in more allies
Caller: Summons allies after x turns, no longer summons if taken out
Skilled - Has unique skills for added challenge
Unique Skills: Provides unique abilities for a challenging encounter, boosted specific relevant stat
Mook - Represents a low-level minion.
Weak: Only survives 1 strike, but full challenge level dice pools for to hit rolls, 1 action only
Group/Swarm - Groups of minions, or many together in a swarm
Together: Group HP = number, damage = challenge x number
Boss/Leader - Main enemy, gives benefits to followers
Champion: Up 2 Levels to Challenge, All dice rolled stats are maxed
Special: Possesses additional actions and traits
General Monster Traits
Here is a list of agnostic traits to get you started. These are really mechanical focused, thinking about what outcome the abilities will have if the player faces them. They are general ideas, there are of course limitless opportunities for powers, traits and abilities.
Conditions immunity
Move players/shove or move allies
Give allies extra turns with their turn
Condition affliction on a hit
Ranged and melee attacks / attack different abilities
Burst area damage
Ability or attribute drain
Alter environment or environment alters them
Resistance/Immunity to damage types
Give varied damage types
Movement – extra or special types
Multiple attacks
Gear - Unique items drop from monsters could be used for abilities
Lucky trait for Bosses
Aura of damage
Monster Abilities by Genre
Thinking about how monsters can be affected and refined by genre is one of my tips above. I have some example powers and abilities that that will hopefully get ideas flowing for you.
Fantasy:
Temporal Phasing: The monster can temporarily phase out of time, making it immune to attacks for a short duration.
Shroud: The monster can project a psychic barrier, causing confusion and disorientation among the players.
Shadow Meld: Able to merge with shadows, the monster becomes nearly invisible and gains heightened stealth capabilities.
Flame Hilt: The creature sets their weapon on fire for extra damage and environmental effect in the combat.
Mirror Self: Creates illusory duplicates, making it challenging for players to discern the real monster from its decoys.
Spectral Possession: The monster can temporarily possess a player character, turning them against their allies.
Sci-Fi:
Tentacled Grasp: Extends Alien limbs to attack from a distance, making it difficult for players to predict its reach.
Mimicry: Can mimic the appearance and abilities of other creatures, making it a shape-shifting adversary.
Reality Distortion: Manipulates the fabric of reality, creating pockets of altered physics within its vicinity, challenging players to adapt to changing conditions.
Summon Drone: Summons a robot ally that can provide additional support to the monster and hinder players.
Cybernetic Swarm: Releases a swarm of microscopic nanobots that corrode armor and disrupt electronic equipment.
Gravity Well: Manipulates gravitational forces to create zones of increased or decreased gravity, affecting movement and combat.
Western:
Quickdraw: Strikes with lightning-fast speed, requiring players to react more swiftly to avoid attacks.
Dust Cloud: Kicks up a cloud of dust, obscuring vision and providing cover for surprise attacks.
Lasso of Binding: Uses a l lasso to entangle and restrain foes.
Ride Like the Wind: Moves silently and with great haste, catching players off guard.
High Noon Hex: Forces a showdown at high noon, where the monster challenges a player in a one-on-one duel.
Cursed Gold: Possesses cursed gold that attracts greed, leading adventurers into traps.
Historical:
Phalanx Formation: Summons additional warriors to fight in a disciplined phalanx formation.
Zealot’s Devotion: Invokes divine protection, making the monster resistant to certain types of damage.
Ancient Tactics: Utilizes strategic maneuvers and historical battle tactics against players.
Poet's Charm: Enchants players with a mesmerizing melody and artistry, influencing their actions.
Swordsmanship Mastery: Displays unmatched skill with a blade, countering attacks with precision.
Royal Decree: Commands lesser creatures in the area, turning them into temporary allies.
Post-Apocalyptic:
Toxic Emanation: Releases a toxic cloud that inflicts damage over time and induces hallucinations.
Radiation Absorption: Absorbs radiation, gaining strength when exposed to radioactive environments.
Mutant Evolution: From its rapid ongoing mutations, it can adapt to the attacks used against it during combat.
Scavenger's Curse: Haunts those who loot its territory, causing misfortune until the stolen items are returned.
Rust and Ruin: Corrodes weapons and armor on contact, deteriorating the players' equipment.
Feral Pack: Summons a pack of mutated creatures to overwhelm and distract the players.
Monster Abilities by Category
Humanoid:
Tactical Maneuvers: Utilizes advanced combat strategies, allowing for weapon disarming, parry and other tactics .
Advanced Weaponry: Brings in back up in the form of massive environmental explosions and attacks.
Camouflage Mastery: Blends seamlessly with the environment, making detection difficult for players.
Mystic Ancestry: Channels ancient magic through bloodlines, granting unique spellcasting abilities.
Cunning Mimicry: Disguises itself as a friendly entity until the opportune moment for an ambush.
Cursed Leader: Possesses a commanding presence that instills fear or compels others to follow.
Beast:
Predatory Pounce: Leaps with incredible speed and power, closing the distance to attack.
Venomous Bite: Delivers a poisonous bite that weakens and debilitates its prey.
Territorial Roar: Lets out a roar that can stun or intimidate, affecting the morale of nearby creatures.
Evasive Agility: Moves with unparalleled agility, making it difficult to hit in combat.
Alpha Pack Instinct: Summons and commands a pack of smaller creatures to aid in the hunt.
Adaptive Hide: Changes the color or texture of its skin for enhanced camouflage.
Corrupted:
Question Reality: Creates illusions in its vicinity, causing disorientation and visual anomalies.
Soul Devour: Consumes the life force of its victims, gaining strength with each soul taken.
Dark Wisdom: Possesses ancient knowledge that grants it insight into the weaknesses of its foes.
Twist Shape: Can change the shape of victims to its pleasure, causing lack of actions and healing from allies.
Chaos Infusion: Unleashes waves of chaotic energy, causing unpredictable effects on the battlefield.
Eldritch Corruption: Corrupts the minds of nearby creatures, turning them into corrupted minions.
Plant:
Entangling Vines: Sends out vines to restrain and immobilize its targets.
Photosynthetic Healing: Absorbs sunlight to regenerate health over time.
Pollen Cloud: Releases a cloud of pollen that induces sleep.
Thorn Barrage: Shoots sharp thorns in a cone, dealing damage to all in its path.
Rooted Resilience: Anchors itself to the ground, becoming nearly immovable and gaining defensive bonuses.
Floral Communication: Reaches out to surrounding plant-life to communicate information and tactics.
Deity:
Divine Wrath: Calls down divine energy to smite foes with powerful, area-of-effect attacks.
Divine Blessing: Grants protection or healing to followers, making them resilient in battle.
Avatar Manifestation: Takes on a physical form to directly intervene in the mortal realm.
Prophecy Manipulation: Alters fate or influences events through visions and prophecies.
Worshiper's Zeal: Draws strength from the devotion of its followers. More followers on the battlefield creates better bonus for abilities.
Sacred Aura: Radiates an aura that instils courage and enhances the abilities of allies.
Construct:
Energy Absorption: Absorbs and redirects energy attacks, turning them into a source of power.
Hardened Armor: Boasts durable and impenetrable armour, reducing the effectiveness of physical attacks.
Integrated Weapons: Conceals powerful weapons within its structure, surprising foes in combat.
Mechanical Minions: Creates smaller constructs to assist in combat or perform specific tasks.
Clockwork Precision: Executes actions with flawless precision, rarely missing with abilities.
Self-Repair Systems: Regenerates health over time or repairs damage sustained in combat.
Otherworldly:
Dimensional Rift: Opens portals to other realms, allowing for strategic movement or summoning reinforcements.
Cosmic Gaze: Gazes upon foes, inflicting status effects or revealing hidden truths.
Hover of the Otherworldly: Can hover, and can’t be knocked prone or have its movement hindered in any way.
Astral Projection: Projects a spectral form, allowing it to view the players remotely while leaving its physical body behind.
Starfall: Calls down celestial bodies to crash onto the battlefield, causing area-of-effect damage.
Celestial Harmony: Radiates an aura that soothes aggression and promotes cooperation among creatures.
Undead:
Life Drain: Absorbs the life force of its victims, weakening and potentially transforming them into undead minions.
Necrotic Aura: Emits an aura that saps the life force of those nearby, causing gradual decay.
Spectral Phasing: Becomes incorporeal, allowing it to pass through obstacles and become immune to certain attacks.
Graveyard Summons: Raises undead minions from the surrounding area to aid in combat.
Cursed Touch: Inflicts curses or debuff effects with upon touch, affecting the target's abilities.
Eternal Restlessness: Cannot be permanently defeated unless specific conditions are met, such as destroying its phylactery.
Fairy:
Enchanting Melody: Charms and mesmerizes with a magical melody, influencing emotions and actions.
Tiny Illusions: Creates illusions to confuse and mislead foes, altering perceptions.
Wings of Swiftness: Moves with incredible speed, making it challenging to track and target.
Pixie Dust: Releases magical dust with various effects, such as healing or disorientation.
Nature's Bond: Summons nature spirits to magically support the creature.
Whimsical Teleportation: Teleports short distances in a whimsical and unpredictable manner.
Ancient:
Strength of the Ancients: Delivers a massive attack to all those with sentience, causing devistation.
Ancient Seals: Activates ancient seals or runes to unleash powerful effects on the battlefield.
Primordial Roar: Lets out a roar that taps into the primordial forces of creation or destruction.
Time-Worn Resilience: Withstands the test of time, gaining resilience through centuries of existence.
Archaic Technology: Utilizes ancient technology or artifacts with mysterious and potent abilities.
Ancestral Guardians: Summons spirits or guardians from ancient times to protect its domain.
Myth:
Cerberus' Howl: Lets out a bone-chilling howl that can stun or frighten all those who hear it.
Medusa's Gaze: Petrifies those who meet its gaze, turning them into stone statues.
Kraken's Grasp: Summons tentacles from the deep to entangle and drag foes underwater.
Phoenix Rebirth: Upon death, bursts into flames and is reborn from its ashes, fully restored.
Minotaur's Labyrinth: Conjures a mystical labyrinth that disorients and traps intruders.
Harpy's Siren Call: Lures victims with an enchanting song, leading them into danger.
