How I Stat Up Monsters for FAGs
A personal method for creating, friends, foes, fiends and other freaks.
First you gotta start with an idea. Without one you’re grasping at straws.
The first step of the actual math crap is figuring out either the AC or HD. Notably, I by technicality do Armor/Evasion split but that’s a note for further down. I try to scale HD based on how many dude I think could take it out in single combat. This is also the part where I ask myself if it has Supernatural HD.
Once both HD and AC are jotted down, I figure out attacks. Generally this is on D6 Scale for damage, with weapon damage being used as a generic tool for violence. This is also when I think about if this thing is a sorcerer or not.
Fourth step is Alignment. Generally I try to keep the values in comparison to a human being, with 1-2 being a devotee of Stasis or Entropy, 3-4 being someone deep in the sauce, 5-6 being fully subsumed by the great game and 7 or higher is just a paragon of the force. Neutral is also often reserved for regular guys or animals.
Step 5: Speed. I know I posted something on chases, I swear to god I posted it, but for the life of me its just gone. Anyway, I abstract speed into 6 brackets: Immobile, V. Slow and Slow, Normal, Fast and V. Fast. This, then, becomes what I reference for Chases and overland travel. If I'm de-abstracting movement for a physical space, I'd do 0", 3", 6", 9", 12" and 15" for the brackets respectively.
Step 6: the fun part, abilities. This is where I think about spell lists, bullshit save properties, etc. etc. At this step is where I write the prose of monster description.
Here's an example. If you were or are playing in my Pseudo-Wolves game that's on break as of this post, don't read below. Or do. I'm not your dad.
####### FISHMEN
AC: 7 (Leathery Skin, stolen from the LBBs)
HD: 2+1 (Despite being freaks, I'm not doing supernatural HD as they aren't inherently spirits or shit. Also stole this from Locathah in Blackmoor)
AT: Weapon or Spell* (These guys have tools, some may be priests. See below.)
Align: Neutral (Aligned with the primordial river goddess Cha)
Movement: Normal, Fast in Water (They're fishmen what do you expect)
Hybrid of a Fish and a man: pale, sun-deprived flesh mixes with grey-green, oil-like scales. Heads are topped with gills and big, fat mouths.
Most fishmen are unarmored, with some carrying bent copper jewelry with inlaid pearls and carrying knives of wet, black, knapped stone. Bands of 10 or More Fishmen carry a Fish-Idol (+2 Morale Roll) of smooth black stone, inlaid with opal or glass eyes. 5 Slots of Worth.
Bands of 20 or more have a 3HD Fish-Priest. Fish-Priests can call upon the power of Cha and are, by technicality, the only members of her cult. Fish priests know a random spell as per below and carry Blackstone Daggers. The wear mantles of rusted bronze and pearls, upping their AC to 5. Groups 100 or more have 1 4HD High Priest, who know all priest spells and 1 High Priest spell.
If on land for more than 1d6 rounds they begin to drown.
Priest Spells (d4)
- Alter Memories
- Fear
- Polymorph Self
- Darkness
High Priest Spells (1d3)
- Gate
- Monster Summoning (Protean Slave)
- Control Water