While better choosing of spells, feats and targets is one thing that can help a creature, a creature that has a chance of killing the expected difficulty is needed first.
Wether EnMass and low level, or few in number and highly skilled or having unique powers, a creature must, in the offset, be able to tackle any target within an expected range.
The other files in this folder help with some specific "classes" of monster, and some information in regards to my scripts.
This one will hopefully help you to create better, and more challenging, creatures. Ways to make them more unique or different will be explained as well, but to not insult your intelligence, I am sure you can build whatever you like without this help, or even this sort-of-advice I sort-of-made-up.
To build a better monster, it is entirely built on the purpose - maybe to kill, but that is only the main goal. Will they always attack HTH, or would they use bows, or cast spells, or support a leader, a more powerful being?
I don't have much advice on what to choose, except choice is a good thing. I can't tell what purpose the monster will be for - will it even attack anyone at all? Commoners don't fight, after all.
This is the list of Classes, and the No. Of attacks/level, and thier primary (1 each level) and secondary (1/3 each level) saves
Saves: W = Will, F = Fortitude, R = Reflex. The HD/level are double the average that the toolset gives out, and are very rough for non-PC classes.
Class Name | BAB/Level | Primary Save | Secondary Save | HP Dice | Notes on typical abilties/special things: |
---Warrior BAB chart | |||||
Arcane Archer | 1 | F,R | W | 1d10 | Special Arrow Attacks. |
Barbarian | 1 | F | R, W | 1d12 | Rages. Damage Reduction. |
Blackguard | 1 | F | R, W | 1d10 | Evil Paladin Abilties. Summons. |
Champion Of Torm | 1 | F,R | W | 1d10 | Bonus Fighter Feats. Some paladin abilties. |
Dragon | 1 | R,F,W | None | 1d12 | Breath Weapon, Aura Fear, Flying |
Dwarven Defender | 1 | F,W | R | 1d12 | Defensive Stance. |
Fighter | 1 | F | R, W | 1d10 | Bonus Fighting Feats (level 2, 4, 6, ETC) |
Monstrous | 1 | R,F | W | 1d8 | Depends (Usually special attacks) |
Outsider | 1 | R,F,W | None | 1d8 | Auras, Spell-Like Abilities, Summons |
Paladin | 1 | F | R, W | 1d12 | +Char Bonus to saves. Turn undead. Healing. |
Ranger | 1 | F | R, W | 1d10 | Favoured Enemy |
Weapon Master | 1 | R | F, W | 1d10 | Favoured Weapon (Many bonuses with it) |
---Average BAB chart | |||||
Assassin | 0.75 | R | F, W | 1d6 | Death Attack. Poisons. |
Aberration | 0.75 | W | F, R | 1d8 | Depends (Usually special attacks) |
Animal | 0.75 | F,R | W | 1d8 | Depends (Usually rage) |
Bard | 0.75 | R,W | F | 1d6 | Bard Song. Spells. |
Beast | 0.75 | F,R | W | 1d10 | Faster Movement. Maybe rage. |
Cleric | 0.75 | F,W | R | 1d8 | Turn Undead. Spells. Spontaneous Curing. |
Construct | 0.75 | None | F,R,W | 1d8 | Slow Movement. Should have 1 attack. |
Dragon Diciple | 0.75 | F,W | R | 1d6/8/10 | Extra Stats, AC, Breath Weapon. |
Druid | 0.75 | F,W | R | 1d8 | Animal Companion. Spells. Animal Empathy. |
Elemental | 0.75 | W | F, R | 1d8 | Special Ability/Power/Damage on attack |
Giant | 0.75 | F,W | R | 1d4 | Throw Rocks, +8Str, Con. |
Humanoid | 0.75 | F | R,W | 1d8 | Almost 100% Multiclassed with a PC class |
Magical Beast | 0.75 | F,R | W | 1d10 | Spell-like Abilities, special attacks |
Monk | 0.75/Special | F,R,W | NONE | 1d8 | Unarmed BAB special, Immunities, speed |
Ooze | 0.75 | F,W | R | 1d10 | Scripted Suffercation Attack (see Cube) |
Rogue | 0.75 | R | F,W | 1d6 | Sneak attack. Skill points (UMD). |
Shadowdancer | 0.75 | R | F,W | 1d6 | hide in plain sight. Summons. Shadow attacks. |
Shifter | 0.75 | F,R | W | 1d6 | Powerful shapechanging. |
Shape changer | 0.75 | F,R,W | None | 1d8 | Lycanthorpy |
Vermin | 0.75 | F | R,W | 1d8 | Special Disease/poison/attacks |
---Mage BAB chart | |||||
Commoner | 0.5 | None | F,R,W | 1d4 | No Feats or Race. Fleeing. |
Fey | 0.5 | R,W | F | 1d4 | Spell-like Abilities (Invisiblity). Multiclass to sorceror class is common. |
Sorcerer | 0.5 | W | F,R | 1d4 | Spells- Limited Choice, Many casts/day. |
Undead | 0.5 | W | F,R | 1d12 | Usually Multiclassed like Humanoid. |
Wizard | 0.5 | W | F,R | 1d4 | Spells. Bonus Mage Feats. |
All credit to ShadeRaven who had this table on his site. Sadly, after copying it into notepad last time, I've had to re-table it nicely for HTML. Ain't that grand? Anywho, this lists similar information to the NwN manual, in some detail what attack bonuses, bonus feats and saves are of the different levels.
Level | Base Save Bonus | Warrior | Average | Mage | Monk UA BAB | Feats | Stat Inc. |
1st | +0/+2 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | 1st | |
2nd | +0/+3 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | ||
3rd | +1/+3 | +3 | +2 | +1 | +2 | 2nd | |
4th | +1/+4 | +4 | +3 | +2 | +3 | 1st | |
5th | +1/+4 | +5 | +3 | +2 | +3 | ||
6th | +2/+5 | +6/+1 | +4 | +3 | +4/+1 | 3rd | |
7th | +2/+5 | +7/+2 | +5 | +3 | +5/+2 | ||
8th | +2/+6 | +8/+3 | +6/+1 | +4 | +6/+3 | 2nd | |
9th | +3/+6 | +9/+4 | +6/+1 | +4 | +6/+3 | 4th | |
10th | +3/+7 | +10/+5 | +7/+2 | +5 | +7/+4/+1 | ||
11th | +3/+7 | +11/+6/+1 | +8/+3 | +5 | +8/+5/+2 | ||
12th | +4/+8 | +12/+7/+2 | +9/+4 | +6/+1 | +9/+6/+3 | 5th | 3rd |
13th | +4/+8 | +13/+8/+3 | +9/+4 | +6/+1 | +9/+6/+3 | ||
14th | +4/+9 | +14/+9/+4 | +10/+5 | +7/+2 | +10/+7/+4/+1 | ||
15th | +5/+9 | +15/+10/+5 | +11/+6/+1 | +7/+2 | +11/+8/+5/+2 | 6th | |
16th | +5/+10 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +12/+7/+2 | +8/+3 | +12/+9/+6/+3 | ||
17th | +5/+10 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +12/+7/+2 | +8/+3 | +12/+9/+6/+3 | ||
18th | +6/+11 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +13/+8/+3 | +9/+4 | +13/+10/+7/+4/+1 | 7th | |
19th | +6/+11 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +14/+9/+4 | +9/+4 | +14/+11/+8/+5/+2 | ||
20th | +6/+12 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +15/+10/+5 | +10/+5 | +15/+12/+9/+6/+3 | 5th |