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Home , Alan Pollack, Arnie Swekel, Brian Despain, Jeremy Jarvis, Savage Species, Vinod Rams

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SAVAGE SPECIES DAVID ECKELBERRY, RICH REDMAN, JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES

ADDITIONAL DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, Jeff Quick, Dawn Murin Sean Reynolds, Skip Williams COVER ART DEVELOPER Rich Redman INTERIOR ARTISTS Dennis Cramer, , Emily EDITORS Fiegenschuh, , John and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Gwendolyn Laura Lakey, , , F.M. Kestrel, Penny Williams , , Scott Roller, Mark Sasso, MANAGING EDITOR , Sam Wood Kim Mohan GRAPHIC DESIGNERS DESIGN MANAGER Sean Glenn, Sherry Floyd, Dawn Murin Ed Stark GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Angelika Lokotz MANAGING DEVELOPER Richard Baker PROJECT MANAGER Martin Durham CATEGORY MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER Anthony Valterra Chas DeLong DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLISHING Bill Slavicsek Mary Kirchoff Sample file Playtesters: Paul Barclay, Randy Buehler, Michael Donais, Andrew Finch, Curt Gould, Robert Kelly, Todd Meyer, Jon Pickens, Monica Shellman, Christine Tromba, Michael S. Webster, Penny Williams Based on the original Dungeons & Dragons® rules created by E. and and the new Dungeons & Dragons game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System® License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20. ® Sources: Dragon magazine #45, ® Campaign Setting, Magic of Faerûn, , , , Monster Manual II, Monsters of Faerûn, , and Reverse Dungeon.

U.S., CANADA, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Wizards of the Coast, Belgium Wizards of the Coast, Inc. T Hosfveld 6d P.O. Box 707 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden Renton WA 98057-0707 Belgium Questions? 1-800-324-6496 +322 467 3360 620-88158-001-EN 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Printing: February 2003 Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, d20 System, the d20 System logo, Dragon, , Forgotten Realms, Wizards of the Coast, and the Wizards of the Coast logo are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. d20 is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by St. Martin’s Press. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copy- right laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. ©2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd 620_88158_SavSpecies4.qxd 12/16/02 12:41 PM Page 3

Waverider ...... 93 Annis Hag ...... 153 Yuan-Ti Cultist ...... 97 Aranea ...... 154 Contents Astral Deva (Celestial) ...... 155 Chapter 8: Campaigns...... 101 Introduction ...... 4 Athach ...... 156 Existing Campaigns ...... 101 Avoral (Celestial) ...... 157 Chapter 1: Monsters ...... 101 Azer ...... 158 Character Creation Basics ...... 5 Alignment Interactions ...... 102 Barghest ...... 159 Evil Characters and Games ...... 102 Terms ...... 5 Belker ...... 160 New Campaigns ...... 103 Basics of Monster Characters ...... 6 Centaur ...... 161 With Malice toward None Djinni (Genie) ...... 161 Chapter 2: (Chaotic/Accepting) ...... 103 Drider ...... 163 Building Monster Characters . . . . . 9 Creature Management Earth Elemental, Large ...... 163 CONTENTS Choosing a Base Creature ...... 9 (Lawful/Accepting) ...... 103 Efreeti (Genie) ...... 164 OF TABLE Estimating Level Adjustments ...... 10 The People Oppressed Ettercap ...... 165 Monster Character Skill Points and Feats . . . 11 (Lawful/Rejecting) ...... 104 Fire Elemental, Large ...... 166 Introductory Monsters ...... 11 World without Rule Fire Giant ...... 167 Intermediate Monsters ...... 15 (Chaotic/Rejecting) ...... 104 Flamebrother (Salamander) ...... 168 Advanced Monsters ...... 19 Threats and Opportunities ...... 104 Flesh Golem ...... 169 Difficult Monsters ...... 22 Chapter 9: Advancing a Monster. . . 105 Frost Giant ...... 170 Monster Character Building Example ...... 23 Advancing as a Character ...... 105 Ghaele (Celestial) ...... 171 Monster Classes and Level Adjustments . . . . 25 Standard Classes ...... 106 Ghoul ...... 173 Green Hag ...... 174 Chapter 3: Monster Classes...... 25 Prestige Classes ...... 106 Griffon ...... 174 Entering a Monster Class ...... 25 Advancing by Type ...... 106 Grig (Sprite) ...... 175 Example Monster Character: Changing Size ...... 106 Hamatula (Devil) ...... 176 Minotaur ...... 27 Advancing by Template ...... 107 Advancement and CR ...... 107 Harpy ...... 177 Chapter 4: Feats ...... 29 Advancing as a Character ...... 107 Hound Archon (Celestial) ...... 178 When Monsters Gain Feats ...... 29 Advancing as a Monster ...... 107 Imp (Devil) ...... 179 Monstrous Feats ...... 29 Advancing by Template ...... 107 Janni (Genie) ...... 180 Background Feats ...... 29 Testing the New CR ...... 107 Kyton (Devil) ...... 181 Feat Descriptions ...... 30 Advancement and Feats ...... 108 Lillend ...... 182 New Feats ...... 30 Specific Feats ...... 108 Magmin ...... 183 Finding Monster Equipment ...... 41 Medusa ...... 184 Chapter 10: Templates...... 111 Mind Flayer ...... 185 Chapter 5: Equipment ...... 41 Adding a Template ...... 111 ...... 186 Changing Weapon Size ...... 42 Reading Templates ...... 112 Nixie (Sprite) ...... 188 Three or More Hands ...... 42 New Monster Templates ...... 114 Ogre ...... 189 New Uses for Existing Special Abilities . . . . . 42 Template Characters ...... 114 Ogre Mage ...... 189 Weapons ...... 43 Templates and Level Adjustments ...... 114 Pixie (Sprite) ...... 190 Special and Superior Items ...... 46 Feral CreatureSample ...... file...... 115 Rakshasa ...... 191 Magic Armor ...... 48 Gelatinous Creature ...... 116 ...... 192 Magic Weapons ...... 48 Ghost Brute ...... 118 Sea Hag ...... 193 Rings ...... 54 Incarnate Construct ...... 120 Shadow ...... 194 Staffs ...... 54 Insectile Creature ...... 121 Stone Giant ...... 195 Wondrous Items ...... 55 Monstrous Beast ...... 122 Succubus/Incubus (Demon) ...... 195 Multiheaded Creature ...... 124 Treant ...... 197 Chapter 6: Spells ...... 59 Mummified Creature ...... 126 Triton ...... 199 Monsters and School Specialization ...... 59 Reptilian Creature ...... 128 Troll ...... 199 Permanency and Spells . . . . 60 Spectral Creature ...... 129 Trumpet Archon (Celestial) ...... 200 Assassin Spells ...... 60 Symbiotic Creature ...... 131 Umber Hulk ...... 201 Bard Spells ...... 60 Tauric Creature ...... 132 Vrock (Demon) ...... 202 Cleric Spells ...... 60 Umbral Creature ...... 134 Water Elemental, Large ...... 204 Druid Spells ...... 61 Wight ...... 136 Paladin Spell ...... 61 Winged Creature ...... 137 Appendix 2: Compiled Tables . . . . . 205 Ranger Spells ...... 61 Wraith ...... 138 Reading the Tables ...... 205 Sorcerer and Wizard Spells ...... 62 Yuan-Ti ...... 140 Spell Descriptions ...... 62 Appendix 3: New Creatures ...... 214 Multiple Templates ...... 142 Anthropomorphic Animals ...... 214 Chapter 7: Prestige Classes ...... 73 The Type Pyramid ...... 142 New Race ...... 217 Designing Monster Prestige Classes ...... 73 Notes on Specific Templates ...... 143 Half-Ogres ...... 217 Emancipated Spawn ...... 75 Chapter 11: Becoming a Monster . . 145 New Monsters ...... 218 Savant ...... 77 Effects of Transformation ...... 145 Desmodu ...... 218 Master of Flies ...... 80 Rituals ...... 147 Loxo ...... 221 Scaled Horror ...... 83 Changing Back ...... 151 Thri-Kreen ...... 222 Siren ...... 84 Brooder ...... 86 Appendix 1: Index ...... 223 Survivor ...... 89 Sample Monster Classes ...... 152 Sybil ...... 90 Air Elemental, Large ...... 152 3 620_88158_SavSpecies4.qxd 12/16/02 12:41 PM Page 4

• Chapter 5: Equipment. From aboleth mucus to a whip Introduction of webs, this chapter covers monster equipment and Savage Species, a comprehensive guide to monster characters, suggestions for adding it to your campaign. helps you use monsters as either player characters (PCs) or • Chapter 6: Spells. Designed for use on monsters or by nonplayer characters (NPCs) to serve as interesting allies and monster spellcasters but usable by anyone, the spells in opponents for the player characters in your campaign. this chapter have something to offer for every spellcast- You need the Player’s Handbook, the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, ing class. and the Monster Manual to use this book. The monster classes • Chapter 7: Prestige Classes. This chapter presents new and templates in Savage Species are designed to be compliant prestige classes designed specifically for monster charac- with the revised version of the Monster Manual (see the side- ters, such as the scaled horror and the waverider. bar on this page for more information), but this book is still • Chapter 8: Campaigns. Whether you are adding mon- compatible with the original Monster Manual as well. ster characters to an existing campaign or exploring campaigns from the monsters’ point of view, read this chapter for ideas. WHAT’S INSIDE? • Chapter 9: Advancing a Monster. This chapter pro- This book contains many different kinds of information. vides rules and advice for DMs who want to make ad- INTRODUCTION Here is a breakdown of its contents. vanced versions of monsters. • Chapter 1: Character Creation. Use the instructions in • Chapter 10: Templates. This chapter delves into the this chapter to make character sheets for monster charac- details of how (and why) to add a template to a monster ters. It gives you the procedure for taking a creature from and also presents new templates, such as the ghost brute the Monster Manual and adding class levels to it. This is only and the multiheaded creature. one of the ways to create a monster character; other meth- • Chapter 11: Becoming a Monster. This chapter covers ods are discussed in chapters that follow. the fine art of transforming standard player characters • Chapter 2: Monster Characters. This chapter explains into monster characters. how to build monster characters, using the concepts of • Appendix 1: Sample Monster Classes. These examples level adjustment and effective character level (ECL) to use the rules from Chapter 3:_Monster Classes. ensure that monster characters are compatible in power • Appendix 2: Compiled Tables. This appendix collects with standard characters. the basic information needed to build monster charac- • Chapter 3: Monster Classes. This chapter gives some ters for all the appropriate monsters in the Monster options for altering standard monsters other than adding Manual, including Hit Dice, level adjustment, starting character classes or using the monster advancement ECL, ability scores, good saves, base attack bonus, saving rules in the introduction of the Monster Manual. One throw bonuses, natural armor bonus, skill points, and example, the minotaur monster class, appears here; number of feats. others are provided in Appendix 1. • Appendix 3: New Monsters. Here’s where you’ll find • Chapter 4: Feats. If you want some new feats for your rules for creating anthropomorphic animals; the half- monsters, whether they are characters or not,Sample check out fileogre described as a new race; and three new creatures: the this chapter. desmodu, the loxo, and the thri-kreen. pqqqqrs

MONSTERS AS CHARACTERS that had the shapechanger type now have a different type, and Savage Species is all about treating monsters as characters. In they also have the shapechanger subtype. The aranea becomes keeping with that approach, this book features several changes a magical beast, the doppelganger becomes a monstrous to the rules concerning monsters. The changes summarized humanoid, the phasm becomes an aberration, and lycanthropes below are also reflected in the D&D game’s revised core rule- (not mentioned in this book) become either humanoids or books, particularly the revised Monster Manual. giants. Skills: A monster receives skill points based on its The effect of the fire and cold subtypes is changed. See the Intelligence score and its Hit Dice, just as characters do. See fire elemental monster class in Appendix 1 for details. Table 2–1 for details. The Wilderness Lore skill is now named Face/Reach: The space a creature or character occupies is Survival. The Alchemy skill is now named Craft (alchemy). always expressed as a square; thus, only one figure rather than Feats: Every monster receives at least one feat and gains two is given for a creature’s face statistic: “10 ft.,” for instance, additional feats at the same rate a character does—one more rather than “10 ft. by 10 ft.” Rectangular face statistics such as at 3 HD, another at 6 HD, and so forth. “5 ft. by 10 ft.” have been eliminated; Large creatures now have Types and Subtypes: The beast type is removed from the a face of 10 ft., Huge creatures have a face of 15 ft., Gargantuan game. All beasts have their type changed to either magical creatures have a face of 20 ft., and Colossal creatures have a beast or animal, as appropriate. (The gray render and the grif- face of 30 ft. (or perhaps more). See Table 10–3 for details. fon are the only creatures in this book affected by this change; The natural reach of Gargantuan (long) creatures is changed both are now magical beasts.) from 10 ft. to 15 ft. (The baleen whale and the cachalot whale Shapechanger is changed from a type to a subtype. Creatures are the only creatures in this book affected by this change.) 4 pqqqqrs 620_88158_SavSpecies4.qxd 12/16/02 12:41 PM Page 5

haracters from Savage Species use standard DUNGEONS fighter). A 3rd-level fighter/4th-level rogue has seven & DRAGONS® character sheets. Open your Player’s class levels. Handbook to Character Creation Basics and use the Challenge Rating (CR): Challenge Rating plus diagrams and numbers presented thereSample to follow class file level is a good measure of the creature’s overall these instructions. If you need help with any of the threat to a party. A bugbear with four levels of bar- terminology used, see Terms. Follow these steps in order barian is CR 6, making it a good encounter for a unless a specific step says otherwise. Make sure you follow party of 4th to 8th level. It is more dangerous to a all of them to get a complete character sheet. party of lower level and less dangerous to one of higher level. Effective Character Level_(ECL): A creature’s TERMS effective character level is the sum of its level Below is a summary of game terms and their usage. adjustment, Hit Dice, and class levels. Use charac- Base Creature: This term refers to the average version of ter level for all game functions except awarding that kind of monster, as presented in the Monster Manual, experience, determining starting equipment, and before any modifications are made for using it as a character. determining how much experience the character Character: A creature, of any kind, with one or more needs to gain a new level. All three of those func- levels in a class. tions use effective character level instead. Character Level: When a creature’s description refers to Goal Creature: When transforming an exist- character level, add any class levels it has to the base crea- ing character into a new race or creature type ture’s Hit Dice to determine the character level. This is not (see Chapter 11: Becoming a Monster), the goal the same as effective character level (see below),, which creature is what the character wishes to be- also includes a level adjustment. The creature’s base save come. If a human wants to become an ogre, the and base attack bonuses are based on its character level. goal creature is ogre. Thus, character level is a good measure of basic effective- Hit Dice: A monster’s “kind” is, in many ways, ness in adventuring. its character class (see Chapter 3: Classes for more Class Levels: Class levels are levels in one or more char- on this concept); in this sense, its Hit Dice are acter classes. A 3rd-level fighter has three class levels (all in equivalent to its monster class levels. If a crea- 5

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ture has 1 Hit Die or a fractional Hit Die, the first Hit Die it a monster character using just this outline and Appendix gains in an actual character class replaces its racial Hit Die or 2: Compiled Tables when you are comfortable with the portion thereof, and the character functions as any other rules in Savage Species. Until then, use the information in member of its class. Chapter 2: Building Monster Characters as well. Kind: Each entry in the Monster Manual describes a kind On the blank character sheet shown here, steps 1 through of monster. “Bulette” and “bugbear” are both kinds of mon- 12 are keyed to the places on the sheet where the informa- sters. tion for that step is recorded. Level Adjustment: Some monster kinds are far more powerful than other creatures that have the same Hit Dice. STEP 0. CHECK WITH YOUR DM Such an extra-powerful monster is assigned a level adjust- If you do not already have permission to play a monster ment—a number that, when added to its Hit Dice and class character, ask your Dungeon Master if such characters are levels, determines the level of character to which it would allowed in the campaign. Because monster characters are so be equivalent as a PC. A level adjustment provides a nu- varied, the DM may choose to allow only those created from meric comparison with the seven standard races from the certain kinds of monsters.

CREATION Player’s Handbook, showing how much “better” that kind of CHARACTER CHAPTER 1: monster is than one of the standard races. Level adjustment 1. CHOOSE BASE CREATURE takes into account a monster’s special abilities, so it does The instructions in the Player’s Handbook apply equally here, not adequately reflect the character’s effectiveness in with one exception. The DM helps you select a creature adventuring the way base save and base attack bonuses do. from the level adjustment lists provided in Appendix 2: Instead, it lets the DM know how much more challenging Compiled Tables. Your DM knows what complexity of mon- an encounter must be than a character’s character level, in ster (see Chapter 2: Building Monster Characters) he or she order to provide an adequate challenge. is willing to allow in the game. Pick a monster with a start- Monster Character: A character created using some ing ECL equal to or less than the average character level of kind of creature other than the seven standard races from the rest of the party. (In step 3, you will add class levels until the Player’s Handbook is called a monster character. the ECL equals the party’s average character level.) Be aware Standard Races: The standard races are those given in that creatures with ability scores below 3 may be unplayable. the Player’s Handbook as options for creating player charac- In particular, any creature with an Intelligence below 3 is ters: dwarf, , gnome, , half-elf, half-, and not a playable character, since 3 is the minimum Intelli- human. gence score for a player character according to the Player’s Starting ECL: A monster’s starting ECL is defined as: Handbook. See the Awakened Characters sidebar in Chapter 2: Building Monster Characters for guidelines on playing Base creature’s Hit Dice + level adjustment. awakened animals and plants. Put the name of your base creature in the space for “Race” on your character sheet. A monster character’s starting ECL should be equal to or less than the party’s average character level. In the latter case, 2. ABILITY SCORES add class levels to the monster character Sampleuntil its ECL fileThe three methods for determining monster ability scores equals the party’s average character level. are described below. Use one of them to generate a set of six numbers, and make a note of these numbers on a piece of scratch paper. BASICS OF A. Use the Base Creature’s Scores: You can copy the MONSTER CHARACTERS ability scores of the base creature from the Monster Manual if This section gives an outline of the process for building a you wish. This technique sounds simple, but it has one monster character, beginning with a creature from the major drawback. Each of a monster’s ability scores, as given Monster Manual and adding class levels to it. You can build in the Monster Manual, is 10 or 11, adjusted by racial modi- pqqqqrs

CHALLENGE RATING VERSUS EFFECTIVE spell-like ability is usable at will or once per day. It probably CHARACTER LEVEL won’t live long enough for the frequency of use to make a Challenge Rating and effective character level measure two difference. But the distinction makes a huge difference to a PC, different things. CR measures the threat level of a monster, and who could potentially use the ability in every encounter. ECL measures its relative effectiveness compared to a charac- Further, if a powerful creature (such as a balor) has access to a ter of one of the standard races, as given in the Player’s plethora of spell-like abilities, that fact doesn’t affect its CR too Handbook. The factors that go into making a good challenge heavily, because it only gets to use three or four of them in a and a good character are so different that CR is no help in the given encounter. Again, however, that kind of flexibility matters latter case. A monster is only “on the scene” for a very short a lot to a PC. while, usually just a few rounds. A player character, on the As illustrated by these examples, CR and ECL measure two other hand, is present for almost every scene of the adventure. different things, so both are necessary. Never assume that CR For example, it makes little difference to a monster’s CR if a and ECL are equivalent, or even related. 6 pqqqqrs