Preface to "Monstryatniku"
The text below is part of the
more descriptions of monsters AD & D. This
the text is primarily intended lovers
professionals and AD & D. Because text of well-
very large (approximately about two
MB), it is natural that we throw in a newspaper account of its
parts. On the question: "Why this text is not to release
individual disks? I can not answer only one thing: because of
the fear that drives can "Lost in transit can not be said about
the newspaper, which can easily pass through Buddy, Fido, or
the Internet. It is also possible complaints that the text is
in English. However, in my opinion were the days
when the programmer might know
one language. So either learn English,
or find friends who speak English. Also, translation is very
difficult due to his artistry, who tried to translate at least
some text with PTsshnyh translators that understand me. That's
it. Have fun reading and quiet dreams
at night. With all questions please
address 69123 Zaporozhye, ul. Hortitskoe
Highway 18/29. Phone 43-98-60, 49-62-02
(Alexander).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (r)
2nd Edition
Monstrous Manual (tm)
Game Accessory
The updated Monstrous Manual (tm) for the
AD & D (r) 2nd Edition Game
TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.
POB 756 120 Church End
Lake Geneva Cherry Hinton
WI 53147 Cambridge CB1 3LB
USA United Kingdom
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and AD & D are
registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
The TSR logo and MONSTROUS MANUAL are trademarks owned by TSR,
Inc.
Project Coordinator: Tim Beach
Editor: Doug Stewart
Editorial Assistant: Gaye O'Keefe
Cover Illustration: Jeff Easley
Interior Illustrations: Tony DiTerlizzi
(Pencils, inks, and colors on insects,
crustaceans, faerie-folk, and miscellaneous creepy things),
Jeff Butler (pencils and inks on ssmans, demihumans, humanoids,
giants, genies, dragonets, and miscellaneous part-human
creatures), Dave Simons (Pencils, inks, and colors on normal
animals, almost normal animals, and squishy things), Tom Baxa
(pencils, inks, and colors on gith-kind and miscellaneous),
Mark Nelson (pencilssand inks on dragons, dinosaurs, and
miscellaneous), Les Dorscheid (Colors on most of the book), Tim
Beach and Doug Stewart (invisible stalker)
Art Coordination: Peggy Cooper with Tim
Beach
Typesetting: Gaye O'Keefe
Keylining: Paul Hanchette
Proofreading: Karen Boomgarden, Anne
Brown, Andia Hayday, Thomas Reid, David
Wise
Guidance: Steve Winter, Tim Brown, James
M. Ward
Monster Selection Committee: Jeff Grubb,
David Wise, John Rateliff, Tim Beach
Development: Tim Beach, Doug Stewart, Slade Henson, Thomas
Reid, Jeff Grubb, Wolfgang Baur, Jon Pickens, John Rateliff
Design Concept for MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM (r)
Appendices: David "Zeb" Cook, Steve Winter, Jon Pickens
We would like to offer special thanks to
the artists and the people who helped with
development, as well as Rich Baker, Carolyn Chambers, Bill
Connors, Peggy Cooper, Slade Henson, Dawn Kegley, Dan8 Knutson,
Georgia S. Stewart, and Sue Weinlein. Many
people have contributed to either the original first edition
monster books or to the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM (tm) appendices.
The list that follows may not be complete,
but we would like to thank the following
people for their contributions t? the
monsters described in this book: the designers and editors,
Rich Baker, Jay Battista, Wolfgang Baur, Tim Beach, Scott
Bennie, Donald J. Bingle, Linda Bingle, Karen Boomgarden, Grant
Boucher, Al Boyce, Mike Breault, Anne Brown, Tim Brown, Dr.
Arthur W. Collins, Bill Connors, David
Denning, Dale Donovan, Newton Ewell, Nigel
Findley, Steve Gilbert, Ed Greenwood, Jeff
Grubb, Gary Gygax, Luke Gygax, Allen Hammack, Kris & Steve
Hardinger, Andria Hayday, Bruce A. Heard, Slade Henson, Tracy
Hickman, Harold Johnson, Rob King, Vera Jane Koffler, Heike
Kubasch, Steve Kurtz, J. Paul LaFountain, Lenard Lakofka, Jim
Lowder, Franois Marcela-Froideval, David
Martin, Colin McComb, Anne McCready, Blake
Mobley, Kim Mohan, Roger E. Moore, Chris
Mortika, Bruce Nesmith, C. Terry Phillips,
Jon Pickens, Brian Pitzer, Mike Price,
Louis J. Prosperi, Tom Prusa, Jean Mu, Paul Reiche, Jim Sandt,
Lawrence Schick, Rick Swan, Greg Swedburg, Teeuwynn, John
Terra, Gary Thomas, Allen Varney, James M.
Ward, Dori Watry, Skip Williams, and Steve
Winter; the artists who helped define the
monsters, Tom Baxa, Brom, Jeff Butler,
Clyde Caldwell, Doug Chaffee, Tony DiTerlizzi, Les Dorscheid,
Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Fred Fields, Jim Holloway, Daniel
Horne, Mark Nelson, Keith Parkinson, Harry
Quinn, Robh Ruppel, Dave Simons, Dave Sutherland, DA Trampier,
Valerie Valusek; and the people who put the books together
and make them look good, Linda Bakk, Dee
Barnett, Steve Beck, Peggy Cooper, Sarah
Feggestad, Paul Hanchette, Angelika Lokotz, Gaye O'Keefe,
Stephanie Tabat, and Tracey Zamagne; and anyone who has ever
asked a question, offered constructive
criticism, written an article, or offered
an opinion about the monsters of the
AD & D (r) game. Special thanks to Christopher M. Carter and
Seth Goodkind for spotting errors.
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD & D, DRAGON,
DRAGONLANCE, FIEND FOLIO, FORGOTTEN REALMS, GREYHAWK,
RAVENLOFT, SPELLJAMMER, and WORLD OF GREYHAWK are registered
trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. AL-QADIM, DARK SUN, MONSTROUS
COMPENDIUM, DUNGEON MASTER, DM, and the TSR logo are trademarks
owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters, character
names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks
owned by TSR, Inc.
Random House and its affiliate companies
have worldwide distribution rights in the
book trade for English language products
of TSR, Inc.
Distributed to the book and hobby trade in
the United Kingdom by TSR, Ltd.
Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by
regional distributors.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the
United States of America. Any reproduction or other
unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained
herein is prohibited without the express
written consent of TSR, Inc.
Copyright (c) 1995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Re
served.
How To Use This Book
This hardcover Monstrous Manual was created in response to the
many requests to gather monsters into a single, durable volume
which would be convenient to carry. With the DUNGEON MASTER
(tm) Guide (DMG) and the Player's Handbook (PHB), the Monstrous
Manual forms the core of the AD & D (r) 2nd Edition game.
Every monster from the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM (r) Volumes One
and Two are contained within, as well as a few creatures from
later volumes. The monsters in the Monstrous Manual have been
revised, edited, and updated. Statistics for many of the
creatures have been corrected, new information has been added
to many of the entries, and many monsters have been
reclassified. There are some new beasts, as well. In cases of
conflicting information, the Monstrous Manual supersedes all
previously published data.
Certain entries have been greatly condensed from MONSTROUS
COMPENDIUM entries, to make this book as complete as possible
without increasing its size or price. For
instance, there is a full-page description
of ravens in the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM appendix for the GREYHAWK
(r) campaign setting; in this book, ravens are given only a few
lines in the "Bird" entry. This provides enough information to
use the creatures for a short encounter, and it allows a page
to be devoted to another adversary.
To find a monster in this book, flip
through the pages or look in the index,
which contains listings for the common name (s) of every
monster in the book, referenced to the correct page.
All of the monsters described here are
typical for their type. DMs should note
that unusual variations are encouraged,
but they are most effective when they depart from the expected.
Likewise, entries describe typical lairs for creatures, from
the dungeon complexes they inhabit to the
tree houses they build; changing the look
of these can make a monster encounter unique.
Contents
This introduction describes how to interpret the monsters in
this book. In addition, there are three small appendices in the
back of the book. The first deals with making monsters. The
second covers monster summoning and includes tables for random
determination of summoned creatures; to
make random encounter charts for a campaign, the DM should
refer to Chapter 11 of the DMG. The third appendix is
concerned with creating NPC parties.
Other Worlds
Several of the monsters in this book have
been imported from specialized game
worlds, such as the SPELLJAMMER (r) campaign setting, the
FORGOTTEN REALMS (r) setting, or the DARK SUN (r) world. The
monsters in this book may be used in any setting; if a campaign
setting is noted, it simply describes where the monster was
first encountered, or where it is the most
common. A particular monster still may not
be encountered in a specific campaign
world; this is up to the DM. For monsters
from one of the specific worlds, the DM
should consult the appropriate MONSTROUS
COMPENDIUM appendices.
The Monsters
Each monster is described fully, with entries that describe
behavior, combat modes, and so on. These are explained in the
following text.
CLIMATE / TERRAIN defines where the creature
is most often found. Climates include arctic, sub-arctic,
temperate, and tropical. Typical terrain includes plain /
scrub, forest, rough / hill, mountain, swamp, and desert. In
some cases, a range is given; for instance, "cold" implies
arctic, sub-arctic, and colder temperate regions. FREQUENCY is
the likelihood of encountering a creature in an area. Chances
can be adjusted for special areas.
Very rare = 4% chance
Rare = 11% chance
Uncommon = 20% chance
Common = 65% chance
ORGANIZATION is the general social structure the monster
adopts. "Solitary" includes small family groups.
ACTIVITY CYCLE is the time of day when the
monster is most active. Those active at
night can be active at any time in subterranean settings. These
are general guidelines and exceptions are fairly common.
DIET shows what the creature usually eats.
Carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat
plants, and omnivores eat either. Scavengers primarily eat
carrion. If a monster does not fit any of these categories, the
substances it does eat are described in
the entry or in the text.
INTELLIGENCE is the equivalent of human
"IQ." Certain monsters are instinctively
cunning; these are noted in the monster
descriptions. Ratings correspond roughly
to the following Intelligence ability scores:
0 Nonintelligent or not ratable
1 Animal intelligence
2-4 Semi-intelligent
5-7 Low intelligence
8-10 Average (human) intelligence
11-12 Very intelligent
13-14 Highly intelligent
15-16 Exceptionally intelligent
17-18 Genius
19-20 Supra-genius
21 + Godlike intelligence
TREASURE refers to the treasure tables in
the DUNGEON MASTER Guide. If individual
treasure is indicated, each individual may
carry it (or not, at the DM's discretion).
Major treasures are usually found in the
monster's lair; these are most often designed and placed by the
DM. Intelligent monsters will use the magical items present and
try to carry off their most valuable treasures if hard pressed.
If treasure is assigned randomly, roll for each type possible;
if all rolls fail, no treasure of any type is found. Treasure
should be adjusted downward if a few monsters are
encountered. Large treasures are noted by
a multiplier (x10, for example); this should not be confused
with treasure type X. Treasure types listed in parentheses are
treasures found in the creatures' lair. Do
not use the tables to place dungeon treasure, since the numbers
encountered underground will be much smaller.
ALIGNMENT shows the general behavior of
the average monster of that type. Exceptions, though uncommon,
may be encountered.
NO. APPEARING indicates an average encounter size for a
wilderness encounter. The DM should alter this to fit the
circumstances as the need arises. This should not be used for
dungeon encounters.
Note that some solitary creatures are
found in small groups; this means they are
found in very small family units, or that
several may happen to be found together,
but do not cooperate with one another.
ARMOR CLASS is the general protection worn
by humans and humanoids, protection due to
physical structure or magical nature, or
difficulty in hitting due to speed, reflexes, etc. Humans and
humanoids of roughly man-size that wear armor will have an
unarmored rating in parentheses. Listed AC
does not include any special bonuses noted
in the description.
MOVEMENT shows the relative speed rating
of the creature. Higher speeds may be possible for short
periods. Human, demihuman, and humanoid movement rate is often
determined by armor type (unarmored rates are given in
parentheses). Movements measures in special units (man movement
= 12; 1 unit approximately equal 0.5 kilometres
per hour), as follows:
Fl = flying
Sw = swimming
Br = burrowing
Cl = climbing
Wb = moving across webs
Flying creatures also have a Maneuverability Class from A to
E. Class A creatures have virtually total command over their
movements in the air; they can hover, face any direction in a
given round, and attack each round. Class B creatures are
very maneuverable; they can hover, turn
180 degrees in a round, and attack in each
round. Class C creatures are somewhat agile in the air; they
cannot move less than half their movement rate without falling,
they can turn up to 90 degrees in a round,
and attack aerially once every two rounds.
Class D creatures are somewhat slow; they
cannot move less than half their movement
rate without falling, can turn only 60
degrees in a round, and can make a pass
once every three rounds. Class E includes
large, clumsy fliers; these cannot move
less than half their movement rate without
falling, can turn only 30 degrees in a round, and they can make
one pass every six rounds. See Chapter 9 of the DMG for more
information.
HIT DICE controls the number of hit points
damage a creature can withstand before being killed. Unless
otherwise stated, Hit Dice are eight-sided (1-8 hit points).
The Hit Dice are rolled and the numbers shown are
added to determine the monster's hit points. Some monsters have
a hit point spread instead of Hit Dice, and some have
additional points added to their Hit Dice. Thus, a creature
with 4 +4 Hit Dice has 4d8 +4 hit points (8-36 total). Note that
creatures with +3 or more hit points are
considered the next higher Hit Die for
purposes of attack rolls and saving
throws.
THAC0 is the attack roll the monster needs
to hit Armor Class 0. This is always a
function of Hit Dice, except in the case
of very large, nonaggressive herbivores
(Such as some dinosaurs), or creatures
which have certain innate combat abilities. A human or
demihuman always uses a player character THAC0, regardless of
whether they are player characters or
"Monsters." The THAC0 does not include any
special bonuses noted in the descriptions.
NUMBER OF ATTACKS shows the basic attacks
the monster can make in a melee round,
excluding special attacks. This number can
be modified by hits that sever members,
spells such as haste and slow, and so
forth. Multiple attacks indicate several
members, raking paws, multiple heads, etc.
DAMAGE / ATTACK shows the amount of damage a
given attack causes, expressed as a spread
of hit points (based on a die roll or combination of die
rolls). If the monster uses weapons, the damage done by the
typical weapon will be allowed by the parenthetical note
"weapon." Damage bonuses due to Strength are listed as a bonus
following the damage range.
SPECIAL ATTACKS detail attack modes such
as dragon breath, magic use, etc. These
are explained in the monster description.
SPECIAL DEFENSES are precisely that, and
are detailed in the monster description.
MAGIC RESISTANCE is the percentage chance
that any magic cast upon the creature will
fail to affect it, even if other creatures
nearby are affected. If the magic penetrates the resistance,
the creature is still entitled to any normal saving throw
allowed. Creatures may have resistances to certain spells; this
is not considered "Magic resistance", which is effective
against all spells.
SIZE is abbreviated as
T = tiny (2 'tall or less);
S = smaller than a typical human
(2 + 'to 4');
M = man-sized (4 + 'to 7');
L = larger than man-sized (7 + 'to 12');
H = huge (12 + 'to 25'); and
G = gargantuan (25 + ').
Most creatures are measured in height or
length; some are measured in diameter.
Those measured in diameter may be given a
different size category than indicated
above. For instance, while a six-foot tall
humanoid is considered size M, a spherical
creature 6 feet in diameter has much more
mass, so is considered size L. Similarly,
a creature 12 feet long with a very slender body (like a snake)
might be considered only man-sized. Adjustments like these
should not move a creature more than one size category in
either direction.
MORALE is a general rating of how likely
the monster is to persevere in the face of
adversity or armed opposition. This guideline can be adjusted
for individual circumstances. Morale ratings correspond to the
following range:
2-4 Unreliable
5-7 Unsteady
8-10 Average
11-12 Steady
13-14 Elite
15-16 Champion
17-18 Fanatic
19-20 Fearless
XP VALUE is the number of experience points awarded for
defeating, but not necessarily killing, the monster. This value
is a guideline that can be modified by the DM
for the degree of challenge, encounter situation, and for
overall campaign balance.
Combat is the part of the description that
discusses special combat abilities, arms
and armor, and tactics.
Habitat / Society outlines the monster's general behavior,
nature, social structure, and goals. In some cases, it further
describes their lairs (the places they live in), breeding
habits, and reproduction rates.
Ecology describes how the monster fits into the campaign world,
gives any useful products or byproducts, and any other
miscellaneous information.
Variations of a monster are given in a
special section after the main monster
entry. These can be found by consulting
the index. For instance, the xorn entry
also describes the xaren, a very similar
creature.
Psionics are mental powers possessed by
many creatures in the Monstrous Manual.
The psionic listings are explained below:
Level: How tough the monster is in terms
of psionic experience level.
Dis / Sci / Dev: How many disciplines the creature can access,
followed by the total number of sciences and devotions the
creature knows. Monsters can know sciences and devotions only
from the disciplines they can access.
Attack / Defense: The telepathic attack and
defense modes that the creature can use.
Note that defense modes are not included
in the total number of powers the creature
knows. Abbreviations used are as follows:
PB Psionic Blast M-Mind Blank
MT Mind Thrust TS Thought Shield
EW Ego Whip MB Mental Barrier
II Id Insinuation IF Intellect Fortress
PsC Psychic Crush TW Tower of Iron Will
Power Score: The creature's usual score
when using a power that is not automatically successful.
PSPs: The creature's total pool of psionic
strength points (the maximum available to
it).
The rest of the listing indicates, by
discipline, which powers the creature has,
sometimes listing the most common powers,
sometimes listing only the powers that all
members of the species have. Unless otherwise noted, the
creature always knows powers marked by an asterisk.
For information regarding psionic powers, see PHBR5, The
Complete Psionics Handbook. If the DM chooses not to use
psionics in the campaign, the powers can
be changed to magical equivalents or simply ignored, though the
latter severely impedes certain monsters.
Aarakocra
CLIMATE / TERRAIN: Tropical and temperate
mountains
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: D
ALIGNMENT: Neutral good
NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVEMENT: 6, Fl 36 (C)
HIT DICE: 1 +2
THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE / ATTACK: 1-3/1-3 or 2-8 (weapon)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Dive +4
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (20 'wing span)
MORALE: Steady (11)
XP VALUE: 65
The aarakocra are a race of intelligent
bird-men that live on the peaks of the
highest mountains, spending their days soaring on the thermal
winds in peace and solitude.
Aarakocra are about 5 feet tall and have
a wing span of 20 feet. About halfway
along the edge of each wing is a hand with
three human-sized fingers and an opposable
thumb. An elongated fourth finger extends
the length of the wing and locks in place
for flying. Though the wing-hands cannot
grasp during flight, they are nearly as
useful as human hands when an aarakocra is
on the ground and its wings are folded
back. The wing muscles anchor in a bony
chest plate that provides the aarakocra
with extra protection. The powerful legs
end in four sharp talons that can unlock
and fold back to reveal another pair of
functional hands, also with three human-sized fingers and an
opposable thumb. The hand bones, like the rest of an
aarakocra's skeleton, are hollow and fragile.
Aarakocra faces resemble crosses between
parrots and eagles. They have gray-black
beaks, and black eyes set frontally in
their heads that provide keen binocular
vision. Plumage color varies from tribe to
tribe, but generally males are red, orange, and yellow while
females are brown and gray.
Aarakocra speak their own language, the
language of giant eagles, and, on occasion, the common tongue
(10% chance).
Combat: In aerial combat, an aarakocra
fights with either talons or the heavy
fletched javelins that he clutches in his
lower hands. An aarakocra typically carries a half dozen
javelins strapped to his chest in individual sheaths. The
javelins, which can be used for throwing or stabbing, inflict
2d4 points of damage. Owing to the aarakocra's remarkable skill
at throwing javelins in the air, it incurs
none of the attack penalties for aerial
missile fire. An aarakocra will always save its last javelin
for stabbing purposes rather than throwing it. Its favorite
attack is to dive at a victim while clutching a javelin in each
hand, then pull out of the dive just as it reaches its target,
and strike with a blood-curdling shriek.
This attack gains a +4 bonus to the attack
roll and causes double damage, but an aarakocra must dive at
least 200 feet to execute it properly.
An aarakocra is reluctant to engage in
grappling or ground combat, since its fragile bones are easily
broken. Though rarely used except when cornered, an aarakocra's
sharp beak can bite for 1-3 points of damage.
Habitat / Society: Aarakocra live in small
tribes of about 11-30 (1d20 +10) members.
Each tribe has a hunting territory of about 10,000 square miles
with colorful banners and pennants marking the boundaries.
Each tribe lives in a communal nest made
of woven vines with a soft lining of dried
grass. The eldest male serves as the tribe's leader.
