Monsters and Horrors

When creating monsters, The Adversary should not feel restrained by the character creation rules. Monsters and horrors are often far larger and more powerful than the heroes, and there is no reason why otherworldly creatures cannot have powers unavailable to the players.

Below are some pointers for creating interesting monsters.

Size

Normal player characters are considered to be human, or at least vaguely so. The size and density of monsters is measured relative to this standard, with humans being of Size and Density 0.

Monsters are often different. This makes the monsters frightening to the players, which is a good thing.

A creature twice as tall as a human would have roughly eight times the mass, assuming similar density. This is important to note for the sake of grappling or weak floors.

Great strength does not necessarily make one any less vulnerable to harm - an elephant is very strong, but can still be chopped into small pieces if hit with an axe enough times. Fortitude should be limited unless the creature is made of sterner stuff than most.

By the same token, one does not want a giant monster to be easily killed. In order to make creatures tough without making them invulnerable, The Adversary can give them Fortune to absorb wounds or allow them to suffer more wounds before incapacitation.

Some creatures may have proportions that make their strength different for different purposes. A long-limbed creature might have greater strength for striking than for lifting. A tentacled creature could have a powerful grip, but a weak punch.

Armor

Some creatures are tough, but not strong. If The Adversary wishes to create a monster that can take damage better than it can dish it out, he can make armor a natural part of its anatomy by giving the critter different Fortitude traits for withstanding damage, healing wounds, and resisting poisons.

Extra Limbs

There is no reason why extraplanar horrors need to be limited to two arms, two legs, and one head. There is nothing wrong with making your players fight an otherworldly octopus monster with eight heads and sixty-four tentacles. How this translates into game terms (such as improved Initiative or hundreds of attacks per round) is up to The Adversary.

Extra Senses

Monsters need not be limited to normal human sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste. A monsters may see infrared light, "see" via ultrasonic waves like a bat, or have some sort of supernatural spatial awareness.

Flight

Monsters need not be earthbound like the heroes. A monster could have great wings that allow it to fly, or it could levitate via unknown forces. Care should be taken, as melee specialists may be rendered useless if the flier can attack from up high.

Regeneration

Monsters and horrors may have rates of recovery far superior to the natural healing of a human. A monster could recover wounds and shocks once per round instead of once per week, perhaps even without rest. This makes monsters harder to kill, which makes them more frightening to the players. This is a good thing.

Powers

There is no reason why monsters need to be limited to the same spells as humans. While some monsters may indeed use energy blast or daze spells, some might also have special abilities such as shapeshifting, invisibility, or mind control. Some monsters may even be immune to physical or supernatural attacks (but not both, unless The Adversary wants a monster to be indestructable).

For that matter, there are supernatural arts appropriate for human antagonists that are not listed in the rules. This is because these abilities are not available to player characters. It is fine for The Adversary to make use of golems, undead, potions, and the like, but players should not know where they come from. Mystery is fun.

Alien Intellect

Humans are not the only creatures who can use spells to travel between worlds. Some monsters may come to this world of their own ability. One that does is the most frightening of opponents - it is alien, wields supernatural powers, and has its own reasons for being here.