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Pathfinder Unchained / Simple Monster Creation

Simple Monster Creation Overview

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 194
Monsters can be truly memorable and entertaining, but they can also be a lot of work if the GM needs to customize them or create new ones. The standard methods for creating monsters and NPCs are similar to those for creating player characters, but striking the right power balance can be challenging.

The simple monster creation system presented here lets you create a monster and have it ready for your table quickly. This means bending the normal rules to cut out time-consuming steps, such as picking a ton of 1st-level spells a monster is unlikely to cast, selecting magic items according to an NPC’s budget, or recalculating statistics based on spell effects. Rather than making you build a monster from scratch, this system uses baselines derived from Table 1–1: Monster Statistics by CR on page 291 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. This gives you the flexibility to start off with almost-final statistics and make a few adjustments as needed to create a formidable unchained monster.