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Pathfinder Unchained / Simple Monster Creation / Step 7: Monster Options / Combat Options

Monstrous

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 232
These abilities are typically supernatural or inhuman in nature. If a monster is meant to be more like an NPC—and especially if it uses a PC race—avoid choosing monstrous combat options.

Blood Drain: This monster deals Constitution damage as the ability damage option, but does so automatically at the end of the monster’s turn to any creature it’s grappling.

Breath Weapon: The monster gains a breath weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage + 1d6 per CR. A target can attempt a Reflex saving throw to take half damage. If the breath weapon is a cone, it’s 30 feet long, increasing by 10 feet for each size category above Medium, and decreasing by 5 feet for every size category below Medium. If the breath weapon is a line, its area of effect is twice as long as a cone would be.

Channel Resistance: The monster gains channel resistance +4.

Confusion Aura: Any creature that comes within 30 feet of the monster must attempt a Will save (DC = the monster’s ability DC – 5). If it fails, it is confused for a number of rounds equal to the monster’s CR. If it succeeds, it can’t be affected again by this aura for 24 hours. The range increases to 60 feet at CR 10 and to 120 feet at CR 20.

Corrupting Gaze: The monster has a gaze attack (as the universal monster rule) with a range of 30 feet. The attack deals 2d10 points of damage and 1d4 points of Charisma damage. A successful Fortitude save negates the Charisma damage.

Corrupting Touch: A monster must be incorporeal to have this ability. The monster can make a touch attack. If it hits, the target supernaturally ages and takes 1d6 points of damage per CR the monster possesses (Fortitude half ). Targets immune to magical aging are immune to this damage.

Create Spawn: The monster can create spawn out of those it slays. The victim rises from death as the kind of monster that created it in 1d4 days and is under the command of the monster that created it, remaining enslaved until its master’s destruction. The monster can have enslaved spawn whose HD total no more than 2 × the monster’s CR; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed. The monster can free an enslaved spawn in order to create a new enslaved spawn, but once freed, a creature cannot be enslaved again.

Curse of Lycanthropy: The monster bears the curse of lycanthropy. When the monster is in animal or hybrid form and hits a humanoid target with a bite attack, the target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = the monster’s ability DC – 5) or become infected by the curse. If the target’s size category is not within one size category of the lycanthrope’s, this ability has no effect.

Damaging Body: When the monster is hit with an unarmed strike or melee weapon without reach, the attacker takes an amount of damage equal to 1d6 + 1/2 the monster’s CR. Choose an appropriate damage type for this option, such as fire if the monster’s body is burning or piercing if it’s covered in spines.

Disease: One of the monster’s attacks causes disease unless the target succeeds at a Fortitude save. The basic disease has onset 1d3 days, frequency 1/day, effect 1 point of damage to any one ability score (chosen when the monster gains this option), cure 2 consecutive saves. Choose two of the following additional advantages, plus one advantage for every 5 CR the monster has: decrease the onset to 1 day (can be chosen multiple times to reduce the onset to 1 hour, then to —), change the frequency to 1 hour, increase the effect to 1d3 points of damage (this option can be chosen multiple times to further increase the damage to 1d4, then to 1d6), damage an additional ability score (using the same amount of damage as the primary ability damage effect), or change the cure to —.

Distraction: A creature damaged by this monster is nauseated for 1 round (Fortitude negates).

Draining Touch: The monster can make a melee touch attack as though it had the ability damage option dealing ability drain. Each time the monster drains an ability score in this way, it heals 5 points of damage to itself.

Energy Drain: This monster bestows 1 negative level with its attacks (or attacks of a particular type) and gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level bestowed. The number of negative levels bestowed increases to 2 at CR 10 and 3 at CR 20.

Engulf: This functions as the universal monster rule, but uses the monster’s ability DC from its array. The monster can either deal its high weapon damage to engulfed creatures, or deal its low weapon damage and inflict one of the following conditions: bleed (as the option), blinded (Fortitude negates), deafened, energy drain (as the option; see above), frightened (Will negates), nauseated (Fortitude negates), or paralyzed (Fortitude negates).

Fast Healing: This monster regains 2 hit points per round. This healing increases to 5 hit points per round at CR 4, 10 at CR 11, 15 at CR 16, and 20 at CR 21.

Fear Attack: This ability functions as the fear aura option (see below), but requires a standard action to activate, uses the monster’s full ability DC, and affects creatures in a cone, burst, or ray. If used as a ray, it affects only one creature and requires a ranged touch attack to affect the creature. The size of the effect appears on the table below.

CR	Cone	Burst	Ray
0-9	60 ft.	30 ft.	120 ft.
10-19	120 ft.	60 ft.	240 ft.
20+	240 ft.	120 ft.	480 ft.

Fear Aura: Any creature that comes within 30 feet of the monster must attempt a Will save (DC = the monster’s ability DC – 5). If it fails, it is panicked for a number of rounds equal to the monster’s CR; if it succeeds, it is shaken for 1 round. The range increases to 60 feet at CR 10 and 120 feet at CR 20.

Fling: When the monster has a creature grappled, it can fling that creature as a standard action. The flung creature travels 1d6 × 10 feet and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet traveled. If the monster can fly, it can instead fling the creature as a free action while airborne. If it does, the flung creature takes damage as specified above or the appropriate falling damage, whichever is greater.

Frightful Presence: This ability functions as fear aura (see above), but affected creatures are shaken for 15 rounds (or panicked if they have 4 or fewer HD). This ability doesn’t affect creatures of a level equal to or higher than the monster’s CR + 4, and a creature that succeeds at its save can’t be affected by the monster’s frightful presence for 24 hours.

Gaseous Form: As a standard action, the monster can use gaseous form at will, and it can remain in this form indefinitely. While it does, it has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.

Incorporeal: This functions as the universal monster rule, without adjusting AC, attack bonuses, or CMB.

Malevolence: Once per round, the monster can attempt to merge its body with a creature within its reach. The target can resist the attack with a successful Will save. A target that succeeds at its save becomes immune to the monster’s malevolence for 24 hours. This ability is similar to magic jar, except that it doesn’t require a receptacle.

Negative Healing: You heal damage instead of taking damage from negative energy.

Paralysis: The monster’s attacks paralyze a target for 1d2 rounds unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save. For every 3 CR, improve this ability by increasing the number of rounds (to 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, and finally 2d6). At CR 18, targets are paralyzed for 1 round even on a success.

Paralyzing Touch: The monster gains a touch attack. A living creature hit by this attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = the monster’s ability DC – 5) or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by this attack seems dead, though a successful DC 20 Perception check or a successful DC 15 Heal check reveals that the creature is still alive.

Poisonous Blood: This functions as the poison option (see above), but affects any creature that confirms a critical hit against the monster using a piercing or slashing melee weapon (unless the weapon has reach).

Rake: If the monster begins its turn grappling a creature, it can make two free claw attacks on its turn against that creature, dealing its low weapon damage. If it has pounce, it also gains these rake attacks when it pounces.

Regeneration: This functions as the fast healing option (see above), but the monster can’t die while its regeneration still functions. Choose two or more damage types (typically acid and fire damage); these types suppress the regeneration for 1 round.

Rejuvenation: Once destroyed or killed, the monster restores itself after a set period of time (typically 1d10 days). The specific means for permanently destroying the monster and the time it takes before reforming vary between monsters.

Rock Throwing: The monster can throw and catch rocks. The thrown rock is a ranged attack with a range increment of 120 feet, and deals the monster’s low weapon damage. Once per round as a free action, the monster can catch a rock that would hit it, taking no damage.

Snatch: When the monster is grappling a creature three or more size categories smaller than itself that it grabbed after hitting with a bite or claw attack, it deals damage as though it had hit with the attack again each time it successfully rolls to maintain the grapple. If the monster’s holding a creature in its mouth, that creature can’t save against the monster’s breath weapon (if any). The monster can fling a creature it has snatched as though it had the fling option (see above). A monster must have the improved combat maneuver (grab) option to select this option.

Stench: Any living creature within 30 feet of the monster must succeed at a Fortitude save or be sickened for 10 rounds. Creatures that succeed can’t be affected by the monster’s stench for 24 hours. Stench counts as a poison for effects that resist or remove poisons.

Vampiric Attack: Once per day, the monster can leech health from one target as a melee touch attack or as a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 feet. This deals 1d6 points of damage per CR the monster possesses (Fortitude half ). The monster gains temporary hit points equal to the amount of damage dealt.

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Monstrous