Horrific creatures
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There can be little horror without horrific creatures. This page details changes and additions to the Modern creature rules. Some of these are needed to make monsters viable as players, some are simply reasonable.
Anything not specified here remains unchanged from the SRD. See Creatures.
Special Abilities
The following abilities are changed compared to the SRD.
Damage Reduction
Damage Reduction always stacks. A creature with DR 5/magic, DR 5/silver, and DR 3/- has DR 13 against normal attacks, DR 8 against magic or silver attacks, and DR 3 against attacks that are both magic and silver.
The only materials that can be categories for DR are iron (including steel), silver, stone (typically crystal), and wood. A creature with DR against any material counts as all materials when attacking using its natural weaponry. DR should be a defense against mundanes, not make werewolf-vs-vampire slugfests into the cuddlies.
Darkvision
A creature with darkvision ignores all concealment from darkness. Darkvision does not have a maximum range. It should be a fairly rare ability.
Energy Drain
Even if there is such a thing as energy drain (which is no sure thing), it is simply retarded to lose levels permanently. All negative levels return when the duration is up, even if the 24-hour save is failed. If the duration is infinite, they return the next time that the victim gains a level.
Low-Light Vision
A creature with low-light vision ignores concealment (but not total concealment) from darkness.
Natural Armor
The natural armor modifier of most standard creatures assumes that the creature doesn't get a defense modifier. To account for this, use 1/3 (FRD) of the listed natural armor.
Power Resistance
Psionics is just a form of magic. Any creature with Power Resistance should have Spell Resistance instead.
Spell Resistance
A creature with spell resistance can avoid the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that directly affect it. It gets a +5 defense bonus against spells, and never suffer partial effects when a spell misses its defense.
Turn Resistance
There's no such thing as "Turning", so this ability is null and void.
Types and Subtypes
There are far too many creature types in d20 Modern, due to inheritance from D&D. Furthermore, most types have too many inherent abilities.
- No creature or object is immune to criticals. Creatures that would normally be immune to criticals remain immune to sneak attack and coup de grace, except as detailed below.
- No creature or object is immune to massive damage. Enough dynamite will always destroy Jason—but it won't prevent him from returning in the sequel.
- No creature is immune to nonlethal damage. A combination of high DR and high Major Wound Threshold can ensure near-immunity.
- In almost all cases, creatures with Darkvision should have Low-Light Vision instead. Most creatures that currently have Low-Light Vision should lose it.
Constructs
In general, constructs:
- are subject to critical hits, non-lethal damage, and massive damage.
- are subject to sneak attack and coup de grace unless their bodies lack an internal structure.
- are subject to mind-affecting effects unless mindless.
- can be repaired if reduced to 0 hit points. A construct reduced to 0 hit points by a massive attack is destroyed and cannot be repaired.
Elementals
In general, elementals:
- are subject to critical hits, non-lethal damage, and massive damage.
- are subject to flanking, if they have a shape with a distinct front.
Undead
In general, undead:
- are subject to critical hits, non-lethal damage, and massive damage.
- are subject to sneak attack and coup de grace, unless incorporeal.
- are subject to mind-affecting magic, unless mindless.
- are subject to Necromantic effects that don't require a living target.
- are subject to stunning and related conditions, though they cannot become unconscious. If reduced to "Unconscious" on the condition track, they are helpless, but remain conscious.
Unliving
The unliving have most traits in common with the undead. The difference is that while the unliving stopped living but never actually died, the undead did in fact die but returned.
In general, unliving have the traits of the undead, with these differences:
- have a Constitution score. Their Hit Dice are not replaced with 1d12, and they receive a Constitution bonus to Hit Points. They are not immune to Fortitude effects, but usually receive a bonus to Fortitude defense.
- are subject to ability damage, critical hits, non-lethal damage, massive damage, sneak attack, and coup de grace. They are never incorporeal.
- are subject to magical poison and disease. They are still immune to normal poison and disease.
- are subject to Necromantic effects that don't require a living target.
- are subject to mind-affecting magic. They are never mindless.
- are subject to stunning and related conditions, though they cannot become unconscious. If reduced to "Unconscious" on the condition track, they are helpless, but remain conscious.
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