# Creating Creatures for Encounters
> [!tldr] Creating Creatures for Encounter
> - Use the [[#Tables]] to pick or generate the creature
> - Breathe life into the creature by creating its lore
> - Create mechanics based on the lore
^tldr
This is using Dungeons and Dragons SRD as a base to create an encounter, especially with type of monsters. This will be using several attributes of the monster designs combined with Dice Roller to randomly generate a monster.
## Challenge Rating
This is not the Challenge Rating from the D&D series but rather challenge rating of an encounter against the adventuring party, and is relative to their level. This is obviously relative set up but gives you some idea of how challenging the encounter should be.
- Very Easy - Trivial matter the party can easily handle this
- Easy - The encounter is underwhelming as it is lacking something, they didn't really pack a punch.
- Medium - The encounter had equal footing to the party.
- Hard - This encounter is more challenging fort the party and expect at least one member to be in a critical state / near death moment.
- Very Hard - This encounter requires some planning and going head on would mean certain death of few members.
- Nearly Impossible - It is very likely the party would perish if they confront them and it is best advised they should run away from this unless they have specific tools to face against its powers.
If you want to skew the rolls, feel free to add or subtract modifiers (+/- 10 or more) to get the result you want because the situation calls for it.
Let's combine all the tables together to generate an encounter for the adventuring party:
> [!error] Roll: Encounter Creator
> `dice:[[Tips-on-Creating-Creatures-for-Encounters#^table4]]` `dice:[[Tips-on-Creating-Creatures-for-Encounters#^table3]]` `dice:[[Tips-on-Creating-Creatures-for-Encounters#^table1]]` `dice:[[Tips-on-Creating-Creatures-for-Encounters#^table2]]` `dice:[[Tips-on-Creating-Creatures-for-Encounters#^table2]]`(optional)
^dice1
## The Concept
Once you have a concept with the prompt or just by looking at the list, you can come up with what kind of creature it might be. Think about the creature's natural habitat and how it would behave.
> [!example]- Prompt: Huge Cold Ooze
> Name: Creeping Cold
>
> Not much of this creature is known other than it seeps out from the grounds in late fall or early winter from its hibernation and creeps around, mostly just below the ground and seeking prey. the only way to know whether they are there or not is to notice a feint white glow coming from the ground or the place where creeping cold is colder than its surroundings. Once its prey is near, its ooze ambushes on unsuspecting prey lured to its light and turns it into a frozen ice. Some keen merchants pointed out it does not touch their goods but froze their beast of burden and not their food supply, hinting it only prefers living prey or turn the living into a frozen icicle.
>
> Whatever created this monstrosity, it does have a weakness, it has a core. It is an average size of an apple with cool blue hue floating within its jelly like body. Some researchers highly prize this for their research while some villagers prize it because even after it's killed, the core is frigid cold to freeze things upon direct contact and can be used to keep things cold and preserved.
>
> Note I have not used the difficulty because I wanted something generic and will adjust the difficulty based on the encounter I would design based on this creature. Also I have added what potential reward they can get from slaying this creature.
^example1
## The Mechanics
Whatever game you are running, if your adventures is about to enter combat against this creature it should have some rememberable traits that it would do endanger them. Here's a checklist of things to add in my creature:
- [ ] [[#Once Per Encounter Action]] (optional: recharge on 6 on d6)
- [ ] [[#Basic Action]]
- [ ] [[#Strengths and Weaknesses]]
- [ ] Optional, [[#Passive Abilities]]
Let's break down each of them.
### Once Per Encounter Action
This is the key feature of the creature it can do once per encounter, usually it is their trump card and either to use it as an opener or last minute ditch effort depending on the nature of the creature. If this is something that is big and challenging, pick one of the player the following round of turns to roll a d6 and have it recharge when they roll a 6.
Don't forget since this is this creature's signature move, give some chance for players to know its ability if they can make appropriate rolls identify the creature.
### Passive Abilities
This is something the creature can do naturally that adds complexity to the encounter, A troll from D&D is one example with regeneration and its limbs can grow back.
### Basic Action
This is the most dull part to create but how would it engage the adventurers and what type of damage would it deal?
### Strengths and Weaknesses
Make sure bake this into the design where there are strengths and weaknesses the players can exploit. A good example is the troll again from D&D where it has regeneration and it can be stopped either with acid or fire.
Weakness is a key feature because it allows the players to find a creative solution to overcome the encounter instead of using brute force.
# Tables
###### Table 1: Elemental Type
| Elemental Type |
| -------------- |
| Cold |
| Fire |
| Force |
| Lightning |
| Necrotic |
| Radiant |
| Sonic |
^table1
###### Table 2: Creature Type
| Creature Type |
| ------------- |
| Aberration |
| Beast |
| Celestial |
| Construct |
| Dragon |
| Elemental |
| Fey |
| Fiend |
| Giant |
| Humanoid |
| Monstrosity |
| Ooze |
| Plant |
| Undead |
^table2
###### Table 3: Size
| Size |
| ---------- |
| Tiny (swarm) |
| Small |
| Medium |
| Large |
| Huge |
| Gargantuan |
^table3
###### Table 4: Challenge Rating
| dice:1d100 | Challenge Rating |
| -------- | ----------------- |
| 1-5 | Very Easy |
| 6-20 | Easy |
| 21-50 | Medium |
| 51-80 | Hard |
| 81-95 | Very Hard |
| 96-100 | Nearly Impossible |
^table4