Monster Abilities, Drawbacks, and Modifications

Monster abilities cost skill ranks for some sort of benefit. The skill ranks can come from any ability. Drawbacks can only be used to pay off abilities, not to gain actual skill ranks.

If a creature has more ranks lost to drawbacks than the sum of their ability scores (typically 15) then it can ignore those 15 (or however many) lost ranks and add +1 to its CR. Think of it as having a whole level in abilities.

While creating your own monsters, use these abilities as a loose guide. Do not allow characters to use these abilities unless you grant them specific permission, because they could be easily abused.

Invulnerable: [Ability] The monster is only vulnerable to specific forms of attack. Any attack that is not of that type is vastly reduced in effectiveness: a Kill is reduced to a Wound, and a Wound is completely ignored. Here are some examples of weaknesses:

1.   Damage Type: Only vulnerable to damage of a certain sort: Bludgeoning, Slashing, Piercing, Heat, Cold, Electric, etc.
2.   Material: Only vulnerable to a certain material. Ex: Iron, Silver, Wood, Bronze
3.   Location: A literal Achilles' Heel. For example, only a blow to the head has any chance of killing this creature. Only called shots to that location hurt the creature.
4.   Specific: The attack has a requirement that is incredibly rare. For example, the weapon has to be legitimately inherited for it to be affected.
5.   Magic: the creature is vulnerable to magical attacks (such as spells) and magic weapons
6.   Unique: The requirement is so rare that there may be only one or two in the world. For example, only the weapon that killed a legendary knight may be used to kill his ghost. A Unique invulnerability costs as much as two invulnerabilities.
7.   Artifact: Only vulnerable to Artifact weapons.

Cost: 2 skill ranks each.

Restrictions: multiple invulnerabilities may not be contradictory.

Examples:

1.   Zombies: Invulnerable/Headshot
2.   Vampires: Invulnerable/Piercing, Wood, and Heart (ie, stakes to the heart)
3.   Demons: Invulnerable/Cold Iron
4.   Fey: Invulnerable/Cold Iron

Immune: one type of damage has no effect on this creature.

Cost: 2 skill ranks

Vulnerability: [Drawback] The monster has a specific weakness. Unlike Invulnerable, this conveys no benefit. Here are some examples, but the GM is encouraged to come up with his or her own:

1.   Holy: The creature is negatively affected whenever it is within one meter of a prominently presented holy symbol, or while on holy ground. What qualifies as "holy" is up to the GM, but anything that conveys the beliefs of an individual always counts, even if it is not part of a major religion.
2.   Sunlight: when exposed to natural sunlight, the creature is negatively affected. Depending on the setting, this might include artificial UV lamps as well.
3.   Material: The creature is negatively affected whenever it is within one metre of a substantial amount of a specific type of material.
4.   Extremely Common:  literally everywhere . Like oxygen, or simply being on a particular plane of existence. Grants two additional free ranks.

Effect: Choose one or more effects for each vulnerability.

1.   Radioactive: The object counts as moderately irradiated. For particularly extreme examples, the GM may rule the object as counting as highly irradiated (for example, a creature vulnerable to holy objects being submersed in holy water)
2.   Disease: The creature is immediately exposed to a specific disease. Even if the creature is normally immune to diseases, it is not immune to this.
3.   Death: The creature dies. counts as six skill ranks, not two.
4.   Slow Ability Drain: the creature suffers one point of ability damage every day it is affected by the vulnerability. This ability damage can't be healed while in being exposed.  Rewards only 1 skill rank, not two.
5.   Ability Drain: the creature suffers one point of ability damage every round it is affected by the vulnerability. This ability damage can't be healed while in being exposed.
6.   Can't Heal: the creature can't heal any wounds while in being exposed.  Rewards only 1 skill rank, not two.
7.   Blinded/Deafened: the creature is immediately struck blind or deaf (choose one). When the object that causes the exposure is removed, the creature regains its senses in 1d4 rounds.
8.   Ability Countered: one of the creature's Monster Abilities (not including drawbacks) does not function in the presence of a vulnerability. Only counts for one rank, not two.
9.   Pain: The creature is in uncontrollable pain, and is treated as Stunned for as long as it is in contact with the source of the weakness, and Staggered for one round afterwards. After an attack with a weapon made of the offending material, unless the weapon remains in your body somehow (this only happens with special techniques or abilities) you are simply Staggered for 1 round.

Reward: 2 skill ranks each

Examples:

1.   Vampires: Vulnerable to sunlight, holy objects
2.   Demons: Vulnerable to the material plane: Slow Ability Drain (Spirit)
3.   Fey: Vulnerable to Iron: Pain

Possession:   [Ability]: This monster may possess other creatures or objects. If the target is a creature, the monster uses the target creature's physical stats, size, and speed or the monster's, whichever is higher. If the target is an object, the monster uses its own stats. In either case, the monster uses the target's Toughness. A monster possessing a creature or object may be exorcised.

If the possessed creature or object is destroyed or killed, the possessing creature survives but is Stunned for one round

Possessing a creature is a standard action. You must succeed in a Possess check (1d6+Possess bonus vs Will) in order to succeed.

  Cost: 1 rank/possess bonus. Maximum 1/level

Regeneration [Ability]: The creature heals one wound per round. If the creature is Invulnerable, it does not heal wounds caused by the type of attack it is vulnerable to.

  Cost: 2 skill ranks

Tough [Ability]: The creature's hide is particularly tough. The creature always gets a +1 natural armour bonus that does not stack with worn armour

  Cost: 1 skill rank per natural armour bonus. May be taken multiple times.

Summonable:[Ability] the creature may be Summoned using magic.

  Cost: none.

Damage Increase: [Ability] The creature's natural attack deals damage at one die higher than is normal. Natural weapons deal 1d4 damage by default. If it already does d12 damage, it instead adds +1 damage. This may be taken multiple times (use discretion):

Cost: 1 skill rank each damage upgrade.

Reach Increase:   [Ability] Increase one of the creature's natural attacks by one step. You can add this multiple times, either to different natural weapons or to the same one.

Cost: 1 skill rank each reach upgrade.

Additional Natural Weapon:   [Ability] The creature gets an additional natural weapon. The weapon defaults to 1d6 damage with close reach.

Large: [Ability] The creature is in the upper limits of its scale category. When determining the creature's carrying capacity, weapon and armour effort limits, multiply the increments by 1.25. The creature's Size bonus to Toughness (and minimum toughness) increases by +1. The creature takes a penalty of -1 to Stealth.

Example: Orc

Cost: 1 skill rank

Common Natural Weapons

Note that the costs include the Additional Natural Weapon ability. The first natural weapon doesn't need this, so costs 1 rank less.

Small: [Drawback] The creature is in the lower limits of its scale category. When determining the creature's carrying capacity, weapon and armour effort limits, multiply the increments by 0.75.  Armour for small characters weighs .75x as much  however. The creature's Size bonus to Toughness (and minimum toughness) decreases by 1. The creature gains a bonus of +1 to Stealth.

Example: Halfling

Reward: 1 skill rank

Slow: [Drawback] The creature's base speed decreases by 0.5 squares. If the creature has multiple movement types (example, flying or walking), this may be taken multiple times, each for a different movement type. You can also apply multiple Slow drawbacks to the same movement, each time decreasing it further.

Reward: 1 skill rank each decrease

Fast:   [Ability] The creature's base speed increases by 0.5 squares. If the creature has multiple movement types (example, flying or walking), this may be taken multiple times, each for a different movement type. Alternatively, you can add it multiple times to the same movement, each time increasing it by a further 0.5 squares.

Cost: 1 skill rank each increase

Poison [Ability]: The creature is poisonous. Choose one natural weapon to be used to inject the poison. If a creature is wounded by this attack, it gets affected by the poison.

Cost: 1 rank.

Ability Boost: [Ability] The creature gets a +1 Innate boost to one ability score. Use discretion.

Cost: 1 rank

Ability Drain: [Drawback] The creature gets a -1 Innate penalty to one ability score.

Reward: 1 rank

Dominate: A creature with the Dominate ability can try to mentally control another creature. The creature makes a Charisma check against the target creature's Will. Beating the creature's minimum Will deals one untyped morale penalty, but beating the target's Will allows the Vampire to mentally control the target. The dominated creature must obey any commands given by the creature with this ability. If the dominating creature has telepathy or something similar, the commands can be given mentally. Dominated creatures have a stiff, wooden appearance that can be noticed with a DC 6 perception check. The creature remains dominated until sunrise, unless otherwise noted in the creature's entry. Dominate is usually triggered by a Gaze attack, but might be something else. Using Dominate is a minor action.