Your world is usually filled with all kinds of creatures, from friendly NPCs to powerful monsters. The GM can create any kind of creature that they think will fit into the story, but here are some rules they can follow to help them create balanced creatures. These rules are also used to create creatures that players can summon and transform into. Note that player characters count as creatures, and these rules apply to them as well. You can find a list of creatures here. You can find a tool for balanced encounters with creatures here. You can find tools to create your own creatures here.
Creature Types and Categories
Creatures have four categories which themselves have different types. Here you can see an overview of all categories and types.
Biological
Biological creatures are mostly made of living organic tissues, like flesh, bones, or wood. In most settings, they are the most common creature category. They have the following types:
- Humanoid: Creatures of roughly humanoid form and intelligence, no matter the size. Player characters and creatures are, by default, Humanoids. Examples: Humans, orcs, elves, giants, most humanoid aliens in sci-fi.
- Alien: Creatures, who are utterly alien, be they from another planet or another dimension. They bend the normal definition of what counts as alive. Examples: Eldrich monsters, extradimensional lifeforms, highly abnormal organisms.
- Animal: The normal Fauna of your setting. Examples: Dogs, horses, elephants, crocodiles, dinosaurs, sharks.
- Mutant: Creatures whose genetic material has been extensively modified, be it on purpose or by accident. Examples: Radioactive monstrosities, creatures that are biological weapons, twisted experiments.
- Mystical: Creatures of legend with clearly supernatural powers that are still primarily biological. Examples: Dragons, fairies, unicorns, werewolves.
- Plant: Creatures, which consist mostly of living plant matter or mushrooms. Examples: Ents, talking flowers, mushroom people.
Material
Material creatures are mostly made out of non-organic physical matter. Some are closer to an object than what most might call a living being. They have the following types:
- Animated: A construct that has been animated through mostly supernatural means. Examples: Golems, animated armors, possessed dolls, magical constructs.
- Mechanical: A machine that has been animated through mostly scientific means. Examples: Robots, drones, artificial intelligence.
- Primordial: A naturally occurring being made of traditionally unliving materials. Examples: Elementals, lithoids, crystalline liveforms.
Spirit
Spirit creatures are always of supernatural nature. They often have no true physical body but consist of mystic or spiritual energy. They have the following types:
- Angel: Spirits that are aligned towards good forces and deities. Examples: Guadian angels, good-natured gods, cherubim.
- Demon: Spirits that are corrupted and serve evil forces. Examples: Devils, Yokai, Succubi.
- Sprite: Spirits that are more neutral and not bound to any black and white morality. Examples: Kami, Fey Creatures, Manifestations of the Land.
Undead
Creatures that died but that are bound to unnatural life. Most of them can be categorized as dead biological lifeforms that somehow are still exhuming life-like patterns. They have the following types:
- Ghost: A undead creature that has no physical body. Examples: Poltergeists, haunting souls, banshees.
- Rotten: A dead decaying creature that is still moving. Examples: Zombies, skeletons, liches.
- Undying: A creature that somehow resists the effects of decay while still being technically dead. Examples: Vampires, ghouls, cursed immortals.
Creature Size
A creature’s size affects more than just the amount of space they occupy.
Creatures gain -1 Evasion for each size category larger than Medium. The range of their melee attacks also increases by 1 m for each size category larger than Medium, and the amount they can carry increases by their Strength Stat for each size category larger than Medium. They gain +1 Armor for each size category larger than Medium.
The damage of area-of-effect Abilities is increased by half against creatures of size category Big + or bigger if the effect covers the entire creature.
On the flip side, for each size category smaller than Medium, a creature gains +1 Evasion and -1 Armor. Their carry capacity is halved. Creatures of category Small – or smaller receive only half damage from area-of-effect Abilities.
Weapons and armor that are effective for the different sizes increase and decrease in weight correspondingly. For smaller creatures, it is only half as heavy. For bigger creatures, it increases by an amount equal to the normal weight for each size category larger than Medium.
General Creature features
There are four ranks of non-player creatures: Minor, Normal, Elite, and Boss. Each represents different levels of complexity and strength that are useful in different situations.
Creatures have Levels, Tiers, Stats, Skills, Abilities, resources, and features just like player characters, but they do not have any Archetypes and can learn any type of Ability. However, they do (except for Minor) have three creature classes that determine their Vitality, WP, and the number of Abilities they can learn. Those are Fighter, Hybrid, and Caster. Fighters have more Vitality and proficiency with three weapon categories and all armor types but less WP and Abilities. Casters have more WP and Abilities but are only proficient with one weapon category and light armor and have less Vitality. Hybrids are the balance between the other two with a decent amount of Vitality, WP, and Abilities and proficiency with two weapon categories and light and medium armor. It is generally recommended not to equip your creatures with equipment of a Tier that is higher than they are.
| Creature Class | Vitality per level | WP per Level |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | 7 | 2 |
| Hybrid | 5 | 3 |
| Caster | 3 | 4 |
Non-character creatures cannot use their Narrative Momentum to reroll dice.
Non-character creatures do not gain features like characters. They instead gain Creature Talents. A Creature Talent gives the creature the choice between one Greater Talent, two Lesser Talents, or one Path. They can only choose a Path once, though. They can also choose one Tier 5 Sub-Archetype feature if they have all other features of that Sub-Archetype and are of at least Tier 5. They can do so only once.
They can have any Primary and Secondary Stat as long as it is not the same Stat. They can have one of the following Stats as Evasion Stats: Strength, Intelligence, Charisma, or Instinct.
Minor
Minor creatures are designed to be cannon fodder and are very useful if you want to throw hordes of enemies at your players. They only have 1 Vitality. This way, any hit that deals more damage than their armor will kill them, making it easier for the GM to track the Vitality of large groups of minor creatures. They do not have any Abilities, Temporary Vitality, WP, or Narrative Momentum and only up to 1 Creature Talent and up to 1 Path. They start with no additional Skill Points. If a path requires them to choose an Ability, they can learn Abilities that fit the required criteria.
| Level | Tier | Stat Points | Skill Points | Creature Talent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 0-2 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 8 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 11 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Normal
Normal creatures are your standard enemies and allies. They are weaker than a player character of the same Level, but they can still be dangerous in higher numbers. They gain the same amount of Vitality and Temporary Vitality as a player character. They only have half as much WP and Narrative Momentum as a character. They also learn fewer features and Abilities to keep them simple and easy to control for the GM.
| Level | Tier | Creature Talent | Stat Points | Skill Points | Abilities* | Abilities Total* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 3 | 1, 2, 3 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 1, 2, 3 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 1, 2, 3 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1, 2, 3 | 2, 4, 6 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 2, 4, 6 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 2, 4, 6 | ||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1, 2, 3 | 3, 6, 9 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 3, 6, 9 | ||
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 3, 6, 9 | ||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1, 2, 3 | 4, 8, 12 |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 4, 8, 12 | ||
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 0, 0, 0 | 4, 8, 12 | ||
| 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2, 3 | 5, 10, 15 |
*Depending on Creature Class (Fighter, Hybrid, Caster)
Elite
Elite creatures are almost as strong as a player character of the same Level and have a good chance of winning in a straight fight. They are useful if you want to distinguish a strong individual from other creatures, like a general or a companion that is supposed to be on the same level as the player characters.
| Level | Tier | Creature Talent | Stat Points | Skill Points | Abilities* | Abilities Total* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 6 | 1, 1, 1 | 1, 1, 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 1, 2, 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 2, 3, 5 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0, 1, 2 | 2, 4, 7 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 3, 5, 9 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 3, 6, 11 | ||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1, 1, 2 | 4, 7, 13 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 4, 8, 15 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 5, 9, 17 | ||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0, 1, 2 | 5, 10, 19 |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 6, 11, 21 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 6, 12, 23 | ||
| 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 7, 13, 25 |
*Depending on Creature Class (Fighter, Hybrid, Caster)
Boss
Boss creatures are far stronger than a normal player character and are designed to be able to take down a whole group of them alone. All Bosses have advantage on all of their DRs.
There are different grades of Bosses. Each grade represents how many characters of the same Level it can take on. So a Level 1 grade 3 Boss is roughly as strong as three Level 1 characters.
| Level | Tier | Creature Talent | Stat Points | Skill Points | Abilities* | Abilities Total* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 9 | 2, 2, 2 | 2, 2, 2 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 2, 3, 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 3, 4, 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0, 1, 2 | 3, 5, 8 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 4, 6, 10 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 4, 7, 12 | |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1, 1, 2 | 5, 8, 14 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 5, 9, 16 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 6, 10, 18 | |
| 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0, 1, 2 | 6, 11, 20 |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 7, 12, 22 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0, 1, 2 | 7, 13, 24 | |
| 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 1, 2 | 8, 14, 26 |
*Depending on Creature Class (Fighter, Hybrid, Caster)
The grade determines how high their Vitality and WP are. Their Vitality and WP are multiplied by their grade. For example, a Hybrid level 1 Boss creature with a Constitution of 12 and a Will of 10 would have a Vitality of 12+5=17 and a WP of 10+3=13 if they were grade 1. A grade 2 Boss would have 17*2=34 Vitality and 13*2=26 WP. A grade 3 Boss would have 17*3=51 Vitality and 13*3=39 WP, and so on.
For every grade beyond the first, they gain one additional turn per round. These additional turns are always after the turn of the next enemy that they are fighting. For example. You have a grade 4 Boss creature fighting against five player characters. Let us call them Abby, Betty, Charles, Douglas, and Eric. They have the following Initiatives: Boss 25, Abby 30, Betty 28, Charles 26, Douglas 24, and Eric 22. They would have the following order in the two first rounds:
| Round | Turn | Initiative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abby | 30 |
| 1 | Betty | 28 |
| 1 | Charles | 26 |
| 1 | Boss | 25 (Grade 1) |
| 1 | Douglas | 24 |
| 1 | Boss | Grade 2 |
| 1 | Eric | 22 |
| 1 | Boss | Grade 3 |
| 2 | Abby | 30 |
| 2 | Boss | Grade 4 |
| 2 | Betty | 28 |
| 2 | Charles | 26 |
| 2 | Boss | 25 (Grade 1) |
| 2 | Douglas | 24 |
| 2 | Boss | Grade 2 |
| 2 | Eric | 22 |
| 2 | Boss | Grade 3 |
A Boss creature cannot gain more turns than there are enemies. It might be a better idea to have a higher-level boss with a lower grade if you want to have a single boss creature fight a whole group of players. It can otherwise lead the player characters to feel like they are just watching the boss act without them being able to do anything.
One thing that you also should take into account is that there are many Abilities and features that are triggered on each of a creature’s turns. For example, a grade 3 Boss that is poisoned for five rounds would trigger it three times in one round.
Vehicles
Vehicles are a special type of creature that is inert on its own but can be piloted by another creature. Any creature type can be a vehicle. A creature that is piloting a vehicle is called a pilot. Depending on the size, other creatures that are not the pilot might be able to enter the vehicle. Such a creature is called a passenger. A creature requires an action (3 AP) to enter a vehicle. An enemy of a pilot cannot use this action to enter the vehicle unless the pilot allows it. A pilot requires two free hands to pilot a vehicle.
A vehicle has only Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution and starts off with 9 Stat Points at Level 0. A vehicle gains all other Stats from its pilot. The Primary Stat of a vehicle is the pilot’s Vehicle Handling Skill Level plus 10, and its Secondary Stat is a specific Stat of the Pilot. Which Stat it is depends on the vehicle. The Primary Stat cannot be changed to anything else. The vehicle also has an Evasion Stat that can be Strength, Intelligence, Charisma, or Instinct. The Primary Stat of any weapon wielded by the vehicle is equal to the pilot’s Vehicle Handling Skill, and its Secondary Stat is the normal Primary Stat of the weapon. The WP of the Vehicle is calculated as if it had 10 Will. A Vehicle cannot perform any Skill Checks. A vehicle is not sentient and can, therefore, not learn any languages.
A vehicle does not have an innate Initiative or AP and acts when the pilot does. The pilot has to spend their own AP to use actions with the vehicle. A non-boss vehicle can only gain turns from one pilot. Some vehicle features grant bonuses for additional pilots. Vehicles with such features can have more than one pilot. Multiple pilots do not allow for multiple turns, but having a boss pilot with a grade of 2 or higher or the main pilot gaining additional turns through a feature does. A boss vehicle can have as many turns as its grade but requires either a boss pilot of the same or greater grade or one non-boss pilot for each turn.
A vehicle without a Pilot acts like an object and cannot do anything. A vehicle does default-wise not have any arms, but they start off with the Lesser Talent Natural Armor and one Lesser Talent of your choice. A vehicle must be at least one size category larger than the pilot. A GM can rule that a creature does not have the correct anatomy to use a vehicle. A horse, for example, would not be able to drive a car even if it could fit rules-wise. A pilot and all passengers have full cover while within a vehicle. If the vehicle’s Vitality drops below half, the pilot and the passengers only have half cover. Psychic damage ignores the vehicle and damages the pilot or a passenger directly.
A vehicle only profits from a rest if a creature takes the rest with it and spends any part of the rest that they are not sleeping working on it (2 hours for a full rest, 1 for a half rest, and half an hour for a short rest). The creature requires a crafting Skill that is good enough to build the vehicle as it is right now to do so.
A vehicle does not require any sleep or air, but it requires fuel every day in the same way a creature requires food and water. Unlike a creature, it becomes Restrained if it does not get refueled within 24 hours instead of gaining levels of Exhaustion. It cannot become immune to the effects of this Restrain in any way. A vehicle cannot die from a lack of fuel. A vehicle is not required to be refueled if it has not been used in any way since its last refuel. Vehicles are not affected by extreme temperatures and do not gain Exhaustion from them.
Modules
A vehicle at least two size categories larger than the pilot it is designed for can have modules. Another creature can operate such a module. It grants specific actions or boons for that creature, as well as bonuses that apply to the whole vehicle while manned. Such a creature is called a co-pilot.
Building a module costs just as much as it would cost to build a vehicle the same size as the co-pilot for which the module is designed. Any future level-ups to the vehicle increase in cost as if you would also need to upgrade a vehicle of the size of the module co-pilot. A co-pilot acts on their own initiative.
| Module Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Captain’s Seat | The co-pilot gains access to the Captain’s Order action (3 AP). They make an Analysis, Improvisation, Menace, or Presence Skill Check against 6 plus the vehicle’s Tier plus the vehicle’s number of modules. On a success, they choose one module or the pilot. They gain an additional turn after the co-pilot’s. Any effects lasting until their next turn stay in effect until they normally take a turn. |
| Empowered Platform | Choose one power source. All Abilities that use that power source made by the co-pilot are upcasted by an amount equal to twice the vehicle’s Tier. The co-pilot can target targets outside of the vehicle even if the vehicle gives them full cover against them. |
| Engineer Room | The effects of any healing Ability of the co-pilot that only targets the vehicle are doubled. The co-pilot also gains access to the Boost Vehicle action (3 AP). They can make a Skill Check with a Skill that was used to craft or upgrade the vehicle. The vehicle gains one of the following benefits: 1. The attack rolls, DR Power, Evasion, DRs, Armor, or Basic Movement of the vehicle increases by an amount equal to half the Skill Check until your next turn. 2. The vehicle gains Vitality or Temporary Vitality equal to twice the Skill Check. 3. The damage that the vehicle and any of its modules deal increases by an amount equal to the Skill Check once per turn (no multiplication) until the co-pilot’s next turn. |
| Weapon Platform | The module has an integrated weapon as if provided by the Lesser Talent Natural Weapon. The module also has an integrated Path of Attack, Path of Manouver, or Path of Flash Attack that only affects the weapon. The co-pilot can use this weapon. All of their features other than Paths and Abilities that affect weapon attacks also affect attacks with this weapon. Manouver Abilities used on the weapon attacks of the turret are upcasted by an amount equal to the Tier of the vehicle. |
Building and Upgrading Vehicles
You can build and upgrade vehicles in a similar way to how you craft and upgrade items. You need your equipment, materials, and a Skill Level that is high enough in a crafting Skill. The GM rules on whether a crafting Skill can be used on a specific vehicle or not. You can find the crafting Skills in the item rules.
Crafting a normal Level 0 vehicle costs Material worth 1000 credits. The crafting time is the cost of needed materials divided by 50 in hours. You need a Skill Level of 2 in a crafting Skill to do this. Any effect that influences your needed crafting speed and material cost of items generally also affects any building and upgrading you perform on vehicles.
You can level up a vehicle by spending materials worth 1000 credits times the Tier the vehicle would reach. So, upgrading a medium vehicle from Level 1 to Level 2 would cost 1000 credits, and from Level 2 to Level 3 would cost 2000 credits. You need a Skill Level of 1 plus the Tier of the new Level in a crafting Skill to be able to upgrade a vehicle.
If the vehicle is an elite creature, its costs increase by 100%. If it is a minor creature, the costs are halved. If it is a boss creature, the costs are quadrupled for each boss grade.
Buying a vehicle or paying somebody to build/upgrade one usually costs twice the material cost needed to do it yourself.
All mentioned costs are doubled for each size category above big but stay the same for each size category below big.
| Level | Material Cost | Building Time (hours) | Building Time (days) | Buy cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1,000/1,000 | 20/20 | 2/2 | 2,000/2,000 |
| 1 | 1,000/2,000 | 20/40 | 2/4 | 2,000/4,000 |
| 2 | 1,000/3,000 | 20/60 | 2/6 | 2,000/6,000 |
| 3 | 2,000/5,000 | 40/100 | 4/10 | 4,000/10,000 |
| 4 | 2,000/7,000 | 40/140 | 4/14 | 4,000/14,000 |
| 5 | 2,000/9,000 | 40/180 | 4/18 | 4,000/18,000 |
| 6 | 3,000/12,000 | 60/240 | 6/24 | 6,000/24,000 |
| 7 | 3,000/15,000 | 60/300 | 6/30 | 6,000/30,000 |
| 8 | 3,000/18,000 | 60/360 | 6/36 | 6,000/36,000 |
| 9 | 4,000/22,000 | 80/440 | 8/44 | 8,000/44,000 |
| 10 | 4,000/26,000 | 80/520 | 8/52 | 8,000/52,000 |
| 11 | 4,000/30,000 | 80/600 | 8/60 | 8,000/60,000 |
| 12 | 5,000/35,000 | 100/700 | 10/70 | 10,000/70,000 |
Next Chapter: Army Battles