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This document describes various monsters and non-player character templates for use with the MLPFMTORPG system and setting. Everything featured in this document is intended to be used as a guideline. DMs are free to interpret these as they see fit, and are encouraged to modify or create creatures to fit their campaign.
Creatures come in all shapes and sizes. The size of a creature doesn’t necessarily correlate with its power or threat level, but it’s a good starting point to imagine the kind of visual impact a creature will have on the party. Smaller creatures tend to be stealthier while larger ones can be very intimidating.
Small creatures are no bigger then a foot and a half in height. Examples: Baby dragons, Parasprite swarms
Medium size creatures include most civilized races, between three and five feet. Examples: Ponies, Donkeys/Mules, Zebras
Large creatures occupy the height spectrum above six to seven feet. Examples: Minotaurs, Buffalo
Very Large creatures are usually too large to fit inside most structures. Examples: Adult dragons, Ursa Minors
Enormous creatures are the largest around, and some could be classified as terrain features. Examples: Ancient dragons, Ursa Majors
Creatures of the world come in many varieties. Not all of these are natural, and can be the result of magic both accidental and invoked. The following templates can be applied to most creatures, granting them additional properties.
Magic is temperamental, and occasionally allows the natural elements to take on a form of their own. An Elemental can take the form of any creature, and applies its natural affinity to all of its attacks. They are healed by contact with their native element, but also take additional damage from another opposing element.
The classic fantasy triad of fire, ice, and lightning can typically be applied in a rock-paper-scissors fashion: lightning defeats fire, fire defeats ice, and ice defeats lightning. DMs are encouraged to devise different elemental types and interactions suited to their campaign.
Death is not always permanent. A creature can be risen from the grave in a variety of fashions, though they only occasionally retain their free will. The following variants are typical of undead enemies:
Zombie: A reanimated corpse driven by the desire to consume or follow the directives of who raised it. Their flesh continues to decay, and they generally fall apart after a few weeks at best. Zombies are slow to move and react, but are immune to pain and bleeding. They can be slain only by destroying the head or body.
Skeleton: Reanimated skeletons are popular footsoldiers for those who practice necromancy. Their lack of flesh grants them fewer limitations than zombies. Skeletons are immune to the effects of pain, bleeding, lightning, and ice. However, they are slight of frame and fall apart easily when struck with excessive force.
Ghost: The spirit of a dead being still tied to the material plane. Their incorporeal forms render them immune to physical force: they cannot be harmed by conventional means and can traverse physical boundaries not warded against them. Their spectral nature makes them vulnerable to magic and divine power.
Monsters are grouped into tiers of relative power and influence. These are not fixed, and exceptional specimens of any species may be a tier above or below their mundane peers.
Creatures so extreme in power as to be unstoppable without the use of plot devices or DM intervention.
Alicorn - medium, god tier; The paragons of the three pony races. They typically grow to be taller than normal ponies, and are often regarded as at least partially divine beings.
Flight: Despite their size, Alicorns are no less fast and maneuverable than their pegasi cousins.
Greater Magic: Alicorn command over magic is greater than that of unicorns. Alicorns have access to all spells, and gain a +3 bonus to all spellcasting rolls.
Improved Strength: Alicorns possess the impressive physical abilities of earth ponies.
Ancient Dragon - enormous, god tier; The oldest and most powerful of dragons. Incredibly rare, they are greatly respected and feared for their immense power.
Flight: Ancient dragons can fly, but their immense girth makes them ponderous in the air. Ancient dragons have a -3 penalty to directly evade attacks while midair.
Inferno Breath: Ancient dragonfire burns with intensity like no other. It is said that ground razed by ancient dragonfire will never again be fertile, and burned flesh will never heal.
Stonehide: A dragon's hide thickens with age, and ancient scales are among the strongest materials known. They have great resistance to most conventional weapons, and cannot be rendered helpless by normal attacks.
Changeling Broodmother - medium, god tier; Queens of the Changeling race, they look down on other races and see them as nothing more than food for the hive.
Flight: Queens possess light, membranous wings, and are not exceptionally strong or agile fliers.
Hive Mother: A Changeling Broodmother is always accompanied by a brood of Changelings. Any Drones basking in her presence gain a +2 bonus to all rolls.
Master Shapeshifter: Changeling Broodmothers may take on the appearance of creatures up to two size categories different from their own.
Dracolich - size varies, god tier, undead; A dragon that has refused to succumb to the inevitablity of death and has become a lich. They are usually very cunning and powerful mages.
Undead: No longer bound by flesh, a dracolich is immune to the pain of injuries and blood loss, and no longer need to eat or sleep.
Vile Breath: Dracoliches lose their dragonfire in exchange for noxious gases and dark corroding energy. Their poisonous breath attacks inflict wounds instead of hits, and critical hits instantly render a target helpless.
Draconequus - size varies, god tier; A bizarre creature with body parts from multiple creatures. It thrives on disorder and is extremely difficult to predict.
Anarchic Presence: When a draconequus is present, the effects of all critical rolls are doubled.
Random Anatomy: No two draconequui are alike. Any draconequus may have randomly chosen skills from any race. (Certain skills may be excluded from this, such as Bear Lore, Divine Presence, Hive Mother, and Pack Hunter.)
God Avatar - size varies, monster, type varies; The manifested physical form of a divine or infernal power. Apart from other Avatars, there are few things capable of challenging them.
Divine Presence: In the presence of an Avatar, any creature of the same alignment gains a +2 bonus to all rolls.
Unearthly Perfection: Avatars are immune to all special effects that would hinder mortal beings (such as helplessness, poison, freezing, etc).
Powerful beings most would regard as incredibly difficult if not impossible to overcome
Ahuitzotl - medium, high tier; The rare and legendary water-dogs. Crafty and conniving, they are dangerous beings that usually dwell in tropical environments.
Lord of Cats: Ahuitzotl have command over felines, and are usually accompanied by a pack of predatory jungle cats.
Many Hands: Ahuitzotl are dexterous and manipulative creatures. They have hands on the end of each limb, as well as one on the end of its prehensile tail.
Cerberus - large, high tier; The three-headed canine guardians of the underworld. Immensely strong and ferocious, they can also be fiercely loyal and even playful towards those that earn their trust.
Many Heads: A Cerberus always has three heads. Unlike Hydras, they are of one mind and always work together. A Cerberus can attack up to three times per turn.
Master Tracker: As watchdogs of the underworld, a Cerberus' duty is to track down and return any escapees. A Cerberus will never lose track of its prey.
Hydra - very large, high tier; Swamp-dwelling reptilian behemoths. They have multiple heads and powerful jaws, but are slow-witted and easily outrun.
Many Heads: A hydra usually has between two and six heads; older ones will have more heads. Each head has a mind of its own, and often argues with the others. A hydra can attack a number of times per turn equal to its number of heads, but a crit failure renders it Helpless as its heads bicker.
Unclean: As they dwell in swamps and bogs, Hydras are covered with vile toxins. A hydra’s attacks are always considered poisonous, and inflict wounds instead of hits.
Mature Dragon - very large, high tier; Adult dragons are powerful beasts. They usually leave the outside world alone, concerned only with their treasure hoards.
Fire Breath: The calling card of dragonkind. An adult dragon can easily burn down a forest with its breath, and depending on its upbringing it may have other elemental or magical effects.
Flight: Dragons are powerful fliers and can cross countries with ease, but they are slow and not very maneuverable.
Ursa Major - enormous, high tier; A massive bear constructed from immaterial starstuff, towering over large buildings. Their tusks are longer than trees are tall.
Supermassive Collapse: The swirling, unstable energies that help the Ursa Major retain shape are very volatile. When slain, an Ursa Major explodes with astral energy, leaving no corpse behind as it becomes one with the cosmos.
Supreme Bear: Bears regard Ursa Majors as living gods, and thus cannot attack them without shifting their alignment towards Chaotic Evil.
Water Serpent - very large, high tier; Immense water snakes that zealously guard their watery domains. Smarter than hydras, but just as temperamental and relatively frail.
Master Swimmer: Water serpents receive a +2 bonus to dodge attacks while in bodies of water large enough to completely submerge them.
Scaldbreath: Serpents possess a breath weapon like dragons in the form of a high pressure stream of boiling water.
Windigo - large, high tier, ice elemental; A selfish and evil winter spirit that feeds on mistrust and hostile emotions. Their chilling effect on weather has been known to cause famines.
Incorporeal: Windigos do not have physical bodies and cannot be hurt by normal weapons. They are vulnerable to magic, especially that generated by friendship.
Winter Winds: A windigo’s breath is a frozen storm, and groups can cause disastrous blizzards. A windigo’s breath attack causes frost damage; critical hits instantly render victims helpless.
Noteworthy monsters that should be faced only with the right tools and a good plan.
Cockatrice - small, mid tier; Dangerous ambush predators with the head of a chicken and body of a snake, as well as wings. Although they can petrify unwary victims, they will usually flee from direct fights.
Flight: The wings of a cockatrice are almost comically small, and they usually cannot manage much more than fluttering a few feet above the ground. A cockatrice has a -2 penalty to dodging attacks while attempting to stay airborne.
Stonegaze: A cockatrice can turn most creatures to stone simply by looking into their eyes; victims must roll to resist the effects of petrification. Divine and greater magical beings are immune to this effect, and a target that successfully resists can cow the cockatrice into submission by sheer force of will. A petrified character counts as Helpless, and requires outside assistance to return to normal.
Manticore - medium, mid tier; Forest-dwelling apex predators with the body of a lion, wings of a bat, and tail of a scorpion. Feared by equines since prehistoric times.
Flight: Manticores are powerful fliers, but cannot reach the altitudes and speeds attainable by a griffon or pegasus.
Venom: A Manticore's tail contains a fast-acting toxin to help subdue its prey. A manticore's tail attacks will poison, dealing wounds instead of hits.
Minotaur - large, mid tier; Bull-like bipeds, Minotaurs are solitary beasts that roam the countryside looking to test their immense strength. They have a reputation for being rowdy troublemakers.
Biped: Minotaurs are one of the few truly bipedal races in the world. Their upper arms have fully formed hands, but this means they aren't as fast as their quadruped cousins.
Great Strength: Minotaurs are infamous for their enormous physical strength. A minotaur has the physical strength, toughness, and constitution of creatures many times their size. When performing feats of strength, minotaurs crit on a roll of 8-9.
Quarray Eel - large or very large, mid tier; Burrowing snake beasts with tempers as voracious as their appetites. Their constant burrowing is responsible for the endless cavern systems under Equestria.
Cave Maw: Few creatures have a mouth the sheer size of a quarray. A creature seized by the eel's bite attack counts as Helpless as the eel attempts to swallow it whole.
Master Burrower: Despite their utter lack of limbs, quarray eels are unsurpassed burrowers. They gain a +2 bonus to dodging attacks when underground.
Ursa Minor - very large, mid tier; The smaller children of the great Ursa Major. No less dangerous then their parents, they can easily trample villages in a rage.
Greater Bear: Bears hold just as much respect for Minors as they do Majors. They cannot attack them without their alignment shifting towards Chaotic Evil.
Supermassive Collapse: The swirling, unstable energies that help the Ursa Minor retain shape are very volatile. When slain, an Ursa Minor explodes as astral energy is released, leaving no corpse behind as it becomes one with the cosmos.
Young Dragon - medium or large, mid tier; Haughty and arrogant, adolescent dragons are only just coming to realize the power that is their birthright. Unfortunately, they also haven't realized their limits yet.
Fire Breath: Dragons fully develop their famous fire breath at this age, and young dragons take great delight in using it at every opportunity. Pyromania is not uncommon.
Flight: A young dragon's wings are fully developed, and they can easily carry their own weight. They lack the raw power and endurance of their elders though.
Bigger and scarier things that can take more beating than your average beast.
Timber Wolf - medium, low tier; Cunning beasts made of wood, but with a taste for pony flesh. Infamous for their exceptional teamwork.
Pack Hunter: Timber Wolves never hunt alone, coming in groups of at least five and lead by an alpha.
Wood Body: A Timber Wolf's body is made entirely of wood. Timber Wolves are immune to blood loss and gain a +1 bonus to hide in forests, but fire attacks and effects autocrit against them.
Bear - large, low tier; Powerful beasts that live solitary lives when not raising their cubs. Strangely, they are very intelligent yet have never developed speech.
Bear Lore: Only Bears are privy to the mysterious secrets of Bear society. Bears always succeed on Bear Lore checks, the applications of which are up to the DM.
Improved Strength: Bear strength is incredible, and the best specimens can match minotaurs in contests of raw power. Bears crit on a roll of 9+.
Buffalo - medium or large, low tier; Desert-dwelling nomads that live in herds. They revere the land and shun most modern comforts.
Shamanism: Buffalo have a spiritual connection to nature, and may use Shaman abilities as racial skills.
Skill: Toughness-Buffalo strength and endurance is great, a necessity to live in the unforgiving desert climate.
Giant Squid - large or very large, low tier; Massive aquatic predators with many tentacles. They are mostly seen in the great oceans, but a few smaller specimens have somehow found their ways into lakes.
Master Swimmer: While helpless on land, squids are swift and graceful underwater. A squid gains a +2 bonus to rolls for dodging when submerged.
Tentacles: A squid's many arms gives it a +1 bonus to grappling rolls.
Phoenix - small or medium, low tier; The legendary firebirds, phoenixes are good-natured pranksters. They are seen as holy messengers of Celestia.
Flight: Few creatures are as at home in the sky as a phoenix. Their skill in the air exceeds even pegasi and griffons.
Sun Essence: A phoenix is touched by the light of the sun itself, and its body burns with great intensity. Phoenixes and all of their attacks use the fire element, and they can cast fire magic at will.
Tiger - medium or large, low tier; Greatest of the hunting cats, tigers are rarely seen outside their native jungles. White ones are rare and are considered portents of either great luck or misfortune.
Pounce: Tigers attack by surprise and ambush. They gain a +1 bonus to jump rolls and an additional +1 to their attack roles if they win initiative.
Lion - medium or large, low tier; Said to be the king of beasts, lion prides are among the greatest enemies of the zebra tribes.
Pack Hunter: Lions never hunt alone. Lions are always encountered in groups of at least three to five, usually led by a female.
Things most adventurers can confidently take on.
Pony, Earth - medium, weak tier; Farmers and artisans, they are the working class of the pony race. Most live in countryside communities, but they can be found anywhere across Equestria.
Cutie Mark: Anypony may be given bonuses to certain rolls related to their special talent.
Toughness: Earth ponies are famously sturdy, and can endure the hardest conditions.
Pony, Pegasus - medium, weak tier; Custodians of the skies. They have a reputation for being flighty and emotional.
Cloudshape: Pegasus ponies possess the unique ability to manipulate clouds and weather. Even Unicorns cannot duplicate this magic.
Cutie Mark: Any given Pony may be given bonuses to certain rolls depending on what their special talent is.
Flight: The pride and joy of the pegasi. They set the standards by which all other flyers are judged.
Pony, Unicorn - medium, weak tier; Horned ponies attuned to the magical ebb and flow of the world. Occasionally see themselves as superior to the other pony races.
Cutie Mark: Any given Pony may be given bonuses to certain rolls depending on what their special talent is.
Magic: Unicorns are some of the most magically attuned creatures on the planet. A Unicorn can learn any of the Mage class’ skills.
Baby Dragon - small, weak tier; The first stage of a dragon's long, long life. Baby dragons are weak and helpless, but are fiercely guarded by the adults until they reach adolescence.
Ember: A dragon can spit fire from birth, but a baby's efforts usually only produce small jets of flame.
Changeling Drone - medium, weak tier; The shapeshifting Changeling swarm is a constant threat to civilization. Subversive and hungry, they are masters of deception and can wait undercover for years if need be.
Flight: Although they are flight-capable, Changelings are poor fliers due to their slight, membranous wings.
Shapeshifter: A changeling may take on the apperance of any creature of equal size category, exchanging some of their Skills for those of the chosen creature.
Diamond Dog - medium, weak tier; Troublemaking miscreants that live underground, diamond dogs are simple-minded creatures obsessed with gathering shiny objects by any means necessary.
Burrow: Diamond dogs, and their slower-witted relatives the Dig Dogs, are built for digging, and gain a +1 bonus on rolls to dig.
Hands: Diamond dogs are one of the few true bipedal races in the land, and can use their forepaws for any number of complex tasks.
Dig Dog - medium, weak tier; Dim-witted and thick-bodied cousins of Diamond Dogs, often employed for physical labor by their smarter brethren. They tend to wear heavy plate and act as bodyguards.
Burrow: Dig dogs are built for digging, and gain a +1 bonus on rolls to dig.
Hands: Dig dogs are one of the few true bipedal races in the land, and can use their forepaws for any number of complex tasks.
Donkey - medium, weak tier; Odd cousins to the earth ponies, donkeys are a minority in Equestria. They are hardy and strong, but usually seen as second-class citizens.
Stubborn: Donkeys are infamously strong-willed. Once their mind is set, they will pursue their goals with zealous determination.
Goat - medium, weak tier; Odd citizens of Equestria, they are usually used as unskilled labor and garbage disposals.
Horns: Goats are known for relentlessly butting when antagonized. They gain a +1 bonus on rolls to charge, and always count as having natural weapons.
Griffon - medium, weak tier; Half eagle, half-lion, longtime rivals of the pegasi. They have a reputation for martial prowess and short tempers.
Flight: Griffons are adept fliers. They are generally slower and stronger than pegasi.
Talons: Although they are not true bipeds, a griffon's forelegs end in powerful grasping talons that can dexterously manipulate objects.
Mule - medium, weak tier; The bastard offspring of a pony and a donkey. Mules are rare in Equestria, usually because most ponies are disgusted by the notion. Despite donkeys being associated with earth ponies, mules can be result from any pony/donkey coupling.
Toughness: Mules exhibit the strength and toughness of their earth pony heritage, something they usually need to get through life.
Parasprite - small, weak tier; Miniature insects with gargantuan appetites. Parasprite swarms are a constant plague on farmers.
Swarm: Parasprites are small, but they multiply rapidly. Parasprites always come in swarms, which grants them a +1 bonus to dodge rolls. Fire attacks autocrit against parasprites.
Wolf - medium, weak tier; Feared by Earth Ponies since prehistory, wolves prey on lone ponies to this day.
Pack Hunter: Wolves never hunt alone. They are always encountered in groups of at least five, usually led by an alpha.
Zebra - medium, weak tier; Strange equines from far away lands. Like the buffalo, they revere nature and have a mystical affinity with it.
Natural Affinity: A Zebra may use abilities from either the Shaman or Tracker lists.
The list above takes into account only creatures that have appeared in MLP:FIM. Who can say what other strange beasts live in the magical land of Equestria, the wilderness beyond its borders, or in realms yet unexplored? DMs are encouraged to create new monsters as they see fit, complete with unique properties and features to give them flavor and make them challenging and interesting encounters in and out of combat. A general rule of thumb is that the more difficult a monster is, the more abilities it will have. Think about how players will interact with the creature; do they ignore it at their peril, does it control the scenario, or can they blaze right past it?
This template and the example creatures can provide a basis for how a DM might create their own creatures.
Creature Name - size, tier, applicable templates; description
Skill 1: skill description
Skill 2: skill description
Beyonder - medium or large, mid tier, outsider; Strange and alien creatures from legends of old, it is said that their kind helped slay great evils like Tirek and Grogar in ancient times, though the ones that remain now dwell within Tartarus.
Outsider: Beyonders are frightening monsters not native to this plane of reality. They inspire fear and terror in native creatures, causing a -1 penalty to all rolls.
Touchy-Feely: For some reason, Beyonders are obsessed with wrapping their grotesque appendages around anypony within arm's reach. Beyonders gain a +2 bonus to all rolls to grapple, and any creature caught by them is rendered Helpless as they are relentlessly squeezed and hugged.
Dire Beyonder - medium or large, high tier, outsider; Greater Beyonders are often seen leading packs of the lesser abominations. Dread beings of incomprehensible nature, they seek a way into Equestria for reasons unknown.
Alien: Even more disgusting and abhorrent than their lesser kin, Dire Beyonders can cause insanity in lesser minds. Paradoxically, they are idolized by other Beyonders. A Dire Beyonder imposes a -2 penalty on all rolls of creatures from outside its home plane, and adds a +1 bonus to rolls made by lesser Beyonders.
Corpulent: Dire Beyonders tend to be fat and abrasive in both stature and hair. A Dire Beyonder takes reduced damage from striking and slashing weapons, and does additional damage when grappling.
Touchy-Feely: For some reason, Beyonders are obsessed with wrapping their grotesque appendages around anypony within arm's reach. Beyonders gain a +2 bonus to all rolls to grapple, and any creature caught by them is rendered Helpless as they are relentlessly squeezed and hugged.