Chapter 1: The Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the source for a DM or players in understanding the statistics of characters and creatures of any kind in the D&D universe. Whether gods and spirits or monsters and animals, all creatures that exist in the universe around the fictional world players and their characters interact with are all detailed within this book. Base stats describe the basic starting statistics for a character or creature. These are based on several factors including size, class, race, and level/tier.
Size
EFFECTS OF SIZE ON HP
Sizes of characters and creatures has an immense role in their base stats as it determines the character/creature's Health Points. See the table below for determining the base for a character or creature's HP.
- XXXX Small: HP 1; No Bloodied
- XXX Small: HP 5; Bloodied 2
- XX Small: HP 10; Bloodied 5
- X Small: HP 15; Bloodied 7
- Small: HP 20; Bloodied 10
- Medium: HP 25; Bloodied 12
- Large: HP 30; Bloodied 15
- X Large: HP 35; Bloodied 17
- XX Large: HP 40; Bloodied 20
- XXX Large: HP 45; Bloodied 22
- XXXX Large: HP 50; Bloodied 25
As characters gain level-ups, their HP increases by 20% meaning a level 2 dwarf (small) would have 30 HP. A giant (XXXX Large) is born into Tier 2 (Level 11) giving them a base HP of 300.
Size also affects "Can Carry Capacity." A character's maximum weight they can carry is dependent upon their size and Strength Score. The medium size is the default for "Can Carry Capacity" which is determined by taking a character's Strength Score and multiplying that by ten. In the regard, a human (medium) with a Strength Score of 12 has a Can Carry Capacity of 120 lbs. To see how these numbers differ, see the table below.
- XXXX Small: 75% Strength Score
- XXX Small: 100% Strength Score
- XX Small: 250% Strength Score
- X Small: 500% Strength Score
- Small: 750% Strength Score
- Medium: 1,000% Strength Score
- Large: 2,500% Strength Score
- X Large: 5,000% Strength Score
- XX Large: 7,500% Strength Score
- XXX Large: 10,000% Strength Score
- XXXX Large: 25,000% Strength Score
EFFECT OF SIZE ON ATTACK
A character's size affect their unarmed melee attack damages. Regardless of Tier, a character's base unarmed melee is based on their size. (Though increased levels and tiers can add extra damage to the attacks). See the table below for Sizes and their unarmed melee damage.
- XXXX Small: 1d2+ (Level -1)
- XXX Small: 1d2+ (Level -1)
- XX Small: 1d4+ (Level -1)
- X Small: 1d4+ (Level -1)
- Small: 1d6+ (Level -1)
- Medium: 1d6+ (Level -1)
- Large: 1d8+ (Level -1)
- X Large: 1d8+ (Level -1)
- XX Large: 1d10+ (Level -1)
- XXX Large: 1d10+ (Level -1)
- XXXX Large: 1d12+ (Level -1)
EFFECT OF SIZE ON SPEED
A character's size affect their speed as well. (Though some races and creatures gain bonuses to speed). See the table below for Sizes and their speed.
- XXXX Small: 1
- XXX Small: 2
- XX Small: 3
- X Small: 4
- Small: 5
- Medium: 6
- Large: 7
- X Large: 8
- XX Large: 9
- XXX Large: 10
- XXXX Large: 11
CREATURE SIZES
Creature sizes are included in the table below. Note that some creatures' sizes are dependent upon their host (such as vampires) marked with a single asterix * and some creatures can alter their sizes (such as fairies and werefolk) marked with a double asterix **.
- XXXX Small Creatures: Web Spiders, Burrowing Spiders, Daddy Longlegs, Book Scorpions, Scorpions, Camel Spiders, Sea Spiders, Centipedes & Millipedes, Barnacles, Mayflies, Dragonflies & Damselflies, Cockroaches & Termites, Beetles, Earwig, Flies & Mosquitoes, Cicadas, Aphids, & Bed Bugs, Wasps, Bees, & Ants, Butterflies & Moths, Mantis, Grasshoppers, Locust, & Crickets, Stick-bugs, Lice, Stoneflies, Fleas, Ring Worms, Lamp Shells, Moss Animals, Snails & Slugs, Clams, Oysters, & Muscles, Plankton, Herring & Anchovies, Skinks, Lichen
- XXX Small Creatures: Comb Jellyfish, Jellyfish, Box Jellyfish, Sea Stars & Urchen, Horseshoe Crabs, Shrimp, Lobsters, Crabs, & Crawfish, Eels, Carp, Piranhas, & Catfish, Mullets, Pufferfish, Seahorses, Perch, Sculpins & Sunfish, Old Frogs, Middle [Spadefoot] Frogs, New Frogs, Salamander, Echidna, Shrew, Hedgehog, Bats, Pangolins, Rodents, Kiwi, Quail, Guineafowl, Ground Birds, Pigeons & Doves, Sandgrouse, Mesites, Hummingbirds & Swifts, Suboscines, Songbirds, Kingfishers, Galbuli, Woodpeckers, Tuatara, Legless Lizards, Geckos, Wall Lizards, Iguania, Homalopsids, Lamphrids, Blind Snakes, Box Turtles, Screaming Eels
- XX Small Creatures: Squid & Octopus, Lampreys & Hagfish, Carpet Sharks (Excluding Whale Sharks [X large]), Sawsharks, Squal Sharks, Angelsharks, Sturgeon, Gars, Salmon, Trout, & Pike, Cod, Platypus, Mongooses, Lesser Cats (excluding cheetahs [size Medium]), Foxes, Red Pandas, Skunks, Fur Mammals, Raccoon, Rabbits/ Hares, Lorises, New World Monkeys, Armadillos, Opossums, Bandicoots, Koalas, Wombats, Tinamou, Screamers, Ducks, Guans, Grebes, Cuckoos, Bustards, Rails and Cranes, Shorebirds, Hawks/ Kites, Toucans, Falcons, Parrots, Common Snakes, Elapids, Vipers, Phoenix
- X Small Creatures: Gnomes, Deep Gnomes, Anemones, Giant Spiders, Giant Crabs, Giant Beetles, Bullhead Sharks, Giant Sunfish, Giant Frogs, Some Domestic Wolves (See Companions list in Players Manual), Tapirs, Giant Rats, Lemurs, Old World Monkeys, Lesser Apes, Anteaters & Sloths, Aarvarks, Geese & Swans, Megapodes & Turkeys, Flamingos, Turacao, Loons, Penguins, Herons & Cranes, Pelicans, Tropicbirds, Eagles, Vultures, Owls, Hornbills, Snapping Turtles, Sea Turtles, Tortoises
- Small Creatures: Dwarves, Halflings, Hobgoblins, Fairies**, Corals, Rays, Frilled Sharks, Hyenas, Wolves, Llamas/ Alpaca, Swine, Peccary, Grazing mammals (Excluding cattle [medium], giraffes [large], and deer [medium]), Kangaroos, Cassowaries, Rhea, Furies, Hellhounds, Chupacabre
- Medium Creatures: Humans, Half-Dwarves, Elves, Farthings, Drow, Goblins, Half-Orcs, Big Cats, Sea Lions, Equines, (Excluding ponies [small] and some horses [see companions]), Camels, Dolphins (Excluding Sperm Whales [X large]), Greater Apes, Ostriches, Vampires*, Killer Bats, Incubi/Succubae & Nymphs*, Pegasi (Excluding pony-pegasi [small]), Zombies*, Ghouls*, Skeletons*, White Walkers*, Windegos*, Wraiths*, Poltergeists*, Ghosts*, Phantoms*, Wights*, Centaurs (excluding Antelope-Centaurs & Pony-Centaurs [both small]), Minotaurs, Unicorns, Merfolk*, Nightmares, Dreamwalkers, Soul-Eaters, Death-Eaters, Sirens*, Sphinx, Devils*, Werefolk**, Shapeshifters**, Skinwalkers**, Gnolls, Wargs, Bigfoot/Yeti**, Half-Demon*
- Large Creatures: Pray Sharks, Ground Sharks, Bears (Excluding Black Bears [medium]), Walrus, Seals, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Sea Cows, Alligators & Crocodiles, Boas, Drakes, Wyverns, Rocs (Excluding Giant Eagles [X large]), Hippogryphs, Griffons, Trolls, Hippocamps
- X Large Creatures: Giant Sharks, Elephants
- XX Large Creatures: Whales, Olifants, Dragons, Sea Monsters, Krakens
- XXX Large Creatures: Continent Turtles, Hydras
- XXXX Large Creatures: Giants
Class
DOMESTIC CLASS
Mortal Classes (such as gnomes and dwarves) are classified based on occupation (ranger, paladin, etc). To learn more about how these classes affect a character's base stats, see "Character Classes" in the Player Manual. Some fiends have classes similar to the mortal races as well (which you can learn more about in Chapter 7). Some species of animals are subclassified by weight OR PURPOSE class (such as horses and dogs). These animals weight classes only exist among domestic animals, so you can find more information about their base stats in the "Companions" section in the "Equipment" page of the Player's Manual.
Whatever a character's class bonuses are, those class bonuses increase 1 point per level, but reset once a creature enters a new tier back to whatever the bonus is for level 1.
Race
ELEMENTAL RACES
Mortal races (such as gnomes and dwarves) are classified based on a diverse range of differences in culture and biology. To learn more about how these classes affect a character's base stats, see "Character Races" in the Player Manual. Some animals and fiends belong to what is known as elemental races however- beings that can exude ongoing damage such as poison/venom, fire, cold, lightning, or psyche damage. These creatures exude ongoing damage related to their potency and their ongoing damage is recorded in the table below categorized by the damage class
- Poison/Venom: Some Web Spiders (+5 ongoing venom damage), Scorpions (+5 ongoing venom damage), Wasps, Bees, & Some Ants (+5 ongoing venom damage), Rays (+5 ongoing venom damage), Platypus (+5 ongoing venom damage), Skunks (+5 ongoing venom damage), Box Jellyfish (+10 ongoing venom damage), Some Octopus (+10 ongoing venom damage), Camel Spiders (+10 ongoing venom damage), Some Pufferfish (+10 ongoing venom damage), Some New Frogs (+10 ongoing venom damage), Homalapsids (+10 ongoing venom damage), Elapids (+10 ongoing venom damage), Vipers (+10 ongoing venom damage),
.- Fire: Hellhounds (+5 ongoing fire damage), Drakes (+10 ongoing fire damage), Phoenix (+10 ongoing fire damage), Dragons (+15 ongoing fire damage), Fire Giants (+25 ongoing fire damage)
- Cold: White Walkers (+5 ongoing cold damage), Dragons (+15 ongoing cold damage), Giants (+25 ongoing cold damage)
- Lightning: Screaming Eels [Tier 3 only] (+5 ongoing lightning damage), Rocs [Giant Eagles only] (+15 ongoing lightning damage)
- Psyche: Incubi/Succubae & Nymphs (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Wyverns (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Windegos (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Screaming Eels (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Wraiths (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Poltergeist (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Wights (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Furies (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Hellhounds (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Lichen (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Gnolls (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Chupacabre (+5 ongoing psyche damage), Nightmares (+10 ongoing psyche damage).
As these characters level up, their ongoing damage increases by one- meaning a Tier 2, level 1 Fire Giant would deal an ongoing fire damage of 35.