TEXT: Gamemastery Guide
   Monster and Hazard Creation
  Logan Bonner and Mark Seifter
  EDITORS
  James Case, Leo Glass, Avi Kool
  INTERIOR ARTISTS
  Diana Campos and Raph Lomotan
  ART DIRECTION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
  Sarah Robinson and Sonja Morris 
  
  CHAPTER 2: TOOLBOX
  While the Core Rulebook provides all the tools you need to be a Game Master, you may 
  want resources to create original game content, whether it be new items, unique creatures, 
  or a sprawling new world for adventurers to explore. 
  This chapter provides a variety of tools to help you quickly and easily build 
  your own elements for your game, as well as some special types of rules you can 
  incorporate in your game, such as more hazards and strange magic items. This 
  chapter is organized into the following sections.
  • Building Creatures (page 56) demonstrates a top-down approach for quickly 
  and easily constructing the creatures and NPCs you want or need for any 
  possible situation in your game.
  • Building Hazards (page 74) gives rules and advice for creating your own brand-
  new hazards.
  • Additional Hazards (page 77) presents several ready-to-use hazards, particularly 
  haunts and environmental hazards.
  • Building Items (page 82) teaches you how to create new pieces of treasure to 
  delight your PCs.
  • Item Quirks (page 86) introduces simple but memorable quirks that you can 
  use to quickly personalize an item and make its nature seem just as unique and 
  exciting as its special abilities.
  • Intelligent Items (page 88) includes rules for creating items with a mind of 
  their own that are characters in their own right, as well as several examples 
  to get you started. 
  • Cursed Items (page 90) examines items that have a nasty drawback or might be 
  altogether unpleasant. The section includes specific cursed items and a list of 
  curses you can add to an existing item, akin to a rune.
  • Relics (page 94) are special magic items that increase in power along with the 
  PCs that you and your players work together to build and enhance.
  • Artifacts (page 106) are the most powerful and story-rich magic items in the 
  game, and can only be destroyed in a specific way.
  • Gems and Art Objects (page 114) can be used to expand the diversity of 
  monetary awards given to PCs, and includes 100 sample art objects.
  • Afflictions (page 116) provides a plethora of curses, diseases, and drugs for 
  use in your games, as well as drug and addiction rules useful in creating 
  your own afflictions.
  • Building Worlds (page 122) explains how to go about building your own entire 
  world or setting from scratch. This section leads into the next three, which will 
  let you go into greater detail about parts of your game world.
  • Nations (page 130) includes a system to quickly encapsulate a nation in a stat 
  block that contains all the information you need.
  • Settlements (page 132) covers everything from tiny villages to incredible 
  metropolises. It considers the settlement’s role in a game and provides a system 
  to describe a settlement in a stat block with all the important information.
  • Planes (page 136) includes the various planar traits you can use to build your 
  own planes, and explores all the planes of reality in the Age of Lost Omens 
  setting as well.
  It’s up to you to determine how much of your game you want to customize. Many 
  GMs use the default rules and creatures, and set their adventures on Golarion or 
  another published game world. Others incorporate all-new creatures and places 
  devised by the GM, with strange themes don’t fit in the standard Pathfinder game 
  or world. Unless you’re building your entire game world from scratch, you can 
  usually wait to implement any new rules creation until you think you’ll need it for 
  your next session.
  BUILDING VERSUS MODIFYING
  Many times, a small adjustment 
  to an existing creature, item, 
  adventure, or other part of the 
  game can serve you just as well 
  as building something brand new. 
  Before you delve into creating your 
  own new content, ask yourself 
  a few questions. First, does 
  something similar already exist? 
  When answering this question, 
  look beyond the surface level. 
  Maybe you want a 5th-level clawed 
  centipede creature that regenerates 
  unless you use acid or fire and has 
  Attack of Opportunity. It might not 
  look very much like a troll on the 
  surface, but the statistics for a troll 
  are going to get you most or all the 
  way there. Ask yourself what you’ll 
  need to change between your idea 
  and the existing material. This will 
  help you decide between using the 
  original rule with a minimal reskin, 
  using the original with adjustments, 
  starting with the original as a 
  framework to build your own, or 
  just starting from scratch. Finally, 
  ask yourself how much time you 
  have to prepare the content, what 
  overall impact you expect it to 
  have in your campaign, and how 
  important any discrepancies from 
  existing material are to the core 
  concept. The less important an 
  element is to your game, or the less 
  time you’ll be using it at the table, 
  the more likely you should modify 
  something that already exists.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  2
  
  BUILDING CREATURES
  Making your own creatures fleshes out your game world and lets you introduce concepts not yet 
  available in published products like the Bestiary volumes. These guidelines help you customize 
  creatures to your specifications and explore your imagination. From strange beasts to canny 
  political rivals, you have the power to design creatures that fit the narrative needs of your story.
  Creatures aren’t built the same way PCs are. The rules for 
  building them are more flexible, and their statistics are 
  based on benchmark final numbers rather than combining 
  each individual modifier together. This is called top-down 
  design, in which you consider the design process as a 
  whole and select the details that reflect your intended 
  result rather than building statistics from the bottom up 
  and hoping the finished creature matches your vision.
  Though this guide provides a step-by-step process to 
  build creatures, when you feel more comfortable you 
  may prefer to use different methods. You could start 
  with one ability you think is cool, or you might need to 
  create a spellcaster of a certain type. There’s no wrong 
  starting place nor wrong way to compile and present 
  your creation; some GMs prefer to generate a stat block 
  that is as similar to an official Bestiary entry as possible, 
  while others prefer to compile just a brief set of notes.
  CONCEPT AND ROADMAP
  To begin making a creature, you should first come up 
  with its concept. You likely already have the basic idea. 
  As you add details to the general idea, taking notes can 
  help keep your creature on track. Consider the parts of 
  your creature you find most compelling and that you 
  want to emphasize when the creature hits the table. 
  For example, in the Bestiary, demons are creatures 
  of sin, and were designed to have weaknesses 
  against virtues that oppose them. Harpies 
  enchant creatures by singing, represented by their 
  centerpiece ability, Captivating Song. Note your 
  creature’s core aspects, and if you feel uncertain 
  later, you can look back and ask yourself, “Does 
  this emphasize a core aspect or not?”
  Next, look at the creature’s role in your game. 
  Is it meant to be a combatant? A social creature? 
  A trusted ally? Figuring this out will help you 
  determine whether to give it strong combat abilities 
  or whether to put more effort into skills, spells, and special 
  abilities. Think about how the creature might behave in 
  a fight, if someone tries to talk to it, or if it’s in a social 
  situation. Does it work better alone or with allies? What 
  sort of character should be best at facing it or be particularly 
  weak against it?
  Consider also the complexity of the creature. This 
  matters most when you have a large number of creatures. 
  If you’re planning to use five of the creatures at the same 
  time, you’ll want its turns to move swiftly and avoid 
  complex special actions. A creature likely to face a group of 
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  3
  
  PCs alone can have more abilities, and it might need a more 
  versatile set of defenses against PC tactics. Cut complexity 
  as much as you can while retaining your desired theme.
  Now, how do you want an encounter with this creature to 
  feel? Should it be scary? Mobile? Confusing? A mystical duel 
  or a knock-down, drag-out fight? What can you give your 
  creature to convey those characteristics? Note that much of 
  this feel will come from your choice of the creature’s special 
  abilities or spells, rather than the creature’s raw numbers.
  With all this in mind, think about the specific abilities 
  your creature should have. Take a few notes now, and get 
  to the details later. You might want to snag some existing 
  abilities from the Bestiary or from feats in the Core 
  Rulebook, adjusting as needed, to save you some time. It 
  helps to think of the creature that’s most similar to yours 
  and seeing what makes it tick—and what you can steal 
  from it. Maybe you can just reskin the creature, instead of 
  making it from scratch (page 58).
  Now that you understand your creature’s concept, it’s 
  time to get to the statistics. Remember that you can always 
  change your concept later on. Your creation might evolve 
  and transform as you go, so be open to change and revisions.
  UNDERSTANDING THE STATISTICS
  Most of the statistics in this section use a scale of 
  extreme, high, moderate, and low—though some 
  incorporate terrible values as well.
  Extreme: The creature is world class in this statistic, and 
  can challenge almost any character. Most creatures have no 
  extreme statistics or one extreme statistic, with the exception 
  of creatures that trade accuracy for extreme damage being 
  slightly more common. Examples from the Bestiary include 
  the succubus’s Diplomacy and the lich’s spell DC.
  High: Extremely capable, but not world class, the 
  creature presents a challenge for most characters. Just 
  about all creatures have at least one high value. Most 
  combat-focused creatures have high AC and either high 
  attack and high damage, or merely moderate attack but 
  extreme damage. An ogre warrior’s attack bonus and a 
  kobold scout’s Stealth are high values.
  Moderate: A middle-of-the road statistic can cover 
  anything unremarkable about the creature. Use this 
  one liberally!
  Low: The creature is actively bad at this. Choose these 
  intentionally to represent the creature’s weak points. Most 
  creatures should have at least one low statistic; an example 
  is the goblin pyro’s Will save.
  Terrible: Some statistics can dip even lower than low, to 
  terrible. This indicates a truly awful statistic that still isn’t 
  game-breakingly bad. A spider’s Intelligence is poor, as is a 
  dero stalker’s Will save.
  Push and Pull
  When it comes to statistics, a creature should be balanced 
  overall. That means if you’re giving a creature an extreme 
  statistic, it should have some low or terrible statistics to 
  compensate. For example, if you were making a creature 
  extremely hard to hit by giving it an extreme AC, you’d 
  likely give it lower saving throws or low HP. If a creature 
  is great at spellcasting, it might need several low statistics 
  to be a balanced challenge. There’s no perfect system for 
  making these decisions. If you’ve made a creature roadmap 
  that has four high stats and nothing low, or vice-versa, take 
  another look. The strengths and weaknesses of a creature 
  change the PCs’ strategies in dealing with it, and that’s 
  what makes playing the game fun!
  OVERVIEW
  This 
  section 
  details 
  the 
  following 
  steps 
  in 
  the 
  creature-building process.
  1. Concept and Roadmap (page 56) Think about your creature 
  and make notes you can use in future steps.
  2. Build the Stat Block Pick all the statistics for the creatures, 
  going through the list below.
  Level (page 58)
  Alignment, Size, and Traits (page 58)
  Ability Modifiers (page 59)
  Perception and Senses (page 60)
  Languages (page 60)
  Skills (page 60)
  Items, if necessary (page 61)
  AC (page 61)
  Saving Throws (page 62)
  Hit Points (page 62)
  Immunities, Weaknesses, and Resistances (page 63)
  Speed (page 64)
  Strikes, including their damage (page 64)
  Spells, if necessary (page 65) 
  3. Design Abilities (page 67) Construct the special abilities 
  your creature can use.
  4. Reality Check (page 69) Step back, take stock of your 
  creature, and tweak as needed.
  TRAIT ABILITIES (PAGE 70)
  This section provides the abilities conveyed by certain traits, 
  such as demon, dragon, and undead. You’ll also find abilities 
  typical of creatures with those traits to help guide you as 
  you plan your creatures.
  DESIGNING NPCS (PAGE 72)
  Sometimes you’ll design a creature that’s meant to have 
  abilities or characteristics similar to that of a PC. Maybe 
  you need a bold champion, a sly rogue, or a wizened 
  druid elder for your game. You also might need a common 
  baker, who has little combat ability but great skill with 
  an oven. In these cases, this section provides ways you 
  might modify aspects of the creature-building process to 
  fit those needs.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  4
  
  ExtrEmE IncrEasEs
  At the higher levels of the game, PCs have more tools 
  at their disposal. That means the creatures need to hit 
  back harder! At higher levels, give each creature more 
  extreme statistics. Having one extreme statistic becomes 
  typical around level 11. A creature at level 15 or higher 
  typically has two extreme statistics, and one at level 20 or 
  higher should have 3 or 4. Keep in mind that these should 
  be relevant to the encounters you expect them to have. 
  A combat-focused creature won’t get far having four 
  extreme social skills. Be careful about doubling down 
  the extreme statistics: a creature with extreme damage 
  and Fortitude saves is one thing, but having both extreme 
  attack bonus and damage allows the creature to apply 
  both extreme statistics to each attack.
  LEVEL
  For most homemade creatures, the level will depend 
  on the level of the party who will encounter it. Look at 
  other creatures you think are similar in power to yours to 
  determine its level. Note that level represents a creature’s 
  combat ability, and a creature that’s more social might 
  have, for example, 3rd-level combat statistics and 6th-level 
  skills but remain a 3rd-level creature. Most such creatures 
  are NPCs; for more information on this distinction and 
  how to use it, see page Non-Combat Level on page 72.
  Some abilities are hard to deal with at low levels. For 
  instance, creatures that can fly and have ranged attacks 
  should typically appear around 7th level, when PCs can 
  fly. Natural invisibility or at-will invisibility as an innate 
  spell should come at around 6th level, when PCs are more 
  likely to prepare see invisibility in lower-level spell slots, 
  or 8th level, when some PCs get the Blind-Fight feat.
  The tables in this chapter go up to level 24—the 
  highest-level extreme encounter a party might face.
  ALIGNMENT, SIZE, AND 
  TRAITS
  Fill out the trait line of your creature’s stat block. The 
  alignment can be whatever suits your story, though some 
  types of creatures must be or tend to be certain alignments. 
  Creatures can be whatever size they need to be, though you 
  seldom find Large creatures below 1st level, Huge creatures 
  below 5th level, or Gargantuan creatures below 10th level. 
  There aren’t any automatic statistical adjustments by size, 
  except for an exception to Strength modifiers for Large 
  and bigger creatures, which you’ll find below.
  Your creature will almost certainly have one of the 
  following traits to define its type: aberration, animal, 
  astral, beast, celestial, construct, dragon, elemental, 
  ethereal, fey, fiend, fungus, giant, humanoid, monitor, 
  ooze, plant, or undead. If you’re making a creature from 
  an existing category, it has that trait as well, such as 
  demon. Elements—air, earth, fire, and water—and 
  types of energy—like acid, cold, and electricity—
  appear on creatures with a close affinity to them.
  RESKINNING A CREATURE
  Sometimes you need a creature that has abilities that are 
  almost exactly the same as another published creature. In this 
  case, it can be more efficient to simply “reskin” the old creature 
  rather than design a new one; that is, to change the description 
  but keep the abilities mostly the same. Occasionally a reskin 
  will require a small amount of mechanical adjustment. For 
  instance, a fire cat that has immunity to fire, an aura that deals 
  fire damage, and the ability to light people on fire with its jaws 
  to deal persistent fire damage could be reskinned as a caustic 
  animate tree that has immunity to acid, an aura that deals acid 
  damage, and the ability to leave behind acid on a creature’s 
  body with its branch attacks, causing persistent acid damage.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  5
  
  Some abilities typical to creatures with the traits 
  listed above can be found in the Trait Abilities 
  section (page 70). As with the other steps, looking at 
  similar creatures will give you an idea what traits to use.
  Also add any traits that have detailed rules attached 
  to them: amphibious, aquatic, incorporeal, mindless, 
  and swarm. You can add traits related to the creature 
  category, such as dinosaur or werecreature, but most of 
  these traits are pretty self-evident in play. In fact, if at 
  any point you realize during play that you didn’t add 
  a trait the creature really should have, you can usually 
  include it in retroactively.
  ABILITY MODIFIERS
  It’s useful here to figure out your creature’s ability 
  modifiers, since these will suggest what their other stats 
  should be. You don’t have to determine the exact numbers, 
  but it’s generally good to avoid creating a creature with a 
  terrible Wisdom and a very high Perception, or one with 
  terrible Dexterity and highly accurate ranged attacks. 
  Most of the time, you’ll just be using ability modifiers 
  for untrained skills, so they’re useful as a guide, though 
  not crucial.
  The Ability Modifier Scales table shows some 
  benchmarks for your creatures. Use high for the creature’s 
  best stat or stats, moderate for ones they’re okay at, and 
  low for the rest. If a creature has a truly bad ability, you 
  can go as low as –5. That’s the “terrible” range for ability 
  modifiers, and doesn’t really change by level. This is most 
  common with animals, which have an Intelligence of –4 
  (for dogs, dolphins, and such) or –5 (for more instinctual 
  animals like spiders), and for mindless creatures, which 
  use –5 Intelligence.
  Few creatures use the extreme column. A powerful, 
  dedicated spellcaster might use an extreme spellcasting 
  statistic, or a preternaturally charming creature like 
  a succubus or nymph might have extreme Charisma. 
  However, the most common way extreme numbers 
  are used is for really big, really strong creatures. This 
  happens with Large or larger creatures from level 1 to 5, 
  only Huge or larger creatures from level 6 to 9, and only 
  Gargantuan creatures from level 10 to 15. Beyond that 
  level, a creature wouldn’t gain extreme Strength from 
  size alone.
  TABLE 2–1: ABILITY MODIFIER SCALES
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low
   
  –1 
  — 
  +3 
  +2 
  +0
   
  0 
  — 
  +3 
  +2 
  +0
   
  1 
  +5 
  +4 
  +3 
  +1
   
  2 
  +5 
  +4 
  +3 
  +1
   
  3 
  +5 
  +4 
  +3 
  +1
   
  4 
  +6 
  +5 
  +3 
  +2
   
  5 
  +6 
  +5 
  +4 
  +2 
   
  6 
  +7 
  +5 
  +4 
  +2 
   
  7 
  +7 
  +6 
  +4 
  +2
   
  8 
  +7 
  +6 
  +4 
  +3
   
  9 
  +7 
  +6 
  +4 
  +3
   
  10 
  +8 
  +7 
  +5 
  +3
   
  11 
  +8 
  +7 
  +5 
  +3 
   
  12 
  +8 
  +7 
  +5 
  +4
   
  13 
  +9 
  +8 
  +5 
  +4 
   
  14 
  +9 
  +8 
  +5 
  +4 
   
  15 
  +9 
  +8 
  +6 
  +4 
   
  16 
  +10 
  +9 
  +6 
  +5
   
  17 
  +10 
  +9 
  +6 
  +5
   
  18 
  +10 
  +9 
  +6 
  +5
   
  19 
  +11 
  +10 
  +6 
  +5
   
  20 
  +11 
  +10 
  +7 
  +6
   
  21 
  +11 
  +10 
  +7 
  +6
   
  22 
  +11 
  +10 
  +8 
  +6
   
  23 
  +11 
  +10 
  +8 
  +6
   
  24 
  +13 
  +12 
  +9 
  +7
  BASE ROADMAPS
  You can use the following suggestions to set the baseline 
  when creating your roadmap. For example, use brute for a 
  big, tough creature like an ogre, or skirmisher for a darting 
  enemy. Each entry is a starting point you can customize 
  as you see fit. Any core statistic that isn’t listed normally 
  uses moderate numbers. You can set ability modifiers and 
  add additional abilities as needed. To make a creature that 
  resembles a character of a certain class, see the Class 
  Roadmaps sidebar on page 73.
  Brute low Perception; high or extreme Str, high to 
  moderate Con, low or lower Dex and mental modifiers; 
  moderate or low AC; high Fortitude, low Reflex, Will, or 
  both; high HP; high attack and high damage or moderate 
  attack and extreme damage
  Magical Striker high attack and high damage; moderate 
  to high spell DCs; either a scattering of innate spells or 
  prepared/spontaneous spells up to half the creature’s level 
  (rounded up) minus 1
  Skill Paragon high or extreme ability score matching 
  its best skills; typically high Reflex or Will and low Fort; 
  many skills at moderate or high and potentially one or 
  two extreme skills; at least one special ability to use the 
  creature’s skills in combat
  Skirmisher high Dex; low Fortitude, high Reflex; higher 
  Speed than typical
  Sniper high Perception; high Dex; low Fortitude, high 
  Reflex; moderate to low HP; ranged Strikes have high 
  attack and damage or moderate attack and extreme 
  damage (melee Strikes are weaker)
  Soldier high Str; high to extreme AC; high Fortitude; 
  high attack and high damage; Attack of Opportunity or 
  other tactical abilities
  Spellcaster high or extreme in a corresponding mental 
  modifier; low Fortitude, high Will; low HP; low attack bonus 
  and medium or low damage; high or extreme spell DCs; 
  prepared or spontaneous spells up to half the creature’s 
  level (rounded up)
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
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  PERCEPTION
  Perception is a fairly straightforward statistic. Use 
  Wisdom as a guide for setting it, and adjust to the high 
  side if your creature has acute senses or extra training. 
  If your creature had low Wisdom, for example, it would 
  probably have a low Perception modifier, or moderate if 
  it’s supposed to be a great hunter. Perception shouldn’t be 
  artificially high, even though it’s used for initiative. (Also 
  note that some creatures with worse Perception might 
  have a good Stealth modifier to use for initiative instead.)
  SENSES
  Choose or design any special senses for your creature, 
  such as low-light vision, darkvision, or scent. If you’re 
  making a sense from scratch, simply decide what it senses, 
  whether it has a range limit, and whether it’s precise or 
  imprecise. For example, the sinspawn (on page 297 of the 
  Bestiary) has “sin scent (imprecise) 30 feet.” This means it 
  can smell creatures bearing its sin if they’re within 30 feet, 
  and the sense is imprecise—as acute as human hearing.
  TABLE 2–2: PERCEPTION
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low 
  Terrible
   
  –1 
  +9 
  +8 
  +5 
  +2 
  +0
   
  0 
  +10 
  +9 
  +6 
  +3 
  +1
   
  1 
  +11 
  +10 
  +7 
  +4 
  +2
   
  2 
  +12 
  +11 
  +8 
  +5 
  +3
   
  3 
  +14 
  +12 
  +9 
  +6 
  +4
   
  4 
  +15 
  +14 
  +11 
  +8 
  +6
   
  5 
  +17 
  +15 
  +12 
  +9 
  +7
   
  6 
  +18 
  +17 
  +14 
  +11 
  +8
   
  7 
  +20 
  +18 
  +15 
  +12 
  +10
   
  8 
  +21 
  +19 
  +16 
  +13 
  +11
   
  9 
  +23 
  +21 
  +18 
  +15 
  +12
   
  10 
  +24 
  +22 
  +19 
  +16 
  +14
   
  11 
  +26 
  +24 
  +21 
  +18 
  +15
   
  12 
  +27 
  +25 
  +22 
  +19 
  +16
   
  13 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23 
  +20 
  +18
   
  14 
  +30 
  +28 
  +25 
  +22 
  +19
   
  15 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23 
  +20
   
  16 
  +33 
  +30 
  +28 
  +25 
  +22
   
  17 
  +35 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23
   
  18 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30 
  +27 
  +24
   
  19 
  +38 
  +35 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26
   20 
  +39 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30 
  +27
   
  21 
  +41 
  +38 
  +35 
  +32 
  +28
   22 
  +43 
  +39 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30
   23 
  +44 
  +40 
  +37 
  +34 
  +31
   24 
  +46 
  +42 
  +38 
  +36 
  +32
  LANGUAGES
  Think about what languages the creature would need 
  to communicate with other creatures in its home. For 
  instance, many intelligent undead speak Necril, and many 
  creatures from the Darklands speak Undercommon. If 
  you want your creature to be able to speak to the PCs, 
  be sure it has Common; for a creature with no reason to 
  speak the common tongue of your setting (such as most 
  extraplanar creatures in a typical campaign), be sure it 
  doesn’t. Some creatures can understand language but not 
  vocalize themselves; in this case, you can state that they 
  can’t speak any language. For creatures that need to be able 
  to infiltrate and communicate wherever they go, you might 
  give tongues or a similar ability as a constant innate spell. 
  SKILLS
  You have lots of flexibility in setting your creature’s skills. 
  Pick some skills you think are appropriate, and consider 
  how good the creature is at them. High skills are roughly on 
  par with a specialized PC of the creature’s level; sometimes 
  they’re a little lower or higher. Most creatures have at 
  least one high skill, but no more than three. The best skills 
  typically go with the best ability modifiers, and you might 
  even want to estimate skills using proficiencies like you 
  would with a PC. Some skills can get a high bonus “for 
  free” to fit the creature’s theme, particularly Lore skills. 
  CONVERTING FIRST EDITION CREATURES
  If you’re converting creatures from First Edition, you won’t 
  find a direct numerical conversion. Instead, use the original 
  stats to create your roadmap, giving a better AC to a creature 
  that had a good AC in First Edition, and so on. 
  Here are the main areas of difference that you’ll want to 
  keep in mind for your conversion.
  1. Ability modifiers scale differently, so don’t copy them over 
  exactly. The highest modifiers tend not to get as high in 
  2nd edition. You’ll rarely see a +10 Strength, for example. 
  Creatures also tend to get better low stats at higher 
  levels, particularly in Dexterity and Wisdom, than they 
  used to. This is most evident in high-level First Edition 
  creatures with awful Dexterity.
  2. Low-Intelligence creatures, particularly animals, tend 
  to have more special actions than they would have in 
  1st edition. This is to make encounters with them more 
  dynamic and different. Compare dinosaurs between the 
  editions for good examples.
  3. When converting spell-like abilities to innate spells, you 
  might need to make some substitutions. Some spells will 
  appear as heightened versions of spells (such as greater 
  dispel magic now being a heightened dispel magic), but 
  others will require you to find something different. Also, 
  don’t feel like you need to keep every spell. Focus on the 
  most thematic and potent ones. The Spells section on 
  page 65 has more advice on this subject.
  4. Damage reduction has been replaced with two sets of rules: 
  a resistance to all damage (possibly with exceptions) or 
  more HP and a weakness. The Immunities, Weaknesses, and 
  Resistances section on page 63 describes the distinction.
  5. If you want to convert spell resistance over, you can give 
  the creature a +1 status bonus to all saves vs. magic, or 
  +2 if it had abnormally high spell resistance for its level, 
  such as a rakshasa.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  7
  
  Most creatures don’t have an extreme skill unless 
  they are world class for their level, like a succubus’s 
  Diplomacy. Having an extreme skill is less impactful than 
  an extreme AC or attack bonus, but still might warrant 
  sacrifice elsewhere, especially if the creature also has more 
  high skills than usual. There’s no need for “terrible” skill 
  modifiers, since an untrained skill usually represents that.
  TABLE 2–3: SKILLS
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low
   
  –1 
  +8 
  +5 
  +4 
  +2 to +1
   
  0 
  +9 
  +6 
  +5 
  +3 to +2
   
  1 
  +10 
  +7 
  +6 
  +4 to +3
   
  2 
  +11 
  +8 
  +7 
  +5 to +4
   
  3 
  +13 
  +10 
  +9 
  +7 to +5
   
  4 
  +15 
  +12 
  +10 
  +8 to +7
   
  5 
  +16 
  +13 
  +12 
  +10 to +8
   
  6 
  +18 
  +15 
  +13 
  +11 to +9
   
  7 
  +20 
  +17 
  +15 
  +13 to +11
   
  8 
  +21 
  +18 
  +16 
  +14 to +12
   
  9 
  +23 
  +20 
  +18 
  +16 to +13
   
  10 
  +25 
  +22 
  +19 
  +17 to +15
   
  11 
  +26 
  +23 
  +21 
  +19 to +16
   
  12 
  +28 
  +25 
  +22 
  +20 to +17
   
  13 
  +30 
  +27 
  +24 
  +22 to +19
   
  14 
  +31 
  +28 
  +25 
  +23 to +20
   
  15 
  +33 
  +30 
  +27 
  +25 to +21
   
  16 
  +35 
  +32 
  +28 
  +26 to +23
   
  17 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30 
  +28 to +24
   
  18 
  +38 
  +35 
  +31 
  +29 to +25
   
  19 
  +40 
  +37 
  +33 
  +31 to +27
   
  20 
  +41 
  +38 
  +34 
  +32 to +28
   
  21 
  +43 
  +40 
  +36 
  +34 to +29
   
  22 
  +45 
  +42 
  +37 
  +35 to +31
   
  23 
  +46 
  +43 
  +38 
  +36 to +32
   
  24 
  +48 
  +45 
  +40 
  +38 to +33
  SPECIAL MODIFIERS
  You can also add special, thematic modifiers for certain 
  skill uses. For instance, you might give a creature that 
  secretes adhesive “Athletics +7 (+9 to Climb or Grab).” 
  This special bonus should probably still remain at or 
  below the extreme number, especially if it has a combat 
  purpose like the Grab bonus above.
  ITEMS
  If you gave a creature gear equivalent to a PC, defeating 
  a gang of thieves would give your party a huge amount 
  of treasure! Using Table 2–4: Safe Items can help you 
  avoid that. A creature can have a single permanent item 
  of the listed level without issue. For example, if a 6th-level 
  creature has a +1 weapon, that item’s not amazing for 
  the PCs, but it’s also not worth so much that they would 
  be massively rich if they encountered many creatures of 
  that type and sold everything they found. You can give a 
  creature several lower-level items too. Just pay attention to 
  your overall treasure as measured against the guidelines on 
  page 508–510 of the Core Rulebook. At the lowest levels, 
  a creature can certainly have multiple level 0 items even 
  though normally the table means the creature has only one 
  item of the level listed in the Safe Item Level column.
  Specific creatures or NPCs have more leeway to break 
  these guidelines because you can plan the rest of your 
  adventure’s loot around them, not to mention that giving 
  a boss villain a powerful magic item makes the fight and 
  its aftermath more interesting.
  TABLE 2–4: SAFE ITEMS
   
  Creature Level 
  Safe Item Level
   
  3 or lower 
  0
   
  4–5 
  1
   
  6 
  2 (+1 weapon)
   
  7 
  3
   
  8 
  4 (+1 striking weapon)
   
  9 
  5 (+1 armor)
   
  10 
  6
   
  11 
  7
   
  12 
  8 (+1 resilient armor)
   
  13 
  9
   
  14 
  10 (+2 striking weapon)
   
  15 
  11 (+2 resilient armor)
   
  16 
  12 (+2 greater striking weapon)
   
  17 
  13
   
  18 
  14 (+2 greater resilient armor)
   
  19 
  15
   
  20 
  16 (+3 greater striking weapon)
   
  21 
  17
   
  22 
  18 (+3 greater resilient armor)
   
  23 
  19 (+3 major striking weapon)
   
  24 
  20 (+3 major resilient armor)
  ARMOR CLASS
  Because AC is one of the most important combat stats, 
  you need to be more careful with setting this number 
  for any creature you expect will end up in a fight. Low 
  AC typically fits spellcasters, who compensate with their 
  IMPROVISING A CREATURE
  As you get more experienced, you might find that you don’t 
  even need to build your creatures in advance. In many cases, 
  especially for simple creatures, you can just insert the value 
  from the table on the fly and track HP. When you do, track 
  which value you used as it came up. For instance, let’s say 
  you’re improvising a 2nd-level kobold soldier. When it’s time 
  for initiative, you decide it has moderate Perception and jot 
  down “Per +8.” Your group’s fighter beats it at initiative and 
  attacks. You decide the soldier has high AC—looking at the 
  table, you see that’s 18—and add this information to your note. 
  The fighter’s Strike hits, and you select the low end of high 
  HP: 36. Well, now it’s 25. Your note says “Per +8, AC 18, HP 
  25.” If it gets to take a turn, maybe you’ll give it a Strike then.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  8
  
  selection of powerful spells. High and moderate statistics are 
  close together—most creatures use these. High is close to 
  what a PC fighter would have. Reserve extreme values for 
  a creature that is even better defended; these values are for 
  creatures that have defenses similar to champion or monk.
  TABLE 2–5: ARMOR CLASS
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low
   
  –1 
  18 
  15 
  14 
  12
   
  0 
  19 
  16 
  15 
  13
   
  1 
  19 
  16 
  15 
  13
   
  2 
  21 
  18 
  17 
  15
   
  3 
  22 
  19 
  18 
  16
   
  4 
  24 
  21 
  20 
  18
   
  5 
  25 
  22 
  21 
  19
   
  6 
  27 
  24 
  23 
  21
   
  7 
  28 
  25 
  24 
  22
   
  8 
  30 
  27 
  26 
  24
   
  9 
  31 
  28 
  27 
  25
   
  10 
  33 
  30 
  29 
  27
   
  11 
  34 
  31 
  30 
  28
   
  12 
  36 
  33 
  32 
  30
   
  13 
  37 
  34 
  33 
  31
   
  14 
  39 
  36 
  35 
  33
   
  15 
  40 
  37 
  36 
  34
   
  16 
  42 
  39 
  38 
  36
   
  17 
  43 
  40 
  39 
  37
   
  18 
  45 
  42 
  41 
  39
   
  19 
  46 
  43 
  42 
  40
   20 
  48 
  45 
  44 
  42
   
  21 
  49 
  46 
  45 
  43
   22 
  51 
  48 
  47 
  45
   23 
  52 
  49 
  48 
  46
   24 
  54 
  51 
  50 
  48
  COMPENSATING WITH HP AND SAVES
  You might adjust your creature’s HP, AC, and saves in 
  tandem. Almost no creature has great defenses in all areas; 
  making such a creature will often result in frustrating fights. 
  A creature with higher AC might have fewer HP and weaker 
  saves, and one that’s easy to hit could take more damage and 
  have a strong Fortitude. This depends on the theme of the 
  creature. An extreme AC might mean reducing the creature’s 
  HP to the next lowest category, or reducing its HP by a 
  smaller amount and making another reduction elsewhere.
  SAVING THROWS
  You can often set saves quickly by assigning one high, one 
  moderate, and one low modifier. Some creatures might vary 
  from this, either because they have poor AC but better saves 
  or because they should thematically have multiple good 
  saves and compensate elsewhere. You have more flexibility 
  with saves, and having one save off the listed number by 1 
  is rarely a big deal. Pay attention to the creature’s Con, Dex, 
  and Wis—these don’t have to correspond to the creature’s 
  saves exactly, but they should inform your choices.
  Extreme saves often pair with extreme or high ability 
  modifiers. Almost no creature should have more than 
  one extreme save, even at higher levels. Terrible saves 
  can be given to creatures who have a clear weak point, 
  like a nearly immobile creature’s Reflex save.
  TABLE 2–6: SAVING THROWS
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low 
  Terrible
   
  –1 
  +9 
  +8 
  +5 
  +2 
  +0
   
  0 
  +10 
  +9 
  +6 
  +3 
  +1
   
  1 
  +11 
  +10 
  +7 
  +4 
  +2
   
  2 
  +12 
  +11 
  +8 
  +5 
  +3
   
  3 
  +14 
  +12 
  +9 
  +6 
  +4
   
  4 
  +15 
  +14 
  +11 
  +8 
  +6
   
  5 
  +17 
  +15 
  +12 
  +9 
  +7
   
  6 
  +18 
  +17 
  +14 
  +11 
  +8
   
  7 
  +20 
  +18 
  +15 
  +12 
  +10
   
  8 
  +21 
  +19 
  +16 
  +13 
  +11
   
  9 
  +23 
  +21 
  +18 
  +15 
  +12
   
  10 
  +24 
  +22 
  +19 
  +16 
  +14
   
  11 
  +26 
  +24 
  +21 
  +18 
  +15
   
  12 
  +27 
  +25 
  +22 
  +19 
  +16
   
  13 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23 
  +20 
  +18
   
  14 
  +30 
  +28 
  +25 
  +22 
  +19
   
  15 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23 
  +20
   
  16 
  +33 
  +30 
  +28 
  +25 
  +22
   
  17 
  +35 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26 
  +23
   
  18 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30 
  +27 
  +24
   
  19 
  +38 
  +35 
  +32 
  +29 
  +26
   
  20 
  +39 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30 
  +27
   
  21 
  +41 
  +38 
  +35 
  +32 
  +28
   
  22 
  +43 
  +39 
  +36 
  +33 
  +30
   
  23 
  +44 
  +40 
  +37 
  +34 
  +31
   
  24 
  +46 
  +42 
  +38 
  +36 
  +32
  HIT POINTS
  Give a creature HP in the moderate range unless its theme 
  strongly suggests it should use another range. Spellcasters, 
  for example, often have low HP. Brutish creatures usually 
  have high HP, compensating with lower AC, weaker saves, 
  few tactical options, or other limitations. As mentioned in 
  the Armor Class section on page 61, you don’t want a 
  creature with extreme AC to have high HP too.
  Hit Points are closely tied in with immunities, 
  weaknesses, and resistances, so if your creature has any 
  of those, look at that section before finalizing HP.
  REGENERATION AND HEALING ABILITIES
  Your creature might regenerate, possess fast healing, or 
  have some other ability to heal itself. These can really 
  affect the flow of a fight. Regeneration or fast healing 
  heals back some number of hits each round, so look at 
  the high damage value on Table 2–10: Strike Damage 
  (page 65) and see how many hits it should be able to 
  heal back each round. Usually, regeneration should heal 
  back one hit or a hit and a half. For instance, if the high 
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  9
  
  damage is 20, regeneration between 20 to 30 makes 
  sense. The value should be higher if the regeneration is 
  easy to overcome—and remember that most regeneration 
  gets easier to overcome at higher levels. Also, you might 
  want to decrease the creature’s total HP by double its 
  regeneration value. Fast healing follows the same rules, 
  but because it can’t prevent a creature’s death and doesn’t 
  always have a way to deactivate it, it’s typically less 
  interesting to put on a creature than regeneration, so 
  you might want to just give the creature more Hit Points 
  instead of fast healing to keep things simple.
  If a creature can take an action that heals it, the healing is 
  usually higher because the creature must spend its actions 
  on it. An at-will healing ability should be based on a heal 
  spell 2 levels lower than the highest-level spell a creature of 
  that level could ordinarily cast (for example, an 11th-level 
  creature can typically cast up to 6th-level spells, so a 4th-
  level spell). If the ability both deals damage and heals, use 
  the same baseline scale as vampiric touch.
  TABLE 2–7: HIT POINTS
   
  Level 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low
   
  –1 
  9 
  8–7 
  6–5
   
  0 
  20–17 
  16–14 
  13–11
   
  1 
  26–24 
  21–19 
  16–14
   
  2 
  40–36 
  32–28 
  25–21
   
  3 
  59–53 
  48–42 
  37–31
   
  4 
  78–72 
  63–57 
  48–42
   
  5 
  97–91 
  78–72 
  59–53
   
  6 
  123–115 
  99–91 
  75–67
   
  7 
  148–140 
  119–111 
  90–82
   
  8 
  173–165 
  139–131 
  105–97
   
  9 
  198–190 
  159–151 
  120–112
   
  10 
  223–215 
  179–171 
  135–127
   
  11 
  248–240 
  199–191 
  150–142
   
  12 
  273–265 
  219–211 
  165–157
   
  13 
  298–290 
  239–231 
  180–172
   
  14 
  323–315 
  259–251 
  195–187
   
  15 
  348–340 
  279–271 
  210–202
   
  16 
  373–365 
  299–291 
  225–217
   
  17 
  398–390 
  319–311 
  240–232
   
  18 
  423–415 
  339–331 
  255–247
   
  19 
  448–440 
  359–351 
  270–262
   
  20 
  473–465 
  379–371 
  285–277
   
  21 
  505–495 
  405–395 
  305–295
   
  22 
  544–532 
  436–424 
  329–317
   
  23 
  581–569 
  466–454 
  351–339
   
  24 
  633–617 
  508–492 
  383–367
  IMMUNITIES, 
  WEAKNESSES, AND 
  RESISTANCES
  If it’s highly thematic for a creature to have an immunity, 
  weakness, or resistance, add it. The Resistances and 
  Weaknesses table lists the ranges for weaknesses and 
  resistances by level.
  Immunities should be reserved for creatures that are made 
  of a substance (like a fire elemental being immune to fire). 
  You can also give an immunity when your creature’s biology 
  or construction would logically cause it to be unaffected 
  (like a mindless creature’s immunity to mental effects). 
  If the creature should be hard to affect with something, 
  but the above isn’t true, give it a resistance instead. For 
  instance, a giant octopus isn’t actually made of cold water, so 
  it wouldn’t be immune to cold, but it’d still be resistant from 
  its life in the ocean depths. You’ll typically use the lower end 
  of the value on the table for a broad resistance that applies 
  to a wide range of effects, like “physical 5 (except silver)” 
  and the higher end for something more narrow, like a single 
  damage type. A creature with resistances, especially broad 
  ones or against physical damage, usually has fewer HP. 
  Giving your creature a weakness can add flavor to your 
  creature, and it greatly rewards effective player tactics once 
  your players identify the weakness. You’ll want it to apply 
  to one damage type or phenomenon, and use the high 
  end of the scale. Creatures typically don’t have more than 
  one weakness. If a creature has a weakness, especially to 
  something fairly common, give it additional HP. The amount 
  of extra HP might depend on how tough the creature should 
  feel if you don’t exploit its weakness. A tough creature might 
  have additional HP equal to quadruple the weakness value, 
  whereas a weakness that is hard to exploit probably gives 
  the creature extra HP equal to its weakness value, or less.
  TABLE 2–8: RESISTANCES AND WEAKNESSES
   
  Level 
  Maximum 
  Minimum
   
  –1 
  1 
  1
   
  0 
  3 
  1
   
  1 
  3 
  2
   
  2 
  5 
  2
   
  3 
  6 
  3
   
  4 
  7 
  4
   
  5 
  8 
  4
   
  6 
  9 
  5
   
  7 
  10 
  5
   
  8 
  11 
  6
   
  9 
  12 
  6
   
  10 
  13 
  7
   
  11 
  14 
  7
   
  12 
  15 
  8
   
  13 
  16 
  8
   
  14 
  17 
  9
   
  15 
  18 
  9
   
  16 
  19 
  9
   
  17 
  19 
  10
   
  18 
  20 
  10
   
  19 
  21 
  11
   
  20 
  22 
  11
   
  21 
  23 
  12
   
  22 
  24 
  12
   
  23 
  25 
  13
   
  24 
  26 
  13
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  10
  
  More HP and a weakness has a different feel from 
  standard HP with resistances. If the creature being an 
  impervious tank really a fits its theme, use a resistance 
  with an exception, such as “physical 5 (except silver).” 
  If, however, it makes more sense for normal hits to get 
  through and the creature to have great staying power, 
  use more HP and a weakness. Skeletons and zombies are 
  a good example of the difference between these styles. 
  Skeletons have resistances because they’re bony and hard 
  to hurt, but zombies have more HP and a weakness to 
  slashing damage. They’re tougher, but their bodies aren’t 
  built to deflect weapon attacks, and slashing attacks can 
  rip them up quickly.
  SPEED
  Your creature’s Speed should be 25 if it moves just like a 
  human. Beyond that, you can set the Speed to whatever 
  makes sense. Remember that the creature can move 
  triple this number if it spends its whole turn, so if you 
  want the PCs to be able to chase the creature you can 
  only go so high. Creatures at higher levels will need 
  ways to deal with flying PCs, very fast PCs, and more 
  efficient actions at the PCs’ disposal that let them engage 
  and retreat more easily. This might mean adding a fly 
  Speed, giving the creature ranged attacks, and so forth.
  Creatures can have climb and swim Speeds even at low 
  levels. While fly Speeds can also be there from the start, 
  its better to wait until around 7th level (when PCs gain 
  access to fly) to give your creature a fly Speed if it also has 
  ranged attacks or otherwise has a way to harry the PCs 
  from a distance indefinitely. 
  STRIKES
  When building your creature’s selection of Strikes, use 
  the table below to set the attack bonus and the section 
  beyond for damage. Give the attack all the normal traits 
  if it’s a weapon; for unarmed attacks or weapons you 
  invent, give whatever traits you feel are appropriate. 
  Note that these traits might influence the damage you 
  give the Strike.
  Use a high attack modifier for combat creatures—fighter 
  types—which also usually have high damage. A creature 
  could shift its attack modifier up while simultaneously, 
  shifting its damage down, or vice versa (for instance, a 
  moderate attack modifier and extreme damage might fit a 
  creature that’s more like a barbarian), instead of having a 
  poor statistic in another category. Spellcasters typically have 
  poor attack, potentially in exchange for extreme spell DCs.
  You might want to make sure a creature has an 
  unarmed attack if you think they’re likely to get 
  disarmed. At 7th level and higher, PCs might have 
  the ability to fly, which makes it more important 
  for creatures to have decent ranged Strikes to make 
  sure they aren’t totally hopeless against flying PCs 
  (though they might instead have fast fly Speeds or 
  something similar).
  TABLE 2–9: ATTACK BONUS
   
  Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low 
   
  –1 
  +10 
  +8 
  +6 
  +4
   
  0 
  +10 
  +8 
  +6 
  +4
   
  1 
  +11 
  +9 
  +7 
  +5
   
  2 
  +13 
  +11 
  +9 
  +7
   
  3 
  +14 
  +12 
  +10 
  +8
   
  4 
  +16 
  +14 
  +12 
  +9
   
  5 
  +17 
  +15 
  +13 
  +11
   
  6 
  +19 
  +17 
  +15 
  +12
   
  7 
  +20 
  +18 
  +16 
  +13
   
  8 
  +22 
  +20 
  +18 
  +15
   
  9 
  +23 
  +21 
  +19 
  +16
   
  10 
  +25 
  +23 
  +21 
  +17
   
  11 
  +27 
  +24 
  +22 
  +19
   
  12 
  +28 
  +26 
  +24 
  +20
   
  13 
  +29 
  +27 
  +25 
  +21
   
  14 
  +31 
  +29 
  +27 
  +23
   
  15 
  +32 
  +30 
  +28 
  +24
   
  16 
  +34 
  +32 
  +30 
  +25
   
  17 
  +35 
  +33 
  +31 
  +27
   
  18 
  +37 
  +35 
  +33 
  +28
   
  19 
  +38 
  +36 
  +34 
  +29
   
  20 
  +40 
  +38 
  +36 
  +31
   
  21 
  +41 
  +39 
  +37 
  +32
   
  22 
  +43 
  +41 
  +39 
  +33
   
  23 
  +44 
  +42 
  +40 
  +35
   
  24 
  +46 
  +44 
  +42 
  +36
  STRIKE DAMAGE
  The table below gives the amount of damage a creature 
  should deal with a single Strike. You might use a lower 
  category if the creature has better accuracy, or a higher 
  category if its accuracy is lower. 
  A creature that’s meant to be primarily a combat threat 
  uses high damage for its melee Strikes, or moderate for 
  melee Strikes that have the agile trait. Ranged attacks 
  more typically use the moderate value, or maybe low. 
  A creature that’s meant to be highly damaging uses the 
  extreme damage values, but might have a moderate attack 
  bonus. As with most stats, extreme damage is more likely 
  at higher levels. You can also use the extreme value for 
  special attacks that the creature can use only a limited 
  number of times or under circumstances that aren’t likely 
  to happen every round.
  More versatile creatures, such as ones that can cast 
  some spells and aren’t meant to primarily get their damage 
  through Strikes, go one category lower: medium for their 
  main melee Strikes, low for agile and ranged Strikes. 
  Spellcasters and other creatures that aren’t meant to be 
  competent in a direct fight might use the low damage 
  value, or even less if they completely don’t care about 
  their Strikes.
  On the Strike damage table, you’ll find a damage 
  expression (dice plus a flat modifier) you can use as is, or 
  you can take the damage in parentheses and build your 
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  11
  
  own damage expression. If you do the latter, remember 
  that a d4 counts as 2.5 damage, a d6 as 3.5, a d8 as 4.5, a 
  d10 as 5.5, and a d12 as 6.5. Usually, a damage expression 
  works best when it’s roughly half the damage from dice 
  and half from the flat modifier. If your creature gets special 
  damage, like 1d6 fire from flaming attacks, that needs to 
  come out of its total damage per Strike. Keep in mind that 
  a creature using a weapon should have a damage value 
  that feels right for that weapon. A dagger-wielder dealing 
  extreme damage isn’t a common sight without something 
  like sneak attack to boost the damage—that’s usually 
  reserved for two-handed weapons that deal d10s or d12s 
  for damage. However, the dagger-wielder might have the 
  ability to attack several times or use other sorts of tricks.
  TABLE 2–10: STRIKE DAMAGE
   Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate 
  Low
   –1 
  1d6+1 (4) 
  1d4+1 (3) 
  1d4 (3) 
  1d4 (2)
   
  0 
  1d6+3 (6) 
  1d6+2 (5) 
  1d4+2 (4) 
  1d4+1 (3)
   
  1 
  1d8+4 (8) 
  1d6+3 (6) 
  1d6+2 (5) 
  1d4+2 (4)
   
  2 
  1d12+4 (11) 
  1d10+4 (9) 
  1d8+4 (8) 
  1d6+3 (6)
   
  3 
  1d12+8 (15) 
  1d10+6 (12) 
  1d8+6 (10) 
  1d6+5 (8)
   
  4 
  2d10+7 (18) 
  2d8+5 (14) 
  2d6+5 (12) 
  2d4+4 (9)
   
  5 
  2d12+7 (20) 
  2d8+7 (16) 
  2d6+6 (13) 
  2d4+6 (11)
   
  6 
  2d12+10 (23) 
  2d8+9 (18) 
  2d6+8 (15) 
  2d4+7 (12)
   
  7 
  2d12+12 (25) 
  2d10+9 (20) 
  2d8+8 (17) 
  2d6+6 (13)
   
  8 
  2d12+15 (28) 2d10+11 (22) 
  2d8+9 (18) 
  2d6+8 (15)
   
  9 
  2d12+17 (30) 2d10+13 (24) 
  2d8+11 (20) 
  2d6+9 (16)
   10 2d12+20 (33) 2d12+13 (26) 2d10+11 (22) 2d6+10 (17)
   
  11 2d12+22 (35) 2d12+15 (28) 2d10+12 (23) 2d8+10 (19)
   12 3d12+19 (38) 3d10+14 (30) 3d8+12 (25) 3d6+10 (20)
   13 3d12+21 (40) 3d10+16 (32) 3d8+14 (27) 
  3d6+11 (21)
   14 3d12+24 (43) 3d10+18 (34) 3d8+15 (28) 3d6+13 (23)
   15 3d12+26 (45) 3d12+17 (36) 3d10+14 (30) 3d6+14 (24)
   16 3d12+29 (48) 3d12+18 (37) 3d10+15 (31) 3d6+15 (25)
   17 3d12+31 (50) 3d12+19 (38) 3d10+16 (32) 3d6+16 (26)
   18 3d12+34 (53) 3d12+20 (40) 3d10+17 (33) 3d6+17 (27)
   19 4d12+29 (55) 4d10+20 (42) 4d8+17 (35) 4d6+14 (28)
   20 4d12+32 (58) 4d10+22 (44) 4d8+19 (37) 4d6+15 (29)
   21 4d12+34 (60) 4d10+24 (46) 4d8+20 (38) 4d6+17 (31)
   22 4d12+37 (63) 4d10+26 (48) 4d8+22 (40) 4d6+18 (32)
   23 4d12+39 (65) 4d12+24 (50) 4d10+20 (42) 4d6+19 (33)
   24 4d12+42 (68) 4d12+26 (52) 4d10+22 (44) 4d6+21 (35)
  SPELLS
  Your creature might have magical abilities that are 
  best represented by spells. If you’re making a highly 
  spellcasting-themed creature, give it prepared or 
  spontaneous spells. For a creature that has spells due 
  to its magical nature, especially if that magic isn’t its 
  core focus, look at giving it some innate spells instead. 
  How many spells you give a creature should depend on 
  how you expect it to spend its actions in combat. If it’s 
  primarily going to making Strikes, it might not have any 
  spells, or just have a few to help it move around better or 
  protect against certain types of magic.
  When choosing spells, lean hard into the creature’s 
  theme. Many PCs choose spells to cover a wide variety 
  of situations, but creatures are more evocative the more 
  focused they are. Consider selecting 75% of spells based 
  on relevance to the theme and the remaining 25% for 
  other things. However, make sure the spells aren’t one 
  note. Selecting fireball for 75% of a creature’s spell slots 
  doesn’t make for a compelling fire creature in the way a 
  diverse selection of fire spells would.
  When choosing spells, pay attention to heightened 
  versions, as some spells won’t be very useful if prepared at 
  their minimum level despite the creature having higher-level 
  spell slots. Most notably, damaging spells drop off in 
  usefulness for a creature that’s only expected to last a single 
  fight. A damaging spell two levels below the highest level a 
  creature of that level can cast is still potentially useful, but 
  beyond that don’t bother. Spells that have the incapacitation 
  trait should be in the highest level slot if you want the 
  creature to potentially get their full effect against PCs.
  SPELL DC AND SPELL ATTACK ROLL
  Set the creature’s spell DC and spell attack roll using the 
  following table. Most creatures use the same DC for all 
  their spells, even if they have multiple types, such as a 
  creature with both prepared spells and innate spells.
  Use the high numbers for primary casters, and 
  moderate for creatures that have some supplemental 
  spells but are focused more on combat. At 15th level 
  and higher, the extreme numbers become standard for 
  spellcasters. A few might hit extreme at lower levels, 
  but they tend to be highly specialized, with very weak 
  defenses and attacks. Secondary spellcasters can go 
  up to high numbers if they’re above level 15 and have 
  offensive spells. There is no low value—the creature 
  shouldn’t have any spells in the first place if it would be 
  that bad at using them!
  MANUFACTURED WEAPONS
  As noted in the Items section, most creatures have lower 
  treasure than PCs, which means those that rely on manufactured 
  weapons are significantly weaker if you don’t adjust their 
  damage to compensate in some way. The default method given 
  for Strikes abstracts the sources of damage so you don’t have 
  to worry about it. If you decide to calculate the damage more 
  like a PC, give your creature weapon specialization or greater 
  weapon specialization much earlier than a PC would get it. You 
  might also need to add sneak attack or similar abilities to make 
  the creature deal more damage.
  On the flip side, you might want to use a one-off creature as 
  a source of a particularly high-level piece of treasure, such as 
  a magic weapon. In these cases, you might want to make the 
  attack bonus higher for potency or the damage higher for a 
  prime striking rune so the PCs feel the weapon’s effect before 
  gaining the treasure. This will make the treasure feel more 
  powerful, since they’ve already been on the receiving end.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  12
  
  PREPARED AND SPONTANEOUS SPELLS
  Spell slots work best for creatures that are meant to play 
  like spellcasters. Choose the magical tradition best suited 
  to the creature. You aren’t strictly limited to that tradition’s 
  spell list, though sticking close to it will make your creature’s 
  connection to that tradition more clear. The decision to use 
  prepared or spontaneous spellcasting should align with 
  the creature’s theme. As a one-off creature, a spontaneous 
  spellcaster will have more flexibility in combat and is thus 
  more effective than a prepared spellcaster. However, if you 
  expect the creature to be a recurring character, a prepared 
  spellcaster might be able to change their spells between 
  appearances in a way a spontaneous caster can’t.
  The highest spell level a creature can cast equals half its 
  level rounded up, at maximum for a creature that can cast 
  the same number of spells as a PC spellcaster. The maximum 
  number of spell slots it has of that spell level is 2 or 3 if the 
  creature’s level is odd, or 3 or 4 if it’s even. Then, every spell 
  level below gets 3 or 4 spell slots (depending on what you 
  picked for its highest level), and the creature gets 5 cantrips.
  Because creatures tend to be “on stage” for only a short 
  period of time, you usually don’t need to fill every single 
  spell slot. You can often fill just the top three levels of spells, 
  pick cantrips, and maybe slot in a few thematic backup 
  spells in the fourth level down. For a creature you expect 
  to recur, you might give it the full complement of spells.
  INNATE SPELLS
  Unlike prepared or spontaneous spells, innate spells can 
  be of higher level than half the creature’s level rounded 
  up, and you can choose how often they’re used—they 
  can even be used at-will or be constant effects. The most 
  notable innate spells tend to be top-level ones that make 
  a big impact but can be used only once, at-will spells 
  that strongly reinforce the creature’s theme, and constant 
  spells that give it an ongoing benefit. A spell that’s usable 
  a limited number of times and falls at a lower level than 
  the top tier tends to be less interesting and less likely to 
  come up in play. However, that’s a great spot for utility 
  and recovery spells, such as restoration or dispel magic.
  Sometimes a strongly thematic innate spell is higher 
  than the creature would normally be able to cast, but it’s 
  so fitting that it belongs there. Be careful when doing this, 
  as PCs might not have their normal countermeasures for 
  the spell. This spot works best for “helper” spells that 
  change the odds of a fight without outright killing anyone, 
  such as the succubus’s dominate spell. These should make 
  the fight more interesting, not end it. Keep the number of 
  such spells very low, typically just one.
  Though you can achieve all sorts of things with innate 
  spells, always start with theme and with an idea of how you 
  want the creature spending its actions. Sure, you could give 
  the creature a tool to counter every kind of PC attack or 
  TABLE 2–11: SPELL DC AND SPELL ATTACK ROLL
   
  Extreme 
  High 
  Moderate
   
  Level 
  DC 
  Spell Attack 
  DC 
  Spell Attack 
  DC 
  Spell Attack 
   
  –1 
  19 
  +11 
  16 
  +8 
  13 
  +5
   
  0 
  19 
  +11 
  16 
  +8 
  13 
  +5
   
  1 
  20 
  +12 
  17 
  +9 
  14 
  +6
   
  2 
  22 
  +14 
  18 
  +10 
  15 
  +7
   
  3 
  23 
  +15 
  20 
  +12 
  17 
  +9
   
  4 
  25 
  +17 
  21 
  +13 
  18 
  +10
   
  5 
  26 
  +18 
  22 
  +14 
  19 
  +11
   
  6 
  27 
  +19 
  24 
  +16 
  21 
  +13
   
  7 
  29 
  +21 
  25 
  +17 
  22 
  +14
   
  8 
  30 
  +22 
  26 
  +18 
  23 
  +15
   
  9 
  32 
  +24 
  28 
  +20 
  25 
  +17
   
  10 
  33 
  +25 
  29 
  +21 
  26 
  +18
   
  11 
  34 
  +26 
  30 
  +22 
  27 
  +19
   
  12 
  36 
  +28 
  32 
  +24 
  29 
  +21
   
  13 
  37 
  +29 
  33 
  +25 
  30 
  +22
   
  14 
  39 
  +31 
  34 
  +26 
  31 
  +23
   
  15 
  40 
  +32 
  36 
  +28 
  33 
  +25
   
  16 
  41 
  +33 
  37 
  +29 
  34 
  +26
   
  17 
  43 
  +35 
  38 
  +30 
  35 
  +27
   
  18 
  44 
  +36 
  40 
  +32 
  37 
  +29
   
  19 
  46 
  +38 
  41 
  +33 
  38 
  +30
   
  20 
  47 
  +39 
  42 
  +34 
  39 
  +31
   
  21 
  48 
  +40 
  44 
  +36 
  41 
  +33
   
  22 
  50 
  +42 
  45 
  +37 
  42 
  +34
   
  23 
  51 
  +43 
  46 
  +38 
  43 
  +35
   
  24 
  52 
  +44 
  48 
  +40 
  45 
  +37
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  13
  
  trick, but remember that the players chose those options to 
  enjoy using them, rather than to be constantly foiled while 
  tiring effortlessly against an effectively invincible creature.
  RITUALS
  Since rituals happen during downtime, giving them to 
  a creature is usually a purely thematic choice. You can 
  skip even looking at rituals in most cases. If you decide a 
  creature needs to have a ritual for your story, add in the 
  ritual whenever you need it. 
  DESIGN ABILITIES
  As noted back in the creature concept step, you should 
  have decided upon some linchpin abilities you plan to 
  design. Again, you can look at existing creature abilities 
  from the Bestiary and feats from the Core Rulebook and 
  use them as printed or modify them to fit your needs.
  When choosing abilities, think about both the number 
  of abilities and the diversity of abilities. Having a large 
  number of similar abilities can make the creature tougher to 
  run, and means it probably won’t use them all! Diversity of 
  abilities gives the creature different ways to act in different 
  situations, and helps guide you as GM. For instance, a 
  combat creature might have one ability it uses to get into 
  position, another to use when it wants to focus damage on 
  a single enemy, and a third that’s more defensive.
  BASICS OF ABILITY DESIGN
  There are a few principles of ability construction that you’ll 
  want to keep in mind. Some guidance for specific types of 
  abilities will come later, but these apply to everything.
  • Respect the action economy.
  • Make sure abilities are level-appropriate.
  • Avoid “invisible” abilities.
  actIon Economy
  Core to making a creature work is understanding 
  its action economy. Remember how short 
  the lifespan of a typical combat creature is. 
  Including a bunch of combat abilities might 
  mean you spend time building actions the 
  creature will never have time to use. Narrow 
  your selections down to the smallest and 
  most compelling set that makes sense. Also 
  keep in mind that special actions will compete 
  for time with any combat spells you gave 
  the creature.
  Reactions can help somewhat, giving the creature a 
  way to act when it’s not its turn. See the Reactive Abilities 
  section for advice on designing these tricky abilities.
  Because of PC capabilities at higher levels, creatures at 
  those levels should get more advantages to their action 
  economy. For instance, creatures that grapple should 
  have Improved Grab instead of Grab, Speeds should be 
  higher, and many abilities that would have cost an action 
  at a lower level should be free actions.
  FOCUS SPELLS
  Some creatures have focus spells, especially when a set of focus 
  spells clearly fits a creature’s theme. Simply give the creature 
  the focus spells you like and between 1 and 3 Focus Points (you 
  can also allow your creature to cast a focus spell using spell 
  slots). Use the same DC and spell attack roll as any other spell. 
  A creature that has just 1 Focus Point is likely to cast a focus 
  spell only once, unless it’s a recurring enemy. If the creature has 
  plenty of spells already, you might want to skip the focus spells 
  altogether, as they aren’t as strong as top-level spell slots.
  lEvEl aPProPrIatEnEss
  The effects of an ability should be appropriate to the 
  creature’s level. For damaging abilities, that really just 
  means they follow the damage guidelines below. For others, 
  take a look at spells and feats with a similar effect to see 
  if they’re appropriate. For instance, say you’re considering 
  giving a 6th-level creature the ability to teleport a short 
  distance. Something comparable is dimension door. That’s 
  a 4th-level spell, normally cast by a 7th-level or higher 
  creature. That means 6th level probably isn’t too low, 
  but the creature shouldn’t be able to use the ability more 
  than once! You can also compare your creature to those 
  in a Bestiary volume to see if the special abilities seem 
  appropriate to those of other creatures of the same level.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  14
  
  InvIsIblE abIlItIEs
  Avoid abilities that do nothing but change the creature’s 
  math, also known as “invisible abilities.” These alter a 
  creature’s stats in a way that’s invisible to the players, 
  which makes them less engaging because the players 
  don’t see the creature using its abilities in a tangible or 
  evocative way. For example, a creature ability that takes 
  an action to increase its accuracy for the round with no 
  outward sign (or worse, just grants a passive bonus to its 
  accuracy) isn’t that compelling, whereas one that increases 
  its damage by lighting its arrows on fire is noticeable. 
  These both work toward the same goal—dealing more 
  damage this round—but one is far more memorable.
  ACTIVE ABILITIES
  Abilities a creature uses on its turn have the most 
  flexibility and scope. You can have them spend 1 to 3 
  actions as needed (or be free actions in rare cases), and 
  use just about any type of tactic. Feats, spells, and creature 
  abilities provide a wide variety of examples here, so look 
  for something similar to your idea to use as a basis. 
  Consider how you want your creature to spend its turns. 
  Two-action activities pretty much define the creature’s 
  turn, and single actions work best for supplemental 
  benefits or normal Strikes. And as you build out your 
  idea of a creature’s turn, don’t forget about movement! 
  Remember that, especially early in a fight, a creature 
  often needs to spend actions getting into position. This is 
  especially challenging with melee-only creatures. You can 
  give such creatures abilities similar to Sudden Charge or 
  the deadly mantis’s Leaping Grab.
  Use 3-action activities sparingly, as they become useless if 
  the creature is slowed or stunned. Putting a 3-action ability 
  that’s crucial to define the creature might mean it never 
  uses its most interesting tactic. These activities should be 
  reserved for abilities that include some movement (such 
  as Trample), or that the creature is likely to use before it’s 
  engaged in combat. Don’t use three actions as a balance 
  point. In other words, saying “This can be more powerful 
  than other abilities because it is less likely to work,” is a 
  recipe for frustration if you’ve made a cool ability that’s 
  too hard or even impossible for the creature to use.
  Be especially careful with activities when designing 
  boss creatures. They’re likely to get targeted with the PCs’ 
  worst debuffs, get grabbed, become slowed, or otherwise 
  have their actions restricted. Bosses need to have some 
  solid options they can take with 1 or 2 actions. This lets 
  them save their third action to get away, use a simple 
  ability, or otherwise keep the fight dynamic.
  FrEE actIons
  Use free actions that don’t have triggers sparingly. They 
  should almost always be used for “helper” actions, not 
  Strikes or movement. If you come up with a free action, 
  consider whether it should be its own action or whether 
  you’re really looking for a combo, such as drawing 
  a weapon and attacking. In cases like the latter, you 
  might be better off making a single action that allows 
  the creature to draw a weapon and then Strike instead of 
  creating a free action to draw a weapon.
  damagE oF abIlItIEs
  If a special action is a single action with only one target, 
  you can often set damage using Table 2–10: Strike Damage 
  on page 65. If it takes more than one action or requires set-
  up in some way, it might deal higher damage than is typical. 
  Often you can get there just by using the extreme column.
  For abilities that deal damage in an area, use the Area 
  Damage table below. These numbers are based on a 
  2-action activity (i.e., most damaging spells). Single actions 
  should do much less damage. Of course, an ability that has 
  another significant effect, like applying a condition, should 
  deal less damage; for this, you can look at the damage for 
  two or more levels lower, and judge based on the severity 
  of the additional effect. Area damage typically allows a 
  basic saving throw. The table includes values for unlimited-
  use abilities (ones that can be used at-will) and limited-use 
  ones (which can be used once or, like a Breath Weapon, 
  once or twice and not on consecutive turns).
  As with the Strikes damage table, you can either use 
  the dice given or generate your own based on the average 
  damage in parentheses. If a high-level effect has a small 
  area for its level, it might deal more damage.
  TABLE 2–12: AREA DAMAGE
   
  Level 
  Unlimited Use 
  Limited Use
   
  –1 
  1d4 (2) 
  1d6 (4)
   
  0 
  1d6 (4) 
  1d10 (6)
   
  1 
  2d4 (5) 
  2d6 (7)
   
  2 
  2d6 (7) 
  3d6 (11)
   
  3 
  2d8 (9) 
  4d6 (14)
   
  4 
  3d6 (11) 
  5d6 (18)
   
  5 
  2d10 (12) 
  6d6 (21)
   
  6 
  4d6 (14) 
  7d6 (25)
   
  7 
  4d6 (15) 
  8d6 (28)
   
  8 
  5d6 (17) 
  9d6 (32)
   
  9 
  5d6 (18) 
  10d6 (35)
   
  10 
  6d6 (20) 
  11d6 (39)
   
  11 
  6d6 (21) 
  12d6 (42)
   
  12 
  5d8 (23) 
  13d6 (46)
   
  13 
  7d6 (24) 
  14d6 (49)
   
  14 
  4d12 (26) 
  15d6 (53)
   
  15 
  8d6 (27) 
  16d6 (56)
   
  16 
  8d6 (28) 
  17d6 (60)
   
  17 
  8d6 (29) 
  18d6 (63)
   
  18 
  9d6 (30) 
  19d6 (67)
   
  19 
  9d6 (32) 
  20d6 (70)
   
  20 
  6d10 (33) 
  21d6 (74)
   
  21 
  10d6 (35) 
  22d6 (77)
   
  22 
  8d8 (36) 
  23d6 (81)
   
  23 
  11d6 (38) 
  24d6 (84)
   
  24 
  11d6 (39) 
  25d6 (88)
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  15
  
  DEFENSIVE ABILITIES
  Active offensive abilities usually fit creatures better than 
  defensive abilities do. Save defense increases for creatures 
  that are strongly defense-themed. For martial creatures, 
  something as simple as a shield and Shield Block is usually 
  plenty. Defensive abilities often run the risk of being invisible 
  abilities. For good examples, look at spells like sanctuary for 
  ideas, or other spells that create interesting protective effects 
  instead of just granting a bonus. If you do want to make 
  a creature defensive, pick one defensive ability rather than 
  several, since stacking up multiple defenses can make for a 
  frustrating fight. One solid style of defensive ability is a mode 
  switch, which causes the creature to get stronger defenses, 
  but limits its attacks, spells, or other offensive options.
  REACTIVE ABILITIES
  Reactions and free actions with triggers can give a creature 
  an impact outside its turn. This can make the fight more 
  interesting, but may also be risky. It’s tempting to give every 
  creature a reaction, but that’s not necessarily a good idea. To 
  decide whether your creature should have a reaction, first 
  consider if the creature has the reflexes or insight to react 
  well in the first place. Oozes, constructs, and unintelligent 
  creatures are less likely to have reactions than others for 
  this reason. For instance, an ogre doesn’t have Attack of 
  Opportunity because it’s a big oaf.
  Second, look at the complexity of the encounter your 
  creature is likely to appear in. If you’ll have a large number 
  of creatures, skipping reactions can make the fight flow 
  faster. A creature that’s more likely to fight solo, on the other 
  hand, might have a reaction to give it a way to continue to 
  be dangerous amid an onslaught of attacks by the party.
  When creating reactions, be careful with “gotcha” 
  abilities. These are reactions that punish the players for 
  making perfectly reasonable choices, for rolling poorly, 
  and so on. If you include abilities like this, they need to 
  reinforce the creature’s core theme and the play style you 
  want it to use during combat. For example, a creature 
  that Strikes as a reaction when someone fails an attack 
  roll will encourage PCs not to take their second and third 
  attacks, or to not attack at all if their bonuses are low. Is 
  that what you want? Is this dynamic essential for making 
  the creature feel like it’s supposed to? This isn’t the type 
  of ability you’d throw onto any old creature—only an 
  incredible duelist or something similar. Reactions should 
  also require something out of the ordinary to happen in 
  most cases, or be relatively weak if triggered by something 
  ordinary. Having a reaction that can trigger any time 
  someone attempts a Strike against a creature is likely to 
  be perceived as mundane because it’s so predictable.
  The best reactions should be telegraphed, so when they 
  happen it makes sense to the players. Think of one of 
  the core reactions of the game: Shield Block. The creature 
  raises its shield—an obvious action the PCs can see—so 
  when it blocks damage from an attack, that makes perfect 
  sense. If you made a crystalline creature, you might have 
  it build up sonic energy in a low thrum, so that when it 
  uses a reaction to release a burst of sonic energy when hit, 
  the players can say, “Oh, I should have seen that coming.”
  rEactIon damagE
  Reactions should use lower damage, usually equivalent to 
  a moderate Strike. A reaction dealing area damage (which 
  should be used with caution) might deal low damage.
  CONSTANT AND AUTOMATIC ABILITIES
  Certain abilities shouldn’t take any actions. Auras are 
  one example. Look at frightful presence, the adult red 
  dragon’s dragon heat, or a xulgath’s stench for examples. 
  Your aura will need a range, and likely a DC. You’ll 
  usually set this to the moderate spell DC, unless the aura 
  is one of the core concepts the creature is crafted around. 
  For example, the xulgath’s DC is significantly higher 
  because its stench is such an iconic part of the creature.
  Abilities the creature has no control over should be 
  automatic. For example, the living wildfire fire elemental 
  explodes into flame when it dies. It has no option not to, 
  so this wouldn’t make sense as a reaction or free action. 
  Conversely, the Ferocity ability is a reaction because it 
  requires the creature to give itself a last push to stay at 1 HP.
  constant and automatIc damagE
  Much like reactions, damage for any constant ability should 
  be pretty low. Usually this value is just below low Strike 
  damage. Automatic abilities like the living wildfire’s tend 
  to deal moderate Strike damage or unlimited area damage, 
  and can deal more than that if they only happen after the 
  creature is dead or otherwise no longer presents a threat.
  SKILL ABILITIES
  A skilled creature might have special abilities related to 
  its skills. The skill feats in the Core Rulebook make for 
  a good baseline. Avoid giving your creature skill abilities 
  that won’t matter in its interactions with PCs. When NPCs 
  deal with NPCs, you can decide what happens as you like.
  REALITY CHECK
  Now it’s time to look over your creature and do a final 
  check to make sure it’s living up to your roadmap. Can it do 
  everything you wanted? Will it fit the role you planned for 
  it? Is there anything you could add or anything superfluous 
  you could cut to get the creature where it needs to be?
  If this creature is built for combat, run through a few 
  turns in your head. Does it still work decently if it gets 
  slowed? Can it move into combat against the PCs given 
  their mobility options compared to its own? Does it have 
  any abilities it won’t ever use given its other actions?
  When you’re satisfied with your creation, it’s ready to 
  hit the table. But that’s not necessarily the end! If you 
  notice issues during the game, you can fix them on the 
  spot! It’s your game, and you don’t have to be beholden 
  to what you wrote if you think differently later on.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  16
  
  TRAIT ABILITIES
  Creatures with certain traits tend to have similar abilities 
  to one another. Many of them appear here, to help you 
  make your creatures match the theme of the trait when 
  you build your own creatures.
  ABERRATION
  Senses usually darkvision
  Languages usually Aklo
  AEON
  Traits LN, monitor
  Languages Utopian and other planar languages; envisioning 
  for true aeons
  Weaknesses chaotic
  Damage Attacks always deal additional lawful damage.
  AIR
  Languages usually Auran
  Speed Many air creatures have fly Speeds.
  ANGEL
  Traits good (usually NG), celestial
  Aura Angels each have a unique aura based on how they serve 
  as messengers and how they deliver those messages.
  Speed usually has a fly Speed
  Rituals usually angelic messenger 
  ANIMAL
  Traits N
  Languages none
  Int –4 or –5
  ARCHON
  Traits LG, celestial
  Virtue Ability Archons each represent a specific virtue, like 
  courage or hope, and have a special ability based on the 
  virtue they represent.
  ASTRAL
  Senses darkvision
  AZATA
  Traits CG, celestial
  Weaknesses cold iron, evil
  Freedom Ability Azatas each represent a specific freedom, like 
  free expression or free love, and have a special ability based 
  on the freedom they represent. 
  BEAST
  Int –3 or higher
  CELESTIAL
  Traits good
  Senses darkvision
  Languages Celestial
  Saves often a +1 status bonus to all saves vs. magic
  Weaknesses evil
  Damage Attacks always deal additional good damage.
  COLD
  Immunities or Resistances cold
  CONSTRUCT
  Traits many constructs lack minds and have the mindless trait
  Immunities bleed, death effects, diseased, doomed, drained, 
  fatigued, healing, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, 
  poison, sickened, unconscious; if mindless, add mental
  DAEMON
  Traits NE, fiend
  Languages Daemonic, telepathy 100 feet
  Immunities death effects
  Death Ability Daemons each represent a specific kind of 
  death, like death by disease or starvation, and have a 
  special ability based on the method of death they represent.
  DEMON
  Traits CE, fiend
  Languages Abyssal, telepathy (usually 100 feet)
  Weaknesses cold iron, good
  HP typically high to account for their multiple weaknesses
  Divine Innate Spells usually 5th-level dimension door and at-
  will 4th-level dimension door
  Rituals usually Abyssal pact
  Sin Vulnerability Demons each represent a specific sin, like 
  envy or wrath, and have a special vulnerability based on 
  the sin they represent. This should be something the PCs 
  can exploit through their actions, which should then deal 
  mental damage to the demon. The amount of damage 
  should be based on how easy the vulnerability is to exploit.
  Sin Ability Demons also have a special ability based on the 
  sin they represent, which either makes them better embody 
  the sin or instills that sin in others.
  DEVIL
  Traits LE, fiend
  Languages Infernal, telepathy (usually 100 feet)
  Immunities fire; Resistances physical (except silver), poison
  Divine Innate Spells usually one 5th-level dimension door and 
  at-will 4th-level dimension door
  Rituals usually Infernal pact
  Infernal Hierarchy Ability Devils each have an ability 
  corresponding to the role they play in the infernal hierarchy, 
  typically focused around control or being controlled, from 
  the lowly lemure’s subservience to the gelugon’s tactician 
  of Cocytus and the pit fiend’s devil shaping.
  DRAGON
  Senses darkvision
  Languages usually Draconic
  Speed usually has a fly Speed
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  17
  
  Breath Weapon Many dragons have the Breath Weapon ability, 
  with specifics determined by the theme of the dragon.
  EARTH
  Perception often tremorsense
  Languages usually Terran
  Speed usually a burrow Speed
  ELEMENTAL
  Senses darkvision
  Immunities bleed, paralyzed, poison, sleep
  ETHEREAL
  Senses darkvision
  FEY
  Senses low-light vision
  Languages usually Sylvan, Aklo, or both
  Weaknesses cold iron
  FIEND
  Traits evil
  Senses darkvision
  Saves often a +1 status bonus to all saves vs. magic
  Weaknesses good
  Damage Attacks always deal additional evil damage.
  FIRE
  Languages usually Ignan
  Immunities fire; Resistances cold
  FUNGUS
  Traits fungi without minds have the mindless trait
  Immunities if mindless, mental; Weaknesses sometimes 
  slashing or fire
  GIANT
  Traits Large or bigger, humanoid
  Senses low-light vision
  Languages usually Jotun
  HUMANOID
  Int –3 or higher
  INEVITABLE
  Traits LN, aeon, monitor
  Immunities death effects, disease, emotion, poison, unconscious
  Damage Attacks always deal additional lawful damage.
  MONITOR
  Traits neither good nor evil
  Senses darkvision
  OOZE
  Traits almost all oozes lack minds and have the mindless trait
  Senses typically motion sense (Bestiary 254) and no vision
  AC usually well below the low value for their level
  HP usually around double
  Immunities critical hits, precision, unconscious, often acid; if 
  it has no vision, add visual effects, if mindless, add mental
  PLANT
  Traits plants without minds have the mindless trait
  Senses usually low-light vision
  Immunities if mindless, mental; Weaknesses sometimes fire
  PROTEAN
  Traits CN, monitor
  Languages Protean
  Weaknesses lawful; Resistances precision, protean anatomy
  Protean Anatomy (Bestiary 237)
  Damage attacks always deal additional chaotic damage
  Divine Innate Spells constant freedom of movement
  Change Shape
  PSYCHOPOMP
  Traits N, monitor
  Senses lifesense (typically 60 feet)
  Languages Requian
  Immunities death effects, disease
  Resistances negative, poison
  Damage spirit touch (Bestiary 270)
  RAKSHASA
  Traits LE, fiend
  Saves usually +2 status to all saves vs. magic (+3 vs. divine 
  magic)
  Resistances physical (except piercing)
  Change Shape
  SPIRIT
  Traits incorporeal, often undead
  SWARM
  Traits size based on the entire mass, usually Large or bigger
  HP typically low; Immunities precision, swarm mind; 
  Weaknesses area damage, splash damage; Resistances 
  physical, usually with one physical type having lower or 
  no resistance
  UNDEAD
  Traits Almost all undead are evil. Ghostly undead have the 
  incorporeal trait. Undead without minds, such as most 
  zombies, have the mindless trait.
  Senses darkvision
  HP negative healing
  Immunities death effects, disease, paralyze, poison, sleep (or 
  unconscious if it never rests at all); if mindless, add mental
  WATER
  Languages usually Aquan
  Speed usually has a swim Speed
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  18
  
  DESIGNING NPCS
  Creatures that are meant to cleave closely to character 
  classes or intended to represent normal people instead 
  of monstrous creatures are NPCs. They might face more 
  scrutiny around their mechanics than creatures, because 
  a player can more directly compare their rogue to an 
  NPC who acts like a rogue. That doesn’t mean you have 
  to build an NPC exactly like a PC, though.
  You can build your NPCs just like any other creature. 
  Use the class features and feats of a suitable class to pick 
  abilities, and look at both the class’s proficiencies and 
  ability modifiers to determine how strong stats should 
  be. The Class Roadmaps sidebar on page 73 has many 
  prebuilt roadmaps for the Core Rulebook classes to get 
  you started.
  If the NPC isn’t meant to work like a PC class (a 
  baker, for example), instead look at the NPC Gallery on 
  pages 202–249. Compare your NPC to the existing ones 
  to determine their level, and look for abilities that are 
  similar to what yours should have. You can also create 
  new abilities as needed to get the NPC’s interactions 
  with the players to express their theme and role in the 
  story. Remember that these NPCs can be level –1 or 
  level 0. They have capabilities below that of PCs, and 
  should typically not use any class features or feats from 
  PC classes. Creatures of these levels tend to be extremely 
  simple, and usually you can just take one from the NPC 
  Gallery and reskin it.
  It’s highly recommended that you select NPC skills 
  using proficiency ranks as you would a PC, though 
  you don’t need to be precise with the number of skill 
  increases you give it. You can give it earlier access to 
  expert, master, or legendary proficiency if they’re a 
  skill-based NPC, and hand out better proficiency in 
  narrow areas of expertise, like Engineering Lore for a 
  tinker NPC.
  NON-COMBAT LEVEL
  An NPC’s level should represent its combat prowess. 
  A common person, even if they’re important or highly 
  skilled, might not be a combat threat, and consequently 
  have a low level. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t 
  present a challenge in other types of encounters. This 
  is represented by a non-combat level, and tends to be 
  specific to their area of expertise. For example, the 
  barrister on page 232 of the NPC Gallery is a  4th-level 
  creature in an encounter related to legal matters.
  This can go the other way as well, such as with a 
  powerful combat creature that’s not suited to social 
  settings. This is usually the case with creatures 
  untrained in mental skills! You can improvise this as 
  you run the game, or plan ahead if you have something 
  particular in mind.
  Building a creature’s non-combat level is pretty 
  simple. Choose the level you want them to be for the 
  type of  challenge you have in mind, and use the skill 
  numbers for that level—typically high or even extreme. 
  Some challenges, such as social challenges, require the 
  creature to have a high Perception and Will DC, so in 
  those cases, you should increase those values as well. 
  These should be set at the moderate or high values for 
  the non-combat level, usually, depending on how adept 
  you want the NPC to be.
  The Experience Points gained for besting an NPC 
  depend on how the party overcame them, because XP 
  comes from overcoming a specific challenge. If it was in 
  a non-combat setting of the NPC’s specialty, the party 
  gets XP based on the NPC’s non-combat level. If they 
  just beat the NPC up, that’s going to use the NPC’s 
  creature level. Quite often, that means 0 XP and failure 
  at the PCs’ objective; for instance, during a baking 
  contest, if the PCs murder the other baker, they will not 
  only be disqualified, they will likely be apprehended 
  for their crime.
  PC-STYLE BUILD
  If you do choose to build an NPC fully using the PC rules, 
  your NPC should likely end up being an appropriate 
  challenge as a creature of their level. They will likely 
  have lower statistics in some areas than if you had built 
  them using the creature rules, but more options due to 
  their full complement of feats and class features. This 
  is best saved for important, recurring NPCs, especially 
  if they’re meant to engage in social or exploration 
  endeavors rather than just battles.
  There are still some considerations and shortcuts that 
  can expedite the process and make sure the NPC works 
  as you intend.
  • The creature’s treasure should follow the Treasure 
  for New Characters rules on page 511 of the Core 
  Rulebook. You’ll need to account for this in your 
  campaign’s overall treasure. You might even want 
  to give the NPC a higher-level item appropriate as a 
  treasure allotment for the level.
  • You can expedite ability score generation by just 
  making the starting ability modifiers add up to 
  +9, with no more than one modifier at +4 (and 
  typically no more than one negative modifier). You 
  can skip adding a background if you do this, but 
  you might want to give the creature two skills, 
  which includes one Lore skill, to represent the skills 
  granted by a background.
  • It’s not necessary to assign every skill feat, 
  particularly for a higher-level NPC. You can just 
  pick the most emblematic ones and gloss over 
  the rest.
  • For 
  general 
  feats, 
  Incredible 
  Initiative 
  and 
  Toughness make good choices.
  • Most of the guidelines about choosing spells still 
  apply, though you might want a few more utility 
  spells that deal with non-combat challenges, 
  particularly in low-level slots.
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  19
  
  CLASS ROADMAPS
  You can use these suggestions when creating your roadmap to 
  emulate a PC class, customizing as you see fit. You’ll still need to 
  look at the class to pick feats, weapons, and the like. Any statistic 
  that isn’t specifically listed can use moderate numbers.
  Alchemist low Perception; high Crafting; high Int, moderate or 
  better Dex or Str; low to moderate HP; moderate attack with bombs; 
  infused alchemical items, Quick Bomber if a bomber alchemist, a 
  few other alchemist abilities; it’s usually easier to simply give the 
  alchemist its bomb items rather than use Quick Alchemy on the spot.
  Barbarian high Athletics; high Str, high to moderate Con; high 
  AC; high Fortitude; high HP; moderate attack and extreme damage 
  (when raging); Rage and a few barbarian abilities
  Bard moderate Occultism, high Performance, high Charisma-
  based skills; high Cha; low Fortitude, moderate to high Will; low to 
  moderate HP; low accuracy; high to extreme spell DC; spontaneous 
  occult spellcasting as a bard of their level; composition spells
  Champion low Perception; moderate Religion; high Str or Dex, 
  moderate Cha; extreme AC; low Reflex; moderate attack and high 
  damage; champion’s reaction, devotion spells, Shield Block
  Cleric (Cloistered) high Perception; high Religion, moderate or 
  high skill themed to deity; low AC; high Wis; low Fortitude, high 
  Will; low to moderate HP; low accuracy; high to extreme spell DC; 
  prepared divine spellcasting as a cleric of their level; divine font; 
  domain spells
  Cleric (Warpriest) moderate Perception; moderate Religion, 
  moderate or high skill themed to deity; high Str, moderate Wis; high 
  AC; low Reflex, high Will; high spell DC; prepared divine spellcasting 
  as a cleric of their level; divine font, Shield Block
  Druid high Perception; high Nature, moderate or high skill from 
  order; high Wis; high Will; low to moderate HP; low accuracy; high 
  to extreme spell DC; prepared primal spellcasting as a druid of their 
  level; order ability and order spell for their order; Shield Block; add 
  an animal to the encounter for animal order
  Fighter high Acrobatics or Athletics; high Str or Dex; high AC; 
  low Will; high attack and high damage; Attack of Opportunity, 
  Shield Block, a few fighter abilities
  Monk high Acrobatics and/or Athletics; high Str or Dex, moderate 
  Wis; high or extreme AC; moderate attack and high damage; Flurry 
  of Blows, a few monk abilities (possibly including ki spells)
  Ranger high Perception; moderate Nature and moderate to 
  high Survival; high Str or Dex; high AC; moderate attack and high 
  damage (or for a simpler ranger, remove Hunt Prey and just use 
  high attack and high damage); a few ranger abilities
  Rogue high Perception; high Dex (unless using a different key 
  ability score using a specific rogue’s racket); high Stealth and 
  Thievery, plus more skills than usual; high AC; low Fortitude, high 
  Reflex; low to moderate HP; moderate attack and low to moderate 
  damage before sneak attack plus high or extreme damage with 
  sneak attack; sneak attack, a few rogue abilities
  Sorcerer low Perception; moderate bloodline skills and high 
  Charisma-based bloodline skills; high Cha; low AC; low Fortitude; 
  low HP; low accuracy; high to extreme spell DC; spontaneous 
  spellcasting of a tradition based on bloodline as a sorcerer of their 
  level; bloodline spells
  Wizard low Perception; high Arcana; high Int; low AC; low 
  Fortitude; low HP; low accuracy; high to extreme spell DC; prepared 
  arcane spellcasting as a wizard of their level; Drain Bonded Item, 
  school spells and additional slots for a specialist (or additional uses 
  of Drain Bonded Item for a universalist)
  CLASS ABILITIES
  You don’t need to give an NPC all the abilities from its class—
  especially those that just alter numbers. The following abilities are 
  good quick choices that make for more interesting encounters.
  Alchemist Feats 1st: Quick Bomber; 6th: Debilitating Bomb; 8th: 
  Sticky Bomb; 10th: Expanded Splash, Greater Debilitating Bomb; 
  14th: True Debilitating Bomb; 18th: Miracle Worker
  Barbarian instinct ability and related feats, raging resistance; 
  Feats 1st: Raging Intimidation; 2nd: No Escape, Shake it Off; 4th: 
  Fast Movement, Swipe; 6th: Attack of Opportunity, Cleave; 8th: 
  Sudden Leap; 10th: Come and Get Me, Knockback, Terrifying Howl; 
  14th: Awesome Blow, Whirlwind Strike; 18th: Vicious Evisceration
  Bard muse feats; Feats 4th: Melodious Spell; 6th: Dirge of 
  Doom, Steady Spellcasting; 10th: Quickened Casting; 14th: Allegro, 
  Soothing Ballad; 16th: Effortless Concentration; 20th: Fatal Aria
  Champion divine ally and related feats, divine smite, exalt, feats 
  based on cause; Feats 1st: Deity’s Domain; 2nd: Divine Grace; 4th: 
  Aura of Courage, Mercy; 6th: Attack of Opportunity; 8th: Greater 
  Mercy; 12th: Aura of Faith; 14th: Aura of Righteousness, Divine 
  Reflexes; 18th: Celestial Form, Ultimate Mercy
  Cleric Feats 1st: Harming Hands, Healing Hands; 2nd: Sap Life, 
  Turn Undead; 4th: Command Undead, Necrotic Infusion; 6th: Divine 
  Weapon, Selective Energy; 8th: Channeled Succor; 12th: Defensive 
  Recovery; 14th: Fast Channel; 16th: Eternal Bane, Eternal Blessing
  Druid order feats; Feats 6th: Steady Spellcasting; 8th: Fey Caller 
  (only the added spells); 10th: Overwhelming Energy; 12th: Primal 
  Summons; 16th: Effortless Concentration, 20th: Leyline Conduit
  Fighter bravery, feats associated with a combat style; Feats 1st: 
  Power Attack, Sudden Charge; 2nd: Intimidating Strike, Lunge; 
  4th: Knockdown, Swipe; 6th: Shatter Defenses; 8th: Blind-Fight, 
  Felling Strike, Sudden Leap; 10th: Certain Strike, Combat Reflexes, 
  Disruptive Stance, Fearsome Brute; 12th: Spring Attack; 14th: 
  Determination, Whirlwind Strike; 20th: Weapon Supremacy
  Monk mystic strikes, metal strikes, perfected form, stance and 
  related feats; Feats 1st: Ki Rush, Ki Strike; 2nd: Crushing Grab, 
  Stunning Fist; 4th: Deflect Arrow, Flying Kick; 6th: Abundant 
  Step, Ki Blast, Whirling Throw; 8th: Wall Run; 10th: Winding Flow; 
  16th: Quivering Palm, Shattering Strike; 18th: Diamond Fists, 
  Swift River; 20th: Enduring Quickness, Impossible Techniques
  Ranger Hunt Prey, hunter’s edge, nature’s edge, masterful hunter, 
  swift prey, companion or combat style and related feats; Feats 2nd: 
  Quick Draw, Wild Empathy; 4th: Scout’s Warning; 6th: Skirmish 
  Strike; 8th: Blind-Fight, Warden’s Boon; 10th: Camouflage; 14th: 
  Sense the Unsee; 18th: Shadow Hunter; 20th: Ultimate Skirmisher
  Rogue surprise attack, deny advantage, debilitating strike, 
  master strike, rogue’s racket and related feats; Feats 1st: Nimble 
  Dodge; 2nd: Mobility, Quick Draw; 4th: Scout’s Warning; 6th: Gang 
  Up, Skirmish Strike, Twist the Knife; 8th: Blind-Fight, Opportune 
  Backstab; 10th: Sneak Savant; 12th: Fantastic Leap, Spring from the 
  Shadows; 14th: Sense the Unseen; 16th: Dispelling Slice, Perfect 
  Distraction; 20th: Hidden Paragon, Reactive Distraction
  Sorcerer bloodline and related feats; Feats 1st: Counterspell, 
  Dangerous Sorcery; 4th: Bespell Weapon; 6th: Steady Spellcasting; 
  10th: Overwhelming Energy, Quickened Casting; 16th: Effortless 
  Concentration; 20th: Metamagic Mastery
  Wizard school and related feats; Feats 1st: Counterspell; 4th: 
  Bespell Weapon; 6th: Steady Spellcasting; 10th: Overwhelming 
  Energy, Quickened Casting; 12th: Clever Counterspell; 14th: Reflect 
  Spell; 16th: Effortless Concentration; 18th: Infinite Possibilities; 
  20th: Metamagic Mastery, Spell Combination
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  20
  
  BUILDING HAZARDS
  Building hazards designed for your game allows you to customize them to match your 
  story, location, and needs, as well as to surprise the other players at every turn. There’s no 
  wrong way to create a hazard, but this guide presents the information in the order you 
  might see it in a hazard stat block. 
  CONCEPT
  The first thing you’ll need is a concept for your hazard. 
  What level is your hazard? Will it be simple or complex? Is 
  it a trap, a haunt, an environmental hazard, or something 
  else? If it’s a trap, is it mechanical, magical, or both? This is a 
  good time to brainstorm the hazard’s name and description, 
  as this will help you decide how the hazard can be disabled. 
  The following information builds on concepts from 
  Building Creatures, which starts on page 56.
  HAZARD TYPES
  There are three main types of hazards: traps, 
  environmental hazards, and haunts. 
  Traps are usually built or placed, though they can also 
  form accidentally, such as if a magic 
  portal, through millennia of disuse, 
  malfunctions as its magic warps. Mechanical traps always 
  have some physical component, whereas purely magical 
  traps typically don’t. Magical traps can usually be dispelled, 
  and those without a listed proficiency rank for Stealth can 
  be found using detect magic. Thievery is the most common 
  skill used to disable traps.
  Environmental hazards are either living things, like 
  dangerous spores and molds, or simply features of the 
  terrain or environment, like avalanches or rockslides. While 
  they are always physical, some environmental hazards can’t 
  reasonably be attacked or damaged, such as a cloud of 
  poisonous gas or a patch of quicksand. Survival is the most 
  common skill used to disable environmental hazards.
  Haunts are spiritual hazards, usually formed when the 
  spiritual essence of a location is imprinted with the instincts 
  and emotions from a living being’s demise. Because haunts 
  lack matter, they rarely involve a physical component, and 
  when they do, that component is generally incorporeal or 
  might even be damaged only by positive energy. The skills 
  and options used to disable haunts vary, though using 
  Religion for an exorcism is common. However, even with 
  a successful check to disable a haunt, it can reoccur until 
  its unfinished business is resolved. Typically, successfully 
  disabling or enduring a haunt provides clues to determine 
  what it would take to lay it to rest permanently.
  UNDERSTANDING THE STATISTICS
  Much like for creatures, hazard statistics can be extreme, 
  high, or low (hazards don’t need as much granularity, so 
  they usually don’t have moderate or terrible values for their 
  statistics). While they are defined in creature creation, when 
  building a hazard, you’ll use the values slightly differently.
  Extreme: While extreme values remain world-class 
  statistics that are extremely difficult to meet or 
  exceed, unlike with monsters, almost all hazards 
  have one extreme statistic because hazards 
  normally activate only if they have gone unnoticed 
  or if someone critically failed to disable them. 
  Does it have an extreme Stealth DC that 
  makes it incredibly hard to find, an 
  extreme Disable DC that makes it 
  perilous to disable, or a save DC 
  that makes it deadly in the event it 
  triggers? These are the most common 
  choices, as each affects a different 
  phase of encountering the hazard.
  High: This is a capable level, and can 
  generally serve as a baseline value; this value for 
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  21
  
  hazards covers what would be the high and moderate 
  ranges for creatures.
  Low: If a hazard has a weakness, like a poor Reflex save 
  for a bulky mechanical trap or an easy DC to disable for 
  a hard-to-find trap, it usually has a low value. If you need 
  something even lower, use a terrible value from Building 
  Creatures (pages 56–73), or just an incredibly low value 
  like the Armageddon orb’s Stealth (Core Rulebook 526).
  STEALTH AND DISABLE
  When determining a hazard’s combat statistics, first decide 
  how the hazard can be located and how hard it is to disable. 
  A hazard where the main challenge is how difficult it is to 
  find, like the Core Rulebook’s hidden pit, might have a very 
  different effect for its level than a hazard out in plain sight, 
  daring a PC to try to disable it, like the Armageddon orb.
  TABLE 2–13: STEALTH AND THIEVERY DCS
   
  Level 
  Extreme 
  High 
  Low 
   
  –1 
  18 
  15 
  12 to 11
   
  0 
  19 
  16 
  13 to 12
   
  1 
  20 
  17 
  14 to 13
   
  2 
  21 
  18 
  15 to 14
   
  3 
  23 
  20 
  17 to 15
   
  4 
  25 
  22 
  18 to 17
   
  5 
  26 
  23 
  20 to 18
   
  6 
  28 
  25 
  21 to 19
   
  7 
  30 
  27 
  23 to 21
   
  8 
  31 
  28 
  24 to 22
   
  9 
  33 
  30 
  26 to 23
   
  10 
  35 
  32 
  27 to 25
   
  11 
  36 
  33 
  29 to 26
   
  12 
  38 
  35 
  30 to 27
   
  13 
  40 
  37 
  32 to 29
   
  14 
  41 
  38 
  33 to 30
   
  15 
  43 
  40 
  35 to 31
   
  16 
  45 
  42 
  36 to 33
   
  17 
  46 
  43 
  38 to 34
   
  18 
  48 
  45 
  39 to 35
   
  19 
  50 
  47 
  41 to 37
   
  20 
  51 
  48 
  42 to 38
   
  21 
  53 
  50 
  44 to 39
   
  22 
  55 
  52 
  45 to 41
   
  23 
  56 
  53 
  46 to 42
   
  24 
  58 
  55 
  48 to 43
  When deciding how to disable your hazard, be sure 
  to come up with a narrative description of how it would 
  happen, which will inform which methods and skills disable 
  the hazard. You’ll need to decide the proficiency rank 
  necessary to find the hazard as well as disable it with each 
  method. Remember, a hazard without a listed rank next to 
  its Stealth DC is blatant enough that creatures can find it 
  without Searching, and magical hazards without a listed rank 
  are not normally protected against detect magic. This means 
  most hazards built by intelligent creatures expecting them 
  to remain concealed have at least a trained rank. Table 2-14 
  indicates the high and moderate proficiency requirements by 
  level; you can always use lower proficiency ranks than the 
  ones listed, and you should consider a secondary, perhaps 
  less efficient, method to disable the hazard using a lower 
  rank if you use the high rank. For instance, the bloodthirsty 
  urge haunt in the Core Rulebook can be disabled with 
  master Religion, or by a higher DC with expert Diplomacy.
  If you need a Stealth modifier for a complex hazard, 
  just subtract 10 from the listed DC.
  TABLE 2–14: MINIMUM PROFICIENCY
   
  Levels 
  High 
  Moderate 
   0 or lower 
  Untrained 
  Untrained
   
  1–4 
  Trained (expert for Perception) 
  Trained
   
  5–8 
  Expert 
  Trained
   
  9–18 
  Master 
  Expert
   19 or higher 
  Legendary 
  Master
  DEFENSES
  When building a purely magical or formless hazard, you 
  can skip this section entirely. If there’s a physical component 
  that a character could break, you’ll need to determine the 
  hazard’s AC, Fortitude save, and Reflex save, using the 
  extreme, high, and low values (preceded by E, H, or L on the 
  table) as well as its Hardness and Broken Threshold (BT). 
  TABLE 2–15: DEFENSES
  Level EAC HAC LAC ESave HSave LSave Hardness HP* 
  –1 
  18 15 
  12 
  +9 
  +8 
  +2 
  2–4 
  11–13
  0 
  19 16 
  13 
  +10 
  +9 
  +3 
  3–5 
  15–17
  1 
  19 16 
  13 
  +11 
  +10 
  +4 
  5–7 
  23–25
  2 
  21 18 
  15 
  +12 
  +11 
  +5 
  7–9 
  30–34
  3 
  22 19 
  16 
  +14 
  +12 
  +6 
  10–12 
  42–46
  4 
  24 21 
  18 
  +15 
  +14 
  +8 
  11–13 
  46–50
  5 
  25 22 
  19 
  +17 
  +15 
  +9 
  12–14 
  50–54
  6 
  27 24 
  21 
  +18 
  +17 
  +11 
  13–15 
  54–58
  7 
  28 25 
  22 +20 
  +18 
  +12 
  14–16 
  58–62
  8 
  30 27 
  24 +21 
  +19 
  +13 
  15–17 
  62–66
  9 
  31 28 
  25 +23 
  +21 
  +15 
  16–18 
  66–70
  10 
  33 30 
  27 +24 
  +22 
  +16 
  17–19 
  70–74
  11 
  34 31 
  28 +26 
  +24 
  +18 
  19–21 
  78–82
  12 
  36 33 
  30 +27 
  +25 
  +19 
  20–22 
  82–86
  13 
  37 34 
  31 
  +29 
  +26 
  +20 
  21–23 
  86–90
  14 
  39 36 
  33 +30 
  +28 
  +22 
  22–24 
  90–94
  15 
  40 37 
  34 +32 
  +29 
  +23 
  23–25 
  94–98
  16 
  42 39 
  36 +33 
  +30 
  +25 
  25–27 
  101–107
  17 
  43 40 
  37 +35 
  +32 
  +26 
  27–29 
  109–115
  18 
  45 42 
  39 +36 
  +33 
  +27 
  29–31 
  117–123
  19 
  46 43 
  40 +38 
  +35 
  +29 
  31–33 
  125–131
  20 
  48 45 
  42 +39 
  +36 
  +30 
  33–35 
  133–139
  21 
  49 46 
  43 +41 
  +38 
  +32 
  36–38 
  144–152
  22 
  51 48 
  45 +43 
  +39 
  +33 
  39–41 
  156–164
  23 
  52 49 
  46 +44 
  +40 
  +34 
  44–46 
  168–176
  24 
  54 51 
  48 +46 
  +42 
  +36 
  46–50 
  180–188
  * The Broken Threshold is usually half the hazard’s HP
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  22
  
  Some hazards, even high-level ones, don’t make sense 
  with a high Hardness value. In those cases, you can skip the 
  Hardness and use the HP values from table 2–7: Hit Points 
  on page 63. Especially for complex hazards, you might 
  want to divide the durability over multiple sections, located 
  in different positions, to encourage teamwork and mobility.
  OFFENSE
  Almost all hazards need an attack bonus or a save DC, 
  and hazards that deal damage need to list a damage 
  value. Simple hazards deal about twice as much damage 
  as complex hazards and have an attack bonus even 
  higher than the extreme attack bonus for a creature 
  (abbreviated as S. Atk in Table 2–16: Offense). Complex 
  hazards usually have attack bonuses akin to a high attack 
  bonus for a creature (abbreviated as C. Atk in Table 2–16: 
  Offense). You can adjust them further using Table 2–9: 
  Attack Bonus on page 64 if your hazard needs it. Simple 
  hazard DCs aren’t as accelerated as attack roll modifiers, 
  since effects with DCs usually have some effect even on a 
  successful saving throw; use the EDC and HDC columns 
  for extreme and hard DCs on Table 2–16: Offense below.
  The damage columns on the table give a damage 
  expression you can use, followed by the average damage 
  in parentheses. If you want to make your own damage 
  expression, remember that average damage is 2.5 for a d4, 
  3.5 for a d6, 4.5 for a d8, 5.5 for a d10, and 6.5 for a d12.
  TABLE 2–16: OFFENSE
  Level S. Atk C. Atk Simple Dmg 
  Complex Dmg EDC HDC
  –1 
  +10 
  +8 
  2d4+1 (6) 
  1d4+1 (3) 
  19 
  16
  0 
  +11 
  +8 
  2d6+3 (10) 
  1d6+2 (5) 
  19 
  16
  1 
  +13 
  +9 
  2d6+5 (12) 
  1d6+3 (6) 
  20 
  17
  2 
  +14 
  +11 
  2d10+7 (18) 
  1d10+4 (9) 
  22 
  18
  3 
  +16 
  +12 
  2d10+13 (24) 1d10+6 (12) 
  23 
  20
  4 
  +17 
  +14 
  4d8+10 (28) 
  2d8+5 (14) 
  25 
  21
  5 
  +19 
  +15 
  4d8+14 (32) 
  2d8+7 (16) 
  26 
  22
  6 
  +20 
  +17 
  4d8+18 (36) 
  2d8+9 (18) 
  27 
  24
  7 
  +22 
  +18 
  4d10+18 (40) 2d10+9 (20) 
  29 
  25
  8 
  +23 
  +20 
  4d10+22 (44) 2d10+11 (22) 
  30 
  26
  9 
  +25 
  +21 
  4d10+26 (48) 2d10+13 (24) 
  32 
  28
  10 
  +26 
  +23 
  4d12+26 (52) 2d12+13 (26) 33 
  29
  11 
  +28 
  +24 
  4d12+30 (56) 2d12+15 (28) 34 
  30
  12 
  +29 
  +26 
  6d10+27 (60) 3d10+14 (30) 36 
  32
  13 
  +31 
  +27 
  6d10+31 (64) 3d10+16 (32) 37 
  33
  14 
  +32 
  +29 
  6d10+35 (68) 3d10+18 (34) 
  39 
  34
  15 
  +34 
  +30 
  6d12+33 (72) 3d12+17 (36) 
  40 
  36
  16 
  +35 
  +32 
  6d12+35 (74) 3d12+18 (37) 
  41 
  37
  17 
  +37 
  +33 
  6d12+37 (76) 3d12+19 (38) 
  43 
  38
  18 
  +38 
  +35 
  6d12+41 (80) 3d12+20 (40) 44 
  40
  19 
  +40 
  +36 
  8d10+40 (84) 4d10+20 (42) 46 
  41
  20 
  +41 
  +38 
  8d10+44 (88) 4d10+22 (44) 47 
  42
  21 
  +43 
  +39 
  8d10+48 (92) 4d10+24 (46) 48 
  44
  22 
  +44 
  +41 
  8d10+52 (96) 4d10+26 (48) 50 
  45
  23 
  +46 
  +42 
  4d12+48 (100) 4d12+24 (50) 51 
  46
  24 
  +47 
  +44 
  4d12+52 (104) 4d12+26 (52) 52 
  48
  DESIGNING SIMPLE HAZARDS
  When designing a simple hazard, make sure to select an 
  appropriate trigger and effect. Often, a simple hazard 
  that merely damages its target is little more than a 
  speed bump that slows down the game without much 
  added value, so think about the purpose of your hazard 
  carefully, both in the story and in the game world, 
  especially when it’s a hazard some creature intentionally 
  built or placed in that location. A great simple hazard 
  does something interesting, has a longer-lasting 
  consequence, or integrates with the nearby inhabitants 
  or even the encounters in some way (you can find more 
  information on integrating hazards with encounters in 
  Dynamic Encounters on page 48).
  DESIGNING COMPLEX HAZARDS
  Unlike a simple hazard, a complex hazard can play the 
  part of a creature in a battle, or can be an encounter all 
  its own. Many of the concerns with damaging effects when 
  designing a simple hazard don’t apply when designing a 
  complex hazard. A complex hazard can apply its damage 
  over and over again, eventually killing its hapless victim, 
  and isn’t intended to be a quick-to-overcome obstacle.
  Complex hazards have a lot more in common with 
  creatures than simple hazards do, and you’ll see that a 
  complex hazard’s statistics are similar to those of a creature. 
  A good complex hazard often requires disabling multiple 
  components or otherwise interacting with the encounter 
  in some way. For instance, while the Core Rulebook’s 
  poisoned dart gallery only requires one Thievery check to 
  disable, the control panel is on the far end of the gallery, so 
  a PC would need to make their way across first.
  buIldIng routInEs
  A complex hazard has a routine each round, whether it 
  stems from preprogrammed instructions built into a trap, 
  instincts and residual emotions swirling around a complex 
  haunt, or a force of nature like sinking in quicksand. Make 
  sure to build a routine that makes sense for the hazard; an 
  environmental lava chute that ejects lava into the area each 
  round shouldn’t be able to seek out and precisely target 
  only the PCs, but it might spatter random areas within 
  range or everything within range, depending on how you 
  describe the hazard. However, a complex haunt might be 
  able to recognize life force and target living creatures.
  If you create a hazard that can’t consistently attack the 
  PCs (like the Core Rulebook’s blade pillar that moves in a 
  random direction), you can make it deadlier than normal 
  in other ways.
  The hazard should have as many actions as you feel 
  it needs to perform its routine. If you split the routine 
  out into several actions, you can also remove some of 
  the hazard’s actions once partial progress is made in 
  disabling or destroying it; this can give the PCs a feeling 
  of progress, and it can help encourage them to handle the 
  hazard if it appears in a mixed encounter with creatures. 
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  23
  
  ©2019 Paizo Inc.
  24
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  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan 
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  Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter. 
  Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide Monster and Hazard Creation © 2019, Paizo Inc.; 
  Authors: Logan Bonner and Mark Seifter.
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