Monster Creation 101

[Usurper]

I have a (extremely stupid) question. I'm a newb at monster design, and I was looking at making a goblinoid race.

The MM2 and Dragon article suggest that medium size humanoid stats should be 10 or 11. Then there are racial ability modifiers to think about.

Is there a set of guidelines for racial ability modifiers? I know about the balancing chart in the DMG for creating player-equivalent offsets, but in terms of creatures, is this free reign? The only restriction seems to be that the adjustment has to be an even number. Githzerai have an insane +6 dex modifier for example.

Are the stat ranges in the MM2 and Dragon article merely there then to provide a point of reference for racial ability modifiers for rolling unique or character versions of monsters? Or is there some rocket science I'm missing?

 

[las]

In combat what is the mosr common ability usedd. Strength, next dex, then con, then the other three. You see where thats going.

So both show that right. If they dont thats it im rong. Hope that helps.

 

[Usurper]

Right, right, but is there any rule saying I can't give a race a +10 to an ability? Granted, it's obscene, and I'd never do it, just wondering if there is an official threshold. I understand there's some limits on the negative scale of things. Thanks.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

What was it you didn't like about Mars the black dragon dwarf with 10,000 STR?

Was it his worrying or his viscosity?

I think it was the "Resist Spellcheck" ability...

 

[Krishnath]

Ursuper: There is no upper limit to any ability modifiers, but please try not to create something incredibly silly, such as a medium-sized creature with a whopping +30 to one ability, as such things tend to give the creature an upper hand against other creatures, and make it incredibly unbalanced.

Just remember this, if the creatures ability score is even, -10 to find the modifier to that ability. If it's uneaven, -11 to find the modifier. Most player races have one or two +2's or -2's in one or more ability scores. A few even have +4 or +6 (like the Githzerai you mentioned above.)


Any other questions? The doctor is in

 

[Usurper]

Are there ever instances where a humanoid would advance by hit die rather than by character class?

I can't remember where, but I'm sure I read somewhere that humanoid stats in the MM were as if they had 1 level of warrior. Any idea where I might have seen this, or is this false? Granted, it's not really important I look up warrior stats since they tell me the number of skills and feats, bab, saves, etc. in the guidelines. Just curious.

 

[Krishnath]

Usurper: As far as I know there are no humanoids that advance by HD, but monstrous humanoids (such as minotaurs and Medusae) frequently do.
But some humanoids do have more than one starting HD, such as the Bugbear.

Anything else?

 

[Blacksway]

Maybe he's thinking about the special rule about determining skill and feats for 1hd or less characters.

Note: If a monster 1 Hit Dice or less has a class (a kobold fighter, for example) the attack bonus, skill points, and feats are calculated according to the character class, not according to
the Hit Dice of the monster. If a monster with more than 1 HD has a class, it retains its monster abilities in addition to its class abilities.

taken from the how to design a monster pdf

 

[Usurper]

Thanks for all the help. One more stupid question left (hopefully).

Looking at the basic, run of the mill goblin.

Where the heck does it get +1 melee and +3 ranged scores from?

Stat block from monsterdb via SRD:

Goblin: CR 0.25; Small Humanoid (Goblinoid); HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +1; Spd 30ft; AC 15; ATK Morningstar +1 melee; or javelin +3 ranged; DAM Morningstar 1d8-1; or javelin 1d6-1; 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.; SA ; SQ Darkvision 60 ft.; SV - Fort 2, Ref 1, Wil 0; Str 8, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills/Feats:
Hide +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +3

Notes:
They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise.
Goblins gain a +4 racial bonus to Move Silently checks. Goblin cavalry (mounted on worgs) gain a +6 bonus to Ride checks and the Mounted Combat feat (neither of these benefits is included in the statistics block).
Goblin Characters
A goblin’s favored class is rogue. Goblin clerics can choose two of the following domains: Chaos, Evil, and Trickery. Most goblin spellcasters are adepts. Goblin adepts favor spells that fool or confuse enemies.
Special Abilities/Qualities:
Goblins speak Goblin; those with Intelligence scores of 12 or above also speak Common.

By my math, that's 0 -1 +1, and 0 +1 +1 (BAB+Str mod+Size mod and BAB+Dex mod+Size mod). Melee +0, ranged +2.

 

[Blacksway]

Yeah, thats what I got too... strange indeed!

Someone?