Based on a suggestion here, I will go through and roll up ten monsters, assuming the PC groups are an average of 1st through 10th levels... no cheating, if it comes up lame, then it'll come up lame. (not that you'd ever know for sure if I was cheating...) (and it should tell you how much thought I put into "marketing" since I didn't do this in the first place!) Let's see what happens...
(and buy the thing here: http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/ )
PC Party Lvl 1
HD 3
AC +5
AT 1 Thorn
D 2d10
MV 140
Body Shape: Biped + Quadruped Combo
Basic Characteristics: Plant (Flower)
Size: Huge
Movement: Walking + Wall-Crawling
Attack Method: Spikes/Horns (or in this case... THORNS!)
Distinctive Features: 2 Faces, Hard Casing, Transparent "Skin"
Special Abilities: None
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans First
Motivation: Parasite
(Comments... WHOA. A bit hairy for our beginning adventurers, but that's almost all due to the Huge size which upped the HD and Damage the thing does. I can't even start to visualize a flowery centaur-like form? Bizarre.)
PC Party 2nd Lvl
HD 3
AC +3
AT 1 Projectile + 1 Tail
D d6
MV 120
Body Shape: Biped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Weasel)
Size: Human-Sized
Movement: Flying + Walking
Attack Method: Projectile
Distinctive Features: Eye Stalks (surprised less often), Multiple Eyes (surprised less often - never with this combo), Prehensile Tail
Special Abilities: Detect Invisibility, +33% chance to surprise
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks the least armored foe
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... That's one weird looking creature! An upright weasel-looking thing with a clubbing tail and loads of eyestalks... what does it shoot? Eye beams?)
PC Party 3rd Lvl
HD 6
AC 0
AT 1
D d10
MV 120
Body Shape: Serpentine
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Kangaroo)
Size: Huge
Movement: Standard (+ leaping perhaps?)
Attack Method: Projectile (again? only a 10% chance on the table, too).
Distinctive Features: Rubber-boned (blunt weapons do no damage), Shade Form (can turn into a shadow and suprise foes)
Special Abilities: None
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans
Motivation: Parasite (again, only a 10% chance to come up, and it's done so twice)...
(Comments... whoah whoah whoah. A serpentine kangaroo? Maybe it's got a snake body, a kangaroo head, and it COILS and hops around like a Q-bert foe. So what's the projectile... stinging spittle? And that shade thing... interesting!)
PC Party 4th Lvl
HD 2
AC 0
AT 1 Horn + 1 Snakebites
D 2d4
MV 110
Body Shape: Serpentine (great, people are going to think there aren't many options in this book with all the repeats.
Damned dice)
Basic Characteristics: Avian (Swan) + Mammal (Skunk)
Size: Small (d8 creatures appearing)
Movement: Slithering (Honest!)
Attack Method: Spikes/Horns (come on dice, show the VARIETY here!)
Distinctive Features: Serpent Appendages (+1 attack, save vs poison or DIE!)
Special Abilities: Swallows Whole... nix that, conflicts with the size. Immune to Cold, half damage from cold attacks, none if it saves. Better.
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks the most heavily armored foe
Motivation: Parasite (3 out of 4? I swear, it is 1 chance out of 10... and I keep rolling a 7.)
(Comments... What to make of this then... hmmm... I'd say a snakey body, with a swan head and skunk-pattern feathers on it, but the beak is SHARP! And it's got a bunch of little poisonous snakes coming out of it. Nasty little critter.)
PC Party 5th Lvl
HD 9
AC +2
AT 1
D d10
MV 140
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Avian (Hummingbird)
Size: Huge
Movement: "Standard"... Let's call this a flying creature then, shall we? With four talons!
Attack Method: Bash... hmmm... not so sharp talons, eh?
Distinctive Features: Colored Bands, Oozing Sores
Special Abilities: Energy Drain 1 Level (ooo, it's UNDEAD), Charging Attack (double damage on charge), -50% chance to be surprised, Reflexes +2 on initiative rolls, Shape Shifting (Unlimited)
Delivery of Special Attacks: Instead of rolling, this is obvious... it swoops down to bash with its club feet... but anyone hit comes in contact with its oozing sores which is some sort of negative energy gunk. *shivers*
Combat Tactics: Always Attacks Foe Who Did Most Damage to it Last Round
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... Nasty, nasty, NASTY surprise for the mid-level party. Holy hell. Your players will never again yell "CHARGE!" without wondering if they're about to get their asses kicked!)
PC Party 6th Lvl
HD 8
AC +8
AT 1 bite + one sting
D d6 + d8
MV 110
Body Shape: Serpentine (another repeater that shouldn't be repeating this much)
Basic Characteristics: Crustacean
Size: Medium
Movement: Standard (Slither!)
Attack Method: Bite
Distinctive Features: Glowing Eyes (surprises foes 1 in 6 LESS often), Shimmering Body, Stinger
Special Abilities: Bonus Damage - if rolls 4 more than needed to hit, or a natural 20, +d8 damage. (or we can just rule that the stinger does d8 if it hits)
Delivery of Special Attacks: (stinger)
Combat Tactics: Attacks foe with most hit points
Motivation: Fear! It feeds off the panic of its victims!
(Comments... hmmm, so this is a long, perhaps horseshoe-crab looking thing, with a mother-of-pearl shell perhaps. Interesting that "serpentine" has shown up a few times yet none of the final results would look like each other when presented in play. Probably not a major menace, but they shouldn't all be, right? Keeping them guessing is the whole point!)
PC Party 7th Lvl
HD 5
AC 0
AT 1
D d4
MV 130
Body Shape: Biped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Squirrel)
Size: Small (d8 appearing)
Movement: Standard (walking!)
Attack Method: Claws
Distinctive Features: Odor(decrease surprise chance by 1 in 6), Geometric Patterns on body, double the legs
Special Abilities: Bonus Damage - if rolls 4 more than needed to hit, or a natural 20, +d8 damage. (OK, seriously, that is result 85-86 on d% + d%... why am I getting repeats on my examples?)
Delivery of Special Attacks: (obviously the claw)
Combat Tactics: Attacks demi-humans and humanoids first
Motivation: Abomination - hates natural creatures. Polymorphed and cursed creatures will not be attacked
(Comments... tough little smelly squirrelly buggers! Not so big a deal with the little claws, but darn it they can dig in. Still, this looks like a very minor encounter for a party of 7th level, even if 8 critters show up)
PC Party 8th Lvl
HD 12
AC +4
AT 1 bite + 1 tail
D d10 + d8
MV 140
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Panda)
Size: Huge
Movement: Standard (Walking!)
Attack Method: Standard (bite or claw?) + Tail
Distinctive Features: Hood (like a cobra), Icy Body, Speech, Blue Color, Pulsating, Bubbly Skin
Special Abilities: Drain d6 Strength, Zone of Silence, Immune to Random 3rd Level Spell
Delivery of Special Attacks: Gas- area effect
Combat Tactics: Always attack foe with least hit points
Motivation: Spawning, needs to deliver its young in fresh bodies
(Comments... This is WTF territory. Giant blue ice-panda with weakening gas!)
PC Party 9th Lvl
HD 7
AC +5
AT 1 bite + 1 spikes + Claw
D d10 + d8 + d8+1
MV 120
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Reptile (Turtle)
Size: Large
Movement: Standard- Walking!
Attack Method: Bite + Spikes + Claw
Distinctive Features: Horns (duh), Fiery Antlers (rolled "combine two" then got Antlers and On Fire!) (going to rule THESE are the spikes and these can set foes on fire on a hit as flaming oil), Slimy
Special Abilities: Improved AC, Only Hit By Wooden and Magic Weapons, Immune to Fire (half damage or none if saves)
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans
Motivation: Territorial, seeks to drive people from its home.
(Comments... I thought this was going to be a weak challenge for a 9th level party, but I think it could cause a fair bit of worry, what with the FLAMING ANTLERS, and bizarre weapon immunity. Players won't forget this one anytime soon.)
PC Party 10th Lvl
HD 9
AC +7
AT 1
D d6
MV 130
Body Shape: Quadruped + Biped
Basic Characteristics: Insect (Beetle)
Size: Medium
Movement: Standard (Crawl!)
Attack Method: Bash
Distinctive Features: Metal-like features, scales, Prehensile tongue, Rubbery Body (well, basically it means attacks have a chance to just bounce off, which in this case we'll attribute to metal scales, not because it's bouncey)
Special Abilities: Large Damage Attack 3 times/day (9d6, save for half damage), Improved Saves +1 to all saves
Delivery of Special Attacks: Projectile Attack
Combat Tactics: Attacks random foe each round
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... Well, it earned its 'high level foe' stripes with that special attack... and the defense... tough cookie. So what is it shooting? Metal shards? To do that much damage? I'd say some sort of blast... acid, maybe?)
Oh let's go gonzo.
15th Level PCS...
HD 20
AC +0
AT 1 beak
D d10+2
MV 130
Body Shape: Cube-Shaped (YES! Finally a weird one!)
Basic Characteristics: Insect (Ant)
Size: Huge
Movement: Wall-crawling
Attack Method: Bash
Distinctive Features: Blood-Drenched, Constantly Shedding (but obviously it's NOT DEAD SKIN!!!), Beak (change bash to bite), Wings (add flight!)
Special Abilities: Strike Foe Deaf, Shape Shift (2 other forms), Destroys Metal, Immune to Lightning, Degrades armor 1 point per hit (ahh, combine this with the Destroys Metal, so it only works on metal armor!), Disease - fatal in 2d10 days, Half Damage from Cutting Attacks, Destroys Weapons Hitting it (natural weapons mean attacker takes d6 damage), Strikes Foes Blind, Only Hit by Magical Weapons, Foes killed rise as another of these creatures in 3d12 hours
Delivery of Special Attacks: Deafness: Gaze, Disease: Touch, Blindness: Area Effect (40' radius, 90' range)
Combat Tactics: Attacks demi-humans and humanoids first
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... WOW. An ant-ish cube? Maybe just a very blocky body with ant legs and head. This thing is dynamite! Attacks the senses, has a considerable defense mechanism despite the very weak AC, you absolutely do not want to touch it... I'd go ahead and call this thing demonic. )
Certainly beats meeting 2d6 orcs in a passageway, doesn't it?
(and buy the thing here: http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/ )
PC Party Lvl 1
HD 3
AC +5
AT 1 Thorn
D 2d10
MV 140
Body Shape: Biped + Quadruped Combo
Basic Characteristics: Plant (Flower)
Size: Huge
Movement: Walking + Wall-Crawling
Attack Method: Spikes/Horns (or in this case... THORNS!)
Distinctive Features: 2 Faces, Hard Casing, Transparent "Skin"
Special Abilities: None
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans First
Motivation: Parasite
(Comments... WHOA. A bit hairy for our beginning adventurers, but that's almost all due to the Huge size which upped the HD and Damage the thing does. I can't even start to visualize a flowery centaur-like form? Bizarre.)
PC Party 2nd Lvl
HD 3
AC +3
AT 1 Projectile + 1 Tail
D d6
MV 120
Body Shape: Biped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Weasel)
Size: Human-Sized
Movement: Flying + Walking
Attack Method: Projectile
Distinctive Features: Eye Stalks (surprised less often), Multiple Eyes (surprised less often - never with this combo), Prehensile Tail
Special Abilities: Detect Invisibility, +33% chance to surprise
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks the least armored foe
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... That's one weird looking creature! An upright weasel-looking thing with a clubbing tail and loads of eyestalks... what does it shoot? Eye beams?)
PC Party 3rd Lvl
HD 6
AC 0
AT 1
D d10
MV 120
Body Shape: Serpentine
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Kangaroo)
Size: Huge
Movement: Standard (+ leaping perhaps?)
Attack Method: Projectile (again? only a 10% chance on the table, too).
Distinctive Features: Rubber-boned (blunt weapons do no damage), Shade Form (can turn into a shadow and suprise foes)
Special Abilities: None
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans
Motivation: Parasite (again, only a 10% chance to come up, and it's done so twice)...
(Comments... whoah whoah whoah. A serpentine kangaroo? Maybe it's got a snake body, a kangaroo head, and it COILS and hops around like a Q-bert foe. So what's the projectile... stinging spittle? And that shade thing... interesting!)
PC Party 4th Lvl
HD 2
AC 0
AT 1 Horn + 1 Snakebites
D 2d4
MV 110
Body Shape: Serpentine (great, people are going to think there aren't many options in this book with all the repeats.
Damned dice)Basic Characteristics: Avian (Swan) + Mammal (Skunk)
Size: Small (d8 creatures appearing)
Movement: Slithering (Honest!)
Attack Method: Spikes/Horns (come on dice, show the VARIETY here!)
Distinctive Features: Serpent Appendages (+1 attack, save vs poison or DIE!)
Special Abilities: Swallows Whole... nix that, conflicts with the size. Immune to Cold, half damage from cold attacks, none if it saves. Better.
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks the most heavily armored foe
Motivation: Parasite (3 out of 4? I swear, it is 1 chance out of 10... and I keep rolling a 7.)
(Comments... What to make of this then... hmmm... I'd say a snakey body, with a swan head and skunk-pattern feathers on it, but the beak is SHARP! And it's got a bunch of little poisonous snakes coming out of it. Nasty little critter.)
PC Party 5th Lvl
HD 9
AC +2
AT 1
D d10
MV 140
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Avian (Hummingbird)
Size: Huge
Movement: "Standard"... Let's call this a flying creature then, shall we? With four talons!
Attack Method: Bash... hmmm... not so sharp talons, eh?
Distinctive Features: Colored Bands, Oozing Sores
Special Abilities: Energy Drain 1 Level (ooo, it's UNDEAD), Charging Attack (double damage on charge), -50% chance to be surprised, Reflexes +2 on initiative rolls, Shape Shifting (Unlimited)
Delivery of Special Attacks: Instead of rolling, this is obvious... it swoops down to bash with its club feet... but anyone hit comes in contact with its oozing sores which is some sort of negative energy gunk. *shivers*
Combat Tactics: Always Attacks Foe Who Did Most Damage to it Last Round
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... Nasty, nasty, NASTY surprise for the mid-level party. Holy hell. Your players will never again yell "CHARGE!" without wondering if they're about to get their asses kicked!)
PC Party 6th Lvl
HD 8
AC +8
AT 1 bite + one sting
D d6 + d8
MV 110
Body Shape: Serpentine (another repeater that shouldn't be repeating this much)
Basic Characteristics: Crustacean
Size: Medium
Movement: Standard (Slither!)
Attack Method: Bite
Distinctive Features: Glowing Eyes (surprises foes 1 in 6 LESS often), Shimmering Body, Stinger
Special Abilities: Bonus Damage - if rolls 4 more than needed to hit, or a natural 20, +d8 damage. (or we can just rule that the stinger does d8 if it hits)
Delivery of Special Attacks: (stinger)
Combat Tactics: Attacks foe with most hit points
Motivation: Fear! It feeds off the panic of its victims!
(Comments... hmmm, so this is a long, perhaps horseshoe-crab looking thing, with a mother-of-pearl shell perhaps. Interesting that "serpentine" has shown up a few times yet none of the final results would look like each other when presented in play. Probably not a major menace, but they shouldn't all be, right? Keeping them guessing is the whole point!)
PC Party 7th Lvl
HD 5
AC 0
AT 1
D d4
MV 130
Body Shape: Biped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Squirrel)
Size: Small (d8 appearing)
Movement: Standard (walking!)
Attack Method: Claws
Distinctive Features: Odor(decrease surprise chance by 1 in 6), Geometric Patterns on body, double the legs
Special Abilities: Bonus Damage - if rolls 4 more than needed to hit, or a natural 20, +d8 damage. (OK, seriously, that is result 85-86 on d% + d%... why am I getting repeats on my examples?
)Delivery of Special Attacks: (obviously the claw)
Combat Tactics: Attacks demi-humans and humanoids first
Motivation: Abomination - hates natural creatures. Polymorphed and cursed creatures will not be attacked
(Comments... tough little smelly squirrelly buggers! Not so big a deal with the little claws, but darn it they can dig in. Still, this looks like a very minor encounter for a party of 7th level, even if 8 critters show up)
PC Party 8th Lvl
HD 12
AC +4
AT 1 bite + 1 tail
D d10 + d8
MV 140
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Mammal (Panda)
Size: Huge
Movement: Standard (Walking!)
Attack Method: Standard (bite or claw?) + Tail
Distinctive Features: Hood (like a cobra), Icy Body, Speech, Blue Color, Pulsating, Bubbly Skin
Special Abilities: Drain d6 Strength, Zone of Silence, Immune to Random 3rd Level Spell
Delivery of Special Attacks: Gas- area effect
Combat Tactics: Always attack foe with least hit points
Motivation: Spawning, needs to deliver its young in fresh bodies
(Comments... This is WTF territory. Giant blue ice-panda with weakening gas!)
PC Party 9th Lvl
HD 7
AC +5
AT 1 bite + 1 spikes + Claw
D d10 + d8 + d8+1
MV 120
Body Shape: Quadruped
Basic Characteristics: Reptile (Turtle)
Size: Large
Movement: Standard- Walking!
Attack Method: Bite + Spikes + Claw
Distinctive Features: Horns (duh), Fiery Antlers (rolled "combine two" then got Antlers and On Fire!) (going to rule THESE are the spikes and these can set foes on fire on a hit as flaming oil), Slimy
Special Abilities: Improved AC, Only Hit By Wooden and Magic Weapons, Immune to Fire (half damage or none if saves)
Delivery of Special Attacks: --
Combat Tactics: Attacks Humans
Motivation: Territorial, seeks to drive people from its home.
(Comments... I thought this was going to be a weak challenge for a 9th level party, but I think it could cause a fair bit of worry, what with the FLAMING ANTLERS, and bizarre weapon immunity. Players won't forget this one anytime soon.)
PC Party 10th Lvl
HD 9
AC +7
AT 1
D d6
MV 130
Body Shape: Quadruped + Biped
Basic Characteristics: Insect (Beetle)
Size: Medium
Movement: Standard (Crawl!)
Attack Method: Bash
Distinctive Features: Metal-like features, scales, Prehensile tongue, Rubbery Body (well, basically it means attacks have a chance to just bounce off, which in this case we'll attribute to metal scales, not because it's bouncey)
Special Abilities: Large Damage Attack 3 times/day (9d6, save for half damage), Improved Saves +1 to all saves
Delivery of Special Attacks: Projectile Attack
Combat Tactics: Attacks random foe each round
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... Well, it earned its 'high level foe' stripes with that special attack... and the defense... tough cookie. So what is it shooting? Metal shards? To do that much damage? I'd say some sort of blast... acid, maybe?)
Oh let's go gonzo.
15th Level PCS...
HD 20
AC +0
AT 1 beak
D d10+2
MV 130
Body Shape: Cube-Shaped (YES! Finally a weird one!)
Basic Characteristics: Insect (Ant)
Size: Huge
Movement: Wall-crawling
Attack Method: Bash
Distinctive Features: Blood-Drenched, Constantly Shedding (but obviously it's NOT DEAD SKIN!!!), Beak (change bash to bite), Wings (add flight!)
Special Abilities: Strike Foe Deaf, Shape Shift (2 other forms), Destroys Metal, Immune to Lightning, Degrades armor 1 point per hit (ahh, combine this with the Destroys Metal, so it only works on metal armor!), Disease - fatal in 2d10 days, Half Damage from Cutting Attacks, Destroys Weapons Hitting it (natural weapons mean attacker takes d6 damage), Strikes Foes Blind, Only Hit by Magical Weapons, Foes killed rise as another of these creatures in 3d12 hours
Delivery of Special Attacks: Deafness: Gaze, Disease: Touch, Blindness: Area Effect (40' radius, 90' range)
Combat Tactics: Attacks demi-humans and humanoids first
Motivation: Hunger
(Comments... WOW. An ant-ish cube? Maybe just a very blocky body with ant legs and head. This thing is dynamite! Attacks the senses, has a considerable defense mechanism despite the very weak AC, you absolutely do not want to touch it... I'd go ahead and call this thing demonic. )
Certainly beats meeting 2d6 orcs in a passageway, doesn't it?
