Orcus is a tabletop roleplaying game based on the fourth edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game.

Orcus is a work in progress. All feedback is welcome.

Version 0.1

Proudly free and open source

Orcus Basic Rules is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document and the A5E System Reference Document (A5ESRD) by EN Publishing and available at A5ESRD.com, based on Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition, available at www.levelup5e.com. The SRD 5.1 and A5ESRD are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Playtest Edition

Table of Contents

Proudly free and open source

Table of Contents

Playing Orcus

The core rule

Other general rules

Character details

Combat encounters

Surprise round

Initiative

Your turn

Free actions

Outside of your turn

Actions

Action descriptions

Action recharge

Action required

Targeting

Attack roll

Critical hits and fumbles

Effects

Duration

Universal actions

Conditions

Combat statuses

Movement and positioning

Speed

Size

Unwilling movement

Difficult terrain

Mounted Combat

Underwater Combat

Hit points and healing

Hit points

Damage types

0 hit points or below

Healing

Persistent damage

Resting

Equipment

Coinage

Selling Treasure

Armor

Weapons

Focuses

Adventuring Gear

Abilities and skills

Ability and skill checks

Abilities

Using Each Ability

Strength

Constitution

Dexterity

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

The skills

Monsters

Creating new monsters

Playing Orcus

Orcus is a collaborative tabletop role-playing game that involves imagination and creativity. The Game Master (GM) acts as the storyteller and referee for a group of players. The game works best with one GM and four to five players, though smaller or larger groups can also enjoy the experience.

Each player controls a player character (PC), also called a hero. Each PC is a hero with special abilities and features that are defined by the rules of the game, as well as a personality and backstory which is up to the player’s imagination.

The heroes will end up fighting monsters, and these combats are best represented on a grid of squares with miniature figures or tokens to represent the heroes and monsters.

You will need

1. Dice: At least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20.

2. Character Sheets: Each player needs a character sheet for their hero.

3. Tokens or miniatures: Something to represent each hero and any enemies they will fight. A size Medium creature (like a human) occupies a space about 1" by 1" by 1".

4. Grid map: Every inch represents five feet.

The core rule

The twenty-sided die (d20) is at the heart of the action resolution mechanic. To make an attack, ability check, skill check, or saving throw, players roll a d20 and add their relevant modifiers. Apply any bonuses and penalties, and compare the total to the appropriate difficulty rating (Armor Class, defense, Difficulty Class, and so on).

If the total equals or exceeds the rating, the roll is a success.

Otherwise, it’s a failure.

Other general rules

1. Round down, unless specifically told to round up.

2. If there is a contradiction between a specific rule and a general one, follow the specific rule.

3. You will be told to roll a lot of dice, of various sizes. The code “xdy” means “roll x dice of y sides and add them together”. For example, 3d10 means “roll 3 dice of 10 sides and add them together”, for a final result of somewhere between 3 and 30 (inclusive).

Character details

“Character” and “creature” are used interchangeably to mean all people, animals and monsters in the game.

“Hero”, “adventurer” or “player character” describe a character that belongs to a player, and “monster” a character controlled by the Game Master.

Alignment

Each creature has an alignment that broadly describes its moral and personal attitudes.

Lawful good creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society and follow a strict code.

Good folk do the best they can to help others.

Unaligned people prefer to steer clear of moral questions and don’t take sides.

Evil is the alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms.

Chaotic evil creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by greed, hatred, or bloodlust.

Senses

Some creatures have special senses. If none are identified, assume the creature can sense things about as well as a human can.

Low-Light Vision The creature can see in dim light as if it were bright light.

Darkvision A creature with darkvision can see in the dark. The creature can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The creature can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Experience, levels and tiers

The primary way that adventurers are rewarded is with experience points (gaining new character levels the more they accrue) and treasure like gold or magic items. Most heroes begin at level 1, the start of the “adventurer” tier.

Adventures that take place with Adventurer tier monsters, traps, and player characters (in other words, those between levels 1 and 10) will likely be focused on more local issues, like rescuing a village or defeating a clan of orcs. Prestige tier adventures might involve more dramatic concerns, like the fate of kingdoms. You might end up fighting a dragon or rooting out an extraplanar plot to control an entire city. In Epic tier, you may fight the devils that run Hell or save the entire world from devastation.

Tiers do not have a mechanical effect in and of themselves, but they represent a new stage in the player characters’ journeys.

Table – Levels and Their Benefits

Combat encounters

Combat is divided into “rounds”, in which each participant (each hero and each monster) takes their “turn”. A round represents about six seconds in the story.

Combat step by step

1. Determine surprise. The GM determines whether anyone involved in the encounter is surprised.

2. Establish positions. The GM decides where all the creatures are located. Given the adventurers marching order or their stated positions in the room or other location, the GM figures out where the adversaries are how far away and in what direction.

3. Roll initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns.

4. Take turns. Each participant in the battle takes a turn in initiative order.

5. Begin the next round. When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat step 4 until the fighting stops.

Surprise round

Adventurers sneak up on a bandit camp, springing from the trees to attack. A gelatinous cube glides down a dungeon passage, unnoticed until the cube engulfs a hero. In these situations, one side of the battle gains surprise over the other.

The GM determines who might be surprised.

In a surprise round, those who are not surprised get a single standard action on their turn (which they can change for a move or swift action, as normal).

Initiative

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes an initiative check. The GM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time.

The GM ranks combatants in order from the one with the highest initiative check result to the one with the lowest. This is the order in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round.

If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied GM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The GM decides the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character.

Your turn

When the initiative order for the round reaches your initiative check result, you take your turn. At the start of your turn, take any persistent damage you are subject to.

On your turn, you can take four types of action, in any order you like, but unless otherwise noted you have to finish one action before you can take another.

• One standard action: For example, a basic attack. Alternatively, use your standard action to take another move or a swift action.

• One move action: For example, walking. Alternatively, use your move action to take another swift action.

• One swift action: For example, drawing or sheathing a weapon.

• Any number of free actions (within reason): For example, talking.

You can forgo taking one or more actions, or doing anything at all on your turn.

Action points

Heroes and elite and boss monsters have action points. Once per encounter (but not during a surprise round), a hero can spend an action point during their turn to take one additional standard, move or swift action.

Monsters are not limited to one action point per encounter, but they still cannot use more than one action point per round.

A hero’s action points are reset to 1 after each long rest. A character gains an additional action point after every second encounter they have between long rests.

Saving throws

A saving throw – also called a save – represents an attempt to shake off an effect. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw; you are forced to make one because your character or monster is at risk of harm or trying to shake off a condition, persistent damage or other negative effect.

To make a saving throw, roll a d20. If specified, add other bonuses. If the result is 10 or higher, the save succeeds. Typically, a success means the effect ends.

Special saving throw riders

Aftereffect: An aftereffect takes place after the target succeeds on its saving throw against the initial effect.

For example, “blinded (save ends); Aftereffect: dazed (save ends)” means the target is blinded until it succeeds on a saving throw. Then it is dazed until it succeeds on a saving throw.

For another example, “The target is dazed until the end of your next turn; Aftereffect: The target takes damage equal to your Charisma modifier” means that the target is dazed until the end of your next turn, then they stop being dazed but they take damage.

First Failed Save: This effect applies to the target the first time they fail a saving throw.

For example, “rattled (save ends); First Failed Save: The target is instead blinded (save ends)” means the target is rattled until it succeeds on a saving throw. If it fails a saving throw, it becomes blinded instead of rattled.

Grappled (save ends): Most grapples last until the target breaks the grapple or the grappler chooses to end the grapple. When a power says the target is “grappled (save ends)”, as well as those methods to end the grapple the target also makes a saving throw each turn and breaks the grapple on a success.

The end of your turn

At the end of your turn you make saving throws against any effects that require them.

Any effects that require an action to maintain concentration, which you have not spent, end now.

Other effects may also resolve at the end of your turn as noted in their descriptions. You choose in which order to resolve effects that happen at the end of your turn.

Free actions

You can use free actions to:

• Communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn or on other characters’ turns.

• Drop an item.

• Drop prone.

• End a grapple (if you are the grappler).

• Spend an action point.

There are also some powers that require a free action.

Outside of your turn

There are three types of action you can take outside of your turn: immediate actions, opportunity attacks and free actions that have a trigger that is met outside of your turn.

Immediate actions

Certain special abilities, powers, and situations allow you to take a special action called an immediate action. It must occur on someone else’s turn, and you can only take one immediate action between each of your turns.

Immediate actions come in two varieties:

• Counter action: These immediate actions interrupt the other creature’s action. When your immediate action is a counter action to another creature’s action, their action pauses while your immediate action is resolved. Then that creature can continue its action right after the immediate action ends.

• Reaction: These immediate actions are reactions to the other creature’s action, and occur after the creature completes their action. That creature can continue its turn right after the immediate action.

Opportunity attacks

In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike is called an opportunity attack.

You can make an opportunity attack when an adjacent hostile creature that you can see moves to no longer be adjacent to you. Movement in the form of a step or a teleport does not “provoke” (trigger) opportunity attacks. The attack occurs right before the creature leaves the square.

Some types of movement do not provoke opportunity attacks: stepping (for example, by taking the Step action), teleporting and unwilling movement.

You can also make an opportunity attack when an adjacent hostile creature uses a far or ranged power.

You can only take one opportunity attack per turn, even if they provoke an attack multiple times.

On rare occasions, you can perform a non-attack action when someone provokes an opportunity attack. These are called “opportunity actions”.

Actions

Actions are discrete things that creatures can do. Each action describes the type of action it is – with standard, move and swift actions being the most common – and what happens when the creature performs the action. Some actions can only occur if certain requirements are met, or when the action is “triggered” by something else.

Powers are actions that only certain characters can use. For example, only spellcasters can use tangles (and not even all spellcasters can do so). Powers are in lower-case and italics, while other actions are Usually In Capitals.

Action descriptions

When a character uses an action, the same basic rules are followed.

Each action description begins with a block of information, including the action’s name, category, tags, frequency, action required, range and targets, and effects.

The rest of an entry describes the action’s effects.

For example, tangles is an at-will attack power:

Tangles (at-will)

Standard Action ● Spell
Far burst 1 within 10, every creature in area
Attack vs Fortitude
Hit 2d6 + your level damage.
Level 21 3d6 + your level damage instead.
Effect The area becomes difficult terrain until the end of your next turn.

Category

An attack action is directed against one or more targets, typically enemies (although you can catch allies in friendly fire in some cases). It usually involves an attack roll which, if it hits, has some kind of negative effect on the target. Some actions also have effects when they miss, or regardless of whether they hit or miss.

A utility action may affect you, an ally, the environment, etc., but typically not an enemy. They can still serve a function in combat, however.

Tags

An action’s tags tell you various information about it, which can be relevant for other parts of the game. For example, if you get a +2 bonus on attack rolls with fire powers, that refers to powers with the Fire tag.

A power with the Weapon tag uses a weapon you are wielding to determine some of its effects (damage, and often range). If you are proficient with the weapon, add its proficiency bonus to the attack roll. You need a weapon (or unarmed strike) to use a Weapon power.

A power with the Focus tag may use the focus you are currently wielding to determine some of its effects.

Traditions

Tradition tags specify the power source for a power. The main four are Arcane, Divine, Martial and Spirit.

Action recharge

Some actions can be used any number of times. Other actions, once used, only recharge after a rest.

• At-will: Take this action any number of times.

• Encounter: After taking this action, you must have a short rest before you can use it again.

• Daily: After taking this action, you must have a long rest before you can use it again.

Most actions that recharge per encounter or daily are powers, but there are some other actions (like Rally) that are usable once per encounter.

Unusual recharge conditions

Some powers, particularly those belonging to monsters, may recharge on a different schedule to encounter and daily powers:

Recharge X–Y The notation "Recharge X–Y" means a monster can use a power once and that the power then has a random chance of recharging during each subsequent round of combat. At the start of each of the monster's turns, roll a d6. If the roll is one of the numbers in the recharge notation, the monster regains the use of the power. The power also recharges when the monster finishes a short or long rest.

For example, "Recharge 5–6" means a monster can use the power once. Then, at the start of the monster's turn, it regains the use of that power if it rolls a 5 or 6 on a d6.

Recharge if … This means a monster can use a power once, and then the power recharges if the condition is described. For example, “Recharge if the creature takes lightning damage” means the power recharges each time the creature takes lightning damage. The power also recharges when the monster finishes a short or long rest.

Action required

Actions will specify whether they are standard actions, move actions, swift actions, free actions, immediate actions or opportunity actions. This determines when they can be used.

Some actions have a “Trigger” listed. You can only use such actions if the trigger is satisfied, although you do not have to use the action just because you are able to do so. If the action is a counter, its effects commence before the trigger is resolved, and may prevent the trigger from taking place. If the action is a reaction or free action, the effects of the power commence after the trigger is fully resolved.

For example, if you have a counter power with the Trigger “You take damage” or “You would take damage,” the effects of the power take place before the damage, and may prevent the damage from taking place (if the power gives you resistance or allows you to move away, for example). If you have a reaction power with the same Trigger and effect, the effects of the power take place after you take damage; they cannot stop you from taking that damage.

Targeting

There are four elements to targeting: origin of effect, area of effect, range, and targets.

Origin of effect

The five origins of effect for actions are:

Melee: The effect originates with the user, and targets one or more creatures the user can reach with a melee weapon or their body (like a longsword cut, a healing touch or a kick).

Ranged: The effect originates with the user, and either targets one or more creatures the user can reach with a ranged weapon, or targets one or more creatures at a range specified by the power (like an arrow shot from a longbow or a beam of fire).

Near area: The effect originates in or adjacent to the user’s space and targets squares from there, or creatures in those squares (like an aura emanating from you or a cone of fire you have breathed out).

Far area: The effect originates in a distant square and targets squares from there, or creatures in those squares (like a ball of fire exploding from a location you point at).

Self: The effect originates with you and affects only you. You are always within range of yourself.

The first four origins can be sorted two different ways: whether the action affects those near the user (melee, near) or far from them (ranged, far); or whether the action targets creatures directly (melee, ranged) or targets an area of effect (near, far).

Making a ranged attack or a far attack provokes an opportunity attack from adjacent enemies.

Areas of effect

Areas of effect only apply to near and far actions.

Each near or far action describes its area of effect, usually by giving its size and one of the following area types:

• Burst: A burst targets the origin space and squares around it, for a number of squares in all directions equal to the burst size. A Near burst does not affect the user of the power.

• Spray: A spray affects squares adjacent to the origin space, in a quadrilateral of sides equal to the spray size.

• Wall: A wall affects a square adjacent to the origin space, and a square adjacent to that square, and so on until a number of squares equal to the wall’s size have been affected. The wall does not have to be in a straight line, but no wall square can share more than two edges with other wall squares. The user of a wall power can halve the length of the wall to double its height (or third it to triple it, etc).

When an area of effect attack affects multiple targets you make a separate attack roll for each of them, but you only roll damage once and apply that amount as the damage for each target that is hit. Damage that depends on the attack roll, such as critical hit bonus damage, is rolled separately for each target.

If a creature that is Large or larger is affected by an area of effect power it is only affected once, even if more than one of its squares is within the area of effect.

When you make an area of effect attack with a ranged weapon you need one projectile or thrown weapon for each target.

Special sizes for area of effect are “eyesight” and “earshot”. Eyesight means the target(s) can be anywhere that the user has line of sight. Earshot means the target(s) can be any creature that can hear the user.

Range

The range of attacks involving a weapon (the action will indicate this with the Weapon tag) is the reach of the melee weapon (usually 1, in other words adjacent squares only) or the range of the ranged weapon.

Ranged weapons usually have a “short range” and a “long range” (Ranged 24/48 means short range of 24 squares and long range of 48 squares, for example). Attacks at long range suffer a -2 penalty.

Ranged actions that do not involve a weapon will usually specify the range in squares.

Melee “touch” actions have a range equal to the user’s reach. Medium and Small creatures typically have a reach of 1, and the rules will specify if the creature has a longer reach. This is separate to the user’s weapon’s reach.

Near powers have no range; they originate with the user and have a set area of effect.

Far powers have a range specified; the origin square of the area of effect must be within that range.

To calculate range, count the squares between the user and the target, plus a square to actually reach the target. Remember that diagonal squares are adjacent to one another when you count range.

Attacks with ammunition

When you use an action that allows you to make multiple attacks, with a weapon that consumes ammunition, you use one piece of ammunition per attack.

Reloading between these attacks is free, even if the weapon normally requires an action to reload. However, after the attack is complete the normal reload action is then required before another attack can be made with the weapon.

Targets

Melee and ranged actions will specify whether they have one or more targets.

Unless otherwise mentioned, area of effect powers target all creatures in the area of effect. Other example targets are:

Attacks with multiple targets: Make one attack roll for each target, but roll damage once and do that much damage to every creature you hit (unless there is a reason why it would take more damage, such as you scored a critical hit against it).

Allies and enemies: The person taking the action chooses who their allies are for the purpose of that action. Enemies are any creatures not chosen as an ally. A creature can choose to not count as an ally (and therefore count as an enemy) for the purposes of an action.

For example, Dunca casts a spell that heals all allies. But her berserker friend Flynn gets a benefit when he stays at low hit points. Dunca could count Flynn as an enemy to exclude him from the healing, or Flynn could count himself as an enemy and decline the healing. They immediately go back to being allies afterwards.

Line of sight: Some effects require your target to be within line of sight. To determine if a target is within line of sight, draw a line from any corner of a square in your space to any part of the target’s space. If you can draw such a line without passing through something that blocks your vision, you can see the target.

Line of effect: A line of effect is similar to a line of sight, except it is only blocked by solid obstacles. Note that an obstruction can be solid but transparent, meaning it blocks line of effect but not line of sight.

Targeting yourself: If a power targets a creature or creatures of your choice, you can choose yourself. If it targets an enemy or enemies only, you cannot choose yourself.

A power that targets an ally or allies does not target you; you are not your own ally.

Nearest: To determine the nearest target, determine the range to each possible target and then pick the one at the shortest range. If the range to two or more targets is equal the attacker can choose which is the nearest.

Attack roll

Roll a d20 and apply your attack modifier plus any circumstantial bonuses or penalties.

If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s defense (AC, Fortitude, Reflex or Will depending on the attack), the attack hits.

On a hit, you apply the “Hit” effect of the attack, which usually includes doing damage.

There are some attacks that automatically hit, and therefore do not involve an attack roll. Others involve a skill check rather than an attack roll.

Choosing to be hit: Unless otherwise specified, you can choose to be hit by an attack instead of requiring the attacker to make an attack roll. For example, transplant senses allows the attacker to see out of your eyes. If the attacker is an ally, you may allow them to do this without making an attack roll against your Will defense first.

Critical hits and fumbles

A natural 20 on an attack roll is a critical hit and is always successful and does maximum damage (instead of rolling for damage).

Rolling a natural 1 on an attack roll is considered a critical fumble and always misses.

Effects

An attack can have three kinds of effects:

Other actions either only have “Effect” listed, or they may have “Success” and “Failure” listed if there is still an element of chance involved (for example, a skill check against a DC).

Unless otherwise specified, a creature knows the effect of an action that has affected it.

Damage rolls

Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage. With a penalty, it is possible to deal 0 damage, but never negative damage.

If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them. For example, when a wizard casts fireball, the spell's damage is rolled once for all creatures in the blast.

Secondary attacks

If a power has a “Secondary Attack” listed, the user of the power can make an attack, contingent on that effect occurring. For example, if Secondary Attack is listed under the Hit entry, it only takes place on a hit.

Secondary attacks use the same tags, attack, defense and range as the original attack, unless otherwise specified.

Weapon dice (“dW”)

The term “dW” refers to weapon dice. Every weapon has a given damage die. Roll that die as many times as specified, and add up the results. For example, if you use a power with a longsword (weapon die: 1d10), and the Hit effect is “3dW damage” that means you do 3d10 damage. If it is “3dW + Strength modifier damage” and your Strength modifier is +2, you roll three d10s, add them up and then add 2.

Rarely, a weapon will have multiple damage dice, for example 2d4 or 2d6. Multiply these by the number of dW to get the final dice total. For example, a 3dW attack with a weapon that does 2d6 damage does 6d6 damage.

Duration

The following are common durations:

• Until the end of the target’s next turn

• Until the end of the user’s next turn

• Until the start of the target’s next turn

• Until the start of the user’s next turn

• Save ends

Maintain

Some actions have effects that continue as long as you maintain them. On your turn, you must take the specified action to maintain them. Otherwise, the effect ends at the end of your turn.

For example, black tentacles creates a zone of tentacles. “Maintain Swift” means the zone disappears at the end of your turn unless you take a swift action on your turn to maintain it until the end of your next turn (during which turn you can spend another swift action, and so on to maintain the effect indefinitely if you are prepared to pay the action cost).

You can end an effect that requires maintenance at any time as a free action.

You can maintain any number of effects, provided you have the actions to do so.

You cannot maintain an effect that has ended. The one exception is a power that naturally ended at the start of your turn. If a power like this has a Maintain option, it represents using the power again.

Universal actions

The following actions can be taken by any creature (unless specified otherwise).

Standard actions

Basic Attack (at-will)

Standard Action ● Weapon
Melee or Ranged weapon (one enemy)
Attack vs AC
Hit 2dW + level damage.
Level 21: 3dW + level damage.

Bull Rush (at-will)

Standard Action ● Weapon
Melee touch (one enemy)
Attack Strength vs Fortitude
Hit Push the target 1 square. If you wish, you can step into the space they just left.

Charge (at-will)

Standard Action
Effect Choose an enemy target. Walk up to your speed directly towards the nearest unoccupied space from which you can attack that enemy. Make a basic melee attack against that enemy. If you move at least 2 squares, you get a +1 bonus on the attack roll. After this action, you lose all remaining actions in your turn (meaning your turn ends unless you spend a hero point to gain another action).

Coup De Grace (at-will)

Standard Action
Requirements You are adjacent to a helpless enemy.
Effect Make a basic attack or use an attack power targeting that enemy. Instead of making an attack roll, the attack automatically hits and is a critical hit. If the target takes damage equal to or greater than its staggered value, it dies.

Full Defense (at-will)

Standard Action
Effect Until the start of your next turn, add +2 to your defenses.

Grapple (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one enemy)
Requirements You have one or more hands free.
Attack Strength vs Reflex
Hit The enemy is immobilized until it escapes (see the Escape action), you move away from it (willingly or unwillingly), it moves away from you due to unwilling movement or you choose to end the grapple.
Special You can end a grapple as a free action. If you lose the ability to make attacks of opportunity, you cannot grapple creatures and any creature grappled by you is freed.
Maintain Swift After the turn in which you begin grappling a creature, in every subsequent turn you must spend a swift action to maintain the grapple.

Rally (encounter)

Standard Action
Effect Spend a recovery and heal your recovery value. Until the start of your next turn, add +2 to your defenses.

Move actions

Walk (at-will)

Move Action
Effect Move a number of squares up to your speed. If you have a special movement mode (like fly, climb or swim), you can move the number of squares specified for that mode instead.

Run (at-will)

Move Action
Effect Move a number of squares up to your speed +2. If you have a special movement mode (like fly, climb or swim), you can move the number of squares specified for that mode +2 instead.
Special After running you suffer a -5 penalty to attack rolls and are off-guard (both penalties end at the start of your next turn).

Step (at-will)

Move Action
Effect Step 1 square. Stepping does not provoke reactive attacks.

Stand Up (at-will)

Move Action
Effect You stand up from prone.

Skill actions

Anyone can attempt the following skill actions, even if they are not trained in the relevant skill.

Skill actions that are only possible for those trained in a skill are listed under each skill.

Create Diversion (encounter)

Standard Action
Near eyesight (all enemies)
DC Bluff vs target’s passive Insight score
Success You have the momentary diversion you need to attempt a Stealth check while people are aware of you.

Deter (at-will)

Standard Action
Near eyesight or earshot (one enemy)
DC Intimidate vs Will. Targets get a +5 bonus to their Will defense if unfriendly, or +10 if hostile. They gain a further +5 bonus if you do not speak in a language that they understand.
Success The target cannot take an action of your choice until the end of their next turn.
Failure The target cannot be the target of your Deter or Unnerve action again until the end of this encounter.
Effect The target becomes hostile if it was not already.

Disable Device (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one trap or device)
DC Thievery vs trap’s DC (trap) or 20 (device)
Success You disable the device or trap.
Failure You fail to disable the device or trap. If you fail by 5 or more, you spring the trap or the device malfunctions.
Special Add +5 to your Thievery check if you are only trying to temporarily disable the trap or device (if successful, it is only disabled until the end of your next turn).

Escape a Grapple (at-will)

Move Action
Requirements You are grappled.
DC Acrobatics vs Reflex
Success You escape the grapple and can step 1 square.
Special You can instead make an Athletics check against the target's Fortitude.

Feint (encounter)

Standard Action
Near burst 1 (one enemy)
DC Bluff vs target’s passive Insight score
Success The target is off-guard to you until the end of your next turn.

Grant Save (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one ally)
DC Heal vs 15
Success The target can (their choice) make a new saving throw right away or take a +2 bonus on a saving throw of their choice at the end of their next turn.

Open Lock (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one lock)
DC Thievery vs 20
Success You pick the lock.
Failure You fail to pick the lock this time.

Pick Pocket (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one item on the target’s person but not held by them)
DC Thievery vs 20 + half your target's level
Success You take the item.
Failure You fail to take the item, and if you fail by 5 or more the target notices your attempt.
Special In combat, the DC is 30 + half your target's level.

Rally Ally (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one ally)
DC Heal vs 10
Success The target can Rally without using an action (if it has a Rally use remaining).

Sleight of Hand (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one unattended item)
DC Thievery vs 15
Success You pick up a small item without anyone noticing.
Failure You pick up the item, but others notice.

Soothe Beast (at-will)

Standard Action
Requirements A natural beast that is not hostile.
DC Nature vs Hard DC for the creature's level
Success The beast is soothed.

Stabilize (at-will)

Standard Action
Melee touch (one dying ally)
DC Heal vs 15
Success The target is stabilized and stops making death saving throws until it is next damaged.

Unnerve (at-will)

Standard Action
Near eyesight and earshot (all staggered enemies)
DC Intimidate vs Will +10. Targets get a further +5 bonus to Will if you do not speak in a language that they understand.
Success The target surrenders.
Failure The target cannot be the target of your Deter or Unnerve action again until the end of this encounter.

Conditions

Conditions reduce a creature’s capabilities. Some conditions, such as prone, can be advantageous in rare circumstances.

A condition lasts until it is resolved (prone is resolved by standing up, for example) or for a specified duration.

If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition’s effects don’t get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn’t.

The following definitions specify what happens to a creature while it is subjected to a condition.

Blinded

• You automatically fail any check that requires sight.

• You are off-guard.

• Your targets have total concealment.

• You suffer a -10 penalty to Perception checks.

• You cannot contribute to a flank.

Dazed

• You are off-guard.

• You cannot contribute to a flank.

• You do not get a move or swift action on your turn. You may convert your standard action to a move or swift action.

Dying

• You are at 0 HP or below.

• You are unconscious.

• At the end of each of your turns, make a death saving throw.

Helpless

• You are off-guard.

• Enemies can use the Coup de Grace action on you.

Immobilized

• You cannot willingly move from your space.

• Teleportation and unwilling movement is not affected by the immobilized condition.

Marked

• Attacks you make that do not include the creature who marked you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

• Only one creature can mark you at a time; replace an older mark with the newest one.

Prone

• You are off-guard against melee attacks.

• Ranged attacks by enemies not adjacent to you suffer a -2 penalty.

• You are flat on the ground (if you are flying when you become prone, you gently fall a distance equal to your fly speed without taking damage. The remainder of the fall, if any, is damaging as normal).

• You suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

Restrained

• You cannot move from your space, and you cannot be moved from your space by unwilling movement.

• Teleportation is not affected by this condition.

• You suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

• You are off-guard.

Slowed

• Set your speed to 2 if it was higher.

• If you become slowed in the middle of movement, your movement ends if/when you have moved 2 or more squares.

• Teleportation and unwilling movement are not affected by the slowed condition.

Stunned

• A stunned creature can’t take actions.

• You are off-guard.

• You cannot contribute to a flank.

Surprised

• You are off-guard.

• You cannot contribute to a flank.

• The only actions you can take are free actions.

Unconscious

• You are off-guard.

• You suffer -5 to AC, Fortitude, Reflex and Will.

• An unconscious creature can’t take actions.

• You fall prone, if possible.

• You cannot contribute to a flank.

Weakened

• Halve the damage you do from attacks.

• Do not halve persistent damage you do.

Combat statuses

Flanking

Two allies who are adjacent to an enemy, but on opposite corners or edges, are said to be flanking that enemy. A creature is off-guard against creatures who are flanking it. A creature must be able to attack an enemy in order to flank it (a helpless creature or a creature that cannot make opportunity attacks does not contribute to a flank).

Incorporeal

Take half damage from all attacks.

Off-guard

Attackers that can see an off-guard creature receive a +2 bonus on attack rolls against it.

Cover

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.

To determine cover, the attacker chooses a corner of their space and draws lines from that corner of the target’s space. If one or two lines pass through an obstacle (including one of the target’s allies), the target has cover. If three or four lines pass through an obstacle, the target has three-quarters cover.

Attack rolls against a target with cover suffer a -2 penalty.

Attack rolls against a target with three-quarters cover suffer a -5 penalty.

Concealment

Smoke, darkness, mist or foliage can obscure you from the sight of those attacking you, making it harder to hit you. Concealment only applies against melee and ranged attacks, not near or far ones.

Attack rolls against a target with concealment suffer a -2 penalty.

Attack rolls against a target with total concealment suffer a -5 penalty. Total concealment exists when you know (or correctly guess) which square a creature is in, but cannot see them at all.

When lighting or other conditions cause creatures in an area to be harder to see, the squares in that area are obscured. A square can be lightly obscured, heavily obscured, or totally obscured.

Targets in obscured squares gain concealment as follows:

• A target in a lightly obscured square or an adjacent target in a heavily obscured square has concealment.

• A non-adjacent target in a heavily obscured square or any target in a totally obscured square has total concealment.

An invisible target also has total concealment.

Invisible

• An invisible creature is impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense.

• Enemies that can’t see you are off-guard against your attacks.

• Enemies that can’t see you can’t make reactive strikes against you.

Movement and positioning

A “square” represents a five-foot-by-five-foot square. A creature that can move 6 squares with a move action can therefore move 30 feet.

Speed

Every creature capable of movement has a Speed, measured in squares, that it can move in a single round.

Special movement modes

While any creature can attempt to climb and swim, some have a movement mode listed with its own speed (like “climb 6”).

Burrow

A creature that has a burrowing speed can use that speed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A creature can't burrow through solid rock unless it has a special trait that allows it to do so.

Climb

A creature that has a climbing speed can use all or part of its movement to move on vertical surfaces. The creature doesn't need to spend extra movement to climb and isn’t off-guard just because it is climbing.

Fly

A creature that has a flying speed can use all or part of its movement to fly. Some creatures have the ability to hover. Such a creature stops hovering when it dies.

Swim

A creature that has a swimming speed doesn't need to spend extra movement to swim and doesn’t become off-guard just because it is swimming.

Size

A creature can be Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan. The Size Categories table shows how much space a creature of a particular size occupies.

Occupied spaces

You can move through a nonhostile creature's space, and through a hostile creature’s space if it is helpless.

Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can't willingly end your move in its space unless it is prone.

Unwilling movement

Creatures can be moved against their will in the form of a push, pull or shunt.

• A push must move the target further from the origin of the effect (usually, the creature doing the pushing) with each square moved.

• A pull must move the target closer to the origin of the effect with each square moved.

• A shunt is not limited in where it can move the target.

Special rules apply to unwilling movement:

• A creature never provokes attacks of opportunity for being unwillingly moved.

• Difficult terrain does not affect unwilling movement.

• The creature causing the unwilling movement can choose to move the target fewer squares, or no squares – they do not have to move the creature the maximum.

• A creature that would be forced to fall (it is pushed off a cliff, for example) can attempt a saving throw. On a success, instead of being forced to fall, it becomes prone adjacent to the edge and the unwilling movement ends.

Difficult terrain

Every square of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra square.

Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow, and shallow bogs are examples of difficult terrain.

Mounted combat

A knight charging into battle on a warhorse, a wizard casting spells from the back of a griffon, or a cleric soaring through the sky on a pegasus all enjoy the benefits of speed and mobility that a mount can provide.

A willing creature that is at least one size larger than you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount, using the following rules.

Mounting and dismounting

You can mount a creature an adjacent creature or dismount into an adjacent, unoccupied space. Mounting or dismounting is a move action.

If an effect moves your mount against its will while you're on it, you travel with it. If an effect moves you against your will while mounted, you can choose whether it is moved as well, or whether you fall off it and are moved.

If your mount is knocked prone, you are dismounted and land in a space within 1 square.

If you are knocked prone while mounted, immediately make a saving throw. If you fail, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space of your choice within 1 square. If you succeed, you are not dismounted or knocked prone.

Controlling a mount

While you're mounted, you have two options. You can either control the mount or allow it to act independently. Intelligent creatures, such as dragons, always act independently.

You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar creatures are assumed to have such training. The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it.

You can give up actions to command a controlled mount, in which case it gets to take the same actions. For example, you can give up your standard action in order for the mount to take a standard action. You can also use an immediate action in order for the mount to make an opportunity attack or use a counter or reaction (in all three cases, only if eligible to do so).

An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes.

In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you're on it, the attacker can target you or the mount. If you provoke an opportunity attack, the attacker can only target you.

Underwater combat

When adventurers pursue sahuagin back to their undersea homes, fight off sharks in an ancient shipwreck, or find themselves in a flooded dungeon room, they must fight in a challenging environment. Underwater the following rules apply.

Monsters without a swim speed must make Athletics checks to swim.

When making a weapon attack, a creature has -2 on the attack roll unless the weapon is in the Spears & Lances or Crossbows weapon groups.

Powers with the Fire tag have a -2 penalty on attack rolls.

Creatures with the Aquatic tag get a +2 bonus on attack rolls against creatures without the Aquatic tag.

Hit points and healing

Hit points

Hit points (or HP) represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill.

A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0. This number changes as a creature takes damage or receives healing.

Whenever a creature takes damage, that damage is subtracted from its hit points.

Staggered

A creature is staggered if it is reduced to half its maximum hit points (round down) or below. It is usually apparent to other creatures when a creature is staggered.

Temporary hit points

Some powers and features confer temporary HP on a creature. Temporary HP aren’t actual hit points; they are a buffer against damage.

When you have temporary HP and take damage, the temporary HP are lost first, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points. For example, if you have 5 temporary HP and take 7 damage, you lose the temporary HP and then take 2 damage.

Because temporary HP are separate from your actual hit points, they can exceed your hit point maximum. A character can, therefore, be at full hit points and receive temporary HP.

Temporary HP does not stack. For example, if a spell grants you 12 temporary HP when you already have 10, you now have 12 temporary HP.

If you have 0 hit points, receiving temporary hit points doesn’t restore you to consciousness or stabilize you. They can still absorb damage directed at you while you’re in that state, but only true healing can save you.

Temporary HP last until the end of the encounter, unless otherwise specified.

Damage types

Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful effects deal different types of damage. Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as damage resistance, rely on the types.

The damage types follow, with examples to help a GM assign a damage type to a new effect.

Immunities, resistances and weaknesses

If you are immune to a particular damage type, you take no damage from it.

If you resist a particular damage type, reduce any damage of that type by the value of your resistance. For example, resist fire 5 means you subtract 5 from any fire damage you take (minimum 0).

If you are weak to a particular damage type, increase any damage of that type by the value of your weakness. For example, weak fire 5 means you add 5 to any fire damage you take.

0 hit points or below

When you drop to 0 hit points or below, you are dying. You fall unconscious.

As soon as a creature regains any number of HP, it stops dying and becomes conscious.

Death saving throws

Whenever you end your turn with 0 hit points or below, you must make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life.

Roll a d20. If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A success indicates no change unless you roll a 20 or higher (see below). A failure has no effect until your third failure, whereupon you die.

The failure count resets to zero on a short or long rest.

Rolling a 20 or higher

When you make a death saving throw and roll 20 or higher, you can spend a recovery. Your HP are set to equal to your recovery value, and therefore you stop dying and become conscious (you are still prone).

Healing with no recoveries

If a dying creature gets the opportunity to spend a recovery to heal but it has no recoveries left, its HP is set to 1 instead.

Negative HP

If you are reduced to a negative hit point value equal to or lower than your staggered value, you die. For example, if your HP maximum is 20 and you are reduced to -10 hit points, you die.

Knocking a creature out

Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow. When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points or below, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious. It heals 1 HP after a short rest.

Healing

When a creature receives healing of any kind, hit points regained are added to its current hit points. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum, so any hit points regained in excess of this number are lost.

A creature that is healed while it is on negative hit points has its current hit points set to the value of the healing, ignoring the negative hit points. For example, a dying creature on -5 HP healed of 10 damage goes straight to 10 current HP.

A creature that has died can't regain hit points.

Regeneration

A creature with regeneration heals the specified amount of damage at the beginning of each of their turns. A creature that has multiple sources of regeneration only benefits from the highest value on its turn.

Persistent damage

Persistent damage does no damage at the time it is imposed.

Instead, at the start of each of your turns, you take X damage of that type for each source of persistent damage you are affected by.

For example, “persistent acid damage 5” means you take 5 acid damage (applying resistances, weaknesses and immunities as normal).

If you have multiple persistent damage effects of the same damage type, only keep the highest persistent damage of that type.

At the end of each of your turns, make a saving throw for each type of persistent damage you are taking. On a success, you are no longer affected by that persistent damage.

Resting

Heroic though they might be, adventurers can't spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest—time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure. Adventurers can take short rests in the midst of an adventuring day and a long rest to end the day.

Short rest

A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 5 minutes long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.

During a short rest, a creature can spend any number of recoveries, healing its recovery value each time. It also recharges any encounter powers it had expended.

Long rest

A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 6 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity.

At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points and all spent recoveries. It also recharges any encounter and daily powers it had expended. It resets its action point pool to 1 action point.

A character cannot benefit from more than one long rest in a 24-hour period.

Equipment

Coinage

Common coins come in several different denominations based on the relative worth of the metal from which they are made. The three most common coins are the gold piece (gp), the silver piece (sp), and the copper piece (cp).

A skilled (but not exceptional) artisan can earn one gold piece a day. The gold piece is the standard unit of measure for wealth, even if the coin itself is not commonly used. When merchants discuss deals that involve goods or services worth hundreds or thousands of gold pieces, the transactions don’t usually involve the exchange of individual coins. Rather, the gold piece is a standard measure of value, and the actual exchange is in gold bars, letters of credit, or valuable goods.

One gold piece is worth ten silver pieces, the most prevalent coin among commoners. A silver piece buys a laborer’s work for half a day or a night’s rest in a poor inn.

One silver piece is worth ten copper pieces, which are common among laborers and beggars.

In addition, unusual coins made of other precious metals sometimes appear in treasure hoards. The platinum piece (pp) originates from fallen empires and lost kingdoms, and they sometimes arouse suspicion and skepticism when used in transactions. A platinum piece is worth one hundred gold pieces.

A standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce, so fifty coins weigh a pound.

Table – Exchange Rates

Selling Treasure

Opportunities abound to find treasure, equipment, weapons, armor, and more in the dungeons you explore. Normally, you can sell your treasures and trinkets when you return to a town or other settlement, provided that you can find buyers and merchants interested in your loot.

Arms, armor, and other equipment: As a general rule, undamaged weapons, armor, and other equipment fetch one-fifth their cost when sold in a market.

Magic items: As a general rule, magic items fetch one-fifth their cost when sold in a market.

Gems, jewelry, and art objects: These items retain their full value in the marketplace, and you can either trade them in for coin or use them as currency for other transactions. For exceptionally valuable treasures, the GM might require you to find a buyer in a large town or larger community first.

Trade goods: On the borderlands, many people conduct transactions through barter. Like gems and art objects, trade goods – bars of iron, bags of salt, livestock, and so on – retain their full value in the market and can be used as currency.

Armor

Adventurers have access to a variety of armor types, ranging from cloth (lightly padded armor or regular clothing) to chain mail to costly plate armor, with several other kinds of armor in between. The Armor table collects the most commonly available types of armor found in the game and separates them into two categories: light armor and heavy armor. Many warriors supplement their armor with a shield.

The Armor table shows the cost, weight, and other properties of the common types of armor worn in fantasy gaming worlds.

Armor Proficiency: Anyone can put on a suit of armor or strap a shield to an arm. Only those proficient in the armor’s use know how to wear it effectively, however. Your class gives you proficiency with certain types of armor. If you wear armor you are not proficient with, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls and Reflex defense.

Armor Class (AC): Armor protects its wearer from attacks. The armor (and shield) you wear determines your base Armor Class.

Armor Check Penalty: The wearer suffers the listed penalty to skills that identify that they come with an Armor Check Penalty.

Shields: A shield is made from wood or metal and is carried in one hand.

You can benefit from only one shield at a time.

Light shields are strapped to your arm, you can still use your hand (for example, to hold things or climb, but not to wield a weapon). Heavy shields are strapped to your arm and held in your hand, so you cannot use your hand for anything else.

A shield’s bonus applies to Armor Class and Reflex defenses.

Speed Penalty: The wearer's speed is reduced by the listed amount. If the wearer has multiple movement modes (for example, walk, swim and fly speeds), the penalty applies to each movement mode.

Light armor

Made from supple and thin materials, light armor favors agile adventurers since it offers some protection without sacrificing mobility. If you wear light armor, you add your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class.

Cloth: Padded armor, or just regular clothes or a robe.

Leather: Leather that has been stiffened by being boiled in oil.

Hide: Thick furs and pelts.

Heavy armor

Of all the armor categories, heavy armor offers the best protection. These suits of armor cover the entire body and are designed to stop a wide range of attacks. Only proficient warriors can manage their weight and bulk.

Heavy armor does not let you add your Intelligence or Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.

Chain Mail: Made of interlocking metal rings, chain mail includes a layer of quilted fabric underneath the mail.

Scale: A coat and leggings of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, like the scales of a fish.

Plate: Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body.

Table – Armor and Shields

Weapons

Your class grants proficiency in certain weapons, reflecting both the class’s approach and the tools you are most likely to use. Whether you favor a longsword or a longbow, your weapon and your ability to wield it effectively can mean the difference between life and death while adventuring.

The Weapons table shows the most common weapons used in the fantasy gaming worlds, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, and any special properties they possess.

Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is typically used to attack a target in an adjacent square to you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance. Some melee weapons, called thrown weapons, can be used at a range. Other melee weapons, called reach weapons, are still held in the hands for an attack but can attack creatures further away than just adjacent squares.

By default, Strength is added to attack and damage rolls for melee weapon attacks and Dexterity to attack and damage rolls for ranged weapons.

Weapon proficiency

Your ancestry, class, and feats can grant you proficiency with certain weapons or categories of weapons. The three categories are simple, martial and exotic. Most people can use simple weapons with proficiency. These weapons include clubs, maces, and other weapons often found in the hands of commoners. Martial weapons, including swords, axes, and polearms, require more specialized training to use effectively. Proficiency in an exotic weapon is rare.

Proficiency with a weapon allows you to add the weapon’s proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with that weapon. If you make an attack roll using a weapon with which you lack proficiency, you do not add the proficiency bonus to the attack roll.

Weapon groups

A weapon group describes the category that a weapon belongs to. Handaxes, battleaxes and greataxes all belong to the Axes category, for example.

Weapon group has no rules of its own, but other powers and features might depend on the player character using a weapon from a particular group.

Weapon properties

Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Weapons table.

Improved Critical: Level 1: +1dW damage on a critical hit. Level 11: +2dW damage on a critical hit. Level 21: +3dW damage on a critical hit.

Loading: You can use a weapon that requires loading with ammunition to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other container takes either a free or swift action, as specified in the table. At the end of the encounter, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.

Loading (free): It takes two hands to reload this weapon.

Loading (swift): It takes two hands to reload this weapon. Because of the time required to load this weapon, after making a basic attack or attack power with this weapon, you must spend a swift action before attacking with it again.

Range: A weapon that can be used to make a ranged attack has a range. The range lists two numbers. The first is the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have a -2 penalty on the attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range.

Reach: This weapon adds 1 square to your reach when you attack with it (for a total reach of 2 for most characters, since the default reach is 1). You can only flank or opportunity attack adjacent enemies, however.

Thrown: You can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack.

Unless otherwise mentioned, thrown weapons have a range of 5/10 (short/long).

Thrown (light): Use Dexterity for attack and damage rolls when you make a basic ranged attack with a heavy thrown weapon.

Thrown (heavy): Use Strength instead of Dexterity for attack and damage rolls when you make a basic ranged attack with a heavy thrown weapon.

Two-Handed: This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.

Side Weapon: You can hold a side weapon in your off hand. You can wield a one-handed weapon in one hand and a side weapon in your other. Each time you make a weapon attack (including a weapon power), you choose which weapon you attack with.

Silvered weapons

Some monsters that have immunity or resistance to nonmagical weapons are susceptible to silver weapons, so cautious adventurers invest extra coin to plate their weapons with silver. You can silver a single weapon, 10 crossbow bolts, 20 sling bullets or 30 arrows for 500 gp. This cost represents not only the price of the silver, but the time and expertise needed to add silver to the weapon without making it less effective.

Improvised weapons

An improvised weapon, including an unarmed strike, does 1d4 damage (one-handed) or 1d8 damage (two-handed), with no proficiency bonus on the attack.

A character makes two-handed unarmed strikes if they have two hands free; otherwise they make one-handed unarmed strikes (a character can make one-handed unarmed strikes with both hands full by kicking or headbutting).

Increasing weapon damage dice

The table below shows what happens when a weapon’s damage die is increased by one.

Table – Increased Weapon Die

Table – Melee Weapons

Table – Ranged Weapons

Focuses

Most arcane, divine and primal powers, and some martial powers, have the Focus tag, meaning that they benefit from a magic focus if you use one while you use the power. Each power can only benefit from one magic focus at most.

You get no benefit from using a focus unless you are proficient with it.

Arcane Focus: An arcane focus is a special item – typically an orb, rod, staff, wand or book, although a crystal or a pouch of spell components would also be thematically appropriate – designed to channel the power of arcane spells.

A quarterstaff (also called a “staff”) can be used as both an arcane focus and a weapon. A quarterstaff can be held in one hand when being used as a focus. A quarterstaff can either be enchanted as a focus or as a weapon, or separately as a weapon and as a focus -- in which case it costs as much as each item would separately, put together.

Unless otherwise mentioned, an arcane focus requires a hand to use.

Druidic Focus: A druidic focus might be a sprig of mistletoe or holly, a wand or scepter made of yew or another special wood, a staff drawn whole out of a living tree, or an object incorporating feathers, fur, bones, and teeth from sacred animals.

Unless otherwise mentioned, a druidic focus requires a hand to use.

Holy Symbol: A holy symbol is a representation of a god or pantheon. It might be an amulet depicting a symbol representing a deity, the same symbol carefully engraved or inlaid as an emblem on a shield, or a tiny box holding a fragment of a sacred relic.

Unless otherwise mentioned, a holy symbol does not require a hand to use. It is enough that you have it on your person (perhaps emblazoned on a shield or hung around your neck).

Martial Focus: A martial focus is an item that inspires or reminds when seen or studied. It might be a short scroll describing a meditation that sharpens the mind for battle, or a book of strategies that can be reviewed quickly before bed, or a blunt sword that can be practiced with, or bindings wrapped around your hands while bareknuckle boxing, or a banner you carry on your back.

Unless otherwise mentioned, a martial focus does not require a hand to use. It is enough that you have it on your person.

Adventuring Gear

This section describes items that have special rules or require further explanation.

Climber’s Kit: Gain a +2 bonus on Athletics checks to climb when you use a climber’s kit.

Candle: For 1 hour, it casts dim light in a 2-square radius.

Dungeoneer’s Pack (15 gp): Includes a backpack, a bedroll, a flint and steel, a belt pouch, 10 days of rations, a waterskin and two glowbaskets. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it. The total weight of the pack is 30.5 lbs.

Lantern: For 8 hours per pint of oil, it casts bright light in a 10-square radius.

Rations: Rations consist of dry foods suitable for extended travel, including jerky, dried fruit, hardtack, and nuts.

Spellbook: Essential for wizards, a spellbook is a leather-bound tome with 128 blank vellum pages suitable for recording spells. It is also used to record incantations by those who can cast them.

Glowbaskets: This basket is activated by shaking. For 4 hours, it casts bright light in a 20-square radius.

Torch: For 1 hour, it casts bright light in a 5-square radius.

Thieves’ tools: Gain a +2 bonus on Thievery checks to disable traps and open locks.

Waybread: 10 days’ worth of food in a light but expensive form. Precariously wrapped in loosely-bound leaves.

Table – Ammunition

Table – Focuses

Table – Mounts and other animals

Table – Vehicles

Table – Adventuring Gear

Abilities and skills

Ability and skill checks

A skill check is made to determine whether a creature succeeds at a task. The Game Master chooses which skill the creature should use and assigns a number representing the task’s Difficulty Class (DC). The more difficult the task, the higher its DC (see Table: Typical Difficulty Classes).

Table – Typical Difficulty Classes

To make a skill check, roll a d20 and add your skill modifier and any other relevant bonuses and penalties.

In some cases, there is no applicable skill but an ability (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma) could still apply. Add your ability modifier instead of your skill modifier in these cases.

Maintaining difficulties at higher levels

To create a higher-level challenge, increase DCs by about 0.5 per level (more for moderate and hard challenges).

For example, if a wooden door is DC 8 to burst down, an obsidian door in an abyssal crypt (where the monsters are around level 21) might be DC 18 to burst down.

Abilities

Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature’s physical and mental characteristics:

• Strength, measuring physical power

• Constitution, measuring endurance, hardiness and health

• Dexterity, measuring agility, quickness and fine motor skills

• Intelligence, measuring reasoning and memory

• Wisdom, measuring perception and insight

• Charisma, measuring force of personality

Is a character muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define these qualities – a creature’s assets as well as weaknesses.

The three main rolls of the game – the ability check, the skill check, and the attack roll – rely on the six ability scores. The book’s introduction describes the basic rule behind these rolls: roll a d20, add an ability modifier derived from one of the six ability scores, and compare the total to a target number.

Ability scores and modifiers

Each of a creature’s abilities has a score, a number that defines the magnitude of that ability. An ability score is not just a measure of innate capabilities, but also encompasses a creature’s training and competence in activities related to that ability.

A score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but adventurers and many monsters are a cut above average in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches.

Each ability also has a modifier, derived from the score and ranging from -5 (for an ability score of 1) to +10 (for a score of 30). The Ability Scores and Modifiers table notes the ability modifiers for the range of possible ability scores, from 1 to 30.

Table – Ability Scores and Modifiers

To determine an ability modifier without consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide the total by 2 (round down).

Because ability modifiers affect almost every attack roll, skill check, ability check, and defense, ability modifiers come up in play more often than their associated scores.

Using each ability

Many tasks that a character or monster might attempt in the game are covered by one of the six abilities. This section explains in more detail what those abilities mean and the ways they are used in the game.

Strength

Strength measures bodily power, athletic training, and the extent to which you can exert raw physical force.

Strength Checks

The GM might call for a Strength check when you try to accomplish tasks that require brute strength, that do not fall under the Athletics skill. Examples might include:

• Forcing open a stuck, locked, or barred door

• Tipping over a statue

• Keeping a boulder from rolling

Skill Checks

Athletics skill checks add your Strength modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

You add your Strength modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when making a basic attack with a melee weapon such as a mace or battleaxe, or a heavy thrown weapon like a javelin.

Certain powers use a Strength attack roll and/or add Strength modifier to damage.

Fortitude Defense

Add either your Strength modifier or your Constitution modifier (whichever is higher) to your Fortitude defense.

Lifting and Carrying

Your Strength score determines the amount of weight you can bear. The following terms define what you can lift or carry.

Medium Load: Your medium load is your Strength score multiplied by 10. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can lift or carry without suffering a penalty, which is high enough that most characters don’t usually have to worry about it.

Heavy Load: You can lift or carry a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity. While lifting weight in excess of your carrying capacity, you get the slowed condition.

Push or Drag: You can push or drag a weight in pounds up to five times your carrying capacity. While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, you get the slowed condition.

Constitution

Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force.

Constitution Checks

The GM might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks that require hardiness and good health, that do not fall under the Endure skill. The Endure skill is broad enough that it would cover most situations that you might otherwise use a Constitution check for, but for example testing to see if you can quaff an entire stein of ale in one go might use a Constitution check since it is not really something you “endure.”

Skill Checks

Endurance skill checks add your Constitution modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

Certain powers use a Constitution attack roll and/or add Constitution modifier to damage.

Fortitude Defense

Add either your Strength modifier or your Constitution modifier (whichever is higher) to your Fortitude defense.

Hit Points and Recoveries

Your Constitution contributes to your hit points. You add your Constitution score to your hit point total.

If your Constitution score changes, your hit point maximum changes as well, as though you had the new score from 1st level.

You add your Constitution modifier to the number of recoveries that you have.

Dexterity

Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance.

Dexterity Checks

The GM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to accomplish tasks that require finesse or agility, that do not fall under the Acrobatics, Stealth, or Sleight of Hand skills. Examples might include:

• Steering a chariot around a tight turn

• Playing a stringed instrument

• Crafting a small or detailed object

Initiative

An initiative check is a special Dexterity check that you make at the beginning of every combat. Initiative determines the order of creatures’ turns in combat.

Skill Checks

Acrobatics, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand skill checks add your Dexterity modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when making a basic attack with a ranged weapon, such as a sling or a longbow, or with a light throwing weapon.

Certain powers use a Dexterity attack roll and/or add Dexterity modifier to damage.

Armor Class and Reflex Defense

Add either your Dexterity modifier or your Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) to your Reflex defense.

If you wear light or no armor, add either your Dexterity modifier or your Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) to your Armor Class. If you wear heavy armor, do not add any ability modifier to your Armor Class.

Intelligence

Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason.

Intelligence Checks

The GM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to accomplish tasks that require quick-wittedness and rationality, that do not fall under the Arcana, History, and Religion skills. Examples might include:

• Estimating the value of a precious item

• Recalling lore about a craft or trade

Skill Checks

Arcana, History, and Religion skill checks add your Intelligence modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

Certain powers use an Intelligence attack roll and/or add Intelligence modifier to damage.

Armor Class and Reflex Defense

Add either your Dexterity modifier or your Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) to your Reflex defense.

If you wear light or no armor, add either your Dexterity modifier or your Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) to your Armor Class. If you wear heavy armor, do not add any ability modifier to your Armor Class.

Wisdom

Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition.

Wisdom Checks

The GM might call for a Wisdom check when you try to accomplish tasks that require perceptiveness and intuition, that do not fall under the Dungeoneering, Heal, Insight, and Perception skills. An example could be getting a gut feeling about what course of action to follow.

Skill Checks

Dungeoneering, Heal, Insight, and Perception skill checks add your Wisdom modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

Certain powers use a Wisdom attack roll and/or add Wisdom modifier to damage.

Will Defense

Add either your Wisdom modifier or your Charisma modifier (whichever is higher) to your Will defense.

Charisma

Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality.

Charisma Checks

The GM might call for a Charisma check when you try to accomplish tasks that require charm and personability, that do not fall under the Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Streetwise skills. An example could be communicating with a creature when you do not share a common language.

Skill Checks

Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Streetwise skill checks add your Charisma modifier.

Attack Rolls and Damage

Certain powers use a Charisma attack roll and/or add Charisma modifier to damage.

Will Defense

Add either your Wisdom modifier or your Charisma modifier (whichever is higher) to your Will defense.

The skills

The skills are:

If a skill has “Armor Check Penalty” listed, it means users of that skill suffer a penalty if they are wearing bulky or unwieldy armor or equipped with shields.

Passive skills

You can calculate a creature’s “Passive Perception” and “Passive Insight” by adding each skill modifier to 10. When that skill “counters” another skill, like Insight countering Deception or Perception countering Stealth, use the passive value as the DC for the skill check.

Lore skills

Five skills – Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature and Religion – concern how much the character knows about something. The DCs to see if a character knows something about a given area are:

A character may get a bonus on these checks if they have reference books or a library they can make use of.

Lore skills can also be used to test what a character knows about a creature off of the top of their head. It does not take an action, but a character can only make the check once for a given creature (at least until they have had a chance to gain more knowledge somehow).

Acrobatics

An Acrobatics check allows a character to perform gymnastic feats such as rolling under a closing gate, swinging across a chasm on a rope, or keeping their balance on a narrow ledge.

Those trained in Acrobatics can take the Slow Fall action.

Slow Fall

At-Will Utility (Free Action)
Trigger You are falling.
Effect Make an Acrobatics check. Halve your result. Reduce falling damage by that amount. If you take no damage from the fall, you end the fall standing (otherwise, you fall prone).

Arcana

Arcana measures a character’s knowledge of magic and magical creatures. It can also be used to sense whether an area has magical qualities.

Use Arcana for knowledge checks relating to elemental, fey, shadow or construct creatures.

Those trained in Arcana can take the Identify Persistent Power, Identify Magical Thing and Sense Magic actions.

Identify Persistent Power

At-Will Utility (Swift Action)
Requirements You can see a power with the Conjuration, Summons or Zone tag
Attack Arcana vs 15 + half the power's level
Hit You learn the power’s name, tags and tradition.
Miss You must take a short rest before trying to identify that particular power again.

Identify Magical Thing

At-Will Utility (Standard Action)
Requirements You can see an environmental magical effect or the results of an incantation
DC Arcana vs Hard DC for your level, or for the incantation’s level if it has one
Hit You identify the name of the phenomenon, any tags it might have or tradition it comes from, and its general purpose. If it is the result of an incantation, you learn the incantation’s names and the basics of its effects.
Miss You must take a long rest before trying to identify that particular thing again.

Sense Magic

At-Will Utility (Standard Action)
Effect You attempt to sense the presence of magic within 5 + your level squares.

For each magical thing in range:

• If its level is your level -5 or less, you automatically learn its tradition and location.
• If its level is greater than your level -5, make an Arcana check (hard DC for your level) to learn its tradition and location.

Athletics

A character makes an Athletics check to perform unusually difficult feats of swimming, running, climbing, or jumping. These activities take place during a movement, and they count towards the total number of squares you can move.

While climbing, you are off-guard and each square of movement costs 1 extra square. When you start climbing as part of your movement, make an Athletics check against a DC chosen by the GM. If you fail by 4 or less, your action ends and you stay in place. If you fail by 5 or more, you fall.

While swimming, you are off-guard and each square of movement costs 1 extra square. When you start swimming as part of your movement, make an Athletics check against a DC chosen by the GM. If you fail by 4 or less, your action ends and you stay in place. If you fail by 5 or more, you sink 1 square underwater.

Long Jump: When you make a long jump, make an Athletics check. You clear a number of squares equal to the check result divided by 10 (standing long jump) or divided by 5 (if you move at least 2 squares immediately before the jump).

High Jump: When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to the check result divided by 10 (standing high jump) or divided by 5 (if you move at least 2 squares immediately before the jump). Either way, every five feet costs a square of movement.

Bluff

The Bluff skill is used when a character lies, misleads, or hides the truth whether verbally or otherwise.

Bluff checks are usually opposed by a target’s Insight check.

Diplomacy

A character makes a Diplomacy check to convince or influence someone through logic, flattery, or negotiation (unlike a Bluff check, a Diplomacy check is made in some degree of good faith.)

Dungeoneering

Dungeoneering allows a character to navigate and survive in dungeons and identify underground hazards.

Use Dungeoneering for knowledge checks relating to cosmic creatures.

Endurance

The GM might call for an Endurance check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

• Hold your breath

• March or labor for hours without rest

• Go without sleep

• Survive without food or water

• Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go

Heal

A character can perform a Medicine check to stabilize a dying creature, treat or diagnose a disease or poison, or determine a cause of death.

Creatures that take the Rally Ally, Stabilize and Grant Save actions use the Heal skill.

History

The History skill measures a character’s knowledge of past events.

Insight

An Insight check can be used for reading a creature’s intentions or motives, and to see through a creature’s lies when it is using Deception.

Intimidate

A character makes an Intimidate check to alter someone’s behavior by frightening or threatening them.

Nature

The Nature skill measures a character’s knowledge of natural terrains, beasts, plants, and hazards.

It is also used to perform the tasks necessary to thrive in the wilderness: hunting, tracking, avoiding natural hazards, and traveling without getting lost.

Nature also allows a character to train or control a domesticated animal, to handle a steed, or to communicate nonaggression to a wild beast.

Use Nature for knowledge checks relating to natural creatures.

Perception

A character’s Perception measures what they are able to see, hear, or otherwise sense. Perception is also used for actively searching and looking for clues.

Perception checks are made against Stealth when seeing if a creature spots another a creature that is hiding or moving silently. These typically do not require an action.

Perception checks are made against a DC when a creature is searching an area for something hidden. Generally, searching takes 10 minutes or more.

Religion

Religion measures a character’s knowledge of gods, religions, rites, and systems of morality.

Use Religion for knowledge checks relating to outsider and undead creatures.

Stealth

Stealth is used to hide or avoid notice.

You can hide at the end of any action where you moved, provided you are in three-quarters cover or total concealment.

When you try to hide, make a Stealth check opposed by the passive Perception of any enemy that can sense you.

If you succeed, you are silent and invisible against those enemies. You remain so provided you do not make an attack, move more than 2 squares, stay in three-quarters cover/total concealment and do not make excessive noise.

Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, that check’s total is contested by the Perception check of any creature that actively searches on its turn for signs of your presence (does not require an action on behalf of that creature).

Movement: If you moved 3 squares or more, take a -5 penalty on the check to hide. If you took the Run action, take a -10 penalty instead.

While hidden, if you move 3 squares or more, you must make another Stealth check vs passive Perception score with a -5 penalty (-10 if running).

Effects of Hidden: If you take an action that would cause you to stop being hidden, the benefits of being hidden end at the end of that action.

Streetwise

You have a good sense of what is going on in a settlement and can quickly ingratiate yourself with the locals.

Gather Information

After an hour, you gather useful information – jobs going, a good deal, local rumors or other tidbits.

Thievery

A character makes a Sleight of Hand check to perform legerdemain, pickpocket, hide an object on another creature, make a concealed hand signal, or otherwise deceive the eyes with feats of agility.

Monsters

A monster's statistics, sometimes referred to as its stat block, provide the essential information that you need to run the monster. In general, monsters follow the same rules as other creatures. What follows are the rules that are specific to monsters.

Level

A monster's level tells you how great a threat the monster is. An appropriately equipped party of four adventurers should be able to survive four combat encounters before needing a long rest, with each of the four combat encounters having one standard monster per hero, of the same level as the heroes.

For example, a party of four 3rd-level characters should find an encounter of four level-3 monsters to be a worthy challenge, but not a deadly one.

If a monster is four or more levels higher or lower than the heroes, it is unlikely to be a satisfying challenge. Recreate higher-level monsters as lower-level elite or boss monsters, and recreate lower-level monsters as higher level mook monsters for a more balanced fight.

Rank

Some monsters are an appropriate challenge for two or more heroes of the same level. Other monsters are only an appropriate challenge for a hero if there are several monsters. This is called the monster’s rank.

An elite monsters is an appropriate threat for two heroes of the same level and a boss monster for four heroes of the same level. Four mooks are an appropriate threat for one hero of the same level.

Experience Points

The number of experience points (XP) a monster is worth is based on its level and rank. Typically, XP is awarded for defeating the monster, although the GM may also award XP for neutralizing the threat posed by the monster in some other manner.

Size

How large is this monster?

Source

A creature’s source describes where its species or type has come from. Certain spells, magic items, class features, and other effects in the game interact in special ways with creatures of a particular source.

Almost all player characters will be natural – they come from the world.

Cosmic creatures are utterly alien, aberrant beings. Many of them have innate magical abilities drawn from the creature’s alien mind.

Elemental creatures are native to the elemental planes. Some creatures of this type are little more than animate masses of their respective elements. Others have biological forms infused with elemental energy.

Fey creatures are closely tied to the Faerie World and forces of nature. They dwell in twilight groves and misty forests.

Natural creatures are native to the Prime Material Plane, the world.

Outsider creatures are tied to an Outer Plane, like the heavens or hells.

Shadow creatures are tied to the Underworld or the Plane of Shadow.

Type

A creature’s type describes its shape and form. Certain spells, magic items, class features, and other effects in the game interact in special ways with creatures of a particular type.

The game includes the following creature types, which have no rules of their own. Almost all player characters will be humanoids.

Automatons do not have organs or coherent bodily systems. They may be very simple creatures, like a gelatinous cube, or masses of a material that is magically animated, like a fire elemental or a golem. Undead that have been reanimated from a body or body parts, like skeletons and zombies, are automatons, whereas undead that have been transformed from their living form, like vampires, or undead that are a separate soul, like specters, are humanoids.

Beasts are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural part of the fantasy ecology. Some of them have magical powers, but most are unintelligent and lack any society or language. Beasts include all varieties of ordinary animals, dinosaurs, and giant versions of animals, as well as fantastical animals like winged cats or elf hounds.

Humanoids have bipedal forms, and typically are sapient and sentient, and capable of language and culture. Humanoid races include those commonly found as player characters - humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, goblinoids, orcs, gnolls, lizardfolk, and kobolds – well as fey like nymphs and dryads and outsiders with humanoid forms like many devils.

Monstrosities are monsters in the strictest sense - frightening creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural, and almost never benign. Some are the results of magical experimentation gone awry (such as owlbears), and others are the product of terrible curses (including minotaurs and medusae). Others are creatures with elemental or other magical influences, like dragons.

Tags

A creature might have one or more tags appended to its type, in parentheses.

The tags have no rules of their own, but something in the game, such as a magic item, might refer to them. For instance, a demonbane spear would work against any creature with the demon tag.

Most player characters only have a tag corresponding to their ancestry (“dwarf” for a dwarf, for example).

Role

Like heroes, monsters have a role that they play in combat.

Powers

Monster powers follow the same rules as other powers. Special symbols are used to indicate whether an attack is a basic attack, and what its range is:

Unless otherwise mentioned, the reach of a melee attack is 1 (adjacent squares only) and melee and ranged attacks have one target. Near and far attacks target all creatures within area of effect, unless otherwise mentioned.

If a power does not have a symbol, it has a range of “self” (it applies to the creature using it).

Alignment

A monster's alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation.

The alignment specified in a monster's stat block is the default. Feel free to depart from it and change a monster's alignment to suit the needs of your campaign.

Ability Scores

Every monster has six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) and corresponding modifiers.

Monsters, like heroes, receive half their level (round down) as a bonus to their attack rolls, ability and skill checks, defenses and initiative (already included).

Equipment

A stat block rarely refers to equipment, other than armor or weapons used by a monster.

Creating new monsters

Choose a level and rank (boss, elite, standard or mook) for the monster. Assign size, source, type and tags.

Movement

Most monsters have a regular speed, which is their speed on land (walking). A monster that is as fast as a human should have a speed of 6.

Some monsters can also swim, climb, fly, burrow or teleport.

Role

The role is the function that the monster plays in combat.

Archer

Blocker

Skulker

Spoiler

Striker

Wrecker

HP: For elites, double HP. For bosses, quadruple it. Mooks only ever have 1 HP.

F/R/W: Fortitude, Reflex and Will.

Abilities

Assign the monster ability scores based on what seems appropriate. In general, a monster's highest ability score should equal about 16 + half its level.

A monster’s modifier for each ability is equal to the base ability modifier, plus half its level (rounded down).

Skills

Choose skills for the monster to be trained in. They have a bonus of 5 + half level + the relevant ability modifier.

List the monster’s Perception modifier under “Senses”, whether or not they are trained. If they are not trained, the modifier is half monster level + Wisdom modifier.

Initiative

Half the monster's level plus its Dexterity modifier.

Powers

Damage is based on whether a power is single target or multi-target and whether it is usable at-will or infrequently (a “surge” power).

Rank

Mooks deal static damage, and in general should only target one creature with each attack.

Elites should have powers that allow them to attack roughly twice as often as standard monsters.

Bosses should have powers that allow them to attack roughly four times as often as standard monsters, or do more damage when they attack.

Role

Creatures with the wrecker role do bonus damage on all attacks.

Mooks with the wrecker role should only add half that number to their damage (round down).

Table - Monster Level and Damage