Beasts
A beast is a monster that lives in the fantasy world’s natural ecosystem. It probably isn’t more
intelligent than a regular animal, although it might be unusually cunning. Giant ants and griffons are
both examples of this sort of monster. If your adventure requires an interesting roving predator, or an
infestation of bizarre creatures, this is probably the category you’ll want to use as a starting point to
generate some ideas.
Step 1: Get a Starter Image of the Body Form. Roll on the Creature Attributes Table (2-2) for a
basic body form. You’re not locked into this body form, but I have always found it easiest to come up
with interesting details when I’ve got a vague picture of the monster already in mind. Sometimes the
details are interesting enough to warrant changing the whole concept retroactively to fit them. If that
happens, I consider it a perfect result.
Step 2: Mix Attributes of Two Creatures. Roll twice on the Creature Attributes Table (2-2). Take an
attribute from the first creature (any attribute, your choice) and mix it with an attribute from the second
creatures (again, your choice). Let’s say that you started with a Cheetah’s body form, and then rolled
12 (Beetle) and 16 (Canary). One possibility is to say that you’ve got a cat-like predator with a beetle’s
exoskeleton that has bright, canary-like coloration. Another possibility is to say that you’ve got a giant
beetle that chases down its prey like a cheetah and kills it with a sharp beak (canary). A third possibility
is to discard the cheetah (that was just a starting point) and create a beetle that sings sweetly to draw its
prey close for the kill (presumably with a saving throw to avoid the effects of the song).
Step 3: Fill in the Details. Roll for Special Attacks (Tables 2-78 and 2-79), Special Defenses and
Abilities (Table 2-82) and Distinctive Attributes (Table 2-83). Tie those results into the Creature Attributes
you’ve already generated, or treat the results as new features to add into the monster’s description. Beast
monsters are usually pretty simple, so you will probably need to discard the results from Table 2-79 or
2-82 unless they happen to generate something excellent.
d100 | Animal | Creature and Attributes |
---|---|---|
1 |
Amoeba |
Amoeba body form (formless), floats in liquids, extends pseudopods, engulfs prey, filled with liquid, reproduces by fission |
2 |
Ant |
Ant body form, burrows, caste system, caste-specific body type, pincers, exoskeleton, antennae, filled with acid, insect, segmented body |
3 |
Anteater |
Anteater body form, large claws, digs prey from ground, sucks prey through long mouth, long sticky tongue, long fur |
4 |
Ape |
Ape body form, primate, human-like face, opposable thumbs, use feet to grip, swings from trees, travel in bands with alpha male organization |
5 |
Baboon |
Baboon body form, baboon face, opposable thumbs, tail, primate, human-like eyes, travels in bands led by an alpha male |
6 |
Badger |
Badger body form, black and white coloring, burrows with claws, eats bugs, bears live young |
7 |
Bat |
Bat body form, sonic echolocation, bat wings, suck blood, flies, nocturnal, eats fruit, mammal, hangs upside down in caves to sleep |
8 |
Bear, black |
Bear body form, omnivore, hibernates, swims, quadruped, large claws, stays with cubs |
9 |
Bear, brown |
Bear body form, omnivore, hibernates, swims, quadruped, large claws, stays with cubs |
10 |
Beaver |
Beaver body form, flat tail, chisel-teeth, builds underwater lodge, builds dams, cuts down trees, underwater mammal, bears live young, swims |
11 |
Bee |
Bee body form, insect, collects pollen, hive organization, caste organization, egg-laying queen, produces honey, stinger, dies after stinging, faceted eyes |
12 |
Beetle |
Beetle body form, carapace, bug legs, mandibles, faceted eyes, often flies, six legs, sheathed wings |
13 |
Boar, wild |
Boar/pig body form, hoofs, tusks, charges to attack, omnivore, has bristles, quadruped |
14 |
Bull/cow |
Bovine body form, horns, herd animal, hoofs, charges into combat, quadruped |
15 |
Camel |
Camel body form, goes for a long time without water, spits, has humps, lives in desert |
16 |
Canary |
Bird body form, small, bright color, feathers, sings, eats seeds, has beak, sleeps while standing, two legs, wings, lays eggs, makes nests |
17-18 |
Cat |
Cat body form, feline, cat eyes, leaps, plays with prey, climbs trees, dislikes water, quadruped, tail, retractable claws |
19 |
Centipede |
Centipede body form, multi-segmented body, many jointed legs, mandibles, often venomous |
20 |
Cheetah |
Cat body form, spotted fur, very fast, feline, cat eyes, quadruped, chases prey |
21 |
Chicken |
Chicken body form, flightless bird, two legs, wings, eats grain and seeds, crested head, lays eggs, flaps into air to attack |
22 |
Clam/oyster |
Clam body form, outer shell opens, soft inside, makes pearls, lives underwater |
23 |
Crab |
Crab body form, hard carapace, pincer claws, jointed legs, eyestalks, lays eggs, hunts on land and in water, digs into sand |
24 |
Crocodile |
Crocodile body form, reptile, swims, lurks below surface, lays eggs, long and toothy mouth, four legs, short side-mounted legs, strong tail, armored hide |
25 |
Dinosaur |
Dinosaur body form, huge, might have back plates, might have clubbed or spiked tail, might have elephant feet, might have long neck, lays eggs, thick hide, might have armor plates |
26 |
Dog |
Dog body form, canine, covered in hair, paws, pack-hunter, loyal, used as pet, used for hunting |
27 |
Dolphin |
Dolphin body form, aquatic mammal, fish-like body, uses sonar/echolocation, bears live young, holds breath for a long time, friendly to humans |
28 |
Dragonfly |
Dragonfly body form, large faceted eyes, flies, long dragonfly wings, lays eggs, exoskeleton, multiple legs |
29 |
Eagle |
Eagle body form, avian, flies, dives on prey, makes nests in high places, glides on air currents, hooked beak, talons |
30 |
Earwig |
Earwig body form, mandible-like things on tail, segmented, exoskeleton, multiple legs, lays eggs |
31 |
Eel |
Eel body form, fish, snake-like shape, glistening skin, may use electrical shock, lays eggs underwater |
32 |
Elephant |
Elephant body form, mammal, tusks, large ears, elephant feet, tramples, large, baggy skin, bears live young |
33 |
Fish, angler |
Fish body form, bioluminescent, sharp teeth, large mouth, swims, dangles lure to attract prey, lives in deep darkness, lives in deep water, lays eggs, breathes underwater, gills |
34 |
Fish, archer |
Fish body form, scaled skin, fins and tail, spits to stun prey, lays eggs underwater, gills, breathes underwater |
35 |
Fish, barracuda |
Fish body form, scales, fins, fish tail, gills, breathes underwater, lays eggs, swims, travels in groups, teeth, predator |
36-37 |
Fish, general |
Fish body form, scales, fins, fish tail, gills, breathes underwater, lays eggs, swims, travels in schools |
38 |
Fish, piranha |
Fish body form, scales, fins, fish tail, gills, breathes underwater, lays eggs, swims, travels in schools, attacks in large groups, strips prey down to the bones, small |
39 |
Fish, shark |
Fish body form, dorsal fin, rough skin, can’t stop swimming or it dies, breathes underwater, gills, voracious predator |
40 |
Frog |
Frog body form, hops, swallows prey whole, huge back legs, amphibian, lays eggs underwater, starts as tadpole and transforms to new shape |
41 |
Gecko |
Gecko body form, adhesive pads on toes, resembles lizard, scales, climbs, quadruped, eats insects, strikes swiftly |
42 |
Giraffe |
Giraffe body form, long neck, spotted hair, tall, long legs, quadruped, herbivore, eats from treetops |
43 |
Goat |
Goat body form, curled horns, quadruped, eats virtually anything, hoofs, attacks with head butt, some live in mountains with long hair, sure-footed |
44 |
Hawk |
Hawk body form, good vision, dives on prey, flies, wings, feathers, talons, used for hunting, lays eggs |
45 |
Heron |
Bird body form, tall, long legs, piercing beak, eats fish, bird, lays eggs, flies, feathers |
46 |
Horse |
Horse body form, equine, used as steed, used as draft animal, mane, hoofs, horse tail, rears up to attack with fore-legs |
47 |
Hyena |
Hyena body form, makes eerie laughing sound, scavenger, travels in groups, quadruped, spotted fur |
48 |
Jackal |
Jackal body form, scavenger, carrion eater, quadruped, canine, long pointed ears, good hearing |
49 |
Leech |
Leech body form, sucks blood, attaches to prey, lives underwater |
50 |
Leopard |
Leopard body form, cat, jungle predator, spotted fur, jumps from treetops |
51 |
Lion |
Lion body form, mane, roars, pounces, four legs, claws |
52 |
Lizard |
Lizard body form, scaled skin, side-mounted legs, lays eggs, forked tongue, smells with tongue |
53 |
Lobster |
Lobster body form, crustacean, segmented exoskeleton with overlapping plates, eyestalks, jointed legs, lays eggs underwater |
54 |
Maggot |
Maggot body form, larva, larval stage of flying creature, eats dead flesh |
55-56 |
Mammoth |
Mammoth body form, elephant body form, hairy, tusks, elephant feet, tramples, very long tusks, quadruped, herbivore |
57 |
Monkey |
Monkey body form, prehensile tail, biped, swings from trees, bears live young, human-looking face |
58 |
Mosquito |
Mosquito body form, insect, sucks blood, females suck blood, proboscis, flies, exoskeleton |
59 |
Moth |
Moth body form, wings, hairy, insect, attracted to light, grows from caterpillar cocoon, eat wool, drink nectar |
60 |
Octopus |
Octopus body form, eight tentacles, cephalopod, suckers on tentacles, no internal skeleton, sharp beak, three hearts, gills, breathe underwater, lay eggs underwater, ink cloud |
61 |
Ostrich |
Ostrich body form, bird, flightless bird, lays eggs, runs fast, spreading tail plumage |
62 |
Ox |
Ox body form, horns, quadruped, herd animal, draft animal, plow animal, hoofs |
63 |
Parrot |
Parrot body form, bird, talks, mimics, lays eggs, bright colors, flies, feathers |
64 |
Peacock |
Peacock body form, bird, lays eggs, resplendent tail plumage, sounds like a cat |
65 |
Penguin |
Penguin body form, bird, lays eggs, swims, flightless, lives in cold regions |
66 |
Prairie dog/meerkat |
Prairie dog body form, burrows, lives in large communal warrens, rodent, mammal |
67 |
Praying mantis |
Praying mantis body form, insect, exoskeleton, faceted eyes, grabs prey with long, barbed arms, camouflage, female eats male after mating, antennae |
68 |
Rabbit |
Rabbit body form, long ears, hops, rabbit tail, digs burrows, long back legs |
69 |
Rat |
Rat body form, hairless tail, carries disease, rodent, scavenger, bears litters of live young, burrows, vermin, eats young under conditions of overcrowding |
70 |
Raven/crow |
Raven body form, black, feathers, sharp beak, flies, lays eggs, good vision, builds nests, bird |
71 |
Rhinoceros |
Rhinoceros body form, thick hide, one horn, poor vision, charges into combat |
72 |
Roach |
Roach body form, carapace, flies, lays eggs, insect, vermin, jointed legs |
73 |
Saber-tooth tiger |
Saber-tooth tiger body form, cat, tusk-like teeth, pounces, cat eyes, tail, retractable claws |
74 |
Scarab beetle |
Beetle body form, exoskeleton, sheathed wing, horns on head or thorax, larval stage develops into beetle, eggs laid in food source for larvae to eat |
75-76 |
Seal |
Seal body form, mammal, flippers, sea-creature, streamlined fur, bear live young |
77 |
Slug |
Slug body form, gastropod, mollusk, eye stalks, moves by rippling muscles, slimy, regeneration (of the eyestalks, at least) |
78 |
Snail |
Snail body form, house-like shell, slimy and formless body, eyestalks, reproductive organs located in head |
79 |
Snake, cobra |
Snake body form, reptile, serpent, scales, fangs, injects venom, snake eyes, slithers, lays eggs, cold-blooded, hypnotic eyes, hooded head |
80 |
Snake, constrictor |
Snake body form, reptile, snake eyes, constricts prey, slithers, lays eggs, lurks in trees, lurks underwater, eats only occasionally and remains torpid in between large meals |
81 |
Snake, general |
Snake body form, reptile, snake eyes, poison, constricts, fangs, slithers, lays eggs, hypnotic eyes |
82 |
Snake, viper |
Snake body form, reptile, snake eyes, poison, fangs, slithers, lays eggs, hypnotic eyes |
83 |
Spider |
Spider body form, eight legs, stinger, spins webs, leaps, cocoons prey in silk, sucks blood |
84 |
Squid |
Squid body form, ten tentacles, hard shell, cephalopod, changes color to match surroundings, jet propulsion, ink cloud |
85 |
Squirrel |
Squirrel body form, mammal, gathers nuts, stores food, rodent, bushy tail |
86 |
Stag |
Deer body form, antlers, herd animal, fast runner, hoofs, spindly legs, herbivore |
87 |
Stick insect |
Stick insect body form, resembles a stick, exoskeleton, lays eggs, long jointed legs, predator |
88 |
Stink bug |
Beetle body form, carapace, jointed bug legs, awful smell when carapace is broken, antennae |
89 |
Tapeworm |
Tapeworm body form, long, flat, thin, wormlike, parasite, lives inside host organisms |
90 |
Tick |
Tick body form, insect, lays eggs, drinks blood, carries disease, exoskeleton |
91 |
Toad |
Toad body form, batrachian, amphibian, lays eggs in water, predator, bulging eyes |
92 |
Virus |
Virus body form, spreads disease, injects host with RNA that begins replicating viruses inside host’s body, microbial |
93 |
Vulture |
Vulture body form, bird, flies, feathers, lays eggs, talons, two legs, carrion eater |
94 |
Walrus |
Walrus body form, sea-mammal, thick layer of fat, roars, flippers, tusks |
95 |
Warthog |
Warthog body form, quadruped, mammal, ugly face, tusks |
96 |
Wasp |
Wasp body form, thorax, abdomen, insect, stinger, paper-like wings, makes paper hives, lays eggs, flies |
97 |
Whale, killer |
Whale body form, sea-mammal, flippers, flukes, bears live young, swims, must surface periodically to breathe, predator, sonic echolocation, large, teeth |
98 |
Whale, sperm |
Whale body form, sea-mammal, flippers, flukes, bears live young, swims, must surface periodically to breathe, predator, sonic echolocation, large, blunt head, teeth on lower jaw, deep-water |
99 |
Wolf |
Wolf body form, canine, predator, hunts in packs, howls, quadruped |
100 |
Worm |
Worm body form, segmented, burrows, five hearts, hermaphroditic, regenerates |