Glossary of Creature Subtypes

Air Subtype

This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane Air. Air creatures always have fly speeds and usually have perfect maneuverability (see the section on Movement).

Aquatic Subtype

Creatures with the aquatic subtype always have swim speeds and thus can move in water without making Swim checks. An aquatic creature can breathe underwater. It cannot also breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality.

Augmented Subtype

A creature receives this subtype whenever something happens to change its original type. Some creatures (those with an inherited template) are born with this subtype; others acquire it when they take on an acquired template. The augmented subtype is always paired with the creature's original type. For example, a wizard's raven familiar is a magical beast (augmented animal). A creature with the augmented subtype usually has the traits of its current type, but the features of its original type. For example, a wizard's raven familiar has an animal's features and the traits of a magical beast.

Baatezu Subtype

Many devils belong to the race of evil outsiders known as the baatezu.

Traits: A baatezu possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Chaotic Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the chaotic-aligned Outer Planes. Most creatures that have this subtype also have chaotic alignments; however, if their alignments change they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a chaotic alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the chaotic subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were chaotic-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Cold Subtype

A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

Earth Subtype

This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth. Earth creatures usually have burrow speeds, and most earth creatures can burrow through solid rock.

Evil Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the evil-aligned Outer Planes. Evil outsiders are also called fiends. Most creatures that have this subtype also have evil alignments; however, if their alignments change, they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has an evil alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the evil subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were evil-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Extraplanar Subtype

A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.

Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.

Fire Subtype

A creature with the fire subtype has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

Goblinoid Subtype

Goblinoids are stealthy humanoids who live by hunting and raiding and who all speak Goblin.

Good Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the good-aligned Outer Planes. Most creatures that have this subtype also have good alignments; however, if their alignments change, they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a good alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the good subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were good-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Incorporeal Subtype

Some creatures are incorporeal by nature, while others (such as those that become ghosts) can acquire the incorporeal subtype. An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It has immunity to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells, including touch spells or magic weapons, it has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy, negative energy, force effects such as magic missile, or attacks made with ghost touch weapons). Non-damaging spell attacks affect incorporeal creatures normally unless they require corporeal targets to function (such as the spell implosion) or they create a corporeal effect that incorporeal creatures would normally ignore (such as a web or wall of stone spell). Although it is not a magical attack, a hit with holy water has a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal undead creature.

An incorporeal creature's natural weapons affect both in incorporeal and corporeal targets, and pass through (ignore) corporeal natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor) work normally against it. Attacks made by an incorporeal creature with a nonmagical melee weapon have no effect on corporeal targets, and any melee attack an incorporeal creature makes with a magic weapon against a corporeal target has a 50% miss chance except for attacks it makes with a ghost touch weapon, which are made normally (no miss chance).

Any equipment worn or carried by an incorporeal creature is also incorporeal as long as it remains in the creature's possession. An object that the creature relinquishes loses its incorporeal quality (and the creature loses the ability to manipulate the object). If an incorporeal creature uses a thrown weapon or a ranged weapon, the projectile becomes corporeal as soon as it is fired and can affect a corporeal target normally (no miss chance). Magic items possessed by an incorporeal creature work normally with respect to their effects on the creature or another target. Similarly, spells cast by an incorporeal creature affect corporeal creatures normally.

An incorporeal creature has no natural armor bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature's Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus).

An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid object but must remain adjacent to the object's exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see clearly and attack normally, a incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.

Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creature cannot make trip or grapple attacks against corporeal creatures, nor can they be tripped or grappled by such creatures. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate a corporeal being or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.

An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn't wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to both its melee attacks and its ranged attacks. Non-visual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.

Lawful Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the lawful-aligned Outer Planes. Most creatures that have this subtype also have lawful alignments; however, if their alignments change, they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a lawful alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the lawful subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were lawful-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Living Construct Subtype

A living construct is a subtype of construct, a created being given sentience and free will through powerful and complex creation enchantments. Living constructs combine aspects of both constructs and living creatures, as detailed below.

Features: A living construct derives its Hit Dice, base attack bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.

Traits: A living construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Loumara Subtype

The loumaras represent an emergent demonic subtype and are fairly recent additions to the Abyss. Even so, they have plagued the Material Plane for ages. These demons rise from the fragmenting dreams of dead gods found in the Dreaming Gulf (layer 230), spreading out into the surrounding Abyss like a stain or slipping into the Material Plane through tiny tears in reality. Their indistinct nature and lack of physical forms has resulted in obscurity on the Material Plane, yet their taint in the mortal realm is far greater than most would imagine. Only two kinds of loumaras have, thus far, manifested with any regularity: the corpse-haunting dybbuks and the murderous guecubus.

Traits: A loumara has the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Native Subtype

A subtype applied only to outsiders. These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Creatures with this subtype are native to the Material Plane (hence the subtype's name).

Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep.

Obyrith Subtype

The strange and horrific Obyriths are primeval demons from eons past. They wrought chaos and evil upon the multiverse before the advent of intelligent life on the Material Plane. Their forms are hideous to behold, rarely if ever incorporating elements possessed by mortal creatures. Obyriths dwell only in the most remote corners of the Abyss. Their kind has been in decline since the rise of the tanar'ri in the Abyss, although a few tenacious examples continue to make their presence known on key layers.

Traits: An obyrith has the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Reptilian Subtype

These creatures are scaly and usually cold-blooded. The reptilian subtype is only used to describe a set of humanoid races, not all animals and monsters that are truly reptiles.

Shadowlands* Subtype

Shadowlands are the source of evil in the campaign setting of Rokugan, the festering pit from which oni crawl, slither, and fly to wreck their foul destruction on humanity. The denizens of the Shadowlands are inhuman monstrosities. Many of them are spirits bound into corporeal form, and most are shapeshifters. Of all the creatures found in the Shadowlands, only the nezumi remain uncorrupted by the foul taint of the place - all others are utterly, irredeemably evil.

Shadowlands creatures share a certain immunities and vulnerabilities. They are immune to harmful effects of the Shadowlands Taint, for they are already fully corrupted by their very nature. Even if they have damage reduction, they are harmed by jade and obsidian weapons, and they cannot regenerate or naturally heal wounds dealt by such weapons. They are also affected by crystal weapons (Chapter 8, Oriental Adventures) (Note: Non-magical weapons made out of crystal, or crystal weapons created by means other than the Craft Crystal Weapon feat, have no special properties against Shadowlands creatures.)

For purposes of detect Taint, spellcasting, and other effects, a Shadowlands creature is considered to have a Taint score equal to half its Charisma score (round down). Undead creatures add +1 to this number, while outsiders add +2.

Shapechanger Subtype

A shapechanger has the supernatural ability to assume one or more alternate forms. Many magical effects allow some kind of shape shifting, and not every creature that can change shapes has the shapechanger subtype.

Traits: A shapechanger possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Spirit* Subtype

Spirit creatures include some fey and elementals (nature spirits), outsiders (celestial spirits), undead (ghosts and ancestors), and even dragons. Spirit creatures are nor necessarily incorporeal, despite their name - in the worlds of Oriental Adventures, some spirits are as much flesh and bone as humans are. The only game effect of the spirit type modifier is that spirit creatures are all affected by spells such as commune with greater spirit, invisibility to spirits, and protection from spirits.

Swarm Subtype

A swarm is a collection of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that acts as a single creature. A swarm has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. A swarm makes saving throws as a single creature.

A single swarm occupies a square (if it is made up of nonflying creatures) or a cube (of flying creatures) 10 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet, like its component creatures. In order to attack, it moves into an opponent's space, which provokes attacks of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it crawls all over its prey. A swarm can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the swarm provokes attacks of opportunity if it does so. A swarm can move through cracks or holes large enough for its component creatures.

A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. (A swarm of 15,000 centipedes is ten centipede swarms, each swarm occupying a 10-foot square.) The area occupied by a large swarm is completely shapeable, though the swarm usually remains in contiguous squares.

Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage.

Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent.

A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.

Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures (see Winds, page 95 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). For example, a swarm of locusts (a swarm of Diminutive creatures) can be blown away by a severe wind. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage to a swarm per spell level (or Hit Dice of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental's whirlwind). A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.

Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm's statistics block has "swarm" in the Attack and Full Attack entries, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a swarm deals is based on its Hit Dice, as shown below.

Swarm HDSwarm Base Damage
1-51d6
6-102d6
11-153d6
16-204d6
21 or more5d6

A swarm's attacks are nonmagical, unless the swarm's description states otherwise. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a swarm attack's damage to 0, being incorporeal, and other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a swarm. Some swarms also have acid, poison, blood drain, or other special attacks in addition to normal damage.

Swarms do not threaten creatures in their square, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a swarms damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm's HD + swarm's Con modifier; the exact DC is given in a swarm's description) negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check.

Tanar'ri Subtype

Most demons encountered outside of the Abyss are tanar'ri. The most populous of the demon subtypes, the tanar'ri form the largest and most diverse group of demons. They are the unchallenged masters of the Abyss at this time. The first tanar'ri were forged from the souls of the first humanoids drawn to the Abyss. Most tanar'ri incorporate humanoid features into their forms as a result of their close ties to the mortal realm.

Traits: A tanar'ri possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Water Subtype

This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane of Water. Creatures with the water subtype always have swim speeds and can move in water without making Swim checks. A water creature can breathe underwater and usually can breathe air as well.

Yugoloth Subtype

Possibly the greediest, most selfish beings in the Outer Planes, yugoloths reign supreme among the evil outsiders of Gehenna.

Traits: A yugoloth possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Additional Subtypes/Templates

Mob Subtype

An angry mob represents the most dangerous form of crowd. An angry mob might or might not be enraged at the PCs, but as a general rule the mob mentality overrides the desires and goals of an individual in a mob, and PCs who happen to get in the way could find themselves the focus of the mob's rage.

A mob is treated as a single entity similar to a swarm, except that it is made of larger creatures. A mob can be composed of Small, Medium, or large creatures, but all the individual creatures must be of the same type. A mob that incorporates a crowd of goblins and a crowd of chokers is best modeled by two separate mobs. You can use the following template to create specific types of mobs.

"Mob" is an acquired template that can be added to any Small, Medium, or large creature. Generally, mobs are transitory; after forming, a mob lasts for, at most, 1d4+1 hours before breaking up. Most mobs break up naturally far sooner, once the condition that caused their formation is no longer a factor. A mob uses all the base creatures statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: A mob is a Gargantuan creature composed of either forty-eight Small or Medium creatures or twelve large creatures. The mob's type remains unchanged from the base creature.

Hit Dice: A mob has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points. All mobs have 30 Hit Dice; this number represents the mob's mentality and physical mass rather than its race or class, since the individual members of a mob don't use their own abilities or experience to aid the whole. The type of Hit Dice rolled is set by the mob's racial Hit Dice, not any class levels the mob might have. Thus, a mob of commoners would roll d8s for hit points, not d4s.

Reducing a mob to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Mobs are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage.

Initiative: A mob's initiative modifier is always +0.

Speed: A mob's speed is 10 feet slower than that of the base creature.

Armor Class: As the base creature, modified by -4 for the mob's Gargantuan size.

Base Attack: Since all mobs have 30 Hit Dice, their base attack bonuses are set depending upon their type.

Mob TypeBase Attack Bonus
Fey or undead+15
Aberration, animal, construct, elemental, giant, humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin+22
Dragon, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider+30

Grapple: As base attack bonus, modified by +12 for its size, and as appropriate for its Strength modifier.

Attack/Full Attack: Mobs don't make standard attacks. Rather, they are treated similar to swarms in combat. A mob deals 5d6 points of bludgeoning damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move, with no attack roll needed. Mob attacks ignore concealment and cover. A mob's attacks are nonmagical, unless the base creature's attacks are considered magical. Damage reduction applies to mob attacks.

Space/Reach: A mob occupies a square 20 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet. in order to attack, it moves into an opponent's space, which provokes an attack of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature, since it tramples over and moves around its victim. A mob can move through squares occupied by enemies, and vice versa, without impediment, although a mob provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A mob can move through openings large enough for its component creatures.

Larger mobs are represented by multiples of single mobs. The area occupied by larger mobs is completely shape-able, though the mob usually remains in contiguous squares.

Attack Options: A mob's mentality is fueled by emotion; as a result, the individual creatures that make up the mob are unable to use any attack options that require actions, such as breath weapons, spell-like abilities, and the like, if the base creature has attack options that affect the damage it deals (such as poison, energy drain, ability damage, improved grab, constrict, rend, or swallow whole), those special attacks function normally on any creature damaged by the mob. Attack options such as gaze weapons that function constantly continue to function normally. The save DCs for any of these attacks should be recalculated based on the mob's 30 Hit Dice.

In addition, mobs gain one or both of the following attack options.

Expert Grappler (Ex): A mob can maintain a grapple without penalty and still make attacks against other targets (normally, attacking other targets while grappling imposes a -20 penalty on grapple checks). A mob is never considered flat-footed while grappling.

Trample (Ex): A mob that simply moves over a creature and doesn't end its movement with that creature in one of its occupied squares can trample the creature. A trampled creature takes damage equal to 2d6 points + 1-1/2 times the mob's Strength modifier. The victim can either make an attack of opportunity against the mob or make a Reflex save (DC 25 + the mob's Str modifier) to take half damage.

Special Qualities: A mob retains all the special qualities of the base creature. In addition, it gains the following special quality.

Mob Anatomy (Ex): A mob has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or sneak attacks. A mob cannot be flanked, tripped, grappled, or bull rushed.

Unlike standard swarms, mobs are made up of relatively small numbers of individual creatures, so spells or effects that target specific numbers of creatures can have an effect on a mob. Each specific creature that is slain, disabled, or otherwise incapacitated by spells or effects that target specific creatures bestows two negative levels on the mob. A mob that gains negative levels equal to its Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to 0 hit points. Negative levels gained in this manner are not the result of negative energy (and thus cannot be blocked by death ward or removed by restoration ), but never result in permanent level loss. A mob takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and evocation spells.

Although mobs are treated as one creature, it sometimes becomes necessary to determine the fate of a specific individual caught up in the mob. if a mob is dispersed by nonlethal attacks, there are no casualties. If the mob is dispersed by lethal attacks, assume that 30% of its number are slain and 30% are reduced to 0 hit points. To determine a specific individual's fate, simply roll d%: a result of 01-30 indicates death, 31-60 indicates the victim is reduced to 0 hit points, and a roll of 61-100 indicates the victim escapes relatively unscathed.

Saves: A mob's saving throws are calculated as for a 30 HD creature of its type. A mob's base good save is +17, and its base bad save is +9.

Abilities: A mob's abilities are the same as the base creature, except that its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores drop to 10. if the base creature's Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores are already lower than 10, they do not change.

Skills: Same as the base creature; do not recalculate based on the mob's 30 Hit Dice. The mob's new Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores might grant some skills different modifiers.

Feats: Same as the base creature; all mobs gain Improved Bull Rush and Improved Overrun as bonus feats.

Organization: Solitary, pair, or gang (3-12 mobs).

Challenge Rating: 8, or +2 if the base creature's CR is 7 or higher.

Advancement: -

Level Adjustment: -


*Oriental Adventures Campaign only.

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