<style> .phb:after { content: "Kibbles' Feats"; } </style> <style> .phb table thead { font-weight: 800; color: black; border-bottom: 3px solid #888888; background:#aaaaaa; } a:link { color: black; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: underline; } a:hover { color: blue; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: underline; } .phb table thead th { vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: .3em; padding-right: .3em; padding-left: .3em; padding-top: .3em; } .phb table tbody tr td { padding: .3em .1em } .phb blockquote {background-color: #aaaaaa} .phb table tr:nth-child(odd) td {background-color:#cccccc} .phb table tr:nth-child(even) td {background-color:} /* Page Number */ .phb .pageNumber{ position : absolute; bottom : 20px; width : 50px; text-align : center; font-size: 1.3em; color: red; } .phb:nth-child(even) .pageNumber{ left : 754px; } .phb:nth-child(odd) .pageNumber{ right : 12px; } /* Footer */ .phb .pageNumber {color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)} .phb .footnote {color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)} .phb:nth-child(odd):after{ content : ''; position : absolute; bottom : -276px; left : 10px; z-index : -1; height : 336px; width : 100%; background-image : url(''); background-size : cover; } .phb:nth-child(even):after{ content : ''; position : absolute; bottom : -3px; left : -10px; z-index : -1; height : 336px; width : 100%; background-image : url(''); background-size : cover; } .phb{ background-image: url('https://www.gmbinder.com/images/kNCVJYV.png') } </style> # Monster Feats Feats for monsters are tools that allow you turn a generic monster into a more elite or specialized version of that monster with a simple drag-and-drop new ability. Each feat is designed to give the monster a straightforward new power that makes encountering it a slight twist. While replacing monsters entirely with more complicated monsters with detailed movesets works in some cases (and this very book includes some such monsters), many times simple generic monsters fit the bill. You don’t want every creature on the battlefield doing complicated things every turn, as it grinds combat to a halt. But you might want one or two elites or champions to mix things up, and these represent a way to turn any monster into those in just moments. Monster feats are great for the little battles in between the set pieces. While making a custom monster from scratch or scouring your pile of favorite monster source books for the perfect epic encounter can make sense for a capstone, sometimes you just want an orc bandit with a bit more cleaving or a wolf that surprises your players with a sudden leap to their tasty looking backline character. Monster feats give you a way to have these little twists and bumps without them feeling ad-hoc or arbitrary, especially as many of them are mechanics that players will recognize from the Active Martial Feats available to them. Things always seem more fair if the Player Characters can theoretically gain the same powers, and it might even motivate them to take one of them as their next feat after seeing it in action. This is why they are called ‘monster feats’ rather than ‘monster powers’. It gives players a sense of ‘oh that’s why this monster can do this thing, it has a feat’ without devolving fully to using Player Character rules to build monsters. > ##### Comparison to Player Feats > One might be tempted to ask at this point ‘why not just the player facing Active Martial Feats?’ Indeed, that’s where this started, as that proved a popular idea. But monster feats have somewhat different considerations. > > For player feats, any two feats should be roughly balanced against the other options. You don’t want a gradient of power in the feats, because you don’t want ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ options, and they have equal opportunity cost to the player. For monster feats, there is no opportunity cost to the feat, so the balance is a lever the DM pulls rather than an absolute, so having a gradient of tools from from minor to ‘overpowered’ is a feature of the design, rather than a problem. \columnbreak ### Proficiency Scaling One aspect of these feats is that they scale with the proficiency bonus. This is to make sure they remain relevant across all levels of play, but can cause some confusion as not all monsters list their proficiency bonus. While on newer monsters it will be listed as “PB” most frequently, it might not appear on older monsters at all. Fortunately, the PB of a monster can be reverse engineered from their CR, simply by treating their CR as if it were the level of a player character. To make that more clear, here’s a graph that you can quickly reference to determine the proficiency bonus based on CR. Note that the CR adjustment of an added monster feat should not be taken into account when determining the proficiency bonus - they are added after all the math of a creature is ‘baked’ in. ##### Monster Proficiency Bonus Reference | Challenge Rating (CR) | Proficiency Bonus (PB) | | :-:|:-:| | 1–4 | 2 | | 5–9 | 3 | | 10–14 | 4 | 15–19 | 5 | 20–24 | 6 | 25–29 | 7 | 30+ | 8 ### CR Adjustment Each feat contains a rough CR adjustment, but in the balance between this being accurate and simple, I’ve opted to make it simple. This means that while the CR adjustment will give you a reasonable grasp of how it might impact the encounter, it cannot account for all the variables that might be at play across a wide range of levels. The best approach is to start using these conservatively. Try one out here or there in what would otherwise be an easy fight and get used to them. The best encounter building technique is experience in building encounters. With any group, balance is will always be as much as an art as a science, because players do not play predictable or optimally (or not predictably optimally) so balancing monster statistics against player statistics is only half the job (assuming you are trying to build an encounter that challenges them, but has a low chance of ending the campaign). If a CR adjustment is 1/2, the CR is only adjusted if the monster’s CR is less than 1 (rounding to 1 if the monster is CR 1/4). \pagebreakNum The CR adjustment for Dynamic Feats are marked with a * to represent that they are necessarily less accurate, being related to numbers and more related to problem solving. Adding multiple new feats does not necessarily increase the monster’s CR in a linear fashion. And CR adjustments after the first can be treated as half the listed value. This is because the monster’s action economy and defensive CR will typically be unable to fully utilize multiple feats, but adding multiple feats is not recommended until you have some experience with their application. > ##### Monster Feats In Action > Using Monster Feats can help make enemies do unexpected things that keep combat fresh and dynamic, but tend to go over best when introduced in a few a time, letting the players get the hang of the new tools that monsters might be able to engage against them. > > It can also help to make their recharge more transparent, such as rolling the recharge die in public after the monster attacks. This lets players have knowledge of what the monster can do that, but this knowledge doesn’t exceed what the player could plausibly read from the combat situation after seeing the monster exert themselves into a special attack. Sometimes the best solution is simply to let players know a monster is an elite monster using special powers if they are used monsters with more limited power sets, and after some time they’ll simply come to expect that a monster with a fancier helmet might break out some special abilities compared to a normal variant. ### Interaction with Multiattack Many monster feats that grant a new way to attack will read ‘as part of its multiattack action’. This means that it can replace any attack the monster can take as part of the multiattack action. When using the feat conservatively, you can replace the monsters strongest attack with the new action, but the CR adjustment and assumption of the feat is that it can replace any attack the monster can take as part of the multiattack action, typically replacing one of its weaker attacks (if it has stronger and weaker attacks). > ##### Naming Convention > For convenience, the monster feats follow the convention that they make sense to call a monster by the Feat Name + the Monster Name (for example, Cleaving Ogre). You don’t need to rename the monster, but it simply makes them easier to refer to or reference. \columnbreak ## General Monster Feats General feats are those that are going to make sense on more or less any monster, representing abilities that a monster could have using their existing weapons (natural or otherwise). They are things that you could describe any monster doing without having to change the nature of the monster. Their CR adjustments are fairly mild and most of the time they simply make a monster deal more damage to more targets, increasing the priority and threat of that monster. If you want to make a standard monster an elite or champion, these are your go to selections to add some flair and danger without revamping the monster. ### Cleaving The monster excels at engagements against groups of creatures, and can maximize the value of its first swing on each turn to mow through targets. This feat is most appropriate for creatures larger than the PCs, brutes, or creatures that wield large weapons with high strength. It gains the following feature: ***Wild Cleave.*** The first time on its turn the creature attacks while more than one creature is within range, it rolls a d4. It targets a number of creatures in range of its choice up to a maximum of the value rolled with its first attack. **CR Adjustment:** +½ ### Charging For monsters that move with bursts of speed and momentum to chase down or break through foes, excelling at surging power and heavy momentum. This feat is most appropriate for monsters larger than the players, four legged monsters, or monsters that are both heavy and fast. It grants the monster the following feature: ***Heavy Charge (Recharge 5-6).*** As part of its multiattack action (or as an action if it lacks the multiattack action), the monster charges up to 30 feet or its movement speed (which is shorter) in a straight line. Any creature in its path must make a Strength saving throw with a DC of 8 + SR + PB, taking PBd6 + STR damage and being knocked prone on a failed save, or taking half as much damage and not being knocked prone on a successful save. This movement allows it to pass through the spaces of other creatures with no penalty to movement and without taking attacks of opportunity, but if a creature one size smaller or larger than the charging creature succeeds a saving throw against the ability, their charge is stopped. **CR Adjustment:** +1 \pagebreakNum ### Despicable Honor is a foreign concept to this monster, and its developed a set of survival skills that make it particularly obnoxious to fight against. This is most likely to be found on intelligent creatures that make their way through the less refined circles of society, such as thieves or goblins, but can make a fun addition to a particularly obnoxious bird or beast. It gains the following features: ***Distract.*** When this creature would provoke an opportunity attack it instead attempts to distract the attacker. The attack must succeed a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 8 + CHA + PB or automatically misses their opportunity attack. ***Dirty Trick.*** As a bonus action, this creature throws dirt or sand into the eyes of another creature within 5 feet. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + DEX + PB or become blinded until the start of this creature’s next turn. Once this is used on a creature, that creature automatically passes subsequent saves against it, and any creature that witnessed the move has advantage on saves against it. **CR Adjustment:** +½ ### Grappling *Prerequisite: Free grappling appendage (an open hand, tentacle, or similar).* These monsters specialize in getting hold of their foes and keeping the close. It most often found in bruisers or large monsters, such as ogres or trolls. The monster gains the following features: ***Grab.*** As a bonus action, the creature attempts to grab a target within reach. The target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + STR + PB) or become grappled (escape DC 10 + STR). ***Beat.*** The monster has advantage on attacks against creatures it is grappling. **CR Adjustment:** +½ ### Guardian A monster specialized in protection, it makes another creature harder to take down, and ensures that attackers have to go through it. This feat is most appropriate on a monster with high loyalty to another creature, such as a guard dog, bodyguard, or golem. The creature gains the following features: ***Interference.*** While this creature is within 5 feet of another creature, that creature has resistance to area of effect damage. ***Body Blocking.*** At the start of the creature’s turn, it can exchange places with another willing creature within 5 feet. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity for either creature. ***Intervention (Recharge 4-6).*** When this creature is within movement speed of an allied creature that takes damage, it can use its reaction to move up to its movement speed to that creature and take the instance of damage that triggered the reaction instead of the target. \columnbreak ### Leaping While all creatures can jump, this is a creature that has mastered both jumping and landing for maximum impact. This feat is most appropriate for monsters with powerful legs or partial flight abilities, such as wyverns, dragons, tigers, or similar. The monster gains the following feature: ***Mighty Leap.*** As part of its multiattack action (or as an action if it lacks the multiattack action), the monster can leap up to 20 feet (or its movement speed, whichever is shorter) without expending movement or provoking attacks of opportunity (it does not require a running start to leap this distance). It can leap to a space that is either unoccupied, or occupied by a creature smaller than it. Any creature that it lands on, or that is within 5 feet of its landing area, must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 8 + STR + PB, taking PBd6 + STR damage on failure and being knocked prone. On success, the creature takes half as much damage and is not knocked prone. Targets in the space the monster lands in are ejected to nearest free space within 5 feet. If there is no free space within 5 feet, the automatically fail the save and cannot stand up until they are no longer sharing a space with creature. **CR Adjustment:** +1 ### Spell Hunting Some monsters specialize in hunting down spell casters, either through their nature or special training to take them out before their spells wreak havoc. This feat is most appropriate for intelligent enemies that might have had special wizard-punching-training or monsters that designed or adapted to hunting spellcasters. The monster gains the following features: ***Magic Resistance.*** The creature has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. ***Reflexive Interruption.*** If a creature casts a spell while within reach of the monster, it can immediately make an attack using any attack available in its actions against the caster. This attack takes place before the spell completes. The caster must make a Concentration check as if it were concentrating on the spell it was casting. On failure, the spell fails to cast, spending the casting action, but not the spell slot (if the spell would have consumed a spell slot) or use of the feature (if limited). **CR Adjustment:** +½ > ##### Tactical Note > Note that a player can simply move away from the monster as normal, taking a normal attack of opportunity or disengaging, once they are aware the monster has this feature. \pagebreakNum ### Swordmaster *Prerequisite: A monster that wields a sword.* This monster has mastered the art of a sword to be a menace to any foe that it faces with an arsenal of sword tricks. It is most often found on intelligent monsters that have trained with the sword, but might be found in unexpected places, like a goblin camp. The monster gains the following features. ***Deflection.*** The monster can add its PB to its AC. ***Riposte.*** If the creature is attacked by a creature within reach, it can use its reaction to make a single weapon attack with its sword against the attacker. **CR Adjustment:** +1 ### Whirlwinding The monster can move with a surge of power that endangers all nearby creatures in a burst of ferocity. This feat is most appropriate on aggressive creatures that either have many weapons (such as claws) or large weapons (such as great axes), and prefer to charge into groups of enemies aggressively. It gains the following feature: ***Whirlwind (Recharge 4-6).*** As part of its multiattack action (or as action if it lacks the multiattack action), the monster strikes out all creatures of its choice within 5 feet of it. Targets must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + STR + PB, taking PBd8 + STR damage on a failed saving throw or half as much on a successful saving throw. **CR Adjustment:** +1 ## Mutation Monster Feats These are feats that provide a unique aspect to a monster that isn’t something that can simply be explained by ‘that orc is better at swinging his axe’ but are physical or magical attributes of the monster. Monsters are often magical beings living in a magical world, and it’s quite possible you’d run into variant types of creatures with special physical or supernatural abilities. The line of evolution in a D&D setting is often interrupted by wild pivots (that can frequently be blamed on a wizard or some other cosmic force of chaos). If you want to make a standard monster have an unexpected trait, these feats are a good source of variety and a quick grab that can enhance an overused monster or add chaos to a random encounter. ### Electrified The monster has mutated to store a great deal of elemental energy within its body which it discharges defensively when hit. Though most often found in eels, with more magically powered evolution many creatures might find such a defense expedient. The monster gains the following features: ***Lightning Immunity.*** The creature is immune to lightning damage. ***Charged Shock (Recharge 6).*** The first time a creature is hit by a melee weapon attack, it deals PBd4 lightning damage to the attacker. The damage decreases each time it is hit by 1d4, until it recharges the ability (resetting the damage dealt to PBd4). Being hit by lightning damage automatically recharges the ability. **CR Adjustment:** +1 ### Reaching The monster has grown a highly effective hunting appendage used for reeling in prey. Most of this takes the form of a tentacle, tongue, or similar feature. This is most often found on monsters like oozes, shambling mounds, or other monsters that are normally slow and may have evolved a solution to their problems. It gains the following feature: ***Tendril Grab.*** As a bonus action, the creature can shoot out a grabbing appendage toward a target within 20 feet of it. The target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (target’s choice) against a DC of 8 + STR+ PB, or be pulled to within 5 feet of the creature and grappled (escape DC 10 + STR). It can grapple one target at a time this way. **CR Adjustment:** +½ ### Multiheaded *Prerequisite: A monster with a bite attack.* The monster has a rather drastic mutation such as having another head. This mutation is almost always the result of a monster that is from an artificial origin, warped by an area of high magic, or is extra planar in origin. It is most typically found on monstrosities, beats, or creatures that share their appearance but not creature type (such as a Hellhound). It gains the following feature: ***Multiheaded.*** When the creature takes its bite attack, it can make a second bite attack as power of the same action. This can target either the same creature or another creature within range. The creature gains advantage on perception checks and wisdom or intelligence saving throws. **CR Adjustment:** +½ ### Spell Stealer The monster has adapted to high magic environments and gained supernatural influence on magic around it. It is most appropriate for monsters from exotic locales, elementals, or golems. It gains the following feature: ***Spell Stealer (Recharge 6).*** When the creature is targeted by a spell, or a spell is cast with a target point within 30 feet of the creature, the creature can attempt to steal control of the spell as a reaction. It makes a Constitution ability check (d20 + CON + PB) contested by the caster making a Spellcasting ability check. On success, the creature steals control of the spell, picking a new target for the spell within 30 feet of it. This effect automatically recharges if the monster fails to steal the spell. **CR Adjustment:** +1 \pagebreakNum ### Dynamic Monster Feats Dynamic monster feats are ones that change the nature of a combat encounter more than a typical ability. They feats that are generally not as ‘fair’, giving the monsters a unique ability that will best be countered by tactical solutions. These feats are such that their CR adjustment is more variable, as they add a puzzle element to an encounter. Each feat comes with a tip that a DM can optionally provide to the group based on Intelligence (Nature) check of a player character. A DM can reduce this DC each turn if they feel that is appropriate, making the encounters easier for groups that tend to approach things less tactically. Note that even when ‘solving’ the optimal way to defeat a monster, they might still be far harder to kill than a normal monster. These are most often suitable for solo monsters, but can be added to monsters in a group when the DM wants to create a uniquely difficult or challenging encounter. If you want to turn a monster into a special challenge that will shake up how your players have to approach combat, these are the feats to look through. > ##### If Everything is Unique, Nothing Is Unique > While how a DM runs their game is up to them and their group’s preference, there’s a reason that most monsters are a bag of hit points the players get to use all their fun abilities to kill - it lets players get used to their abilities, roll their dice, and think about the encounter as a whole. > > Tactically challenging monsters are a good way to mix things up, but in most cases are best used sparing in encounters that otherwise might be repetitive or too easy, but if used for every encounter might wear out their welcome. > > As always, evaluate your group’s reaction to different approaches to find the approach that works for you and your group - there isn’t a right answer to encounter building. ### Ethereal Lurker The monster gains the ability to phase in and out of reality with great flexibility, gaining the following feature: ***Ether Phase.*** At the end of the monster’s turn, it enters the Ethereal plane until the start of its next turn. When it returns to the material plane at the start of its turn, it appears in an empty space within 10 feet of where it disappeared. While on the Ethereal Plane, it remains aware of the position of creatures in the material plane, but can only be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane **CR Adjustment:** +2* > ##### Tactical Hint > If the players are struggling to find a way to counter monsters, on a Intelligence (Nature) ability check with a DC of 14, you can reveal that monster must reappear within 10 feet of where it disappeared, and that readied actions can be triggered by an even such as a monster appearing from the Ethereal Plane. ### Phantom The monster gains the ability to create illusionary duplicates of itself, providing false targets and mirror images to distract and confuse its foes. This could be some magic it has mastered, or an innate property of its nature, warped by magic. It gains the following feature: ***Phantom Army.*** At the end of each of its turns, the creature creates 1d4 + 1 phantom duplicates of itself, and then teleports itself and its duplicates to unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of it. Each duplicate has the save attributes and AC as the creature, but only 1 hit point and cannot take any actions, disappearing at the start of the creature’s next turn. **CR Adjustment:** +2 > ##### Tactical Hint > On seeing a phantom destroyed, you can offer the players the chance to make Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Nature) check with a DC of 14. On success, you can reveal the details of the ability, which makes it easy to defeat. Magic Missile is a particularly effective solution, but any effect that deals guaranteed damage can quickly check duplicates. \pagebreakNum ### Time Looper A particularly strange twist of fate has granted this monster the ability to twist the flow of time around it, jumping back and forth between time. ***Save Scum (Recharge 6).*** At the start of the creature’s turn, it can use its reaction to regain full hit points, recharge all other abilities, regain all resources, clear all conditions and spells affecting it, and teleport to anywhere it has been since the start of its last turn. **CR Adjustment:** ×2 > ##### Tactical Hint > The obvious solution that requires no hint is that if the target is killed before it uses or recharges the ability, there is no need for additional solutions. However, more tactical approaches can result in easier times. Once the creature has used the ability once, you can reveal the details of the ability on a Intelligence (Arcana) ability check with a DC of 15 or higher, which would reveal that it needs its reaction to use the ability. A reaction can be denied by any effect that incapacitates a creature, some features, or some spells like *shocking grasp*. > > ##### Running the Creature > While this might sound challenging to run, you can simply keep additional copies of the creature block and reset to another one when it uses the ability, minus the expended ability.