creature

Creatures are the living things that inhabit the game world. Player characters, nonplayer characters, animals, plants, and all monsters are considered creatures.
A creature's statistics, sometimes referred to as its statblock, provide the essential information on that creature. Creatures can also have an inventory, lair, or materials associated with their bodies that can be acquired through negotiation or defeating the creature in combat.

Size

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

Size Categories

Space taken up by different-sized creatures.

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Size	Space	Height	Weight
Tiny	2 1/2 by 2 1/2 ft.	< 2 ft	<10 lbs.
Small	5 by 5 ft.	2+ to 4 ft	10+ to 100 lbs.
Medium	5 by 5 ft.	4+ to 7 ft	100+ to 250 lbs.
Large	10 by 10 ft.	7+ to 10 ft	250+ to 800 lbs.
Huge	15 by 15 ft.	10+ to 20 ft	800+ to 4000 lbs.
Gargantuan	20 by 20 ft. or larger	20+ ft	4000+ lbs.

Type

A monster's type speaks to its fundamental nature. Certain spells, magic items, class features, and other effects in the game interact in special ways with creatures of a particular type. For example, an arrow of dragon slaying deals extra damage not only to Dragons but also other creatures of the type, such as Dragon Turtles and Wyverns.
The game includes the following monster types, which have no rules of their own.
Aberrations are utterly alien beings. Many of them have innate magical abilities drawn from the creature's alien mind rather than the mystical forces of the world. The quintessential aberrations are Aboleths, but who knows what alien creatures have spawned in worlds across the Material Plane.
Beasts are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural part of the ecology. Most are unintelligent and lack any society or language. Beasts include all varieties of ordinary animals, dinosaurs, giant versions of animals, and swarms.
Celestials are spirits infused with positive energy that inhabit the Upper Planes. Many of them are the servants of powerful archcelestials and greater titans, employed as messengers or agents throughout the planes. Most celestials are completely unconcerned with the Material Plane, but the rare intervention from a powerful celestial being can shape entire societies.
Constructs are made, not born. Some are programmed by their creators to follow a simple set of instructions, while others are imbued with sentience and capable of independent thought. Golems are the iconic constructs.
Dragons are large reptilian creatures of ancient origin and tremendous power. True dragons, including the good metallic dragons and the evil chromatic dragons, are highly intelligent and accomplished magicians. However, they have been crafting magical spells and items for far longer than have humanoids. Also in this category are creatures distantly related to true dragons, but less powerful, less intelligent, and less magical, such as Wyverns and Pseudodragons.
Elementals are creatures native to the Elemental Planes. Some creatures of this type are little more than animate masses of their respective elements, including the creatures simply called elementals. Others have biological forms infused with elemental energy. The races of genies, including Djinn and Efreet, are willed spirits that inhabit the elemental planes. Other elemental creatures include Azers, Invisible Stalkers, and Water Weirds.
Fiends are spirits of powerful negative energy that inhabit the Lower Planes. Most labor under the leadership of powerful archdevils and demon princes. Evil priests and mages sometimes summon fiends to the Material Plane to do their bidding. Fiends include Demons, Devils, Hell Hounds, and Rakshasas.
Giants tower over humans and their kind. They are humanlike in shape, though some have multiple heads (Ettins). The six varieties of true giant are Hill Giants, Stone Giant, Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Cloud Giants, and Storm Giants. Besides these, creatures such as Ogres and Trolls are giants.
Humanoids populate the Material Plane, both civilized and savage, including humans and a tremendous variety of other related species. They have language and culture, few if any innate magical abilities (though most humanoids can learn spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid race is humans. Almost as numerous but far more savage and brutal, and almost uniformly evil, are the races of goblinoids (Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears), Orcs, Lizardfolk, and Kobold.
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, and others are the product of terrible curses.
Oozes are gelatinous creatures that rarely have a fixed shape. They are mostly subterranean, dwelling in caves and dungeons and feeding on refuse, carrion, or creatures unlucky enough to get in their way. Black Puddings and Gelatinous Cubes are among the most recognizable oozes.
Plants in this context are vegetable creatures, not ordinary flora. Most of them are ambulatory, and some are carnivorous. The quintessential plant creatures are the Shambling Mound and the Treant. Fungal creatures such as the Gas Spore and the Mush Man also fall into this category.
Undead are once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of animation through the practice of necromantic magic or some unholy curse. Undead include walking corpses, such as Ghouls and Zombies, as well as bodiless spirits, such as Ghosts and Specters. Vampires are undead creatures created by a horrific magical disease.

Tags

A creature might have one or more tags appended to its primary type, in parentheses. For example, an Orc has the Humanoid (orc) type. The parenthetical secondary tags provide additional categorization for certain creatures. 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 spear that is especially effective at fighting demons would work against any monster that has the demon tag. Additionally, creatures that qualify for membership in multiple primary type categories will have their alternative types listed as tags. These creatures count fully as members of both types.

Alignment

A creature's alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation. For example, a Chaotic Evil monster might be difficult to reason with and might attack characters on sight, whereas a Neutral monster might be willing to negotiate.
The alignment specified in a creature's stat block is the default. Not all creatures follow the exact templates of their kind.
Some creatures can have any alignment. In other words, you choose the creature's alignment. Some creatures' alignment entry indicates a tendency or aversion toward law, chaos, good, or evil. For example, a Berserker can be any chaotic alignment (Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, or Chaotic Evil), as befits its wild nature.
Many creatures of low intelligence have no comprehension of law or chaos, good or evil. They don't make moral or ethical choices, but rather act on instinct. These creatures are unaligned, which means they don't have an alignment.

Armor Class

A creature that wears Armor or carries a Shield has an Armor Class (AC) that takes its armor, shield, and Dexterity into account. Otherwise, a creature's AC is based on its Dexterity modifier and natural armor, if any. If a creature has natural armor, wears armor, or carries a shield, this is noted in parentheses after its AC value.

Hit Points

A creature usually dies or is destroyed when it drops to 0 Hit Points. A creature's hit points are presented both as a die expression and as an average number. For example, a monster with 2d8 hit points has 9 hit points on average (2 × 4½).
A creature's size determines the die used to calculate its Hit Points, as shown in the Hit Dice by Size table.

Hit Dice by Size

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Monster Size	Hit Die	Average HP per Die
Tiny	1d4	2 1/2
Small	1d6	3 1/2
Medium	1d8	4 1/2
Large	1d10	5 1/2
Huge	1d12	6 1/2
Gargantuan	1d20	10 1/2

A creature's Constitution modifier also affects the number of Hit Points it has. Its Constitution modifier is multiplied by the number of Hit Dice it possesses, and the result is added to its hit points. For example, if a monster has a Constitution of 12 (+1 modifier) and 2d8 Hit Dice, it has 2d8+2 hit points (average 11).

Speed

All creatures have a walking speed, simply called the monster's speed. Creatures that have no form of ground-based locomotion have a walking speed of 0 feet. Some creatures have one or more of the following additional movement modes.

Burrowing Speed

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.

Climbing Speed

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.

Flying Speed

A creature that has a flying speed can use all or part of its movement to fly. Some creatures have the ability to hover, which makes them hard to knock out of the air. Such a creature stops hovering when it dies.

Swimming Speed

A creature that has a swimming speed doesn't need to spend extra movement to swim.

Ability Scores

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

Saving Throws

The Saving Throws entry is reserved for creatures that are adept at resisting certain kinds of effects. For example, a creature that isn't easily Charmed or Frightened might gain a bonus on its Wisdom saving throws. Most creatures don't have special saving throw bonuses, in which case this section is absent.
A saving throw bonus is the sum of a creature's relevant ability modifier and its Proficiency Bonus, which is determined by the monster's challenge rating (as shown in the Proficiency Bonus by Challenge Rating table, below).

Proficiency Bonus by Challenge Rating

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Challenge	Proficiency Bonus
0	+2
1/8	+2
1/4	+2
1/2	+2
1	+2
2	+2
3	+2
4	+2
5	+3
6	+3
7	+3
8	+3
9	+4
10	+4
11	+4
12	+4
13	+5
14	+5
15	+5
16	+5
17	+6
18	+6
19	+6
20	+6
21	+7
22	+7
23	+7
24	+7
25	+8
26	+8
27	+8
28	+8
29	+9
30	+9

Skills

The Skills entry is reserved for creatures that are proficient in one or more skills. For example, a creature that is very perceptive and stealthy might have bonuses to Wisdom (Perception) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
A skill bonus is the sum of a creature's relevant ability modifier and its Proficiency Bonus, which is determined by the monster's challenge rating (as shown in the Proficiency Bonus by Challenge Rating table). Other modifiers might apply. For instance, a creature might have a larger-than-expected bonus (usually double its proficiency bonus) to account for its heightened expertise.

Armor, Weapon, and Tool Proficiencies

Assume that a creature is proficient with its armor, weapons, and tools. If you swap them out, you decide whether the creature is proficient with its new equipment.
For example, a Hill Giant typically wears Hide armor and wields a Greatclub. You could equip a hill giant with Chain mail and a Greataxe instead, and assume the giant is proficient with both, one or the other, or neither.

Vulnerabilities, Resistances, and Immunities

Some creatures have Vulnerability, Resistance, or immunity to certain types of Damage. Particular creatures are even resistant or immune to damage from nonmagical attacks (a magical attack is an attack delivered by a spell, a magic item, or another magical source). In addition, some creatures are immune to certain creatures.

Senses

The Senses entry notes a creature's passive Wisdom (Perception) score, as well as any special senses the creature might have. Special senses are described below.

Blindsight

A creature with Blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius.
Creatures without eyes, such as Grimlocks and Gray Oozes, typically have this special sense, as do creatures with echolocation or heightened senses, such as bats and true Dragons.
If a creature is naturally Blind, it has a parenthetical note to this effect, indicating that the radius of its blindsight defines the maximum range of its perception.

Darkvision

A creature with Darkvision can see in the dark within a specific radius. The monster can see in Dim light within the radius as if it were Bright light, and in Darkness as if it were dim light. The monster can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Many creatures that live underground have this special sense.

Tremorsense

A creature with Tremorsense can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius, provided that the creature and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense can't be used to detect Flying or incorporeal creatures. Many burrowing creatures, such as Ankheg, have this special sense.

Truesight

A creature with Truesight can, out to a specific range, sight in normal and magical Darkness, see Invisible creatures and Objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on Saving Throws against them, and perceive the original form of a Shapechanger or a creature that is transformed by magic. Furthermore, the monster can see into the Ethereal Plane, Astral Plane, and Shadow Plane within the same range.

Languages

The languages that a creature can speak are listed in alphabetical order. Sometimes a creature can understand a language but can't speak it, and this is noted in its entry. A "--" indicates that a creature neither speaks nor understands any language.

Telepathy

Telepathy is a magical ability that allows a creature to communicate mentally with another creature within a specified range. The contacted creature doesn't need to share a language with the monster to communicate in this way with it, but it must be able to understand at least one language. A creature without telepathy can receive and respond to telepathic messages but can't initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation.
A telepathic creature doesn't need to see a contacted creature and can end the telepathic contact at any time. The contact is broken as soon as the two creatures are no longer within range of each other or if the telepathic monster contacts a different creature within range. A telepathic monster can initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation without using an action , but while the monster is incapacitated, it can't initiate telepathic contact, and any current contact is terminated.
A creature within the area of an Antimagic Field or in any other location where magic doesn't function can't send or receive telepathic messages.

Challenge Rating

A creature's challenge rating tells you how great a threat the monster is. An appropriately equipped and well-rested party of four adventurers should be able to defeat a monster that has a challenge rating equal to its level without suffering any deaths. For example, a party of four 3rd-level characters should find a monster with a challenge rating of 3 to be a worthy challenge, but not a deadly one. Monsters that are significantly weaker than 1st-level characters have a challenge rating lower than 1. Creatures with a challenge rating of 0 are insignificant except in large numbers; those with no effective attacks are worth no experience points, while those that have attacks are worth 10 XP each.
Some monsters present a greater challenge than even a typical 20th-level party can handle. These monsters have a challenge rating of 21 or higher and are specifically designed to test player skill.

Experience Points

The number of experience points (XP) a monster is worth is based on its Challenge Rating. 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. Unless something tells you otherwise, a monster summoned by a spell or other magical ability is worth the XP noted in its stat block.

Experience Points by Challenge Rating

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Challenge	XP
0	0 or 10
1/8	25
1/4	50
1/2	100
1	200
2	450
3	700
4	1,100
5	1,800
6	2,300
7	2,900
8	3,900
9	5,000
10	5,900
11	7,200
12	8,400
13	10,000
14	11,500
15	13,000
16	15,000
17	18,000
18	20,000
19	22,000
20	25,000
21	33,000
22	41,000
23	50,000
24	62,000
25	75,000
26	90,000
27	150,000
28	120,000
29	135,000
30	155,000

Special Traits

Special traits (which appear after a monster's Challenge Rating but before any Actions or Reactions) are characteristics that are likely to be relevant in a Combat encounter and that require some explanation.

Innate Spellcasting

A creature with the innate ability to cast spells has the Innate Spellcasting special trait. Unless noted otherwise, an innate spell of 1st level or higher is always cast at its lowest possible level and can't be cast at a higher level. If a monster has a spell where its level matters and no level is given, use the monster's Challenge Rating. An innate spell can have special rules or restrictions, noted in the stat block.
A monster's innate spells can't be swapped out with other spells. If a monster's innate spells don't require attack rolls, no attack bonus is given for them.
Innate spellcasting does not require Spell Components.

Spellcasting

A creature with the Spellcasting special trait has a spellcaster level and spell points, which it uses to cast its spells of 1st level and higher.
The creature has a list of spells known or prepared from a specific class. The creature is considered a member of that class when attuning to or using a Magic Item that requires membership in the class or access to its spell list.
A creature can cast a spell from its list at a higher level if it has the spell points and a spellcaster level high enough to do so.
You can change the spells that a creature knows or has prepared, replacing any spell on its spell list with a spell of the same level and from the same class list. If you do so, you might cause the monster to be a greater or lesser threat than suggested by its Challenge Rating.

Psionics

A creature that casts spells using only the power of its mind has the psionics tag added to its Spellcasting or Innate Spellcasting special trait. This tag carries no special rules of its own, but other parts of the game might refer to it. A creature that has this tag typically doesn't require any components to cast its spells.

Actions

When a creature takes its action, it can choose from the options in the Actions section of its stat block or use one of the actions available to all creatures, such as the Dash or Hide action.

Melee and Ranged Attacks

The most common actions that a creature will take in combat are melee and ranged attacks. These can be spell attacks or weapon attacks, where the "weapon" might be a manufactured item or a natural weapon, such as a claw or tail spike.
Creature vs. Target. The target of a melee and ranged attack is usually either one creature or one target, the difference being that a "target" can be a creature or an object.
Hit. Any Damage dealt or other effects that occur as a result of an attack hitting a target are described after the "Hit" notation. You have the option of taking average damage or rolling the damage; for this reason, both the average damage and the die expression are presented.
Miss. If an attack has an effect that occurs on a miss, that information is presented after the "Miss:" notation.

Multiattack

A creature that can make multiple attacks on its turn has the Multiattack action. A creature can't use Multiattack when making an opportunity attack, which must be a single melee attack.

Ammunition

A creature carries enough ammunition to make its ranged attacks. You can assume that a creature has 2d4 pieces of ammunition for a thrown weapon attack, and 2d10 pieces of ammunition for a projectile weapon such as a bow or crossbow.

Reactions

If a creature can do something special with its reaction, that information is contained here. If a creature has no special reaction, this section is absent.

Limited Usage

Some special abilities have restrictions on the number of times they can be used.
X/Day. The notation "X/Day" means a special ability can be used X number of times and that a creature must finish a long rest to regain expended uses. For example, "1/Day" means a special ability can be used once and that the creature must finish a long rest to use it again.
Recharge X–Y. The notation "Recharge X–Y" means a creature can use a special ability once and that the ability then has a random chance of recharging during each subsequent round of combat. At the start of each of the creature's turns, roll a 1d6 . If the roll is one of the numbers in the recharge notation, the creature regains the use of the special ability. The ability also recharges when the monster finishes a short rest or long rest. For example, "Recharge 5–6" means a creature can use the special ability once. Then, at the start of the monster's turn, it regains the use of that ability if it rolls a 5 or 6 on a 1d6 .
Recharge after a Short or Long Rest. This notation means that a creature can use a special ability once and then must finish a short rest or long rest to use it again.

Grapple Rules for Monsters

Many creatures have special attacks that allow them to quickly grapple prey. When a creature hits with such an attack, it doesn't need to make an additional ability check to determine whether the grapple succeeds, unless the attack says otherwise.
A creature grappled by the creature can use its action to try to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against the escape DC in the creature's stat block. If no escape DC is given, assume the DC is 10 + the creature's Strength (Athletics) modifier.

Equipment

A stat block rarely refers to equipment, other than armor or weapons used by a creature. A creature that customarily wears clothes, such as a humanoid, is assumed to be dressed appropriately.
The GM can equip monsters with additional gear and trinkets however you like, and the GM decides how much of a monster's equipment is recoverable after the creature is slain and whether any of that equipment is still usable. A battered suit of armormade for a monster is rarely usable by someone else, for instance. If a spellcasting monster needs material components to cast its spells, assume that it has the material components it needs to cast the spells in its stat block.