Creature Overview
| Although the bestiary hosts a plethora creatures, you may want to modify a creature's stat block to your preferences or needs. The Dungeon Master's Guide has advice on how to do this starting on page 267. |
A creature's statistics, sometimes referred to as its stat block, provide the essential information that the DM needs to employ the creature.
Contents
Size
| Size | Space | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 2.5 × 2.5 feet | Fairy of Life, |
| Small | 5 × 5 feet | |
| Medium | 5 × 5 feet | |
| Large | 10 × 10 feet | |
| Huge | 15 × 15 feet | |
| Gargantuan | 20 × 20 feet |
A creature can be Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan. The Size Categories table to the right shows how much space a creature of a particular size controls in combat; see Creature Size. Size also affects a creature's dietary needs, as detailed under Food and Water in Environment.
The Table of Creatures can sort creatures by their size category.
Type
A creature's type speaks to its fundamental nature. Some spells, magic items, and other effects in the Light World interact in special ways with creatures of a particular type. The Table of Creatures can sort creatures by type. The following types exist in the Light World, but types in of themselves have no game rules.
- Aberrations are utterly alien beings. Many have innate magical abilities drawn from mysterious unknown forces. Although aberrations are rare, some include boes, floormasters, and arrghuses.
- Beasts are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural part of the world. Some have supernatural powers, but most are unintelligent and lack any society or language. Beasts include all varieties of ordinary animals, from horses to cuccos.
- Constructs are made, not born. Some are programmed by their creators to follow a simple set of instructions, while others are sentient and capable of independent thought. Armos, beamos, and guardian stalkers are quintessential constructs.
- Dragons are large reptilian creatures of immense power, and the source of some legends. Some well-known Hyrulean dragons include dodongo, gleeok, and volvagia.
- Elementals are embodiments of natural elements, such as snow or lightning. They often originate from mysterious forces of nature, such as volcano eruptions or snowstorms, but are also often conjured deliberately by magic. Some include sparks, chilfos, and flare dancers.
- Fairies, or fey, are magical creatures closely tied to nature. Secretive and usually benevolent, these rare creatures hide away in twilight groves and misty forces. The most iconic fairies are great fairy, fairy of life, and fairy of navigation.
- Fiends are beings born of evil magic, and consequently are usually evil themselves. After an entire realm was corrupted by Ganon to become the Dark World, it became overrun with fiends.
- Giants tower over hylians and other races of light. Though humanlike in shape, they have monstrous features or capabilities that set them apart from humanoids. Lynels and hinoxes are among the most renowned giants.
- Humanoids are people, both civilized and wild, including everything from hylians to rito to bokoblins and even lizalfos. Most humanoids are humanoid in shape, intelligent, and are part of a culture or society. Few possess many supernatural qualities or innate magical abilities.
- Monstrosities are monsters in the most literal sense—creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural, and almost never benign. These creatures often originate from one or more of the catastrophic supernatural occurrences that shaped the Light World, while other times may come into existence from the twisted experiment of a witch or wizzrobe.
- Oozes are gelatinous creatures that usually have a very malleable shape. Some more well-known varieties include chuchu, zol, and buzz blob.
- Plants in this context are vegetable creatures, not ordinary flora. Most of them are ambulatory, and some are carnivorous. Deku babas, like likes, and peahats are some of the most recognizable plants.
- Undead are once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of undeath through vile magic or some unholy curse. Undead include stalfos, poes, redeads, and more.
Subtype
A creature might have one or more 'subtypes (or "tags") appended to its type, in parentheses. For example, a moblin has the humanoid (blin) type. The parenthetical subtypes provide additional categorization for certain creatures, usually representing its race. The tags have no rules of their own, but something in the game might refer to them. For instance, a silver moblin has advantage on Charisma checks to interact socially with blins. This would affect the moblin, as well as other blin creatures.
The Table of Creatures can sort creatures by subtype.
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. See alignment.
The alignment specified in a creature's stat block is the default. Feel free to change a creature's alignment to suit the needs of your campaign. If you want a good-aligned moblin or an evil great fairy, there's nothing stopping you.
Some creatures can have "any alignment." In other the creature's nature is so flexible, you choose its alignment.
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. Rarely a creature will have a trait which affects its AC, which will be listed in parenthesis as well.
Heart Points
| Creature Size | Heart Container | Average hp per Die |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | d4 | 2.5 |
| Small | d6 | 3.5 |
| Medium | d8 | 4.5 |
| Large | d10 | 5.5 |
| Huge | d12 | 6.5 |
| Gargantuan | d20 | 10.5 |
A creatures usually dies or is destroyed when it drops to 0 heart pointss. For more on hit points, see Heart Points under Combat.
A creature's heart pointss are presented both as a die expression and as an average number. For example, a creature with 2d8 heart pointss has 9 heart pointss on average (2 x 4.5).
A creature's size determines the die used to calculate its heart pointss, as shown in adjacent table. A creature with a class may use Heart Containers derived from its class instead.
A creature's Constitution modifier also affects the number of heart pointss it has. Its Constitution modifier is multiplied by the number of Heart Containers it possesses, and the result is added to its heart pointss. For example, if a creature has a Constitution of 12 (+1 modifier) and 2d8 Hit Dice, it has 2d8 + 2 heart pointss (average 11).
Speed
A creature's speed tells you how far it can typically move on its turn. For more information on speed, see Time and Movement. For using speed in combat, see Movement and Position under Combat.
All creatures have a walking speed or a land speed, simply called the creature'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.
Burrow
A creature with a burrowing speed can use this speed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A creature can't burrow though 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.
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, which makes them hard to knock out of the air (as described under Flying Movement in Combat).
Swim
A monster that has a swimming speed doesn't need to spend extra movement to swim.
Ability Scores
| Challenge | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | +2 |
| 5 to 8 | +3 |
| 9 to 12 | +4 |
| 13 to 16 | +5 |
| 17 to 20 | +6 |
| 21 to 24 | +7 |
| 25 to 28 | +8 |
| 29 to 32 | +9 |
| 33 to 36 | +10 |
| 37 to 40 | +11 |
| 41 and up | +12 |
Every monster 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.
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 creature's challenge rating (as shown in the adjacent 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.
Vulnerabilities, Resistances, and Immunities
Some creatures have vulnerability, resistance, or immunity to certain types of damage. (See Damage Resistance and Vulnerability under Combat.) Additionally, some creatures are immune to certain conditions. If a creature is a immune to a game effect that isn't considered damage or a condition, it has a special trait detailing this.
Senses
The Senses entry notes a monster's passive Wisdom (Perception) score, as well as any special senses the monster 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 deku babas and peahats typically have this special sense, as do creatures with echolocation or heightened senses, such as keese. 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 creature 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 in caves or dungeons have this special sense.
Truesight
A creature with truesight can, out to a specified range, see 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.
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 creature contacts a different creature within range. A telepathic creature 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 | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 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 | 105,000 |
| 28 | 120,000 |
| 29 | 135,000 |
| 30 | 155,000 |
| 31 | 175,000 |
| 32 | 195,000 |
| 33 | 220,000 |
| 34 | 245,000 |
| 35 | 260,000 |
| 36 | 290,000 |
| 37 | 330,000 |
| 38 | 350,000 |
| 39 | 400,000 |
| 40 | 460,000 |
| Challenge | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Challenge
A creature's challenge rating tells you how great a threat the monster is in combat. 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 average level without suffering any deaths. For example, a party of four 3rd-level characters may find a monster with a challenge rating of 3 to be a worthy challenge, but not a deadly one even with exceptionally bad luck.
Monsters that are significantly weaker than 1st-level characters have a challenge rating lower than 1. Monsters 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 creature is worth is based on its challenge rating. Under default rules, XP is awarded for defeating the monster, although the DM may also award XP for neutralizing the threat posed by the monster in some other manner. Some DMs omit awarding XP altogether, and instead have player-character levels advance by milestones.
Unless something tells you otherwise, a monster summoned by a spell or other magical ability is worth the XP noted in its stat block. The Dungeon Master's Guide explains how to create encounters using XP budgets, as well as how to adjust an encounter's difficulty.
Special Traits
Special traits (which appear after a creature'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.
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, as under Actions in Combat.
Melee and Ranged Attacks
The most common actions that a typical 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. For more information on different kinds of attacks, see Making an Attack under Combat.
Creature vs. Target. The target of a melee or 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 5 (2d4) pieces of ammunition for a thrown weapon attack, and 10 (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 monster 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 d6. If the roll is one of the numbers in the recharge notation, the monster regains the use of the special ability. The ability also recharges when the monster finishes a rest or long rest.
'Recharge after a Short or Long Rest. This notation means that a monster can use a special ability once and then must finish a short or long rest to use it again.
Legendary Actions
A legendary creature can take a certain number of special actions—called legendary actions—outside its turn. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. A legendary creature regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. It isn't required to use its legendary actions, and it can't use legendary actions while incapacitated.
Cost
| This page or section is incomplete, and will eventually be expanded with more information. |
Some creatures have a listed cost listed in their description. This cost represents in rupees how much a creature or its services might generally cost a player-character.
Unintelligent beasts like common animals can be bought outright, either in conventional bazaars or on monstrous black markets. Just like selling equipment, a player-character who sells one of these beasts will usually only earn half this cost as profit after the expenses of selling. Once you buy a creature, you are expected to pay for necessary food and water (usually feed) on a daily basis, and stabling when necessary.
Intelligent creatures usually expect to be hired for a daily salary, not bought outright. This salary assumes the creature will procure its own food, and will follow and obey reasonable orders for about 12 hours per day, but does not cover extreme hazards or overtime. Many creatures with stat blocks are effective combatants, and will usually expect to be hired with a mercenary's wage whether they are expected to fight or merely keep watch. If a hired mercenary participates in combat, it takes an equal share of the party's XP and expects an equal share of loot in addition to its daily salary. If a hireling provides services specifically for spellcasting or crafting, it will expect the normal payment for such services in addition to its daily retention salary.
Whether a creature is bought or hired, its cost assumes the creature or its owner is already friendly to the player-character who wishes to pay for it. A typical hylian adventurer might have difficulty making friends with bulblins, for example, even if the bulbins would be willing to sell their bulbo mounts for the right price to a friend. Similarly it might be difficult for anyone to find someone who creates and cells a creature as esoteric as a chilfos. Just seeking a seller could be an adventure in of itself.
If a creature cannot reasonably be bought or hired, a cost is not listed.
Gear
Most creature have gear listed in their description. For those who use equipment like armor and weapons, such equipment is listed here. Equipment most adventurers would find irrelevant, like rations or tattered clothing, are omitted.
Many creatures yield spoils or sometimes magic items when subdued or slain, which is also listed as gear. An aquamentus or wolfos might guard magic items in a treasure chest, while a fokka elite or armos knight might actually employ magic items directly. Minor monsters like tektites and octoroks probably have nothing of value, but their strange monstrous body parts can be gathered, then used or sold as spoils.
To represent the seemingly random treasure drops creatures yield in many The Legend of Zelda games, most creatures with valuable loot require a die roll (either by the DM or a player). The result decides what loot is either dropped by the creature or found in a nearby treasure chest. This roll needn't be made until the creature is subdued and the combat ends. Generally, the average result of these dice rolls yield rupees' worth of equipment equal to the monster's XP value. A low roll yields less, while a high roll yields more. If a DM wants to give consistent rewards, XP value can be used as a baseline for how much gear or how many rupees should typically be awarded for subduing the creature.
Rolling for loot is designed to replace the "Random Treasure" tables on page 133 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the "Awarding Magic Items" tables on page 135 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Treasure and magic items are ultimately up to the DM. It's perfectly fine to omit loot rolls, or use loot rolls in addition to a more traditional method of awarding treasure, or any other such combination. As always, it's entirely reasonable for a capable party to progress from 1st level to 20th level with or without magic items. Having access to treasure and magic items simply makes some tasks easier.
For a DM that prefers to roll for magic items using guidance from the DMG and XGtE, the compendium has selective magic item tables meant to replace or augment "Magic Item Tables" A through I.
The text of this page is partly based on the the V5.1 Systems Reference Document (SRD). The text of both this page and the SRD are released under Creative Commons (“CC-BY-4.0”). [1]
