8
SPEED
A mons te r 's s peed tells yo u how far it can move on
its turn. For more informa tion on s peed , see the
Player's Handbook.
All c reatures have a wa lking speed , s imply called t he
monste r's speed. Creatures that have no form of ground-
ba sed locomotion have a wa lking s peed of 0 feet.
Some c reature s have one or more of the following
additiona l move me nt modes.BURROW
A monste r that has a burrowing s peed can use that
s peed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A
mons te r can't burrow thro ugh solid rock unle s s it has a
special tra it tha t allows it to do so.CLIMB
A monste r that has a climbing speed can use all or
part of its movement to move on ver tical s urface s. The
mons ter doesn't need to s pe nd extra move me nt to cl imb.FLY
A monster that has a flying speed can use all or part
of its move me nt to fly. Some mons te rs have the ability
to hover, which makes the m ha rd to knock out of the
air (as explained in the rules on flying in the Player's
Handbook). Such a monster stops hove ring whe n it dies.SWIM
A monste r that has a swimming speed doesn't nee d to
spe nd extra moveme nt to swim.ABILITY SCORES
Every mons te r has six ability scores (Strength,
Dexterity, Constitution, Inte llige nce, Wisdom, and
Charis ma) a nd corresponding modifie rs. For more
information on ability scores a nd how they're use d in
play, see the Player's Handbook.SAVING THROWS
The Saving Throws entry is reserved for c reatures
that are adept at r esisting certain kinds of effects.
For exa mple, a creature tha t i s n't easily charmed or
frightened might ga in a bonus on its Wisdom saving
throws. Mos t creatures do n't have specia l saving throw
bonuses , in which case this section is absent.
A saving throw bonus is the s u m of a mons ter's re levant
ability modifier and its proficie ncy bonus, which is
de termined by the mons te r's challe nge rating (as s hown
in the Profic ie ncy Bonus by Challe nge Rating table).PROFICIENCY BONUS BY CHALLENGE RATING
Proficiency Proficiency
Challenge Bonus Challenge Bonus
0 +2 14 +
1/8 +2 15 +
1/4 +2^16 +
1/ 2 +2^17 +
+2 18 +
2 +2 19 +
3 +2 20 +(^4) +2 21 +
5 +3^22 +
6 + 3 23 +
(^7) +3 (^24) +
8 +3 25 -t-
9 +4 26 -t- 8
(^10) +4 (^27) -t- 8
(^11) +4 28 +
(^12) +4 29 +
13 +5 30 +
SKILLS
The S kills entry is reserved for monste rs tha t are
proficient in one or more s k ills. For example, a monster
tha t i s very perceptive a nd stealthy might have bonuses
to Wis dom (Perception) a nd Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
A s kill bonus is the s um o f a mons te r's relevant
ability mod ifier and its proficiency bonus, which is
de te rmined by the mons te r's challenge ra ting (as
s how n in the Proficie ncy Bo nus by Challenge Ratin g
table). Other modifie rs might a pply. For instance, a
mo nste r might have a larger-than-expecte d bonus
(us ually double its profic ie ncy bonus) to account for
its he ightened expe rtise.
VULNERABILITIES, RESISTANCES,
AND IMMUNITIES
S ome creatures have vulne rability, resis ta nce, or
immunity to certain types of damage. Additionally,
some creatures a re immune to certain conditions. If a
monster is immune to a game effect that i s n't considered
d a mage or a condition, it has a special tra it.
SENSES
T he S e nses entry notes a monster's passive
Wis dom (Perception) score, as well as a ny special
senses the mons te r might have. Specia l senses are
described below.
BLINDSIGHT
A mons ter with blinds ight can perceive its s urroundings
without relying on s ight, w ithi n a specific rad ius.
Creatures witho ut eyes, s uch as grim locks and gray
oozes, typically have this s pecial sense, as do creatures
w ith echolocation or heigh te ned senses, s uch as bats
a nd true d ragons.
If a monster is naturally blind, it has a parenthetical
note to this effect, indicati ng that the radius of its
blinds ight defines the maximum ra nge of its perception.