How to Make a D&D Creature (5th Edition)

D&D sourcebooks (Like the monster manual) provide many, many creatures to use in harrowing adventures. From Angels to Zombies, the books span a large variety, but sometimes they don't have the perfect creature for your adventures, so that's what this instructable is for; making your own. This will cover ability scores, HP, attacks, traits, abilities, and much more. Before reading this, I recommend having experience playing D&D. As an example, I will make an Elf warrior.

-Pencil and paper

-Calculator (optional)

-D&D monster manual, for reference (recommended)

Before actually starting on your creature, think about your creature. What does it look like? What skills and/or abilities would it have? What weapons does it use? Think up the basics of your creature, and jot down some notes, and maybe even draw a sketch to help you visualize. Your creature also needs a name. Mine will just be called Elf Warrior. Right under the name of your creature, write its size, type (also race if it is humanoid), and alignment. Under my name, I will write medium humanoid (elf), chaotic good. The size options for your creature are tiny, small, medium, large, huge, and gargantuan. For the alignment of your creature, your first choice is between chaotic, neutral, and lawful, meaning if you chose chaotic, your creature may not abide to the law, and may be more prone to violence, neutral means your creature is on no side, preferring not to pick, and lawful would mean your creature abides to laws, and is probably more on the side of law and order. Your second decision is between evil, neutral, and good, which are self explanatory. Since your average Elf lives in the forest, and probably leans toward good, I will make my Elf chaotic good. You will also want to determine its challenge rating (anywhere from 0-30), which is how hard your monster is. A fifth level player could take on a challenge five monster, but not much higher. You proficiency bonus also depends on the challenge rating.

Challenge 0-4: +2

Challenge 5-8: +3

Challenge 9-12: +4

Challenge 13-16: +5

Challenge 17-20: +6

Challenge 21-24:+7

Challenge 25-28: +8

Challenge 29 and 30: +9

Note down the proficiency bonus for later. I will give my Elf a challenge rating of 3, giving it a proficiency bonus of +2.

Now that you know what the basics of your creature will be, its time to start on one of the most important parts of the creature: ability scores. The six ability scores are:

-Strength (Psychical power, good for melee attacks)

-Dexterity (Agility, good for ranged and light melee weapon attacks)

-Constitution (Physical health, higher score means more health)

-Intelligence (How smart your creature is, used for some spellcasting)

-Wisdom (Perceptiveness, also used for some spellcasting)

-Charisma (Social interaction, also used for some spellcasting)

Your ability scores are what makes your creature, and reflects its personality. Deciding what your creature is well attuned with is very important. Since my creature is an Elf, I will give it a relatively high strength of 15 (modifier of +2) , as it would have to be tough, living in the wild, a high dexterity of 17 (+3), a decent constitution of 14 (+2), a average intelligence of 10 (+0), a good wisdom of 16 (+3), and an OK charisma of 12 (+1). Before writing down your ability scores, leave three lines of space after the creatures name, for later. Your creature should look something like mine.

Your creature can have a variety of traits. From damage immunities to senses, there are so many options to customize your creature. Lets start form the top:

Health

Your creatures health is described as a number and a die expression. To determine your creatures HP, you decide on the most important thing: the number of dice rolled. To determine WHICH die to use for your creatures HP, take a look at its size.

Tiny: d4

Small: d6

Medium: d8

Large: d10

Huge: d12

Gargantuan: d12

You then decide how many dice are rolled. Since my Elf is medium, I use d8's. I think I should roll 6, as my Elf will not be too difficult. I then add my constitution modifier times how many times I roll my die (so I add 12). I then determine the average of 6d8 (which is 27), and add 12, giving my creature a total of 39 HP. You can, instead of using the average of the dice, actually roll them for each individual monster, giving each one a little variety.

Armor Class

Armor Class (known as AC) is basically how hard to hit your monster is. Most of the time, a higher dexterity equals a higher AC, making you harder to hit. You can give your creature natural armor (like scales or tough hide) or give them armor (see more about armor in the players handbook). For natural armor, decide any number (Don't make it too high or low.) and add your dexterity modifier (even if it is negative). For armor, look at the players handbook. I will give my Elf leather armor (which gives an AC of 11+ the dexterity modifier), giving it an AC of 14.

Damage immunities, resistances, and vulnerabilities

Damage immunities and resistances means your creature is used to these damage types, and is either not affected, or just barely affected. In the case of immunity, the damage is just ignored, and nothing happens. In the case a resistance, the damage is halved (After applying modifiers.). Having a damage vulnerability is basically like that creatures kryptonite; that creatures weakness. When being dealt a damage you are vulnerable in, you only take half damage, after applying modifiers. Some creatures that have an attack like poison breath would probably have a resistance or immunity to poison damage, where an ice elemental would probably have vulnerability to fire damage. Since my Elf is just a normal elf, I will give it none of these.

Skills

Your creatures skills are certain things your creature is proficient in. When making an ability check, add your skill bonus if it applies. For example, when your creature is trying to hide, and is proficient in stealth, add its stealth bonus. Common skills are stealth, perception, deception, and intimidation. To determine the skill bonus, add the relevant ability modifier, and your proficiency bonus if proficient. See more on skills in the players handbook. I will give my Elf proficiency in stealth and perception.

Senses

Senses are special ways a creature can perceive its surroundings. After saying what sense the creature has, you must write the range of the sense, which is how far the creature can use that sense. For example, a creature may have a darkvision 60ft., and can see in the dark at a range of 60ft.. See more on senses in the monster manual. I will give my Elf darkvision to a range of 30ft..

Languages

Your creature can speak any existing language, or have a language specific to its race, like a Yuan-Ti speaking Yuan-Ti. A language that almost all intelligent creatures speak is common (Think English). My Elf will speak elvish and common.

Your creatures abilities are special traits, and are written in detail. Many traits are borrowed from class and race features from the players handbook, like the fey ancestry trait, or the unarmored defense trait. An ability is either always activated (Like fey ancestry), or some are activated by and action, bonus action, or reaction, where even others are come into play when another creature affects your creature, like when you get attacked, after the attack hits or misses, you can move up to your speed. Your creature does not need to have abilities. My Elf will have these two abilities:

Fey Ancestry:

The Elf warrior has advantage on saving throws against the affects of spells.

One With the Woods:

The Elf warrior has advantage on dexterity (stealth) checks when in a forest, or in a tree or plant-filled area.

Lots of characters have the ability to cast spells, and a select amount of creatures do too. There are three kinds of creature spellcasting:

Innate

Psionics

Spellcasting (used from a certain class)

With innate and psionics, you can choose any amount of spells, and that creature can use them a certain amount of times each day. When a creature can cast a spell "at will", they can cast it an unlimited amount of times per day, where some spells say 1/day (meaning you can cast the spell once per day). When choosing just normal spellcasting, choose a spellcasting class, and a level from 1-20. The level represents how good you are with your spell. Look at the players handbook for the amount of spells you know, and how many spell slots of each level you have. Then look at the classes spell list. Choose the number of spells the class specifies, and add them to your creature. For my elf, I will give it Innate spellcasting, and these spells:

at will: druidcraft, shillelagh, and thorn whip.

1/day each: animal friendship, good berry, and speak with animals.

When giving your creature a class spellcasting, consider giving it some of that classes abilities.

Actions are the things you can do on you turn. Included in this is casting a spell, attacking, dashing (doubling your speed for that turn), or activating an ability, to name a few (see players handbook for more). But lets start with the most used:

Attacks

A creature should have one or more attacks, using natural weapons like claws or teeth, weapons like swords and bows, or a spell attack, which dose not use a spell slot. An attack can be anything, and it doesn't even have to deal damage, like shooting webs at a creature to immobilize it. My Elf wont have any natural attack, but it will have some weapons: a shortsword and a longbow. The shortsword deals 1d6 damage, and has the finesse, and light properties, where as the longbow has a range of 150/600, deals 1d8 damage, and has the properties heavy, tow handed, and ammunition. Don't forget to add the appropriate modifiers when determining damage.

Casting a Spell

Some spells take a bonus action, where others can take actions or reactions. When casting a spell, use up a spell slot of that level or higher (or a use if using innate or psionics spellcasting), and the spells effect happens. Some spell durations are instantaneous, where others can take minutes, or even hours, so maybe don't cast a 2 hour duration spell in the middle of combat.

Legendary Actions (optional)

Sometimes, special, powerful creatures have special actions called legendary actions, that are not used on your turn. You have 3 legendary actions, but each of those special things cost anywhere from 1-3 actions, so spend them wisely!

Reactions

Each round, you have a reaction, that can be used on special occasions. Some reactions say "when an attack hits you, you can spend your reaction to half the damage", or something like that. My elf will not have any reactions or legendary actions.

After putting in all that work, your creature is ready for action, may it be guarding the deepest dungeons, or soaring through the elemental plane of air. Thanks for reading, and have fun!