Monster Roles
The following lists categorize all of the monsters in this book into their roles, as detailed in Monster Advancement. These roles indicate what types of character classes are treated as key classes for each monster.
Combat monsters are good at ranged and melee combat. Spell monsters have an inherent ability to cast magic spells. Skill monsters are particularly adept at ambushing prey, use sneak attacks, or have bard-like powers. Special monsters have no key classes—their focus is on unique tactics and abilities.
Creatures listed as having "Any Role" do not use special rules when advancing via class level—they lack racial Hit Dice, and thus advance in level normally. All of the PC races listed in that book fit into this category as well.
Creatures listed in the "No Role" category have no key classes—these are generally any creatures that are mindless or have an Intelligence score of 2 or lower. Unlike Special creatures (which also have no key classes), creatures in this category cannot gain class levels at all, and must advance using other methods. If a creature in this category gains an Intelligence of 3 or higher, the creature becomes a Combat Role monster.
Note that monster templates are not listed in this appendix—with the exception of skeletons and zombies (which lose their intelligence and thus have no key classes), a templated monster's key class is the same as the base creature's key classes.
Any Role
Bestiary Monsters:
aasimar, drow, drow noble, duergar, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, merfolk, orc, svirfneblin, tengu, tiefling
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
azer, dhampir, fetchling, grippli, ifrit, locathah, oread, serpentfolk, sylph, undine
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
animal lord, catfolk, graveknight, jiang-shi vampire, ratfolk, suli, vanara, vishkanya
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
changeling, gathlain, kasatha, kitsune, nagaji, samsaran, trox, wayang, wyrwood, wyvaran
Combat Role
Bestiary Monsters:
aboleth, air elemental, air mephit, astral deva, balor, barbed devil, babau, barghest, bearded devil, bebilith, behir, black dragon, blue dragon, boggard, bone devil, bralani, brass dragon, bronze dragon, bugbear, cauchemar, centaur, chimera, choker, chuul, cloud giant, copper dragon, crag linnorm, cyclops, dark creeper, dark stalker, derro, devourer, djinni, doppelganger, dragon turtle, dretch, drider, dust mephit, earth elemental, earth mephit, efreeti, erinyes, ettercap, ettin, fire elemental, fire giant, fire mephit, frost giant, gargoyle, ghaele, ghoul, gibbering mouther, glabrezu, gnoll, gold dragon, greater barghest, green dragon, green hag, harpy, hell hound, hezrou, hill giant, horned devil, hound archon, ice devil, ice linnorm, ice mephit, invisible stalker, janni, kraken, kyton, lamia, lillend, lizardfolk, magma mephit, manticore, marid, marilith, medusa, mimic, minotaur, mite, mohrg, morlock, mummy, nabasu, nalfeshnee, neothelid, nessian warhound, night hag, nightmare, ogre, ogre mage, ooze mephit, otyugh, pegasus, phase spider, phoenix, pit fiend, planetar, pseudodragon, rakshasa, red dragon, remorhaz, retriever, sahuagin, salamander, salt mephit, satyr, sea hag, shaitan, shambling mound, shoggoth, silver dragon, skum, solar, sphinx, steam mephit, stone giant, storm giant, succubus, tarn linnorm, tarrasque, treant, troglodyte, troll, trumpet archon, unicorn, vargouille, vegepygmy, vrock, water elemental, water mephit, white dragon, wight, winter wolf, worg, wyvern, xill, xorn, yeth hound, yeti
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
accuser devil, achierai, akata, animate dream, arbiter, astradaemon, athach, attic whisperer, augnagar, avoral, axiomite, belier devil, belker, blindheim, blink dog, bodak, brijidine, brine dragon, bythos, cacodaemon, catoblepas, cetaceal, ceustodaemon, chaos beast, charda, charybdis, chernobue, chupacabra, cloud dragon, crypt thing, crysmal, crystal dragon, cythnigot, death worm, decapus, derghodaemon, destrachan, devilfish, draconal, dragon horse, draugr, dullahan, d'ziriak, Elysian titan, flame drake, forest drake, forlarren, freshwater merrow, frost drake, glacier toad, gray render, grick, grindylow, gug, handmaiden devil, hangman tree, hellcat, hippocampus, hound of Tindalos, howler, hydrodaemon, iathavos, ice elemental, ice troll, imentesh, immolation devil, jabberwock, jyoti, kalavakus, keketar, kelpie, kolyarut, korred, krenshar, lamia matriarch, leng spider, leonal, leukodaemon, lhaksharut, lightning elemental, lurker in light, magma dragon, magma elemental, mandragora, marsh giant, marut, meladaemon, mercane, mihstu, mobat, monadic deva, mongrelman, moonflower, movanic deva, mu spore, mud elemental, naunet, nightcrawler, nightwalker, nightwave, nightwing, nuglub, nyogoth, olethrodaemon, omox, pech, peryton, poltergeist, pugwampi, purrodaemon, quickwood, rast, ravener, redcap, reefclaw, revenant, rock troll, rune giant, saltwater merrow, sandman, sard, sceaduinar, scylla, sea drake, seugathi, shantak, shemhazian, shield archon, shining child, shoggti, silvanshee, sinspawn, skaveling, slithering tracker, slurk, soul eater, star archon, taiga giant, tendriculos, thanadaemon, Thanatotic titan, theletos, thoqqua, thrasfyr, thulgant, thunderbird, totenmaske, triton, twigjack, umbral dragon, urdefhan, vampiric mist, vemerak, vrolikai, water orm, wendigo, winterwight, witchfire, witchwyrd, wood giant, xacarba, yrthak, zelekhut
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
adaro, adherer, adhukait asura, adlet, annis hag, akvan, ash giant, atomie, azruverda, bandersnatch, baregara, baykok, berbalang, cairn linnorm, cave giant, cecaelia, ceratioidi, cold rider, criosphinx, derhii, desert drake, desert giant, dire corby, dragonne, ecorche, eremite, festrog, fire yai, fjord linnorm, flail snail, forest dragon, ghawwas, ghorazagh, ghul, girtablilu, great cyclops, hekatonkheires, hieracosphinx, humbaba, iku-turso, jinushigami, jotund troll, jungle giant, kech, kongamato, leaf leshy, legion archon, maftet, magmin, manananggal, moss troll, myceloid, nephilim, nuckelavee, pale stranger, peri, rift drake, river drake, sabosan, sasquatch, sea dragon, schir, sepid, shaggy demodand, shedu, shinigami, shira, simurgh, siyokoy, sky dragon, slimy demodand, spirit oni, sprite, taiga linnorm, tarry demodand, tanuki, tatzlwyrm, thriae soldier, tor linnorm, toshigami, underworld dragon, unfettered eidolon, upasunda, valkyrie
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
abaia, Agyra (kaiju), ankou, apocalypse locust, argus, Bezravnis (kaiju), blood hag, bodythief, Bokrug (Great Old One), brethedan, buggane, catrina (psychopomp), Cernunnos (empyreal lord), chaneque, cliff giant, Cthulhu (Great Old One), Dagon (demon lord), drakainia, drowning devil, einherji, erlking, fachen, festering spirit, fomorian titan, formian myrmarch, formian warrior, formian worker, gallowdead, galvo, gholdako, graeae, Grendel, guardian dragon, Hastur (Great Old One), host devil, huldra, hyakume, hypnalis, julunggali, kapre, karkinoi, Korada (empyreal lord), Kostchtchie (demon lord), lava drake, lunar dragon, lunarma, maenad, manitou, mist drake, Mogaru (kaiju), morrigna (psychopomp), mudlord, nemesis devil, ocean giant, oma, Pazuzu (demon lord), peluda, phantom armor, river giant, sacristan (kyton), saguaroi, sayona, seps, shadow drake, shobhad, slag giant, solar dragon, soulbound mannequin, spawn of Yog-Sothoth, spire drake, star-spawn of Cthulhu, swan maiden, taniniver, time dragon, tunche, udaeus, vanth (psychopomp), Vildeis (empyreal lord), void dragon, vortex dragon, vouivre, warsworn, wikkawak, winter hag, xanthos, yamaraj (psychopomp), zomok
No Role
Bestiary Monsters:
animated object, ankheg, ankylosaurus, army ants, assassin vine, aurochs, basidirond, basilisk, bat, bat swarm, bison, black pudding, boar, brachiosaurus, bulette, cat, cave fisher, centipede swarm, cheetah, clay golem, cockatrice, constrictor snake, crab swarm, crocodile, darkmantle, deinonychus, dire ape, dire bat, dire bear, dire boar, dire crocodile, dire hyena, dire lion, dire rat, dire shark, dire tiger, dire wolf, dire wolverine, dog, dolphin, eagle, elasmosaurus, electric eel, elephant, fire beetle, flesh golem, froghemoth, gelatinous cube, giant ant, giant centipede, giant crab, giant eagle, giant flytrap, giant frilled lizard, giant frog, giant leech, giant mantis, giant moray eel, giant octopus, giant scorpion, giant slug, giant spider, giant squid, giant stag beetle, giant wasp, girallon, goblin dog, gorgon, gorilla, gray ooze, griffon, grizzly bear, hawk, horse, hydra, hyena, ice golem, iron cobra, iron golem, leech swarm, lemure, leopard, lion, lizard, mastodon, monitor lizard, monkey, ochre jelly, octopus, orca, owl, owlbear, poison frog, pony, pteranodon, purple worm, rat, rat swarm, raven, rhinoceros, riding dog, roc, rust monster, sea serpent, shark, shocker lizard, spider swarm, squid, stegosaurus, stirge, stone golem, tiger, toad, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, venomous snake, violet fungus, viper, wasp swarm, weasel, wolf, wolverine, wood golem, woolly rhinoceros, yellow musk creeper
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
adamantine golem, alchemical golem, allosaurus, amoeba swarm, amphisbaena, arsinoitherium, aurumvorax, baboon, badger, behemoth hippopotamus, bunyip, camel, carnivorous blob, carrion golem, cave scorpion, clockwork golem, colossal black scorpion, compsognathus, crawling hand, dire badger, dust digger, emperor cobra, flesh-eating cockroach swarm, frost worm, fungal crawler, giant amoeba, giant anaconda, giant bee, giant black widow spider, giant crawling hand, giant dragonfly, giant dragonfly nymph, giant fly, giant gar, giant maggot, giant mosquito, giant queen bee, giant snapping turtle, giant solifugid, giant tarantula, giant tick, giant toad, giant whiptail centipede, glass golem, gloomwing, glyptodon, goliath stag beetle, great white whale, gryph, hippogriff, hippopotamus, jellyfish swarm, magma ooze, manta ray, megaloceros, megatherium, mithral golem, monkey swarm, monstrous gar, monstrous jellyfish, monstrous roach, mosquito swarm, necrophidius, parasaurolophus, phycomid, ram, scarecrow, sicuel solifugid, slicer beetle, slime mold, snapping turtle, stingray, tenebrous worm, tentamort, tick swarm, titan centipede, tylosaurus, viper vine, whale, xtabay
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
adult giant ant lion, antelope, archelon, ascomoid, axe beak, baluchitherium, basilosaurus, bone golem, brass golem, carnivorous crystal, caryatid column, cerberi, clockwork goliath, clockwork leviathan, clockwork servant, clockwork soldier, clockwork spy, deadfall scorpion, death's head jellyfish, deathtrap ooze, deathweb, deep sea serpent, dimetrodon, disenchanter, elk, fey giant toad, foo dog, foo lion, fossil golem, garden ooze, ghost scorpion, giant ant lion, giant chameleon, giant crab spider, giant gecko, giant owl, giant porcupine, giant rot grub, giant sea anemone, giant skunk, giant vulture, globster, graven guardian, great horned owl, hellwasp swarm, hodag, hungry fog, iguanodon, incubus, jubjub bird, kamadan, kangaroo, kuwa, lukwata, megalania, mobogo, nue, ogre spider, pachycephalosaurus, phantom fungus, plasma ooze, porcupine, rot grub swarm, sapphire jellyfish, sargassum fiend, shadow mastiff, shark-eating crab, shipwrecker crab, skunk, snake swarm, spider eater, spinosaurus, stymphalidies, taotieh, tempest behemoth, terra-cotta soldier, thalassic behemoth, thunder behemoth, tophet, thylacine, trollhound, tupilaq, venomous snake swarm, void yai, vulture
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
almiraj, alpluachra, archaeopteryx (familiar), astral leviathan, bakekujira, barometz, beheaded, bhole, blood golem, boilborn, cephalophore, clockwork dragon, clockwork mage, clockwork steed, coral golem, death dog, dimorphodon (dinosaur), diplodocus (dinosaur), dodo (familiar), dossenus, flea, flesh colossus, fleshdreg, freezing flow, gaki, gashadokuro, ghonhatine (fleshwarp), giant locust, giraffe (herd animal), grothlut (fleshwarp), halsora (fleshwarp), hungry flesh, irnakurse (fleshwarp), iron colossus, jack-o’-lantern, juggernaut, junk golem, leaf ray, living topiary, living wall, locust swarm, myrmecoleon, necrocraft, platypus (familiar), rukh, scorpion,
sea cat, seahorse, shard slag, shark, shriezyx, skinstitch,
sloth (familiar), spider, stag (herd animal), stone colossus, styracosaurus (dinosaur), tiberolith, tortoise, tuatara (familiar), tyrant jelly, velociraptor (dinosaur), walrus, water strider, wax golem, weasel, weedwhip, wickerman, yaoguai, ypotryll
Skill Role
Bestiary Monsters:
babau, choker, dark creeper, dark stalker, derro, doppelganger, ettercap, greater shadow, homunculus, imp, intellect devourer, invisible stalker, lillend, morlock, nabasu, pixie, quasit, shadow, shadow demon, spectre, wraith
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
dark slayer, denizen of Leng, faceless stalker, grig, jinkin, nereid, paracletus, siren, skulk, spriggan, vexgit, vulpinal
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
aghash, aghasura, allip, alraune, bhuta, bogeyman, carbuncle, coloxus, crucidaemon, dybbuk, faun, flumph, fuath, fungus leshy, goblin snake, gourd leshy, interlocutor, jackalwere, jorogumo, kodama, nixie, pairaka, popobala, rusalka, shae, tripurasura, yuki-onna, zuishin
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
dark dancer, executioner’s hood (lurking ray), formian taskmaster, fossegrim, gearghost, geist, grimple (gremlin), haniver (gremlin), harionago, ijiraq, incutilis, isitoq, jinmenju, lampad, leanan sidhe, lorelei, lurker above (lurking ray), mi-go, mindslaver mold, monaciello (gremlin), nependis, nightgaunt, ningyo, nosoi (psychopomp), nycar, ostiarius (kyton), owb, pard, pickled punk, pipefox, pooka, qallupilluk, rat king, ratling, seaweed siren, selkie, shredskin, shulsaga, snallygaster, soulsliver, Spring-Heeled Jack, svartalfar, tikbalang, tooth fairy, trapper (lurking ray), vouivre, xenopterid
Special Role
Bestiary Monsters:
cloaker, dryad, lantern archon, roper, will-o'-wisp
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
akhana, banshee, cassisian, leucrotta, mothman, quickling, soulbound doll
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
ahuizotl, akhlut, gorynych, grodair, grootslang, guecubu, hollow serpent, kappa, moon-beast, sagari, sea bonze, sleipnir, tojanida, voonith, wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, yithian, zoog
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
aoandon, colour out of space, comozant wyrd, contemplative, dark caller, dorvae, elder thing, elohim, flying polyp, formian queen, hamadryad, immortal ichor, irminsul, oceanid
Spell Role
Bestiary Monsters:
black dragon, blue dragon, brass dragon, bronze dragon, copper dragon, couatl, dark naga, drider, ghaele, gold dragon, green dragon, guardian naga, nymph, planetar, rakshasa, red dragon, silver dragon, solar, spirit naga, trumpet archon, white dragon
Bestiary 2 Monsters:
aranea, brine dragon, brownie, cloud dragon, crystal dragon, draconal, lamia matriarch, leprechaun, lyrakian, magma dragon, monadic deva, movanic deva, neh-thalggu, pleroma, ravener, star archon, umbral dragon, worm that walks
Bestiary 3 Monsters:
androsphinx, asurendra, augur, baku, brain ooze, caulborn, cerebric fungus, contract devil, dandasuka, demilich, doru, faerie dragon, garuda, harbinger archon, shikigami, huecuva, kirin, lammasu, lunar naga, maharaja, marai, norn, penanggalen, pukwudgie, raktavarna, royal naga, seaweed leshy, sovereign dragon, spirit oni, vulnudaemon, tataka rakshasa, thriae queen, thriae seer, tzitzimitl, vodyanoi, water naga, water yai, zuvembie
Bestiary 4 Monsters:
lampad, lunar dragon, morrigna (psychopomp), rokurokubi, solar dragon, soulbound shell, time dragon, void dragon, vortex dragon
