Creature type (Dungeons & Dragons)

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In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, there are 15 types of creature, also called creature types. Each creature type has its advantages and disadvantages.

A creature's type is generally determined by its nature, or physical attributes. Each type grants certain traits to all creatures which have that type (with some exceptions). Type determines features such as hit dice, base attack bonus, saving throws, and skill points.

A creature's type also comes into play in the way that certain spells and magic items may affect it, and also for certain class abilities, such as the ranger's favored enemy ability.

Aberration

An aberration can have a bizarre anatomy, strange abilities, alien mindset, or any combination thereof. Examples include the beholder, illithid (mind flayer) and rust monster. All aberrations have darkvision out to 60 feet. As a group, they have no other special abilities or immunities.

Animal

An animal is a living, nonhuman vertebrate creature, with no innate magical abilities or capacity for language or culture. Virtually all animals are based on real animals; creatures based on mythological animals are usually classified as magical beasts. Besides ordinary fish, birds, reptiles and mammals, animals also include dire mammals and dinosaurs. An animal can never have an Intelligence score higher than 2 under normal rules; any animal that attains one becomes a magical beast.

Some real animals are rendered as vermin (see below) in D&D; this means they have no Intelligence scores at all.

Construct

A construct is either an animated object of some sort, or an artificially crafted creature.

Dragon

A dragon is a reptile-like creature, usually winged, and tends to have magical or unusual abilities.

Elemental

An elemental is composed of one of the four classical elementals of air, earth, fire, or water. Elementals almost always have the extraplanar subtype.

Fey

A fey is a creature which usually has supernatural abilities and a human-shaped form. A fey also usually connected to nature, or some other force or place. Many are based on faeries from mythology.

Giant

A giant is a humanoid-shaped creature of great strength and size.

Humanoid

Humanoids are bipeds of Small or Medium size with few or no supernatural or extraordinary abilities. Most humanoids can speak, and usually have well-developed societies. Larger bipeds are giants (see above), and bipeds with more special abilities are fey, monstrous humanoids or outsiders. In 3.0 and 3.5 editions, the Player's Handbook races (humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, half-elves, half-orcs) are all humanoids.

Prior to 3rd edition, humanoid referred exclusively to orcs, goblinoids and similar creatures, while more advanced creatures such as Elves and Dwarves were referred to as demihumans and humans were outside of both categories.

Magical beast

A magical beast is similar to an animal in many ways, but usually has a higher intelligence, and possesses supernatural or extraordinary abilities. Examples include manticores and pegasi. All magical beasts have darkvision out to 60 feet as well as low-light vision; as a group, they have no other special abilities or immunities.

Monstrous humanoid

A monstrous humanoid is similar to a humanoid (see above), but usually has monstrous or animalistic features. Examples include harpies and minotaurs. All monstrous humanoids have darkvision out to 60 feet; many have supernatural abilities as well.

Ooze

An ooze is an amorphous or mutable creature without a single solid form. Oozes are usually mindless and homogeneous, and reproduce by simply splitting into two. The most famous ooze is the gelatinous cube. Many oozes dwell underground, and most secrete an acid from their skin that dissolves flesh and other materials rapidly. Oozes are essentially blind, but an ability called "blindsight", which allows them to discern nearby objects and creatures without needing to see them, more than compensates for this.

Outsider

An outsider is at least partially composed of the essence (if not the material) of a plane other than the Material Plane. Most outsiders (including angels, demons and devils) have the extraplanar subtype and live on an Outer Plane; the rest (such as aasimars, tieflings and couatls) have the native subtype and live on the Prime Material Plane. All outsiders have darkvision out to 60 feet. As a group, they have no other special abilities or immunities.

Plant

A plant is a vegetable creature that can perceive and affect the world in some way. Ordinary plants are considered objects rather than creatures.

Undead

An undead is a once-living creature animated by spiritual or supernatural forces. Some, such as ghosts and vampires, have Intelligence scores; others, such as zombies, do not. All undead have darkvision out to 60 feet and immunity to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. In general, cleric spells that heal other creatures damage undead, and vice-versa. Most undead can be "turned" (destroyed or driven away) by a Cleric.

Vermin

A vermin can be an insect, arachnid, arthropod, worm, or other invertebrate. Some have magical abilities, and others are giant versions of real insects. Most vermin are considered mindless individually. Since many vermin are too small to model individually, they are often represented as swarms (clusters that act like single creatures and sometimes have hive minds).

References

• Skip Williams, et al. (July 2003). Monster Manual Core Rulebook III (v.3.5 ed.). Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast. pp. 305-317.