Creature Statistics

A monster’s stat block reads differently than a player’s. Here’s a sample stat block, of the humble, iconic Imp’s, with each part of their block numbered for easy reference.

Imp [1]

Annoying Nuisance [2], Small [3] Biological [4] Underling [5] (Tier 0 [6], CR 1 [7])

Core Numerics

Base Stats [13]

Defenses [14]

Anatomy [15]

Head (+4): +50% damage to headshots. Arms (2) (+2): Required to use items, grapple, and perform actions. Has disadvantage to grapple for 1 round if hit, or forces immediate grapple check against attack roll to maintain it if one is active. Legs (2) (+2): If an attack/ability deals any effect besides damage to at least one leg, it also inflicts Cripple (10).

Traits [16]

None: What? Not everyone’s special.

Actions [17]

Claw: Major action - Melee weapon attack, 5 ft. range, single-target, 3 damage.

Tactics [18]

By themselves, they’re not very impressive. They’re just imps, after all, they’re basically a tutorial enemy. That said, throwing a few Imps in to Grapple, Help, or otherwise impede the player or aid their beefier allies can make them vital to making a player’s day hell.

Drops [19]

5 EXP, 5 BG

Description [20]

Imps are small, troublesome creatures. They aren’t overtly hostile like other underlings, they’re more like psychotic children than anything. It is very rare that they will attack a player solo, although it is known to happen, especially since this stat block exists for a singular imp.

That said, Imps are fairly cowardly most of the time, and usually if you’re significantly stronger than them, they can be intimidated to leave you alone.

• Name [1]: This is self-explanatory.
• Epithet [2]: This is whatever snarky name the developer decided to call it while the monster was being workshopped.
• Size [3]: How much space and how tall the creature approximately is. A table of it can be found further below in this document. Nature [4]: Monsters can be Biological, Mechanical, or Psionic. The vast majority is biological, with psionics next, and mechanicals a small minority.
  • This most comes into play where psionic shenanigans or Discern skills are involved.
• Type [5]: Underlings are the mono-colored, funky, guilt-free enemies everyone knows. Carapacians are the white or black chess people. Consorts are the people of your Land your player should most definitely not murderhobo.
  • Developer’s Note (11/02/2020): The MSPA Wiki explains each better than this document can.
• Tier [6]: Tier is a general grouping of levels that lets you know what sort of monsters a player should be fighting at any given level. A table of it can be found further below in this document.
• CR [7]: Combat Rating is a general estimation of how strong a monster of a given tier is. A more detailed explanation can be found further below in this document.
• Hit Points [8]: Relatively straightforward. This goes to 0, it’s KO. Though usually death for underlings since players want grist without having to think about the moral implications of violence, murder, and all that baggage.
  • Carapacians are your call as SM.
  • As are consorts.
    • You monster.
• Hit Bonus [9]: Any attack rolls add this to the roll.
• Initiative [10]: Any initiative rolls add this to the roll.
• Speed [11]: Each turn, they can move this much. If they have other forms of movement, it’ll be listed here too.
• Damage (base) [12]: This is how much damage a “normal” attack deals. Since their actions already come with damage, you’ll refer to this if the monster has any prototyping effects that refer to their damage.
  • Mod: If anything calls for any mods to damage to be added or subtracted, this is what you’ll be using. E.g. if an attack’s damage is listed as damage (-2 mods), it means to subtract their mod from their damage twice. Damage (+3 mods) would have their mod added three times to their damage.
• Base Stats [13]: These are the six stats as you know them, doubling down as stat modifiers. Whenever they make a skill check, they add whatever’s listed in that skill’s stat.
  • e.g. They use whatever’s in their WIS for Perception checks.
• Defenses [14]: Here’s their AC and Fortitude/Reflex/Will resistances as usual. They also have Aegis for if the creature has an innate damage reduction, and DC for any situation that calls for it.
  • Aegis is relatively rare to find on a monster.
  • Realistically, you’ll DCs for Discerns, or to handle checks that come from whatever the player might want to try that isn’t accounted for in the rules.
• Anatomy [15]: Every called shot that can be made against them is listed here. Called shots can be found further below in this document.
• Traits [16]: Any traits that modify how the creature do the do is here.
  • Developer’s Note (11/02/2020): Not every monster has a trait. Not everyone’s special, Carl from 3rd grade.
• Actions [17]: Every action the monster has is listed here, though remember that they also have every action available to players in the Primer. Namely, you’ll want to remember Assail, Aim, Avert, Dash, Defend, Grapple, and Help.
  • Assail always adds the monster’s damage mod, instead of a stat mod.
    • Developer’s Note (11/02/2020): Every monster has a minor action and can Assail. Or Aim to edge out a hit. Better get your Dazes ready!
  • A lot of creatures will actually have modified versions of this. For example, when the Basilisk uses Aim, they reduce any damage by 1 mod but their Bite becomes 15 ft. range and it grapples on hit. It also becomes a Tail Whip, in-universe.
• Tactics [18]: Ways to optimize your usage of this creature, if you aim to want to use it for more than just running it up to the player until it or they die, is listed here.
  • Developer’s Note (11/03/2020): Be prudent in just how smart you want to play them. Strong tactical usage can make any strife far more difficult than their CR would indicate.
• Drops [19]: This is the EXP and grist drops the monster gives on death. For anyone but Underlings, it’ll really just be EXP.
  • Developer’s Note (11/02/2020): Feel free to let them drop more stuff akin to traditional dungeon crawly math rock games.
• Description [20]: What the damn thing looks like is listed here.
  • Developer’s Note (11/02/2020): If a given monster has ay lmao listed, please tell the developer, because that is a placeholder.