3e SRD:Improving Creatures

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Advancement

This book lists only the weakest and most common version of each creature. The Advancement line shows how tough the creature can get, in terms of extra Hit Dice. (This is not an absolute limit, but exceptions are extremely rare.)

Creatures With Character Classes

If a creature acquires a character class, it follows the rules for multiclassing. The creature’s character level equals the number of class levels it has, plus the total Hit Dice for such beings.

A creature’s monster class is always its favored class, and the creature never suffers XP penalties for having it.

Additional Hit Dice from a character class never affect a creature’s size.

Improvement

As its Hit Dice increase, the creature’s attack bonuses and saving throw modifiers might improve, and it could gain more feats and skills, depending on its type. Note that if the creature acquires a character class, it improves according to its class, not its type.

Skills

A creature’s type and Intelligence score determine the number of skill points it has. Some creatures receive bonus skill points for having Hit Dice in excess of what is normal for creatures of their size, as listed in the accompanying table.

Table:Creature Skills

Type Points	Base Skill	Bonus Points
Aberration	2xInt score	+2/EHD*
Animal	10-15	-
Beast	10-15	+1/EHD
Construct	-	-
Dragon	(6 + Int mod)xHD	-
Elemental	2xInt score	+2/EHD
Fey	3xInt score	+2/EHD
Giant	6 + Int mod	+1/EHD
Humanoid	6 + Int mod	+1/EHD
Magical beast	2xInt score	+1/EHD
Monstrous humanoid	2xInt score	+2/EHD
Ooze	-	-
Outsider	(8 + Int mod)xHD	-
Plant	(-	-
Shapechanger	2xInt score	+1/EHD
Vermin	10-15	-
Undead	3xInt score	+2/EHD
*-EHD: Extra Hit Die. To calculate EHD for any creature other than an elemental, subtract 1 from the creature’s total Hit Dice if it is Medium-size or smaller; 2 if Large; 4 if Huge; 16 if Gargantuan; and 32 if Colossal. Treat results less than 0 as 0.

Size Increases

Creatures may become larger as they gain Hit Dice (the new size is noted parenthetically).

A size increase affects a creature’s ability scores, AC, attack bonuses, and damage ratings as indicated on the following tables.

Old Size*	New Size	Str	Dex	Con	Armor	Attack
Fine	Diminutive	Same	-2	Same	Same	-4
Diminutive	Tiny	+2	-2	Same	Same	-2
Tiny	Small	+4	-2	Same	Same	-1
Small	Medium-size	+4	-2	+2	Same	-1
Medium-size	Large	+8	-2	+4	+2	-1
Large	Huge	+8	-2	+4	+3	-1
Huge	Gargantuan	+8	Same	+4	+4	-2
Gargantuan	Colossal	+8	Same	+4	+5	-4
*-Repeat the adjustment if the creature moves up more than one size.

Table:Damage

Old Damage (Each)*	New Damage
1d2	1d3
1d3	1d4
1d4	1d6
1d6	1d8
1d8 or 1d10	2d6
1d12	2d8
*-Repeat the adjustment if the creature moves up more than one size category.

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