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Zombie Template

Zombie Template

Any beast, dragon, giant, humanoid, or monstrosity can be raised as a zombie . A zombified creature retains all its stats except as noted below.


Type. The zombie’s type is undead. It does not require air, sustenance, or sleep.

Ability Scores. The zombie’s ability scores are reduced to the following, unless they’re already lower: Dex 6 (–2), Int 3 (–4), Wis 8 (–1), Cha 4 (–3).

Saving Throws. The zombie loses all saving throw proficiencies.

Speed. Any speed the creature has is reduced by 10, or to 30, whichever is lower.

Skills. The zombie loses all skill proficiencies.

Immunities. The zombie gains immunity to poison damage, fatigue, and the poisoned condition.

Senses. The zombie gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet.

Languages. The zombie understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak or take any action requiring vocalization.

Traits. The zombie loses all traits, but gains Undead Fortitude.

Actions and Abilities. The zombie loses all spellcasting abilities and any actions that create magical effects.

Actions. The zombie can gain the grab and bite attacks of the zombie if the base creature has the capability to grab and bite. If the creature has Multiattack, it can replace weapon attacks in its multiattack with a grab or bite. Both attacks use Strength for attack and damage rolls. The grab deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 for each size category above Medium. The bite deals 1d10 piercing damage plus 1d10 for each size category above Medium. The escape DC for the zombie’s grab is equal to its maneuver DC. It loses any ranged attacks that require the use of a weapon more complex than a  rock. It also loses any legendary actions and bonus actions.

Squad Template

Squad Template

You can treat a group of 5 to 10 identical NPCs or other monsters as a single creature by applying the Squad template to the base creature’s stat block. This allows high-level characters to battle large numbers of enemies without bogging down the game in dozens of die rolls each turn.

The squad template is best used on intelligent, organized creatures with a Challenge Rating 3 or lower that are size Small or larger. Creatures with short, simple stat blocks make the best squads. Depending on the nature and organization of the creatures, the squad may be called a unit, squad, or horde of creatures.

A squad retains all the statistics of one of its members except as noted below.


Size. The squad’s Size increases by two categories. If the base creature is Small, the squad’s Size instead increases to Large.

Type. The squad’s new type is “group of [the original creature’s size and type].”

Challenge Rating. You can recalculate the squad’s CR using the information in Appendix C: Designing Monsters, or you can use the following shortcut: new CR = (old CR x 4) + 2, rounded up. An altered Challenge Rating may cause the squad’s Proficiency Bonus to change as well.

HP. The squad’s hit points, bloodied hit points, and number of hit dice are multiplied by 5.


The squad gains the following traits:

Area Vulnerability. The squad takes double damage from any effect that targets an area.

Squad Dispersal. When the squad is reduced to 0 hit points, it turns into 2 (1d4) base creatures, each of which are bloodied .

Squad. The squad is composed of 5 or more creatures. If it is subjected to a spell, attack, or other effect that affects only one target, it takes any damage but ignores other effects. It can share its space with Medium or smaller creatures or objects. The squad can move through any opening large enough for one base creature without squeezing.

Damage and Healing. Any action or trait that deals damage deals five times the usual damage, or half that if the squad is bloodied . Any action or trait that restores hit points restores five times the usual hit points, or half that if the squad is bloodied.

Skeleton Template

Skeleton Template

Any beast, giant, humanoid, or monstrosity that has bones can be animated as a skeleton. A skeletal creature retains all its statistics except as noted below.


Type. The skeleton’s type is undead. It does not require air, sustenance, or sleep.

Ability Scores. The skeleton’s mental ability scores are reduced to the following scores (unless they are already lower): Int 6 (–2), Wis 8 (–1), Cha 5 (–3).

Skills. The skeleton loses all skills.

Vulnerability. The skeleton gains vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.

Immunities. The skeleton gains immunity to poison damage and to fatigue and the poisoned condition.

Senses. The skeleton gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet.

Languages. The skeleton understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak. It can’t take any action that requires speech or vocalization.

Traits. The skeleton loses all traits.

Magical Abilities. The skeleton loses all spellcasting abilities and any actions that create magical effects.

Sahuagin Template

Sahuagin Template

Any NPC can be a sahuagin. A sahuagin NPC retains all its statistics except as noted below.


Speed. The sahuagin gains a swim speed of 40 feet.

Senses. The sahuagin gains darkvision with a radius of 120 feet.

Languages. The sahuagin speaks Sahuagin.

Blood Frenzy. The sahuagin has advantage on melee attack rolls against creatures that don’t have all their hit points.

Limited Amphibiousness. The sahuagin can breathe air and water. When breathing air, it must immerse itself in water once every 4 hours or begin to suffocate .

Shark Telepathy. The sahuagin can command any shark within 120 feet of it using magical telepathy.


The sahuagin has the following additional action:

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: proficiency bonus plus Strength bonus to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + Strength bonus slashing damage.


The sahuagin has the following additional bonus action:

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: proficiency bonus plus Strength bonus to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 + Strength bonus piercing damage.

Merfolk Template

Merfolk Template

Any NPC can be a merfolk. A merfolk NPC retains all its statistics except as noted below.


Speed. The merfolk has a Speed of 10 feet and a swim speed of 40 feet.

Senses. The merfolk gains darkvision with a radius of 30 feet.

Languages. The merfolk speaks Aquan and Common.

Amphibious. The merfolk can breathe air and water.


If the merfolk’s Challenge Rating is 2 or higher and it is wielding a trident, it can take the following additional bonus action:

Trident. The merfolk makes a trident attack.

Half-Dragon Template

Half-Dragon Template

A beast, humanoid, giant, or monstrosity can become a half‑dragon. It keeps its statistics, except as follows.


Languages. If the half-dragon knows languages, it speaks Draconic in addition to the ones it knows.

Senses. The half-dragon gains blindsight out to a distance of 10 feet and darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet.

Resistances. The half-dragon gains resistance to a damage type dealt by the breath weapon of its dragon half.

Breath Weapon. The half-dragon uses the Breath Weapon attack of the oldest dragon of its type that has a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than the half-dragon’s Challenge Rating (minimum wyrmling).

Wings. If the half-dragon’s Challenge Rating is 9 or higher, it gains wings and a fly speed of 60.

Dragon Lich Template

Dragon Lich Template

Some dragons seek to defy death, becoming undead dragon liches. Such a dragon channels its inherent magical nature into an arcane spark that grants it a semblance of life beyond death. Scales and flesh slough off the dragon lich, eventually leaving nothing but a skeletal dragon brooding over moldering treasure.

In order to become a dragon lich, a dragon must imbue its spirit into a soul vessel. The vessel is usually some treasured item from the dragon’s hoard, such as a particularly valuable gem or piece of jewelry. The dragon can’t bear to be apart from its soul vessel and keeps it close among its hoard. The only way to permanently defeat a dragon lich is to destroy both the dragon and the soul vessel.

Any adult or older dragon with spellcasting ability may become a dragon lich. Chromatic dragons most often become dragon liches. A dragon lich retains all the statistics of the original dragon except as noted below.


Type. The dragon’s type is Undead (dragon).

Breath Weapon. When the dragon uses a breath weapon that deals damage, half of its damage is the original damage type and half is necrotic damage.

Expanded Spell List. The dragon can cast animate dead  with no material components three times per day. An ancient or older dragon can cast create undead with no material components three times per day.

Immunities. The dragon gains immunity to necrotic and poison damage. It can’t be charmed , fatigued frightened , paralyzed , or poisoned .


The dragon lich’s Legendary Resistance trait is replaced with the following:

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When the dragon fails a saving throw , it can choose to succeed instead. When it does, it loses its Undead Telepathy trait until the end of its next turn. Until the end of its next turn, undead creatures under its control are incapacitated .


The dragon lich gains the following traits:

Rejuvenation. If it has a soul vessel, a destroyed dragon lich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points. The new body forms within 10 feet of the soul vessel.

Turn Resistance. The dragon lich has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

Undead Nature. A dragon lich doesn’t require air, sustenance, or sleep.

Undead Telepathy. The dragon lich can communicate telepathically with undead creatures within 120 feet.

Pagination