Subtypes
Some creatures have one or more subtypes. Subtypes add additional abilities and qualities to a creature.
Air Subtype
This subtype is usually used for beings with a connection to the element of Air. Air creatures have flight capabilities and usually have perfect maneuverability.
Angel Subtype
Angels are a race of spirits, native to a separate realm they call heaven. An angel possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Darkvision and low-light vision.
- Immunity to acid, cold, and petrification and poison.
- Resistance to electricity and fire.
- Protective Aura: Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a deflection and resistance to anyone within 20 feet of the angel. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect and a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20 feet.
- Truespeech: All angels can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell. This ability is always active.
Aquatic Subtype
These creatures always have swim speeds and aquatic creatures can breathe water. It cannot breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality.
Augmented Subtype
A creature receives this subtype whenever something happens to change its original type. Some creatures (those with an inherited template) are born with this subtype; others acquire it when they take on an acquired template. The augmented subtype is always paired with the creature’s original type. For example, a wizard’s raven familiar is a magical beast (augmented animal). A creature with the augmented subtype usually has the traits of its current type, but the features of its original type. For example, a wizard’s raven familiar has an animal’s features and the traits of a magical beast.
Clockwork Subtype
Clockworks are constructs created through a fusion of magic and technology. They have the following traits unless otherwise noted.
- Winding: Clockwork constructs must be wound with special mana-charged gemstone keys in order to function. As a general rule, a fully wound clockwork can remain active for 1 day per chargingsession, but shorter or longer durations are possible.
- Vulnerable to Electricity: Clockwork constructs have electronic components sensitive to electric fields take 150% as much damage as normal from electricity attacks, unless they are immune to electricity via other special defenses like shielding.
- Swift Reactions: Clockwork constructs generally react much more swiftly than other constructs.
- Difficult to Create: The time and money cost required to create a clockwork is 150% more than a normal construct.
Cold Subtype
A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire.
Demon Subtype
Demons were once-spirits, faye, humanoids, magical beasts, and animals now corrupted and altered by the dark magic of mutagenic ectoplasm or vengeful deceased. Some demons arise from large amounts of magic/spiritual energy in a highly polluted area.
Demons possess a particular suite of traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry) as summarized here.
- Immunity to poison and undead negative energy and further exposure to mutagenic ectoplasm.
- Resistance to acid, cold, and fire.
- Summon: Demons share the ability to summon others of their kind, typically another of their type or a small number of less powerful demons.
- Telepathy.
- A demon’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon it wields, can generate negative energy.
- Dark Magic Affinity: Demons have an affinity to dark magic spells and take more effort to properly perform blithe magic.
Dragon Subtype
A dragon is a reptile-like creature, usually winged, with magical or unusual abilities. A dragon possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis effects.
- Proficient with its natural weapons only (unless capable of assuming humanoid form), in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
- Have natural dermal armor.
- Elemental Breath: Dragons can project blasts of a single elemental force in a way that allows them to shape it into bursts, streams, spheres or mist from the mouth.
- Dragons breathe, eat, excrete and sleep.
Dryad Subtype
A dryad is a nature spirit nymph that inhabits the body of a specially grown plant, typically trees and become the guardian of it and its native region. Regardless of their kind, all dryads share the following traits in addition to those granted by the plant type (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Immunity to nature and light damage.
- Resistance to electricity and water and plant derived toxins.
- Change Shape: All dryads can transform into plants, most commonly that of the tree it is bonded to. In this form, the dryad appears as a particularly healthy specimen of that particular plant. A dryad can also become a female humanoid that is composed of plant matter like wood and leaves. A dryad can assume plant form or revert to its humanoid form whenever she wishes.
- Plant-speech: All dryads can speak with plants as if subject to a continual speak with plants spell, but only with species they are related to.
- Verdant Burst: When its corporeal form is slain, a dyrad explodes in a burst of fertile energies. All plant creatures within 30 feet of a slain dyrad heal and plant life of the same type as the dryad itself quickly infests the area. If the terrain can support this type of plant, the undergrowth is dense enough to make the region into difficult terrain for 24 hours, after which the plant life diminishes to a normal level; otherwise, the plant life has no significant effect on movement and withers and dies within an hour.
- Regeneration: Dryads can reform their corporeal bodies if damaged. The rate of regeneration and damage type that suspends it depends on the type of dryad, but is typically acid or fire.
- Tree Bond: A dryad is mystically bonded to a single tree that is connected to its life-force, thus guards with its life, and must not stray more than 300 yards from it. Most dryad trees are oak trees, but other trees function as well (often having subtle influences on a specific dryad’s personality and appearance). A dryad who moves 300 yards beyond her bonded tree immediately becomes sickened. Every hour thereafter, she must resist becoming nauseated for an hour. A dryad that is out of range of her bonded tree is sickened every 24 hours—eventually, this separation can kill the dryad. If her tree is destroyed while a dryad is merged with it, the dryad dies. If her tree is destroyed while a dryad is not merged with it, the dryad loses its merge with tree ability and its regeneration, and becomes permanently sickened (until it finds a new tree). A dryad can forge a new bond with a new tree by performing a 24-hour ritual.
- Tree Meld: A dryad can meld with any tree. She can remain melded with a tree as long as she wishes.
- Dryads do not need to breathe, eat, excrete or sleep (although they can do so in a corporeal form if they wish). Dryads need to drink water to stay healthy.
Earth Subtype
This subtype is usually used for beings with a connection to the tectonic energies with the Earth. Earth creatures usually have the burrow ability, and most earth creatures can burrow through solid rock. Earth creatures with the burrow ability possess the ability to sense underground vibrations.
Electric Subtype
This subtype is usually used for beings with a connection to natural sources of Lightning or generate excess electricity. Electricity creatures always have fly speeds and usually have perfect maneuverability. They have immunity to electricity. Electricity creatures have vulnerability to water, but only when their electric powers are active (or if they are composed of electricity).
Elemental Subtype
An elemental is a spirit who manifests its corporeal form composed entirely from one of the four classical elements: air, earth, fire, or water.
An elemental has the following features.
- Immunity to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
- Not subject to critical hits or flanking. Does not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack.
- Proficient with natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
- Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Elementals not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Elementals are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
- Elementals do not need to breathe, eat, excrete or sleep (although they can do so in a corporeal form if they wish).
Fire Subtype
A creature with the fire subtype has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold
Fungus Subtype
The fungus subtype applies to creatures that are fungi, opposed to plant creatures. It distinguishes common plant creatures like treants from other creatures such as phantom fungi. The fungus subtype simply identifies creatures that may be vulnerable to spells, psionics, and effects that specifically target or affect fungi.
They have the following traits unless otherwise noted.
- Fungi breathe and eat but do not need to sleep.
- Fungi avoid direct light and some are vulnerable.
- Fungi creatures will often absorb various nutrients from other (usually decaying) organic beings.
Henge Subtype
Henge are magical beasts who descended from animals who found some of the secrets of spiritual enlightenment to ”elevate” themselves. Their offspring start off as typical animals but accrue mystical energy with age, eventually unlocking intelligence and shape-shifting abilities if they live long enough. Henge have the following traits unless specified in their entry.
- Shape-shift: The ability to shape change is natural to most henge and thus also have the shape-changer subtype. A henge can shape-shift between three different forms: animal, biped, and human.
- Animal form: When in animal form, the henge is indistinguishable from natural animals of its kind as the change in form is genuine. They also acquire the ability to speak with normal animals. Conversations with normal animals are usually limited to a few simple phrases and concepts, depending on the sophistication of the animal. He cannot wear armor, use weapons or equipment, or cast most spells. He may be mistaken for – and hunted as – a normal animal. He cannot speak any languages other than those of the henge and normal animals, though he can understand any languages he knows.
- Henge/Biped form: When in bipedal form, the henge looks like a humanoid animal. He stands on his hind appendages to the height of a normal man. The front appendages (wings, paws) change into hands, capable of gripping and using normal weapons. The rest of the body retains the animal’s general appearance, including fur, feathers, wings, a tail, and other characteristic features. In bipedal form, the henge can speak any language he knows (including human and animal languages), have any special senses of their animal form, can cast spells, and can use weapons, equipment, and armor. However, the bipedal henge cannot use the special movement abilities of its animal form, regardless of its appearance. Furthermore, the bipedal form is distinctive, and easily recognized as a henge.
- Humanoid Form: When in humanoid form, the henge looks like a normal specific humanoid being (Human, Elf, Faye, Amazon, etc.). Like his animal form, the human form is genuine and cannot be detected by spells that reveal illusions. However, the human form always retains one or more distinctive features of the animal form. For instance, a fox henge may have slanted eyes and a triangular face. In human form, the henge can cast spells, wear armor, and use weapons and equipment. However, he has no special animal vision and he cannot speak to animals, although he still can understand their speech.
- Henge breathe, eat, excrete, and sleep.
Incorporeal Subtype
An incorporeal creature has no physical body. An incorporeal creature is immune to critical hits and precision-based damage (such as sneak attack damage) unless the attacks are made using a weapon with incorporeal touch magic or made of etheric matter. In addition, creatures with the incorporeal subtype gain the incorporeal special quality.
It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, preternatural abilities, or supernatural abilities. Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from kinetic crush, affect an incorporeal creature normally.
An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects but not those made of ethereal matter (however corporeal beings can easily pass through ethereal material). It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see beyond the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.
An incorporeal creature’s attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor, armor, and shields, although armor enhanced with an etheric aura and force effects (such as mana armor) work normally against it. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can they be tripped or grappled. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.
An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard if it doesn’t wish to be. Non-visual senses, such as scent and blind-sight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.
Jinn Sub-type
Jinn are spirit creatures that don’t represent or embody a concept, they are considered to be distinct individuals with their own personalities and paths in life. Also their spirit forms can be influenced by strong electric and magnetic fields due to their etheric energy interacting with electromagnetism in a similar fashion to plasma. A Jinn possesses the following traits unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry.
- Manifested vessels: The physical forms that jinn can manifest are composed of a uniform magical substance that takes on their desired appearance. Their vessels function via their internal/external mana. If their vessels are severely disrupted or destroyed, an ethereal wisp is forced to find conducting material to recover.
- Shape-shifting: All Jinn have the shape changer subtype when manifesting or possessing a physical from.
- Charged Spirit: All Jinn are affected by strong electric and magnetic fields and can be bound by most metal containers.
- Psychic: Jinn have the ability to use a variety of psionic abilities and have the psionic subtype
- High Magic Affinity: Their high affinity to magic means they can’t resist any summoning or binding ritual if the spell-caster performing it is strong enough. Their high affinity to magic also means that any anti-magic zone can greatly hinder their innate abilities and can quickly sicken them.
- A Jinni’s innate shape-shifting nature can allow it to breed hybrids with any other race.
Kami Subtype
Kami are spirits who are the manifestation of special geographic areas, often places of power or emotionally symbolic places know as a ward. Kami, in their natural form, are invisible and intangible. When they wish to be seen they can manifest as a humanoid, animal, or elemental of its own size and composed of one particular element within its territory. A kami possesses the following traits unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry.
- Kami have the shape changer subtype.
- Kami, in their natural form, are invisible and intangible and have the incorporeal subtype.
- Immune to petrification, and polymorph effects.
- Fast Healing: As long as a kami is within 120 feet of its ward, it gains fast healing. The amount of fast healing it gains depends on the type of kami.
- Regional Bond: A kami has a bond to a location with the objects, materials and plants that are native to the region. Whether the bond is with a building, temple, bodies of water, mountains, and other natural geographic features depends on the type of kami.
Living Construct Subtype
A living construct is a subtype of construct, a created being given sentience and free will through powerful and complex creation enchantments. Living constructs combine aspects of both constructs and living creatures, as detailed below.
Traits: A living construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Unlike other constructs, a living construct does not have darkvision.
- Unlike other constructs, a living construct is not immune to mind-influencing effects.
- Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain.
- A living construct cannot heal damage naturally, most have mystic or technological means to fix damage.
- Unlike other constructs, living constructs are subject to critical hits, death from massive damage, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
- Unlike other constructs, a living construct can run.
- Living constructs can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a living construct can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a living construct is vulnerable to a harm spell.
- A living construct responds slightly differently from other living creatures when disabled. His movement and dexterity is greatly reduced, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. Any more damage will cause him to become inert, He is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert living construct is not at risk of dying unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable.
- Can be raised or resurrected like other living creatures.
- Does not need to eat, excrete, or breathe, but can do so if they wish and function better doing so and still benefit from the effects of consumable items such as potions.
- Does not need to sleep, but must rest for 8 hours for optimal performance.
Psionic Subtype
This subtype is applied to creatures that can innately manipulate psychokinetic energy (PKE) or have psi-like abilities that are normal to their species. The following abilities are available to
- Telepathy: Transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals.
- Precognition: Perception of information about future places or events before they occur.
- Clairvoyance: Obtaining information about places or events at remote locations.
- Psychokinesis/Telekinesis: The ability of the mind to influence matter, time, space, or energy by means unknown to current science.
- Intelligence Increase: Extremely heightened and enhanced intelligence and other mental abilities/skills.
Robot Subtype
Robots are machines that use their programming to make decisions. Although some people call them things like “automatons,” “metal men,” or the like, these technological creations are all robots, and as such, they share similar traits. Robots share some features with clockwork constructs, and as with clockworks, you can simply remove the robot subtype from a robot (along with its attendant traits) to transform it into a typical construct animated by magic. A single construct cannot possess both the robot and the clockwork subtype.
All robots gain the following traits.
- Components: All robots have sensors for input, control systems for decision making, and end effectors for output.
- Intelligent: Robots have skills and feats as appropriate for their programming.
- Vulnerable to Electricity: Robots have electronic components sensitive to electric fields take 150% as much damage as normal from electricity attacks, unless they are immune to electricity via other special defenses like shielding.
- Difficult to Create: Increase the time and money cost required to create a robot by 50% over normal for a construct, unless the creator has access to a significant amount of technological resources.
Shapechanger Subtype
A shapechanger has the supernatural ability to assume one or more alternate forms. Many magical effects allow some kind of shapeshifting, and not every creature that can change shape has the shapechanger subtype.
A shapechanger possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Proficient with its natural weapons, with simple weapons, and with any weapons mentioned in the creature’s description.
- Proficient with any armor mentioned in the creature’s description, as well as all lighter forms. If no form of armor is mentioned, the shapechanger is not proficient with armor. A shapechanger is proficient with shields if it is proficient with any type of armor.
Undead Subtype
Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces .An undead creature possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
- Immunity to bleed, death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
- Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability, as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects.
- Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no intelligence, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature’s Intelligence score.
- Not at risk of death from massive damage, but is immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points.
- Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
- Proficient with its natural weapons, all simple weapons, and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
- Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Undead not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Undead are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
- Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
- Per the spell magic jar: “Undead creatures are powered by negative energy. Only sentient undead creatures have, or are, souls.” This is an important sentence when considering any spells or effects which reference “souls.”
The following are a few facts that are considered common knowledge among civilized peoples.
- Most undead were once living. Knowing details about the phase of existence that preceded a creature’s undeath is often invaluable in determining its motives.
- Holy water damages undead as though it were acid. Distributed by religious orders the world over, holy water is the only line of defense against undead for many commoners.
- Undead are “invariably evil, as are the means to create such beings“.
- Undead are healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy.
- Undead are immune to numerous magical effects, including mind-affecting effects and abilities that affect a creature’s physical constitution.
Water Subtype
This subtype usually is used for elementals and similar creatures with a connection to water. Creatures with the water subtype always have fast swim speeds. A water creature can breathe underwater and usually can breathe air as well.
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