These feats apply to abilities most commonly found amongst monsters or are related to monsters.
Table 1: Monster Feats
Feat Name | Prerequisites | Benefit |
---|---|---|
Ability Focus | Special attack | Add +2 to the DC for the chosen special attack |
Awesome Blow | Str 25, Power Attack, Improved Offense, size Large or larger | Can knock an opponent flying |
Empower Spell-Like Ability | Spell-like ability at CL 6th or higher | Empower a chosen spell-like ability |
Flyby Attack | Fly speed | Can take a standard action during a move |
Improved Flyby Attack | Dex 13, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, fly speed | No attacks of opportunity for making melee attacks during a flyby attack |
Multiweapon Fighting | Dex 13, base attack bonus +3, three or more hands | Can make at extra attack with one offhand weapon |
Multiweapon Rend | Str 13, Dex 17, Improved Multiweapon Fighting, Multiweapon Fighting, base attack bonus +9, three or more hands | Can rend if two or more attacks hit |
Hover | Fly speed | Can hover in place as a move action |
Multiattack | Three or more natural attacks | Penalty for secondary attack reduced to -2 |
Improved Multiattack | Multiattack, three or more natural weapons | No penalty for secondary attacks |
Improved Natural Armor | Con 13, natural armor bonus | Gain +1 natural armor |
Improved Natural Attack | Base attack +4, natural attack | Damage increased by one size category |
Quicken Spell-Like Ability | Spell-like ability at caster level 10th | Can activate a spell-like ability as a free action |
Snatch | Size Huge or larger | Can grapple a smaller creature with a claw/bite attack |
Stomp | Size Huge or larger | Can step on a smaller creature |
Turn Resistance | Undead type | Gain +2 turn resistance |
Wingover | Fly speed | Can change direction once per turn as a free action while flying |
Ability Focus [General]
One of the creature's special attacks is more powerful than normal.
Prerequisite: Special attack.
Benefit: Add +2 to the DC for all saving throws against the special attack modified by this feat.
Special: A creature can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time the creature takes the feat it applies to a different special attack.
Awesome Blow [General, Fighter]
The creature can deliver powerful blows that send its enemies flying.
Prerequisites: Str 25, Power Attack, Improved Offense, size Large or larger.
Benefit: As a standard action, the creature can choose to subtract 4 from its melee attack roll and deliver an awesome blow. If it hits a corporeal opponent smaller than itself, its opponent must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 creature's HD + Str modifier) or be knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the attacker's choice and fall prone. The attacking creature can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can't move closer to the attacker than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent's move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent stops in the space adjacent to the obstacle.
Empower Spell-Like Ability [General]
The creature's spell-like abilities are more powerful than normal.
Prerequisite: Spell-like ability at caster level 6th or higher.
Benefit: Choose one of the creature's spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions below. The creature can use that ability as an empowered spell-like ability three times per day (or less, if the ability is normally usable only once or twice per day).
When a creature uses an empowered spell-like ability, all variable, numeric effects of the spell-like ability are increased by one half. Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected. Spell-like abilities without random variables are not affected.
The creature can only select a spell-like ability duplicating a spell with a level less than or equal to half its caster level (round down) –2. For a summary, see the table in the description of the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times; each time, the creature can apply it to a different spell-like ability.
Flyby Attack [General]
The creature can attack on the wing.
Prerequisite: Fly speed.
Benefit: When flying, the creature can take a move action (including a dive) and another standard action at any point during the move. The creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes a flyby attack.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature takes a standard action either before or after its move.
Hover [General]
The creature can hover in place.
Prerequisite: Fly speed.
Benefit: When flying, the creature can halt its forward motion and hover in place as a move action. It can then fly in any direction, including straight down or straight up, at half speed, regardless of its maneuverability.
If a creature begins its turn hovering, it can hover in place for the turn and take a full-round action. A hovering creature cannot make wing attacks, but it can attack with all other limbs and appendages it could use in a full attack. The creature can instead use a breath weapon or cast a spell instead of making physical attacks, if it could normally do so.
If a creature of Large size or larger hovers within 20 feet of the ground in an area with lots of loose debris, the draft from its wings creates a hemispherical cloud with a radius of 60 feet. The winds so generated can snuff torches, small campfires, exposed lanterns, and other small, open flames of non-magical origin. Clear vision within the cloud is limited to 10 feet. Creatures have concealment at 15 to 20 feet (20% miss chance). At 25 feet or more, creatures have total concealment (50% miss chance, and opponents cannot use sight to locate the creature).
Those caught in the cloud must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 10 + 1/2 creature's HD) to cast a spell.
Normal: Without this feat, a creature must keep moving while flying unless it has perfect maneuverability.
Improved Flyby Attack [General]
The creature can do a flyby attack without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, fly speed.
Benefit: If the standard action taken by a creature during a round in which it uses Flyby Attack is a melee attack, the creature provokes no attacks of opportunity from moving out of squares threatened by its target.
Normal: Without this feat, a creature making an attack as part of a Flyby Attack maneuver provokes attacks of opportunity as normal from moving out of an area threatened by its target.
Improved Multiattack [General]
The character's secondary attacks are more accurate.
Prerequisite: Multiattack, three or more natural weapons
Benefit: The creature's secondary attacks with natural weapons have no penalty. They still add only one-half the creature's Strength bonus, if any, to damage dealt.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature's secondary natural attacks have a –5 penalty (or a –2 penalty if it has the Multiattack feat).
Improved Natural Armor [General]
The creature's natural armor is improved.
Prerequisites: Con 13, natural armor
Benefit: The creature's natural armor bonus increases by 1.
Special: A creature can gain this feat multiple times; its effects stack.
Improved Natural Attack [General]
The creature's natural attacks (claw, bite, etc.) deal more damage than normal.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +4, natural attack.
Benefit: Choose one of the creature's natural attack forms. The damage for this natural weapon increases by one step, as if the creature's size had increased by one category.
A weapon or attack that deals 1d10 points of damage increases as follows: 1d10, 2d8, 3d8, 4d8, 6d8, 8d8, 12d8.
Multiattack [General]
The creature can attack with all its natural attacks more easily.
Prerequisite: Three or more natural attacks.
Benefit: The creature's secondary attacks with natural weapons take only a –2 penalty.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature's secondary attacks with natural weapons take a –5 penalty.
Multiweapon Fighting [General]
The creature can fight with more than two weapons at the same time.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, base attack bonus +3, three or more hands.
Benefit: The penalties for fighting with multiple weapons are reduced by 2 with the primary hand and one of the off hands. When the creature's base attack bonus increases to +6, it gains a second attack with the offhand weapon; when it increases to +11, it gains a third attack.
Normal: A creature without this feat takes a –6 penalty on attacks made with its primary hand and a –10 penalty on attacks made with all of its off hands. (It has one primary hand, and all the others are off hands.) See Two-Weapon Fighting.
Special: This feat replaces the Two-Weapon Fighting feat for creatures with more than two arms. A creature must take this feat separately for each off hand.
Multiweapon Rend [General]
The creature can perform rending attacks with its weapons.
Prerequisites: Str 13, Dex 17, Multiweapon Fighting, base attack bonus +9, three or more hands.
Benefit: If the creature hits an opponent with two or more weapons (wielded in different hands) in the same round, it can automatically rend the opponent. This rending deals additional damage equal to the base damage of the smallest weapon that hit plus 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus. The creature can only rend once per round, regardless of how many successful attacks it makes.
Special: This feat replaces the Two-Weapon Rend feat for creatures with more than two arms.
Quicken Spell-Like Ability [General]
The creature can use its spell-like abilities more quickly than normal.
Prerequisite: Spell-like ability at caster level 10th or higher.
Benefit: Choose one of the creature's spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions described below. The creature can use that ability as a quickened spell-like ability three times per day (or less, if the ability is normally usable only once or twice per day).
Using a quickened spell-like ability is a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The creature can perform another action—including the use of another spell-like ability—in the same round that it uses a quickened spell-like ability. The creature can use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.
It can only select a spell-like ability duplicating a spell with a level less than or equal to half its caster level (round down) –4. For a summary, see the table below.
In addition, a spell-like ability that duplicates a spell with a casting time greater than 1 full round cannot be quickened.
Normal: Normally the use of a spell-like ability requires a standard action and provokes an attack of opportunity unless noted otherwise.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the creature can apply it to a different one of its spell-like abilities.
Empower and Quicken Spell-Like Ability
Spell Level |
Caster Level to Empower |
Caster Level to Quicken |
---|---|---|
0 | 4th | 8th |
1st | 6th | 10th |
2nd | 8th | 12th |
3rd | 10th | 14th |
4th | 12th | 16th |
5th | 14th | 18th |
6th | 16th | 20th |
7th | 18th | — |
8th | 20th | — |
9th | — | — |
Snatch [General]
The creature can grab up opponents smaller than it is.
Prerequisite: Size Huge or larger.
Benefits: The creature can choose to start a grapple when it hits with a claw or bite attack, as though it had the improved grab special attack. If the creature gets a hold on a creature three or more sizes smaller, it squeezes each round for automatic bite or claw damage. A snatched opponent held in the creature's mouth is not allowed a Reflex save against the creature's breath weapon, if it has one.
The creature can drop a creature it has snatched as a free action or use a standard action to fling it aside. A flung creature travels 1d6 x 10 feet, and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet traveled. If the creature flings a snatched opponent while flying, the opponent takes this amount or falling damage, whichever is greater.
Stomp [General]
The creature can step on foes smaller than it is, crushing them.
Prerequisite: Size Huge or larger.
Benefit: The creature can make a stomp attack once per round as a standard action. The target must be three or more sizes smaller; the attack uses the creature's base attack bonus + its Dex modifier. If it hits, the creature deals twice its slam or claw damage in crushing damage to the target, and it can make a grapple check to pin its opponent (in this case, any success pins the opponent, but the degree of success determines the opponent's penalty for checks to get free). If it is pinned, it takes damage each round unless it can make a successful grapple check to get free or the creature lets it up. While it pins an opponent, the creature cannot move, but it does not lose its Dex bonus to Armor Class, if any.
A creature without feet (oozes, some plants, incorporeal creatures, etc.) cannot take this feat.
Turn Resistance [General]
The creature is more resistant to being turned, commanded, or rebuked.
Prerequisites: Undead type.
Benefit: The undead gains +2 turn resistance. If it already has turn resistance, it is increased by 2.
Special: An undead can take this feat multiple times; its effects stack.
Wingover [General]
The creature can change direction quickly while flying.
Prerequisite: Fly speed.
Benefit: A flying creature with this feat can change direction quickly once each round as a free action. This feat allows it to turn up to 180 degrees regardless of its maneuverability, in addition to any other turns it is normally allowed. A creature cannot gain altitude during a round when it executes a wingover, but it can dive.
The change of direction consumes 10 feet of flying movement.