Stat Variants

Define how a monster's stats change across different Challenge Ratings

Stat Variants let you define how an individual monster stat changes as the monster's Challenge Rating increases or decreases.

Each variant assigns a value to the stat at a specific Challenge Rating. How that value is applied depends on the stat:

  • Discrete stats, such as the monster's name or size, change when the selected CR reaches the variant's Available at value.
  • Auto-scaled stats, such as Armor Class, can progress gradually from the value of one variant to the next as the CR changes.

For example, you could create a Brown Bear Stat Block that scales from CR 1/4 to CR 10:

  • At CR 1/4, its name is Cub, with AC 10.
  • From CR 1, its name is Brown Bear, with AC 11.
  • From CR 5 onward, its name is Dire Bear, with AC 14.

The name changes only when the monster reaches one of these CR thresholds. If auto-scaling is enabled for AC, however, its AC can increase progressively between the values defined by the variants.

To create the initial name, click the monster's name in the editor to open the Name editor window, then set it to Cub:

The monster's initial name options

To create the next variant:

  1. Make sure the editor is in Advanced mode.
  2. Click (+) Add Variant.
  3. Set Available at to the Challenge Rating at which the variant should become active. In this example, select CR 1.
  4. Change the name to Brown Bear.

The monster's name options at CR 1

Repeat the process for the next CR tier and for any other stat you want to vary.

For stats that support auto-scaling, like AC or Ability Scores, the values defined by variants can also act as reference points. For example, if AC is set to 11 at CR 1 and 14 at CR 5, the editor can automatically calculate the intermediate AC values between those Challenge Ratings.

A use case: the Black Dragon

The video below shows how Stat Variants can be used to build a single stat block representing a Black Dragon at every stage of its life, from wyrmling to ancient dragon.

Its name, size, ability scores, defenses, and other stats can change as its Challenge Rating increases, while supported numeric stats can scale progressively between variants.

Actions were removed from the stat block shown in this video.

Overview

A tour of the Monster Editor and its main concepts.

Tags

Use tags to create reusable actions that automatically update when you rename a monster.

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