Step 9: Damage

Each weapon and type of natural attack has a damage dice value associated with it. The values in the monster arrays from Step 1 give only the total amount of damage each attack deals. Assigning the right damage dice to each of a monster's attacks helps make it fit more naturally with the rest of the game's rules. For damage dice for natural attacks, reference Table 3–1: Natural Attacks by Size on page 302 of the Bestiary.

Assigning Damage

For each of the monster's attacks, cross-reference the total amount of damage dealt with its appropriate die size on the table below. This will assign a value of damage dice to roll plus a flat modifier to the damage. Use these dice and modifiers to roll the attack's damage.

For example, if you have a CR 5 combatant using a weapon, its high damage value for a single attack is 11. If you give it a short sword (which deals 1d6 points of damage), you'd check the 9–11 row against the 1d6 column to get 1d6+7.

Giving a Monster More Attacks

If a monster needs more attacks than the array allows, calculate the damage yourself. Start by combining the damage values in the monster's array: a monster that deals 20 points of damage with two natural attacks should deal 40 points of damage total. If the monster has a large number of secondary attacks (which are less likely to hit), increase the total damage value by 25% or 50%. Finally, divide the total among all attacks before using the table. You don't have to distribute it evenly if some attacks should deal less damage.

If you want to increase both the number of attacks and damage output, use the extra attack option instead.