Monsters Naturally, human and demihuman characters aren't the only spellcasters in the AD&D game. The most powerful types of undead, the vampire and the lich, can command devastating magical abilities. Many extraplanar creatures have some degree of skill as wizards or priests, and every tribe of humanoids boasts a shaman or witch-doctor of some kind. In fact, many monsters are more skilled with spellcasting than the player characters of a campaign.
In addition to monstrous spellcasters, there are also hordes of creatures with magical powers that resemble spells. The most dangerous extradimensional monsters have a selection of spell-like powers that rivals the spell capability of a high-level wizard. Other creatures, such as dragons, gain both spell-like abilities and the power to actually cast wizard or priest spells.
Monstrous Spellcasters[]
Monsters who memorize and expend spells in the same fashion as player characters fall into this category. A monster that has a character level equivalent, such as a 19th-level lich or a 10th-level vampire mage, is a monstrous spellcaster. In general, monstrous spellcasters must abide by the same rules and restrictions of human and demihuman wizards and priests; monstrous wizards may not wear armor (although many monsters have a natural Armor Class to compensate), monstrous priests and mages may be restricted in choice of weapons, monstrous spellcasters must be able to use verbal, somatic, or material components required by the spell, and they can be interrupted by damage or other distractions during spellcasting.
There are several types of monstrous spellcasters, including humanoids, undead, extraplanar creatures, and (for lack of any better word) nonhumanoids. Most monsters have an effective casting level equal to their spell ability, so a cloud giant with the spell ability of a 4th-level priest casts spells as if he were 4th level, while a ki-rin with the spell ability of an 18th-level mage casts spells as an 18th-level wizard. A few rare monsters, such as dragons or kenku, have the ability to use spells of a certain level but aren't wizards or priests with levels. Unless otherwise noted, these monsters have a casting level equal to their Hit Dice.
Humanoids: This category includes living monsters that are generally bipedal or humanoid in form, ranging from bullywugs or lycanthropes to githyanki or giants. In many cases, spellcasters are quite rare among their race; only 1 in 10 cloud giants has the ability to use wizard spells, for instance. The Monstrous Manual™ tome and The Complete Book of Humanoids describe dozens of races that have the ability to produce priests or wizards.
Undead: Human or demihuman spellcasters who retain their magical abilities after death fall into this category. The principle examples are liches and vampires. In both cases, the character's class and level are retained through the transformation into undeath.
Extraplanar: A small number of extradimensional or extraplanar monsters have magical abilities. Some aasimon and yugoloths fall into this category, but creatures that are or formerly were mortal (githyanki, githzerai, tieflings, or einheriar) are considered to be humanoid spellcasters instead. Most extraplanar creatures also command a formidable array of spell-like abilities in addition to their memorized spells.
Creatures of this sort do not need spell books or extended periods of study to learn their spells; after a good rest, or a period of concentration or prayer, extraplanar spellcasters may choose their spells just as a mortal spellcaster would select spells from a book or pray for spells from his patron deity. The actual spell memorization only requires 1 to 3 turns, but the creature's resting time or other preparations consume several hours at the minimum. In any event, spells may be memorized no more than once per day.
Extraplanar creatures with wizard spell ability are still limited in their total number of spells known—in effect, they carry their “spell books” in their own memory, and merely select which ones will be available during the course of a day. Creatures with priest spell ability are assumed have access to the same spheres available to a standard cleric.
Nonhumanoids: This broad category includes all other creatures who memorize and expend their spells. Couatl, dragons, lammasu, nagas, and sphinxes are just a few examples of nonhumanoid spellcasters. Generally, nonhumanoid spellcasters follow the same guidelines described under extraplanar spellcasters: they do not need spell books and simply recall their spells once per day. In addition, nonhumanoid spells have verbal components only; no somatic or material components are required, since creatures such as nagas or couatl develop variations on standard spells that do not require hands to cast.
Monstrous Specialists: Most monsters with spell ability are assumed to be mages or clerics. However, specialist wizards and specialty priests are not unheard of. First of all, humanoids from races familiar with magic, such as githyanki or githzerai, could quite easily be specialist wizards. Similarly, shamans are common among all kinds of barbarians, and goblin or bugbear shamans are reasonable.
Undead spellcasters could be specialist wizards or specialty priests of any variety, since they gained their magical powers during their lifetimes. On the other hand, extraplanar and nonhumanoid specialists would be fairly unusual, simply because these creatures have a wide array of powers to begin with. Some might be appropriate—a red dragon elemental fire specialist, an arcanaloth dimensionalist, or a planetar with druidic powers are all possible, if rare.
Monsters with Spell-like Abilities[]
Many monsters have the innate ability to use certain spells simply by an act of will. Most extraplanar monsters have an array of spell-like powers as formidable as the spell arsenal of a high-level wizard or priest, sylvan creatures such as dryads or brownies can charm or confuse their opponents, and even dragons have a handful of spell-like abilities based on their color and age. In fact, any monster that can use spell effects without an equivalent wizard or priest character level falls into this category.
Spell-like abilities are invoked by one round of concentration; the monster can do nothing else in that round except use a single power, just like a wizard or priest may only cast one spell per round. All spell-like abilities have an initiative modifier of +3, or fast under Player's Option: Combat & Tactics rules. Unlike a true spellcaster, a monster with spell-like abilities can't be interrupted by damage or distraction—if the creature survives the injury, the power functions that round regardless. (However, if a monster has both spell-like abilities and normal spells, any spells it actually casts can be interrupted.)
Unless otherwise stated in the monster's description, spell-like abilities are considered to have an effective casting level equal to the monster's Hit Dice, or the minimum character level necessary to use its highest-level ability, whichever is better. For example, a brownie has only half a Hit Die, but its spell-like abilities include confusion and dimension door, which are 4th-level wizard spells. Since a wizard must be at least 7th level to use 4th-level spells, a brownie's spell-like abilities function as if it were a 7th-level caster. (Refer to Table 21 : Wizard Spell Progression or Table 24 : Priest Spell Progression in the Player's Handbook.) This affects range, damage, duration, and all other level-based characteristics of a spell. A list of monsters from the Monstrous Manual tome with spell-like abilities follows, along with their effective casting level. Only creatures that don't have a casting level noted are mentioned here in Table 7 : Monster Casting Levels — you may want to note these in your copy of the book.
| Monster | Level |
|---|---|
| Arcane | 10th |
| Baatezu, Pit Fiend | 18th |
| Baatezu, Black Abishai | 9th |
| Baatezu, Green Abishai | 9th |
| Baatezu, Red Abishai | 9th |
| Bat, Azmyth | 6th |
| Bat, Sinister | 9th |
| Bird, Talking Owl | 3rd |
| Brownie | 7th |
| Couatl | 9th1 |
| Deepspawn | 11th |
| Dryad | 7th |
| Elemental, earth kin, Pech | 7th |
| Elf, drow | 2nd2 |
| Genie, Djinn | 20th |
| Genie, Efreet | 20th |
| Ghost | 10th |
| Giant, Firbolg | 13th |
| Gnome, Svirfneblin | 4th |
| Gnome, Spriggan | 4th |
| Imp, Imp or Quasit | 7th |
| Imp, Fire Mephit | 3rd |
| Imp, Smoke Mephit | 3rd |
| Imp, Steam Mephit | 3rd |
| Kenku | by HD |
| Ki-rin | 18th1 |
| Leprechaun | 16th |
| Ogre Mage | 9th |
| Satyr | 5th |
| Satyr, Korred | 9th |
| Slaad, Blue | 9th |
| Sphinx, Gynosphinx | 11th |
| Sprite | 3rd |
| Squid, Giant, Kraken | 20th |
| Tanar'ri, Marilith | 12th |
| Yuan-ti | 9th |
- 1 Also casts spells
- 2 Or by character level
A creature with a spell-like ability may choose to use it simply by concentrating for one round. If the power can be maintained, the monster doesn't need to concentrate to maintain it through the spell's normal duration; after that, the monster must spend a round reactivating the power. For example, a brownie's abilities include protection from evil, which has a duration of 2 rounds/level, or 14 rounds for a brownie. By invoking the power once, the brownie is affected by the spell for 13 more rounds, and it can then spend a round invoking the power again to be protected for another 14 rounds. This means that the monster may be able to invoke a power and then engage in physical attacks or take other actions while the power is active.
On the other hand, some spell-like abilities require the caster's continuing attention while they're active, such as a phantasmal force or ventriloquism spell. Invoking the power takes only one round, as described above, but after that the monster must spend each round concentrating on the power and doing nothing else in order to maintain it. A monster with multiple spell-like abilities can have any number of powers active at one time, as long as it spends one round invoking each and continues to concentrate on any powers that need its attention.
Restrictions: Generally, monsters with spell-like abilities are free of any restrictions normally associated with those spells; a monster with wizard spells among its spell-like abilities is not a wizard and may use any armor or weapons it cares to. Similarly, a monster with priest spells doesn't have the ability to turn undead or any granted powers specific to a certain priesthood. No components are necessary, but the DM may rule that a bound and gagged monster may not be able to invoke certain abilities.
Many monsters with spell-like abilities may only make use of them a certain number of times per day; for example, a juvenile black dragon may use darkness three times per day, while a marilith tanar'ri may polymorph self up to seven times per day.
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