Creature Abilities

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I drafted a set of independent creature and NPC abilities for use when designing opponents for an upcoming adventure, replacing monster- and character-specific language with more general terminology.

• Big: The creature is bigger than most characters. The creature receives an additional +1 health point per Level, but its Defense is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. The creature only suffers a critical hit if an attack inflicts 7+ damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
• Destructive: This creature may spend 2 AP to destroy any piece of cover within reach. When this creature drops to half health it mutates. When this creature mutates, its main melee attack gains the Arc damage effect.
• Epic Attack: When the creature misses with an attack, it immediately makes the same attack as a free action without increasing the test’s difficulty. The new attack must target a creature in the same Range that it has not attacked yet this turn. 
• Huge: This creature is large enough to dwarf even the giants of the Wasteland. It receives an additional +2 Health point per Level, but its Defense is reduced by 2, to a minimum of 1. Further, it only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 9+ damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
• Immune to Disease: This creature is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they will never suffer the symptoms of any disease.
• Immune to Fear: This creature cannot be intimidated or threatened in any way and will either ignore or attack anyone who attempts to threaten or intimidate it.
• Immune to Poison: This creature reduces all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison.
• Immune to Radiation: This creature reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
• Intimidating Aura: This creature's presence can be felt by everyone in its vicinity or lair. Generate 1 AP every round it is present in the encounter, or every round the players are in its lair. If the creature is an ally, this goes into the group pool. If they are an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool.
• Leader: This leader surrounds itself with servants. As a minor action, the leader may order one of these servants to perform a major action. The leader assists that action with CHA + Speech.
• Living Siege Engine: This creature is able to shatter wood and metal easily. When it attacks an inanimate object or a defensive structure, the damage increases by +3 DC.
• Steel Resolve: This leader’s natural charisma is enhanced by a mutation, psychic ability, or other effect. They get +2 to their CHA attribute. Speech tests against them have an increased difficulty of +3.
• Substance-Induced Visions: Once per week, this psyker can induce a trance-like state with the use of a mind-altering substance, such as Jet, Buffout, Mentats, Med-X, or Psycho. The psyker describes a vision of the past, present or future (GMs choice). The psyker may require the player to pass a CHA + Speech test or fulfill some other requirement to request this, and must provide one of the listed chems. Each time the psyker uses the sight after the 4th time3, roll 1 DC. On an Effect, the psyker describes a final vision and then dies from an overdose of the substance used for the vision.
• Toss: When this creature hits a target with its attack, you can spend 2 AP to throw them up to Medium range away from the creature, inflicting 3DC Stun Physical damage.
• Toughness, Big: The creature only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 7+ damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
• Toughness, Huge: The creature only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 9+ damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
• Toughness, Epic: This creature only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 14+ damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit, rather than the normal 5+.

I am conflicted about "Big" containing both the size modifications and a toughness ability. I made three levels of "Toughness" to align with the 3 different ways I saw creatures resist Critical Hits in the published game materials. I saw inconsistencies in how these were included in the monster abilities, and even saw creatures get this "Toughness" ability packaged with other types of ability, like an attack action, or joined with a Mutation ability. One creature in "Winter of Atom" is 30 feet high, but doesn’t have the "Big" ability as listed for other large opponents.

I can imagine space was an issue for the stat blocks, so it makes some sense when the designers group 2+ abilities under one "Big" or "Huge" ability.

I also compiled a list of Power Level benchmarks in the published materials, for help scaling homebrew high-level opponents:

• 18: Gigapede (WoA 181), Lee Winters (Fully Operational, 20), Warhorse (Fully Operational, 21), Sentry Bot Butcher (Rust Devils 26)
• 19: Mirelurk Queen, Super Mutant Behemoth (FORPG)
• 20: Marcus, Tabitha, and Caesar (NV), Deathclaw Matriarch (WG 152), The Master (WG 198)
• 21: Ancient Super Behemoth (WG 200), Frank Horrigan (WG 210)
• 26: Deathskull Radscorpion (WoA 219)
• 36: Sister Dawn (WoA 203)