100 Nature Descriptors

Building a good monster starts with defining their Nature. While the book has plenty of examples, I wanted to provide a more comprehensive list. The below is the start, but I’m looking for suggestions, particularly for some of the thinner letters (I’m looking at you: Q).

Purposeful Nature: For monsters that serve a particular purpose or where you simply want a little more flavor, combine the below with specific people places or things. Guarding the Three-Eyed Devil, Devouring the Stars, Collecting Bones, etc.

A

Ambushing
Avenging
Assaulting

B

Burrowing
Burning
Blinding
Banishing
Biting
Burying

C

Calculating
Creeping
Collecting
Calling
Cloning
Crushing
Coveting
Commanding
Cursing
Cheating

D

Draining
Devouring
Disguising
Digging
Defiling
Destroying
Decaying

E

Eating
Enslaving
Escaping

F

Freezing
Flying
Feasting

G

Guarding
Grinding
Grappling

H

Hypnotizing
Haunting
Hiding
Hoarding
Hunting

I

Impaling
Infecting

J

Jumping
Joking

K

Killing

L

Lying
Lurking
Legerdemain

M

Mutating
Marauding
Multiplying
Murdering

N

Nesting

O

P

Polymorphing
Punishing
Pursuing
Punching
Poisoning
Pulling
Planeshifting

Q

R

Riddling
Rusting
Raiding
Running
Rotting
Rending
Raising
Returning

S

Strangling
Shambling
Scheming
Spawning
Slaying
Swarming
Serving
Summoning
Shapeshifting
Swimming
Spilling Blood
Scrying

T

Teleporting
Tracking
Torturing
Terrorizing
Trapping
Throwing
Thrashing
Tunneling

U

Uprooting
Unlocking

V

Vanishing
Vanquishing

W

Warping
Watching
Wandering
Whispering
Worshipping

X

Y

Z

Zealous

This is great!

This…this could make for an awesome monster concept generator, too. Draw some random descriptors, and figure out what sort of creature has that Nature!

That’s ultimately where I want to take this. I started this because I’m working on converting some modules and needed a good list to draw from as I build my monsters. I was thinking of drawing up a list of 100 unique things, 100 unique weapons, and 100 unique instincts, too. I’ll definitely update the thread as this progresses.

Xenophobic (Great for Eye Tyrants.)

Oh god, I think I have a list of these a mile long somewhere for another game. I’ll see if I can dredge it up.

Q

Quarrelling
Quarrying
Quaffing
Quaking
Queening
Quelling
Quenching
Questioning
Questing
Quick-marching
Quipping

Those are awesome! Thanks for the additions.