3.5e Glossary

From Dungeons and Dragons Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Back to Main Page3.5e Homebrew

Add your own glossary article to Dungeons & Dragons Wiki by clicking the link and following the instructions.

The glossary contains rules categories for homebrew material on the wiki. This includes, but is not limited to, new feat types, creatures types and subtypes, status conditions, and creature abilities.

Feat Types[edit]

Unlike other tables on this page, the feat types listed here may link to an SRD page. In these instances, the SRD page contains the listings for homebrew feats of these types.

Table: 3.5e Feat Types
Name Description
Aberrant Aberrant feats were originally presented in Lords of Madness. They represent your character evolving to be closer to the aberration type.
Abyssal Heritor Abyssal Heritor feats are representations of an abyssal bloodline or power source beginning to manifest itself.
Ambush Ambush feats were originally presented in Complete Adventurer. They allow you to sacrifice some of your sneak attack dice in exchange for special status effects.
Anarchic Anarchic feats grant special like benefits to Chaotic characters.
Anti Anti-feats are for characters that just don't stand up to the average standard.
Arcane Combat Arcane Combat feats grant magical abilities through various combat styles and techniques. The classes which get them usually have no spellcasting ability of their own. All arcane combat feats are also fighter bonus feats, and many require fighter levels.
Archetype These feats help define who the character "is".
Autoplate Autoplate feats are a class based feat type, generally only used by characters with levels in Autoplate Pilot or Autoplate Pilot, Variant.
Axiomatic Axiomatic feats grant special like benefits to Lawfull characters.
Bardic Bardic feats open up new option for characters with the bardic music feature. The category already exists under WotC rules.
Bending Bending feats enhance or otherwise adjust the abilities of a character with levels in a bending class.
Bloodline Bloodline feats grant additional spells to spontaneous caster, based on their magic heritage.
Bomb Bomb feats are those that grant or improve bombs, as the Pathfinder Alchemist's or Grenadier (3.5e Class)'s class features of the same name.
Celestial A feat with the [Celestial] tag can only be taken by a creature who is a Celestial.
Combat Combat feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your Base Attack Bonus.
Combat Form Combat Form feats are used to represent a peculiar clarity in combat, and the benefits that come with it.
Cooperative Cooperative feats are designed to work with allies in specific circumstances to produce powerful effects.
Curse Curse feats grant powerful extraordinary or supernatural ability to character who take them, however they also possess their share of drawback.
Deformity Deformity feats are a subset of [Vile] feats based around the Willing Deformity feat originally presented in Book of Vile Darkness.
Domain These feats, added in Complete Champion, work once per day and are usually dependent upon your Domain.
Draconic Draconic feats, introduced in Complete Arcane, are a type of sorcerer bloodline feat path.
Elemental Feats of the [Elemental] type represent a connection to an elemental energy source, and the expression of that power.
Equilibrium Equilibrium feats grant special like benefits to neutral characters.
Essence
Exalted Exalted feats grant saint like benefits to good characters.
Fiend A feat with the [Fiend] tag can only be taken by a creature who is a Fiend.
Fury Fury feats are designed to augment a barbarian's rage or similar class features involving anger (such as a berserker's rage).
Grim Grim feats enhance or alter the features of a Grim.
Heritage Heritage feats represent power drawn from your ancestry.
Hex
Hivemaster Hivemaster feats update and expand the Aspect of the Vermin class feature of a Hivemaster.
Incarnum These feats, added in Magic of Incarnum, increase your essentia pool and can be invested with essentia.
Innate Innate feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your total levels in supernatural classes.
Job Job feats are a type of feat that grant abilities reminiscent of multiclassing.
Leadership Leadership feats let you have and command minions.
Luck Luck feats deal with rerolls, second changes, or other effects which allow you to manipulate random chance. They were originally created in Complete Scoundrel.
Mantra A series of feat from the Untapped Potential book by Dreamscarred Press. These psionic feats are related to the use of Psionic Focus and the Concentration skill.
Metabreath
Metacombat Metacombat feats are like metamagic for melee classes. You take some form of attack penalty, and gain special bonuses and effects on your attacks.
Metamaneuver Metamaneuver feats are like metamagic feats for initiators.
Metaphrase Metaphrase feats allow a truespeaker to alter their phrases in slight ways.
Minion First introduced in Liber Demonica, these feats indicate service to a higher (or lower...) power.
Monk Monk feats are feats that a monk can take as a monk bonus feat. They may dictate what level they are available as a bonus feat, but many allow pre-requisites to be ignored if taken as a monk bonus feat.
Monstrous Monstrous feats are for non-humanoid characters.
Multiclass Multiclass feats help mitigate the level-dependent penalties of multiclassing.
Necromantic Creation
Order Order feats grant benefits based on your monk's level, a character may only have a single order feat.
Pact Pact feats augment a binder's soul binding class feature.
Pokémaster Pokémaster feats affect a Pokémaster's or Monster Tamer's ability to capture and control monsters.
Prowess Prowess Feats are general style feats that closely interact with the Tome of Prowess revised skill system.
Racial Feats tied to one's racial identity.
Regional
Reserve Reserve feats draw upon the magic inherent in a caster's body and soul, utilizing (but not consuming) energy from available spells to augment the character's already prodigious magical talents.
Salient Ability A salient divine ability is a special sort of feat which only deities with divine rank can take, as according to the rules spelled out in Complete Epic. It gives a deity a new capability or improves one that the deity already has.
Setenall
Shifter These feats, added in Races of Eberron, allow you to shift more often along with another benefit, usually related to shifting.
Skill Skill feats are a type of scaling feat that grant increasing bonuses based on your ranks in a specific skill.
Speed Feats that improve your movement options.
Spell Stance Spell stance feats are much like reserve feat, giving combat abilities based on spell available for casting.
Spellcasting Spellcasting feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on the highest spell level you can cast.
Spelltouched Spelltouched feats allow a character to interact with magic cast at them in unexpected ways. They were originally presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Style A style of feats which allow a character to perform various deeds when equipped with particular weapons..
Subsidy
Surge Surge feats enhance the surges of a surge fighter or enable him to do things with his surge points that he couldn't do before. As an added bonus, all of them grant him bonus surge points as well!
Symbiotic
Tactical Tactical feats were first presented in Complete Warrior. Feats with this type provides several thematically similar and rather specific options or abilities that generally require some setup or a specific weapon set to utilize.
ToP Skill ToP Skill feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your ranks in a specific skill in the Tome of Prowess skill system.
Torture Torture feats grant new abilities with which to wring information or compliance out of people.
Undead A feat with the [Undead] tag can only be selected or used by a character who is undead.
Videogame Videogame feats are meant to imitate common and non-specific abilities of videogame characters.
Vile
Warforged Warforged feats are available only to Warforged, and modify their structure to provide different armor or abilities.
Weather Weather feats are feats which interact with or change the local environment around you. You may only have one active at a time, and can switch which is active as a 1 round action.
Weaving
Wild Magic Feats that let your magic go wild!!!
Wordcasting Wordcasting feats use a rule that is dependent upon the Wordcasting subsystem.
Xenotheric Feats for Xenotheric creatures

Creature Types[edit]

Table: 3.5e Types
Name Description
Entity Neither organic nor artificial. Not a creature of this world or of any other world. Their origins are inscrutable and their minds are leagues beyond comprehension. They don't follow any rules that you or I would easily understand and the only word in any language that could accurately describe them is "Entity".
Fey In many cases, fey are the physical embodiment of some natural force, whether it be the land itself or the emotions and souls of those who inhabit it. Others are creatures with just a bit too much mysticism and power to be called humanoids. Commonly fragile in stature but strong in magical ability, making them very difficult opponents.
Fungus Now fungus creatures have their own unique type
Giant Giants are massive humanoids born with deep reserves of supernatural power, granting them their customary size and strength, variety of forms, and even magical abilities.
Magical Beast Magical beast is practically a catch-all category for the multitude of creatures whose origins cannot be explained by nature or the Outer Planes.
Naught A Naught is a creature that has lost a part of itself and was banished to the Void in the process. Trapped in a half-life, they suffer for nigh eternity.
Ooze Oozes are large masses of sludge and goop that have strange powers and a primitive intelligence, despite the fact that they look like something from a toxic waste dump.
Plant Plants with a bit more pizzazz.
Undead Undead come in two varieties: Primeval and Converted, each of which are given as subtypes. While the former is created from scratch solely as undead monsters, the latter is a transitional type applied to something that was previously of another type. This entry covers both separately.
Variant Outsider An outsider is a creature partially (or wholly) composed of the essence of a plane other than the Material Plane, but not of an elemental energy.

Creature Subtypes[edit]

Table: 3.5e Subtypes
Name Description
Abomination Horrible half-deity half-monsters, these unloved abomination are anathemic to the divine.
Acid Creatures with the Acid subtype are infused with corrosive energies or materials, and often are composed of caustic slime, decaying matter, or corrosive vapors.
Anthro This subtype pertains to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature who appears to be based largely and in part on making an animal anthropomorphic.
Aroghin Aroghin separated their bloodline from humans long ago, moving their civilization far from any others, isolating themselves.
Avatar Avatar creatures are like elementals in that they are made of the things they are born from, and represent this thing, being a raw manifestation of it, and everything it represents.
Beholderkin The sybtype for all things beholderly.
Bomb
Bot Invented by Octoxeno to help compensate for there frail bodies. Bots are mindless aberrations and constructs, that have been built for a specific task, and have multiple modes of servitude.
Cactuar
Cait Sith
Chocobo Esper
Clockwork Clockwork creatures are constructs whose main function comes from technology rather than animating a solid mass of stone. They are made of complex gears, pipes, pulleys, and quasi-magical computer chips which grant them a unique intellect over their typically mindless kin.
Cockatrice
Construct Construct-subtype creatures are beings which were formed from inanimate matter, but which have the properties of living (or undead) beings rather than the Construct type.
Damned The damned subtype represent mortals being turned into devils after their passing.
Deathless This subtype pertains to undead that have gained the Deathless template.
Draconic These are the most quintessential and badass creatures in D&D (depending on who you ask).
Dragonblooded
Dreamborn Dreamborn creatures are only partially real, made out of the stuff of dreams and nightmares.
Eldritch The eldritch subtype applies to horrifying Lovecraftian creatures from beyond the veil. These creatures almost always cause dark insight and mindbreak simply by their presence.
Electricity Electric-subtype creatures are infused with the elemental power of electricity, and usually have electrical abilities.
Esper Espers are generally large and powerful Outsiders, native to the Astral Plane but with strong ties to the Material Plane.
Everlasting Everlasting are powerful almost divine creatures resembling humans, they have the duty of protecting and shepherding humanity no matter the cost.
Gear This subtype pertains to the 'Gear' family of constructs, beings of gears and clockwork that give them certain strengths and weaknesses.
Goblin
Incorporeal Creatures with this subtype are not completely there, often ghosty, spirit-like, or immaterial.
Kaiju Creatures of colossal size and power, these beings carry some unique traits common amongst them.
Kirin
Legacy This subtype pertains to creatures with the legacy template.
Living Dead As living constructs are to constructs, the living dead are to the undead. They are undead who possess more living traits than normal at the loss of some of their abilities.
Logos Semi-mechanical outsiders usually associated with the lawful upper planes (and especially Arcadia), they are the "grunts" and utilities of the outer planes. They live, yet these beings lack free will of their own.
Maita Soul devouring outsiders, these beings feed off them rather than simply trade them.
Menos Within the ranks of fiends, certain spirits were born with a disruptive effect on the spells and spell-like abilities of others. Seeking opportunity, ancient fiends took the aberrant evolution and engineered from one an entire race of magically resistant fiends.
Mindflayer
Paint A subtype designating a creature made of or otherwise tied to the energy of the Art Flow.
Plushie Plushies are sentient dolls given animated life. They are usually associated with the God-King Lord Eiji.
Pokemon Traits For Pokemon d20, adding the Type based traits for Weaknesses etc.
Pokémon Pokémon are wondrous creatures with unique capabilities; a special class of monsters in and of themselves. This subtype encompasses all monsters on the D&D Wiki that are designated as Pokémon — officially or otherwise.
Positive Creatures with this subtype contain positive energy, and can endure it as a result.
Replicator This subtype pertains to the 'Replicator' family of constructs, beings consisting of numerous small and identical components known as monads.
Sapblood Sapblood creatures exist at the crossing point between plant and animal, gaining some but not all the features of plants.
Semi-Corporeal A semi-corporeal creature has an actual physical presence, but more often than not that presence is comprised of countless smaller objects, like stones, dust or smaller composite creatures that move contiguously and are bound to the spirit's will.
Shiva
Siege Siege-subtype creatures have the Siege Weapon special attack, and deal extra damage to inanimate objects. They typically have a reload time which can be reduced by increasing the number of creatures used to reload them. The details vary between siege weapons.
Siren
Slime Sentient, squishy oozes that are a premium XP source for beginning adventurers.
Spiritfolk Spiritfolks are feys that are quite less magical than all the others, or humanoids that have fey-like traits.
Swarm A cooler swarm subtype that fixes some of the problems of the original.
Sylph
Tonberry
True Celestial This subtype pertains to celestials that make up the Coelesti Hierarchia and that inhabit the various celestial spheres that exist in this and any other cosmology (such as the hierarchy of angels, the devagati, and other such places).
Unicorn
Unliving A subtype from Tome of Necromancy, for undead with a constitution modifier.
Vehicle Vehicle-subtype creatures have the ability to carry cargo, and have a multitude of defensive abilities.
Xenoblooded This subtype pertains to the Xenoblooded family of creatures very much related to the xenotheric, which hail from planes associated with aberrant lifeforms.
Xenotheric This subtype pertains to the Xenotheric family of outsiders, which hail from planes associated with aberrant lifeforms., Certain lifeforms have the capacity to generate large amounts of metabolic energy that can be used for many different purposes.
Zodiac These creatures are spiritual manifestations of the constellations in the sky.

Effect Descriptors[edit]

Table: 3.5e Descriptors
Name Description
Animal A descriptor for spells and effects that deal with animals.
Curse A descriptor for curses and things that remove or empower them.
Metal A descriptor for spells that interact with metals or items made from metal.
Paint A descriptor for effects powered by the Art Flow.
Plant A descriptor for things like Plant Growth, Blight and other plant-affecting spells.
Poison For spells an effects that utilize toxins.
Time A descriptor for stuff that messes with time or creatures' perceptions of it.

Creature Abilities[edit]

Table: 3.5e Creature Abilities
Name Description
Ability Damage Reduction Ability damage needs to break through the ability damage reduction first before a creature is dealt ability damage.
Adaptive Regeneration Adaptive Regeneration is a special kind of regeneration which adapt to damage.
Air Jump A creature with this ability can perform a series of midair jumps.
Animate Fire Breath Level 3 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Bio-Energy Certain lifeforms have the capacity to generate large amounts of metabolic energy that can be used for many different purposes.
Bloody Mauling Creatures with this ability will cause foes to bleed alot when they attack
Breath Ability A category of abilities involving breathing on people.
Bright-light Vision Bright-light vision is a supernatural ability that allows creatures to see in conditions of bright or blinding light.
Choking Constrict Creatures with this can choke foes to death and not just crush them.
Damage Susceptibility Creatures take more damage from certain sources.
Daunt Lacking the will to fight saps one's power as much as the misery of fighting an army of the undead.
Double Jump Some creatures can jump while in the air. This works a lot like jumping from the ground, except it's done while in midair (hence the other common name of this ability, "Midair Jump"). While it can enable the user to maneuver in midair better than most other creatures, it is not flight; it is far more limited.
Energy Absorption You aren't just immune to an element, but are healed by it.
Energy Anti-Resistance Just because you have energy resistance/immunity doesn't mean you're always safe! Anti-resistance enables its bearer to treat some or all of a target's energy resistance like it wasn't even there!
Energy Charge, Revised This supernatural ability sends a burst of vital energy through a touch, which can help the living or harm the undead.
Fatten This ability allows the user to expand their mass.
Guard Can stop a set amount of damage from specific types every round
Hinder Energy Hinder Energy (also known as Energy Hindrance or Damage Hindrance) grants a creature a percentage resistance to a given energy or damage type.
Hover Hover is a mode of movement similar to flight, except that the hovering creature can not fly higher than its natural reach.
Hyperjump This special ability cover extreme jumping abilities
Immunity Hardness Immunity Hardness a special ability that provide a degree of resistance to immunity and resistance piercing effects.
Impact Zone Impact Zone is a special ability that is usually applied to creature who are huge or larger, making their physical attacks area of effect.
Improved Toss Creatures with this ability briefly grab and throw opponents away from them.
Inner Fire Level 3 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Jump Speed A Jump Speed allows you to move in a straight line, even if that line is going through the middle of the air.
Jumpscare This ability allow the monster to make a demoralize opponent check as a swift action against flat-footed opponent.
Keen Scent Scent so keen, it may as well be blindsight.
Lifesight Allows detection of living creatures.
Light Sensitivity Dazzled by sunlight and daylight.
Low Gravity Frame Creatures with this ability may be able to move well in light gravity, but are impaired in heavier condition of gravity.
Maneuver-Like Abilities Some creatures have inherent use of martial maneuvers.
Martial Defense The extraordinary ability to avoid being affected by maneuvers and maneuver-like abilities.
Metal Scent Level 1 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Multitarget The opponent has multiple body parts which can all be targeted separately.
Oblong Oblong creatures are non-flexible, unusually long, wide, or tall creatures that do not fit in just one square.
Partial Incorporeality A Partially Incorporeal creature is able to pass through solid objects and mundane attacks have a chance of missing them.
Psychosis As a reaction to stress, or often magical manipulation, creatures can fall prey to various mental afflictions. They range from harmless quirks to devastating behavioral changes and can be difficult to remove.
Rapid Healing A midway point between fast healing and ordinary healing; too slow to be of much use in combat, but fast enough to make life easier.
Reinforced Plating Reinforced plating is a special quality that can be added to a creature of the Construct type.
Resilient While damage reduction tends to mess with characters that have many attacks per round, few things can stand up to someone who does incredible amounts of damage with a single strike. Until now.
Scent Lure A creature with this ability can use its good-smelling scent to distract others.
Segmented Segmented creatures are flexible, unusually long, wide, or tall creatures that do not fit in just one square.
Self-Repair Basically, fast repair is fast healing, but for constructs, objects, and undead.
Shield A shield defends the creature it envelopes and has the ability to soak damage of most any kind.
Space Adaptation A creature with this ability is able to withstand the dangers of deep space.
Spell Dampening Spell dampening (and subsequently power dampening) reduces the caster level of the incoming spell for the purposes of determining how it affects the creature with SD, reducing its effectiveness, duration, range and other effects.
Statue Form This ability allows the user to perform the uncanny trick to become a statue.
Sturdy A sturdy creature always gains the maximum hit points from its hit dice.
Thermalsight Thermalsight gives creatures the ability to sense heat sources visually.
Tremorsight Tremorsense, but even more accurate.
Ward A warded creatures is very hard to hit with supernatural touch attacks.
Youthdrain A variant of energy drain which sap away mortality.

Status Conditions[edit]

Table: 3.5e Status Conditions
Name Description
At Bay A status effect which makes it difficult to go all-out.
Aura Seal A curse that makes it impossible to benefit from buffs.
Baffled A condition that describes a speechless and confused creature
Bleedout Build up "bleed" until you lose a large chunk of your health!
Blight Blights are like supernatural diseases, only much, much worse.
Broken This condition is applied to items rather than creatures
Burned Charizard uses Flamethrower. Wild Pidgey has suffered a burn!
Burning While burning, characters quickly lose health as their HP plummets.
Clumsy A clumsy creature trip over itself and automatically miss more easily.
Concussion When you get hit hard several times in a row, you can get Staggered, or even knocked out.
Cramped A cramped creature finds it harder to act.
Dread Build up "fear" until you are struck by debilitating debuffs.
Enraged Creatures afflicted who are under the effect of this status effect may only target a limited number of creatures.
Frightened, Revised An updated and more fair Frightened condition.
Guard Can stop a set amount of damage from specific types every round
Hazed Not quite mindless.
Headache A pain in the head hampers your ability to focus.
Hypnotized A powerful supernatural fascination effect, an hypnotized act as a fascinated one but is harder to bring back to sound mind.
Immobilized The character afflicted with this condition is unable to move from the spot where he stands.
Intoxicated When you've had one beer too many.
Maddened The subject is overcome with confused hysteria, unable to act normally.
Mana-Burned A mana-burned character loses control of the arcane energies inside him, causing his own spellcasting to injure him.
Migraine Serious head pain which lasts for a long time, a more severe form of headache.
Mindbreak Mindbreak represents the assimilation of harmful eldritch knowledge.
Numbed A state in which a creature's motor functions are heavily impaired, and their body responds very badly to muscle commands.
Ongoing Damage Damage that occurs over multiple rounds.
Panicked, Revised An updated and more fair Panicked condition.
Poisoned Being poisoned has extra effects on you
Psychosis As a reaction to stress, or often magical manipulation, creatures can fall prey to various mental afflictions. They range from harmless quirks to devastating behavioral changes and can be difficult to remove.
Scorched Whenever you are exposed to fire and flames you could remain burned.
Semiconscious A semiconscious creature's actions are inhibited and it risks falling unconscious if it overexerts itself
Shaken, Revised An updated and more fair Shaken condition.
Spellstrained Spells cast are less potent.
Susceptible Creature is easily affected by spells.
Tinnitus You may not be deaf, but you have a mighty hard time hearing anything over the cacophony in your head.
Uncentered Unable to use martial stances.
Uncomfortable Some awkward feeling keeps you from doing as well as you otherwise should be.

Skills[edit]

Table: 3.5e Skills
Name Description
Appraise
Attack A skill meant to replace the Base Attack Bonus.
Craft Artifice A Craft skill for crafting minor magic items without needing to spend a half-dozen feats.
Craft Cooking Cooks of the world unite! Now your useless flavor ability has an actual impact!
Craft Explosives An engineer merges knowledge gained from pyromania and trap making into making explosives., A remote detonator can be used to detonate traps and explosives up to a mile away.
Craft Xeno- This skill allows a creature to use substances and technology not of this world. This skill is like other craft skills in that it is a conglomerate of a few different skills, each purchased separately.
Craft, Rebuilt A rebuilt version of the SRD Craft skill.
Heal - Advanced Medical Advanced forms of healing allow you to perform surgeries, patch wounds in an instant, determine health and vitality, and even reattach limbs.
Heal, Rebuilt A rebuilt version of the SRD Heal ability that does not instantly negate any poison and disease anyone has and provide benefits for those with magical healing.
Knowledge Math & Physics The knowledge devoted to mathematics and the science of movement and energy.
Knowledge Xeno The knowledge devoted to operating technology, learning about aliens, and forbidden creatures from other dimensions.
Pactcraft A skill that involves knowing how pact magic works, how vestiges operate, and what the vestiges are like.
Pilot This skill allows a creature to operate a construct especially designed to be driven.
Profession Pilot With this skill you can operate flying vehicles, and pull off all manner of tricks.
Program A skill that involves working with computers and creatures with the Bot subtype.
Scent Use this skill to identify objects, people, creatures, or plants by smell or identify smells carried on the wind.
Seduction You use your sensuality and your physical assets to convince and persuade others.
Teamwork With this skill, learn to work in a team, and to strengthen group cohesion.
Truespeech This skill allows a creature to speak truespeech phrases and to identify such phrases and their effects.
Witchcraft



Back to Main Page3.5e Homebrew